RE: When did hunting become a job??
It’s only a job/complete obsession for those who choose to make it that way. It is certainly possible to pursue “mature” bucks without dumping excessive time, money, and effort into it, and sacrificing family/social life. I hunt because I enjoy it, if it isn’t fun anymore or stresses me out too much I’ll stop.
Granted, as with many things, the more effort you put in the more you get out, BUT one can still hunt for mature bucks even on limited time and resources.
You don’t need trail cams, food plots, go shed hunting all winter, hang stands in may, scout everyday over the summer to kill a mature buck. Hunt smart and you won’t need to spend as much time. Now if the time you spend is enjoyable, knock yourself out, but I think it’s a fallacy that the only[/b] way you can kill a mature buck is to invest hordes of time, energy and money. I think that gives a false sense of futility to guys who don’t have the opportunity to devote all their time to the pursuit of a mature buck.
Evaluate your areas, account for the time/resources you have to spend and then make the decision of your threshold of what kind of buck you hope to shoot. Don’t wait on a 160, if nothing over 130 has ever graced your woods. But also don’t be afraid to go buckless trying for a high end buck for your area.