HANKFAN

I think before we can pass judgement on other hunter's we must first look all the factors involved here. I am fortunate to work 2 jobs during the summer so that I can take off about 6 weeks straight to bow hunt. However most hunters that I know do not have that luxury. They can only hunt on Saturdays and normally take a few days vacation to rifle hunt opening week. So most of them probably spend 7-8 days afield each year if that. I put in more hours in a treestand in one week (80) than they do all season. So I can afford to pass up a small buck where as if they do they probably will not get another shot at a buck. So most of these hunters take advantage of any deer they see. At first I was like why didn't you let that buck go?? That was until the hunting season of 2000 were my company was bought out on November 1st. So instead of starting my 6 weeks vacation I got a check in the mail where they paid me for my vacation time. So I was forced to hunt on the weekends like everyone else. And believe me deer that I would not have even picked the bow up on the year before had me tied into a pretzle trying to get a shot at that year. Just look at this way, If you only had 8 days to hunt the entire season and really wanted to kill a buck how selective could you be and still kill a buck?? Some of us are true trophy hunters while others simply want to take the first legal deer they seem. Does this make them a bad hunter for this? In my book it does not.

Now the part that bothers me in West Virignia is hearing the stories of hunters takes 4-5 bucks a season, checking none of them in and all of them being scrubs. [:@] Now that is what is ruining our deer herd. If these hutners would just start shooting does instead of bucks we would be in business.