Let me re-phrase the "failure" question..

[Jimmy S]

Recently Red Lion asked:
"Is your season a failure if you did not tag a buck"....

99.9% of the folks replied "no"...

Let me asked it differently:
If you failed to tag any deer, or whatever deer you wereafterduring the hunting season, did you have a successful season?

I am not asking if you had a good time.
I am not asking if you learned anything.
I am not asking if the comrauderie was great.
I am not asking if you loved being close to nature.

Well, you get the idea....

I don't understand why folks cannot admit their season was not successful when they failed to shoot any deer, or whatever deer (big buck) they were after.

We all knowhow much the excitement, anticipation and comrauderie plays in hunting, but was that really the question?

Admit it, if you didn't get "your deer", your hunting season was a failure.
You may have had the best time with family and friends, but it was still a failure just the same.

Kinda like a baseball game. You went 0-4 but your team won. The "game" was successful, but you weren't.

[farmcntry]

Let me ask this. If you are in your stand and a small 6 point walks up 20yds away and you let him go. Was that hunt successful or not?

[Jimmy S]

ORIGINAL: farmcntry

Let me ask this. If you are in your stand and a small 6 point walks up 20yds away and you let him go. Was that hunt successful or not?

If that was the deer I was after, I would not have let him go. It would not have happened.

BUT, if I did let him walk in search of a bigger buck that I did not shoot, yes, my season was not successful.

[farmcntry]

The way personally see it is if I don't get a deer my season wasn't successful. However, I hunt for meat only so I'm not picky about what kind of deer I get. If it's a big doe I'm happy. If it's a great 10 pointer I'm happy. Any deer will do for me.

[Criggster]

The only way I would view my entire season as a failure would be A) I did not see any deer period! B) I did not see any deer within range that ICOULD have shot. C) The deer spooked and didn't allow a shot. Any time I go into the field and see a deer within range that I COULD shoot if I so chose to is a sucess. I don't have to pull the trigger to call it successful.

[kevin1]

With mere days to go I'm facing getting skunked this time around , largely due to drastic cuts in my time afield , so my season has been extremely disappointing . Would I rate it as a failure ? Not really . I had lots of fun the small amount of time that I got to go out , I saw some deer though I didn't get any worthwhile shots , and I learned a bit more than I did last year . In the bigger picture I'd say that I had some success , just not as much as I would have liked .

[Firehawk7309]

ORIGINAL: Jimmy S

I am not asking if you had a good time.
I am not asking if you learned anything.
I am not asking if the comrauderie was great.
I am not asking if you loved being close to nature.

I guess that depends on if a person measures success or failure on the mere act of the kill. These things that your ruling out are the basis for success or failure. Harvesting an animal is a goal and seperate from success. How many folks have had deer 10 yards under their stand, just lounging around for a long amount of time, more than enough for a shot? If you decided to practice what everybody is preaching around here about QDM and you wind up with fewer or no deer for the year, I see no failure. How many deer have been harvested from knowledge gained from a previous day/week/month/years hunting "failure"? My goal this year was to harvest only mature animals, of which I harvested 3 out of 4 tags. My goal was achieved. I got an opportunity to go into the woods to pursue these wonderful animals, my year was a success.

[kenman]

I had aextremely successful bow season,but my rifle season was a dismal failure. I had a great time with family and friends, learned a couple things about the brute I was hunting and enjoyed my time with nature, but I failed miserably.

[retrieverman]

I have been deer hunting for 25 years and have never had a "failure". I have tagged a deer every year. Some years have been more successful than others, but I have never failed to kill a deer.

[tschammel]

Jimmy S. Are you a failure if you have nothing better to do, than toask such a pointless question?