ORIGINAL: hillbillyhunter1
I think one reason that many may begrudge "pro staffers" is the representation of themselves (in many cases) asbeing a better hunter and therefore an "authority" on hunting.
Thereare few who could argue that Tiger Woods is not the best golfer in the world or that Michael Jordan is not the best basketball player and that their own competitive accomplishments have rightly given them a certain authority to speak on subjects related to their sport.
However, although hunting is an individual sport, many have come to place the "size of the deer (or animal)killed" in direct relation to a hunters ability. This is not always accurate when it comes down to it...especially regarding these "pro-staffers". I'm not saying that there is not some correlationbetween hunting abilityand animal size, but"ability" is not always the main ingredient and becomes incrementally smaller, imo,as more andmoreof the "pre-hunt work" is performed by someone other than the person pulling the trigger, which is often the case with these "recognizeable figures" in the hunting industry.
You can be on TV, etc.because you are a great marketer or businessman although you may or may not be able to "hunt"or "fish" a lick. Still, there are some legitimate experts out there...just probably not as many as some would think.
Thank you, you could not have said it better... That was the point I was trying to make.. I have read numerous books on hunting and there are a few Pro Staff people I believe they are incredible hunters.. Those people have many many years of hunting.. They have hunted big woods bucks, public land, and put numerous miles on their vehicle just to scout farms.. I am not afraid to post their names because I think alot of them and thier accomplishments.. Greg Miller, Charles Alshiemer, The Benoit Family from Maine. These guys have intrigued and inspired me while reading their books. So I am not against everyone in the industry... Maybe I should have presented my thread differently... I hunt because I truely love hunting, and I enjoy hunting mature whitetails, but any deer taken is a trophy to me because of the story behind itand because of the wonderful experience spent in the outdoors and with friends and family.. Thats what it is about for me... Tradition, is big with me too. I just feel that even though the sport of deer hunting is bigger than ever, the back bone and values are gone from it... All the gimmicks on the market seem they are geared toward helping make someone become a good hunter over night without paying thier dues.. I have always beena firm believer in Crawling before you walk in life.. And if you are going to do something, do it the best you can with true passion, do it for the right reasons, and be ethical.. Seems that even generations today have those same veiws of skipping over the working to get where you want and starting at the top.. To me, life doesn't work that way...