I've (unfortunately) read this entire thread. Will, you say you are playing devils advocate, but this reeks of the high and mighty, mystical, ethical hunter BS. If I want to catch a big bass, I don't fish in the fountain at the mall. If I want to kill a big deer, I'm not going to skip the best time to do it. Pointless thread IMO.
Why? Why not use the "best time of the year" as a discovery tool-you can film and get to know what's out there without killing. Save the killing for when your buck has his full merit andis on guard. Are you not "settling"?
In Colorado, The two best times to hunt elk are: 1) the first week of the season. The elk have not been pursued and tend to be as dumb as a rock during this period, and 2) the last week of the season when the bulls are in full rut. They give their positons away and arepre-occupied with rounding up cows. So then,if I were completely aware of these facts, and If I want to up the degree of difficulty, why wouldn't I want to bench myself during these periods? There is no such thing as a level playing feild (they cannot shoot back), but wouldn't thisbe a step in that direction? I may go there next year...
no offense but your understanding is for your area. my understanding is for mine.. Bow season here is the early season
Point well taken...this isfar fromthe case elsewhere. Season start as early as August 15th and run through the end of January. I am only aware of one state (Nebraska, the rifle season swings in and bucks are hammered with guns) that doesn't allow bow hunting during the rut-there may be more.