ORIGINAL: NYBigbucks
I ama hunter, I eat, sleep and breath it...
I absolutely don't want to pit hunters against each other and everyone has a right to their opinion.. I spoke straight and forward on my thread and I expected the same with my responses. It agrevates me when people bash my opinion like you did... Just state you disagree and give your reasons.. I don't begrudge the pro staff people, I just don't feel they are all they are cracked up to be as far as their hunting skills on what they market themselves.. That is all.. As far as products, I buy some things, but most things are gimmicks that are riding on Prostaff's backs as what is making them a incredible hunter.. If we all had time, unlimited funds, and a camera man,couldn't we all kill or have opportunities to take big deer and other animals... Would that make me an authority on Hunting???? I am not saying all, but most Pro Staff hunt with outfitters that do all the scouting, stand placements, leg work for them.. How can they say that they are an authority on deer??? It is the guide that is.. maybe he should be endorsing what works for him...
Example: I bought a video from a local hunting store that was produced by 3 local guys that are young but did a great job with it and it's editing.. They never killed a P&Y buck on the video.... Lots of kills and none of the mistakes, mishaps were edited out... They did deer drives, hunted on the ground, and they had misses, a couple of bad hits, but most were great kills.. Nothing was edited out to make them look like they were great hunters.. It was REAL...and I enjoyed it very much because most hunters experience that.I have seen so many videos were pro staff guys have taken very very poor shots on the deer and never act like they did something wrong... Stan P*tts shot a huge 190" deer straight on in the front.. How is that being a pro... It is our ethical responsiblity to take clean kills.. Not saying I haven't done it when I was starting out at the ages of 13 and 14 butI progressed to be a better hunter andI also don't proclaim to be any kind of a pro, and I regreted those times undoubtedly thinking back...
My last point is that I just miss when hunting was just hunting... where you didn't need all the gimmicks and the kitchen sink.. Believe me I bought into the products for many years, but it wasn't till the last 5-6yrs I have just simplified down on gear and I go out an just hunt hard and I still kill alot of respectful deer.The industry seems like a cult now, and it made it hard for a working class guy to enjoy good hunting without emptying the bank.. To me this is going to drive guys not to hunt anymore... You know I have valid points and you may not care. I just wondered if anyone else felt the same.. As far as my remarks toward you , I apologize but dont think for one minute I don't love hunting... My life, job and everything else has been built around hunting because I have passion for it.. Have a Merry Christmas..and Happy Hunting.
NYBigbucks.
I am not bashing your way of thinking and I think you made a better point in this post than you have the entire thread. You came across in the original post as being anti everything regarding "pro hunters" and pro-staffers, now you have made some sensible points that I can agree with as well, but you also have to understand that there is a demand for hunting videos as an entertainment source (which is why most companies use outfitters to tape their hunts because it is a whole lot easier to kill big deer consistantly if someone does your homework for you ahead of time) now does this make them an authority on hunting, by no means, it is just a way of providing the entertainment to the veiwers. I personally have not hunted with an outfitter in 11 years and I feel I provide veiwers with entertaining AND educationalvideos. I do all my OWN scouting and stand placement, I also self video most of my hunts which adds an even higher degree of difficulty to laying down good footage and having a successful hunt. I use some products such as scent control spray and broadheads from companies that I pro-staff for, but I will be the first one to tell you if I don't believe in a product, I will NOT endorse it. And i don't believe any one product is going to make you a better hunter just because you use it, but I do belive there are products out today that weren't say 10 years ago, that can increase your odds of killing deer (or whatever you are hunting), more accurate bows, better designed broadheads etc...... But just because we have new and improved products for hunting doesn't mean we HAVE to use them. That's why alot of archers are going to Trad. bows and why bow makers are still making longbows and recurves. To me what it all boils down to is this: each individual chooses how he/she hunts and the degree of difficulty in which they do it, you may prefer to use a selfbow and hunt in buckskin and that is cool, I choose to use a compound and wear newer camo clothes and that's just as cool because we are both after the same goal TO HAVE FUN WHILE HUNTING isn't that what it's all about?
As to why there is a need for pro-staffers, well if you are in the market for a new broadhead because your old design is no longer avail. wouldn't you want someone to test the new design before you buy it, and give you an honest reveiw of how it performs? Now granted some companies obtain staffers that will say anything to sell their products regardless of how well they work, but for the most part pro-staffers are honest and will tell you what they think of a product or are happy to share a bit of wisdom they have gleaned from the woods.
As for "pro hunters" I don't even know what constitutes a "pro hunter" but I will say that anyone that claims to be a pro hunter is probably nothing more than a hunting show "host" that takes you along every weekon a hunt where you probably won't learn anything but you may be entertained by the animals they video and kill.
