ORIGINAL: pjhunts

I'm not trying to take it too personally, I'm just tired of guys trying to take away from what others have accomplished by saying the only reason that they are doing what they're doing is where they live. Hunting pressure is unreal here just like any where else. Including both gun and bow seasons, there are~25-30 people that hunt in the area of 1 mile of my house. This area is about an even split between fields and woods and we all know nobody hunts in the middle of an open field, so that means there is usually 2-3 people per small woodlot around here. Once again I'll say that they are NOT putting big bucks on the ground and yet they are hunting the same area as I am. Do they just flat suck as hunters, no. They just lack the passion and dedication that I do. I log hundreds of hours in the woods each fall, hunting in pouring rain, and cold and anymore, in the heat. I have a very positive attitude that I will be successful and I believe that I would be successful anywhere I went. I'm not saying that I would kill the biggest buck in the woods but I would give myself65-35 odds of killing a 3 yr old buck or better. It is my opinion that saying there " are no big deer here, so I can't kill one" is a much abused and overused excuse. If one were serious about killing a P&Y buck, it could be done. The first step is to quit shooting immature bucks because you "know without a doubt" there are no better deer in the area. If it were me, and I knew there were no better deer in the area I would hold out hope for a roamer to come through at about 11:45 when everybody else is at home eating lunch or taking a nap. You have to be willing to eat a few buck tags now and then and just be happy shooting does, I know because I've been there. It's kind of funny, take a look through magazines like North American Whitetail and see the freak monsters killed in states that aren't supposed to have big bucks. I'm sure if you asked people who lived in those areas and they would say there are no big deer there either. I could go on forever about QDMA but it would do no good because it is way to easy to use the excuse that there are no big bucks where I live. I will leave you with this, All of the big buck slayers that I know of have read about are extremely disciplined and dedicated to taking big whitetails. I know that this is not for everybody. I think we as hunters for the most part go through a growing curve and a great percent stay in sections of the curve because they simply don't care about what the shoot, if it makes them happy they shoot it, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Just don't use the excuse that the big boys aren't there.