ORIGINAL: GMMAT

Here's my delimma.....

According to my wildlife Bio.......I need to take 8 does out of the herd, this season....as a start to managing the herd, here. To be able to do this.....I need to be in the woods. To be in the woods.....I am going to pressure the herd, some.

This being only my second serious bowhunting season.....I'm in the "more" prime areas of my available hunting land, more. "I" think the deer are going to adapt to the pressure. I think they're going to utilize these good areas less and less.....the more I intrude. Thus my delimma.

If I don't go in there.....I can't take out what I need to. If I do go in there.....I risk pushing them elsewhere. I'm realizing what a task my pre-set goal is, now. It's a chess game. Every move could decide the final outcome. Every play is important. Carelessness in a hunt could set up my "opponent" for a winning play........many moves down the line.

I think I'm on "defense", now.....and that's not the way to play the "game". Playing it "right" is fun. Playing it the way I have, so far, is taking a chance that my opponent will slip up and give me easy moves......which I'm finding is not the "norm".

My point? Sometimes NOT hunting is the right "move". Sometimes leaving the Bishop where he is ......and sacrificing a pawn is the right move. Sometimes walking away from the board and re-assessing your overall strategy is the right NON-move. Hunting smart takes more discipline than hunting "hard". You can't kill 'em from the couch, but you can't kill 'em if you pushed them out of your area, either.

Fine line......