MichaelHunsucker

Yeah, you guys got that right...some states are just better for deer hunting than others and that has a lot to do with it. Not everyone can travel to Iowa or Illinois to hunt whitetail and they just have to deal with what they have...The harder you work for a deer the more of a trophy it is IMO

mobow

Hm, that sounds as if it may have come from the one and only Mr. Higgins.......I've never thought of it that way before, but you make an aweful lot of sense.....So now I guess the problem becomes IDENTIFYING said bedding areas, huh?

MichaelHunsucker

I like to get as close to them as possible without messing things up! Gotta be agressive, but smart at the same time

davidmil

And you see, that drives home my point more. All the hunters I know don't see a 150(however big that is[8D])in a normal year. They're just a very rare commodity to many. We hunt and try to shoot a nice buck. I've been fortunate to shoot many others that hunt the same woods wish they had a chance at, but they still aren't going to make a TV show about them. LOL

passthru79

Well david, Im glad to help drive home your point. I to hunt for fun, and the challenge, and lots of other reasons. I put in hours every year planting food plots, scouting, hanging stands, lots of work to go have fun come hunting season. Ill shoot does all year long, I just choose not to shoot small bucks. My reason for that is as I state earlier I am blessed to hunt some awsome ground, and part of having big bucks to shoot is not shooting the little ones.

archer58

plhunts,
I am not going to say too much about what you've written. It probably seems simplistic to you.
Coming from someone who lives in the P&Y catital of the U.S. , I suppose I can see your point of view.
C'mon over to public land in PA. and I think you'll change your mind.

We have 900,000 licensed hunters and 350,000 bowhunters. It's a different world.

txjourneyman

I agree about desire. I could pay for a $2500 lease instead of a $500 lease. To do so I would have to work more hours or take on a second job. That would take more time away from my wife and daughter. A $2500 lease would also be farther away. My lease is only 20 minutes from home. To hunt a property with more and larger deer I would have to travel farther, again taking more time from my family. I guess my desire is to spend more time with my family ratherthan to chase trophy deer. I truely love hunting but I love my family much, much more. ( that is NOT to say that anyone else doesn't.) I want to shoot a monster, what hunter doesn't? The place I hunt is not a midwest monster deer state. I also hunt public land. And quite honestly I have seen bigger deer on the public land than on my lease.
All that said, you won't hear me complain much about the place I hunt. I'm realistic about it. I know I'll probably never shoot a booner there. But, every deer I shoot out there is a trophy to me and isn't that all that really matters? My lease has way more hogs than deer. I hunt them year round too and enjoy the heck out of it. The place is 370 acres surrounded by a bunch of 20-50 acre properties, so there is plenty of pressure. So while the Drurys may never come and film a hunt there it is still one of my favorite places on earth.
Sorry about being so long winded. The huntingdesires of some may be different than that of others on the priority scale. don't condemn me for that. Greg

Austin/WI

I don'tthink anytrue hunter feels that tagging out on a big deer is/should be easy. True Hunters hunt, because we love the outdoors and love the challenge of getting those opportunities to kill a deer. I have yet to hear on this or any other hunting board that someone thought their hunt would be easy. If people who hunt want it easy, they'll go to a high fence ranch or sit at the computer and play hunting video games. Real Hunters know it will be hard, they know it may be a few seasons between kills, and they know they have to work hard just to get the chance to get a good buck in their sights. Just my .02.

GMMAT

I said this on the thread that got locked.....and I think I'll say it, again.

I'm not saying you're not a geat hunter if you don't bag a P&Y consistently. Nothing of the sort. I'm saying the guys who DO bag these animals have made some life choices and sacrifices that maybe all of us aren't willing to make.

Does that make them better at hunting mature deer? Are you kidding? Hell yes, it does.

I'm not willing to move to KS to hunt full-time. Some are. I won't take a lesser paying job to be able to hunt more often. Some would. I won't sacrifice time away from my family. Some do.

I won't diminish their accomplishments because I'm not willing to go down their path. It's SO transparent.....thatmonster that's rearing its' ugly head.

davidmil

Yes, but you see, you don't have to necessarily shed hunt, hang cameras and all that to kill a big deer. Some scouting in late summer with the binos, scouting during your walks through the woods the year before, and just finding some food sources and bedding will do the same thing. It's not hard work. It's getting out doors. A lot of us do it but really never thought of it as a sacrifice or hard work or any of that. It's just getting out, whether we're hunting turkeys, rabbits, coyotes, partridge or deer. We always look for signs and put them away in our evidence bank. It's really not hard work at all. Stand selection and tactics are what seals the deal, not some hard work schedule. And really, is there any sacrifice to that. I don't think so. Some call it hard work.... some call it playing around. LOL