ORIGINAL: MOTOWNHONKEY
Guys, I think trophy hunting has taken alot of the fun out of my hunting expierence. I can remember years back when a buck of any sort would make my heart pound and I would be super proud if I took it. I let several nice bucks walk this season trying to out smart a single buck that I had been after. So today was the last day for me to hunt before gun season starts and I take a buck that I normally wouldn't even consider just to put some points up for a contest. This tells me that something has gone wrong in my thinking. Can any of you relate?
Motownhonkey,
I am in the same boat as you. I think that you are feeling the effects of burn out. I cannot let this contest cause me to compromise my goals. I have come up empty before and will come up empty again. No big deal, the buck won this time. I liken it to a chess match, a long match that will take years. At the end of the match you'll have wins and losses. The losses are where you'll get your learning from. To me they're not really losses because of all the great things I've learned and experienced. I understand that you have 2 buck tags? If so, take some time off and relax. Maybe re-evaluate your strategy. Late season can be a great time to hunt for a big one as well. Yesterday I saw 2 big ones bumping does and fawns. One of them was a real horse I'd never seen before, 155"+, 9 pt. with a sticker. My point is, that by passing on a lot of great bucks, I got to see more than I ever have before. This is actually my best season yet. To have 7 shot opportunities at mature bucks (including a miss!)and to have 25 sightings of mature bucks (10 different ones), actually makes me happier than if I'd of shot another clone of what I've already got. I'm sure that your outlook will change once you've had time to recharge your batteries.
Good Luck
Greg