TheDudeAbides

Something to think about...
"We all gear up for the season, eager to get out in the stand. We've all got the same thing in the back of our mind, we wanna shoot the big one this year! In order for that to become a reality, a lot of things have to change, starting with your ego. You need to get it out of your head right now that you have to shoot a buck every year. Deer hunting for quality bucks takes self control. You can't shoot that year and a half old 4-6 point every year at 8:00am on opening day. Why? Because you just shot a would be trophy two to three years down the road. They can't get any bigger in your freezer folks! Oh you just hunt for the meat? Then why did you pass up the four does you saw before the little buck walked in? Get off your ego high horse! Besides, we all know that does taste better anyway. Ever read up on deer management? You forget the part where they mention shooting does too?

But if you let it keep walking, the next guy will shoot it? Enough with the excuses already. It's a possibility, but hopefully they exercise proper deer management and aren't as full of excuses as you.

Hunting is a lot like fishing, it requires patience, persistence, and preparation. But here is where Hunting is different. Unlike fishing where you can't decide what is gonna bite that hook, in hunting you have to choose to aim at a specific animal and pull the trigger. In hunting, it's entirely up to you on which animals you harvest. You should be able to judge sex, size, and maturity of the deer before you shoot. If you can't, it pry wasn't the best opportunity to take a shot. What gets me more than people shooting small bucks is intentionally shooting yearling bucks, buck fawns, button bucks or whatever you may call them.

This was directed towards veteran hunters, who have harvested many deer in their lives. For people who are new to the sport or have never shot a buck, go ahead and shoot whatever. You will remember your first deer/buck for the rest of your life. My neighbor just got his second buck of his life last week and he's in his early 50's and been hunting for years. It wasn't a monster, but it sure was a trophy for him. He was smiling from ear to ear and I couldn't have been happier for him.

Thanks for letting me rant. Good luck out there."