Originally Posted by
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The single minded emphasis on antlers will be the death of hunting in the future. Most non-hunters have no problem with hunting for meat but they do have an issue with hunting strictly for trophies. If they get to the point where the overall perception is that antlers is all anyone really cares about then they can use the ballot box to seriously impede hunting in many areas. And for those of you who are living under a rock and think it cannot be done then I point you to my native CO that used the ballot box to stop spring bear hunting and trapping all in the same election cycle.
My question is: When did hunting for meat become secondary? For me and my family that has always been the primary reason for going, not the size of antlers. It is actually kind of sad to see what it has become.
personally I think a LOT of folks started hunting for antlers a LONG time ago, its NOT really something new, , just look back at when records of things got started?
but I think TV hunting shows, if they can be called that at all, , have been the bigger down side to things, all the more so, AMMO< for the NON hunters, that see a bunch of yahoo's screaming and hollering after they shot a big MATURE buck as they always call them such ??
I also don;t get how gun and archery safety went out the window with TV shows too, always showing video for folks pointing guns and drawing bows at the cameraman?? a number one safety NO NO in my book??
BUT I do think a LOT more folks look for larger antlers and such on most things they hunt over JUST for meat
and this is honestly due to the fact so few folks rely on venison and wild game meat to live! and that too has been a LONG time since that was a MUST have to make it thru for MOST folks deal!
I personally hunted for BOTH< I wanted some meat and used my doe tags for that, I never found it hard to fill them tags almost at will, so that gave me time to hunt for NICE antlered deer, I would NOT call myself a trophy hunter, but I also didn;'t feel the need to shoot the first LEGAL buck I seen, , all the more so when I used to have 3+ months of a season to hunt and time off work to do so!
I do agree, the way so many market and SHOW hunters today, is for sure the down fall of this sport, NOT all TV hunters maybe are bad, but WOW< the few shows I see , are sad to me!
making for either spoiled brat like hunters, or why bother to hunt at all> if you don;'t have deep pockets and prime land! and GOD help you if you DON"T shoot a MATURE buck in a day or two of hunting
GOT to love to hear these guys complain and cry about being on a hunt for 3-4 days and NOT KILLING a BIG buck yet! LOL
its hunting NOT shooting, and its NOT about trophy's, its about enjoying a sport HOW YOU like, as long as its legal, and you play by the rules, I THINK we have a chance to keep things alive
just don't forget your actions speak LOUD words to the anti hunters that are out numbering us hunters more and more every yr!