I am curious about something? For all you guys that make comments like "you can't eat the antlers" or "I only hunt for the meat" what does that really mean? I don't buy it.
It's pretty simple for me anyway. It means if I couldn't eat the meat I wouldn't bother hunting! I was raised to eat what you kill and ONLY kill what you're gonna eat. If I couldn't eat venison then I wouldn't kill deer! I'd still hunt but my hunting would be with a camera. A succesfull season to me is filling up my freezer. If I shot the biggest buck in the world and didn't recover it until after the coyotes consumed the carcass that season would be a failure in my mind.
Whats hard to understand about that?
I can tell you that I personally hunt for the challenge and for the enjoyment of nature and the outdoors. I enjoy the sense of providing for my family but that is secondary to the challenge of harvesting a mature whitetail. My family will not starve without deer meat and I doubt many of yours would either……….
Thats where we're different. It's a good thing that people are different , dont ya think? Maybe alot of it's bloodline? Both of my parents grew up in single room cabins in northern Wisconsin during a time when you had to hunt if you wanted to eat. My dad didn't eat his first hamburger made from beef until he was sixteen years old. Putting venison on the table is top priority for me. Not only does my family love the taste of venison , it's healthier than anything I can buy at any store. I also love being in the woods but that alone isn't a reason to hunt in my opinion. I can grab a camera or a good book and go sit in the woods if thats the only reason I can come up with for hunting.
Do I love the challenge of hunting with stick -n- string? No doubt! Who doesn't? Thats primal instincts and/or heritage instincts. I have no problem filling my freezer with does , in fact I prefer doe meat over buck meat. If the seasons winding down and my freezer isn't full I also have no problem filling my freezer with young bucks.
Do I love hanging big racks on my wall? You bet!! Thats also primal instinct. Kind of like earning your warrior feather.
I dont have a problem with trophy hunters in general. I do have a problem with trophy hunters who want/expect everyone else to make it easier for them to get their trophy!