Which brings me to my next point. GMMAT and magicman, why not view these as dreams or goals? If you are in stage , why not shoot for stage 4 (as I am doing) to better your woodsmanship and hunting abilities. Just a thought.
I just don't (no offense) like to label myself as a (__________) hunter. Like I said....I likely fit into several of those "stages"......depending on which property I'm hunting.......which WOODLOT I'm hunting on the same property, etc.... I don't dislike the system.....just don't see it as that simple to "label" one's hunting.
And GMMAT, you've been bowhunting 2 or 3 years, you're what's called a Rookie. LOL
No problem with that assessment.
As I said in my original post, I don't agree with the breaking down of hunting into these 5 catagories.
Hear! Hear!, Magicman.
The King simply doesn't buy into this whole "stages" business. Granted, those generalizations might be a good fit for some, but hunting is a highly subjective endeavor, and you just can't categorically shoe-horneveryone into one of these five "stages."
Well said, Fran.