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When did hunting become a job??
Okay guys, a few of the posts on here have got me thinking. I know, thats scary :D Anyways, all this talk about hunting "mature" bucks has got me wondering if some people are turning hunting into a job. Yes, I want to go shoot a huge mature buck, who honestly doesn't, but I also want enjoyment from doing so.
Atlas's post have really hit home with me. I think a point that he is trying to make that has been over looked is that the typical hunter isn't willing to sacrafice his enjoyment during hunting just to shoot a mature buck. All of the talk of hunting books has brought up some things that are honestly hard for me to believe. How could somebody sacrafice their family life just to shoot a book buck? Trying to convince others that quitting your job and moving to a new state just to have a chance at bigger bucks just isn't practical. If this is what you are in to, more power to you, but when does the enjoyment aspect of hunting come in to play? Yeah, I do my scouting, I spend alot of time throughout the year in preparation of hunting season, but I will admit that I refuse to do these things to the point where they become a job. Thats not what I got into hunting for! I started hunting for the enjoyment, plain and simple. When I started hunting I was all about the experience, I didn't care what I shot, a doe, a 1-1/2 year old buck, a button buck, ect... I just cared that I was out there and that I was DEER hunting. Since then, my goals have changed, I chase bigger deer, but I do so while still enjoying myself. At what point does the pursuit of a "big mature buck" turn from an enjoyable experience into a job? |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
In case you missed it, exactly. Here's what I posted in another thread.
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 |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
And oftentimes, it's as simpleofa matter as applying patience... the patience to wait out and pass the smaller bucks and keep hunting knowing that you'll eventually get a crack at a bigger deer. Maybe not the next week, nor the next month. Maybe it'll be next year.
Patience coupled with discipline. Also remember that mantra is only for those who desire to pursue those more-mature animals; it's certainly not for everyone. |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
If hunting became a job for me, Id love every minute of it. I spend as much time as I can either hunting or getting ready for hunting season. I am getting married in a month so some of that time has been cut back. I dont have any children so that makes it much easier to spend more time afield. Once I have a family Im sure I will be spending less time afield "alone". My fiance is going to be bowhunting this year, Im sure my kids will hunt also. So, spending time with family while Im hunting. Sure sounds like a good deal to me.
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RE: When did hunting become a job??
I think the ability to wait for what you want being a mature buck, ansetting there takingin everything else is not a job.I call that enjoyment, peace, an being with family.
The other hand if you are out there to shoot the first deer that you see, or the second, that is closer to being labeled as work becauseyou feel like you need to accomplishsomethingas soon as you can do so. Just my thoughts. |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
ORIGINAL: Buck Magnet Okay guys, a few of the posts on here have got me thinking. I know, thats scary :D Anyways, all this talk about hunting "mature" bucks has got me wondering if some people are turning hunting into a job. Yes, I want to go shoot a huge mature buck, who honestly doesn't, but I also want enjoyment from doing so. Atlas's post have really hit home with me. I think a point that he is trying to make that has been over looked is that the typical hunter isn't willing to sacrafice his enjoyment during hunting just to shoot a mature buck. All of the talk of hunting books has brought up some things that are honestly hard for me to believe. How could somebody sacrafice their family life just to shoot a book buck? Trying to convince others that quitting your job and moving to a new state just to have a chance at bigger bucks just isn't practical. If this is what you are in to, more power to you, but when does the enjoyment aspect of hunting come in to play? Yeah, I do my scouting, I spend alot of time throughout the year in preparation of hunting season, but I will admit that I refuse to do these things to the point where they become a job. Thats not what I got into hunting for! I started hunting for the enjoyment, plain and simple. When I started hunting I was all about the experience, I didn't care what I shot, a doe, a 1-1/2 year old buck, a button buck, ect... I just cared that I was out there and that I was DEER hunting. Since then, my goals have changed, I chase bigger deer, but I do so while still enjoying myself. At what point does the pursuit of a "big mature buck" turn from an enjoyable experience into a job? What about moving to another state so you can hunt big bucks (muley or white tail), bull elk, antelope, bear, sheep, moose, goats, cats, turkey, gophers, prairie dogs, and various other varmints? Who gives a rats a.. how big they are man, do you live to hunt or what???? |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
ORIGINAL: Buck Magnet Okay guys, a few of the posts on here have got me thinking. I know, thats scary :D Anyways, all this talk about hunting "mature" bucks has got me wondering if some people are turning hunting into a job. Yes, I want to go shoot a huge mature buck, who honestly doesn't, but I also want enjoyment from doing so. Atlas's post have really hit home with me. I think a point that he is trying to make that has been over looked is that the typical hunter isn't willing to sacrafice his enjoyment during hunting just to shoot a mature buck. All of the talk of hunting books has brought up some things that are honestly hard for me to believe. How could somebody sacrafice their family life just to shoot a book buck? Trying to convince others that quitting your job and moving to a new state just to have a chance at bigger bucks just isn't practical. If this is what you are in to, more power to you, but when does the enjoyment aspect of hunting come in to play? Yeah, I do my scouting, I spend alot of time throughout the year in preparation of hunting season, but I will admit that I refuse to do these things to the point where they become a job. Thats not what I got into hunting for! I started hunting for the enjoyment, plain and simple. When I started hunting I was all about the experience, I didn't care what I shot, a doe, a 1-1/2 year old buck, a button buck, ect... I just cared that I was out there and that I was DEER hunting. Since then, my goals have changed, I chase bigger deer, but I do so while still enjoying myself. At what point does the pursuit of a "big mature buck" turn from an enjoyable experience into a job? What a crystal clear example of someone who really "get's it". Well said. |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
ORIGINAL: Buck Magnet Okay guys, a few of the posts on here have got me thinking. I know, thats scary :D Anyways, all this talk about hunting "mature" bucks has got me wondering if some people are turning hunting into a job. Yes, I want to go shoot a huge mature buck, who honestly doesn't, but I also want enjoyment from doing so. Atlas's post have really hit home with me. I think a point that he is trying to make that has been over looked is that the typical hunter isn't willing to sacrafice his enjoyment during hunting just to shoot a mature buck. All of the talk of hunting books has brought up some things that are honestly hard for me to believe. How could somebody sacrafice their family life just to shoot a book buck? Trying to convince others that quitting your job and moving to a new state just to have a chance at bigger bucks just isn't practical. If this is what you are in to, more power to you, but when does the enjoyment aspect of hunting come in to play? Yeah, I do my scouting, I spend alot of time throughout the year in preparation of hunting season, but I will admit that I refuse to do these things to the point where they become a job. Thats not what I got into hunting for! I started hunting for the enjoyment, plain and simple. When I started hunting I was all about the experience, I didn't care what I shot, a doe, a 1-1/2 year old buck, a button buck, ect... I just cared that I was out there and that I was DEER hunting. Since then, my goals have changed, I chase bigger deer, but I do so while still enjoying myself. At what point does the pursuit of a "big mature buck" turn from an enjoyable experience into a job? |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
Hunting trophy bucks can be hard work and I find the older I get the lazier I am getting.[&:] To put it this way........hunting trophy bucks in higher pressured areas is much harder than in lesser pressured areas, especially if you do your own scouting, hang stands, enter and leave your areas using the wind, and keeping deer contact to a minimum.
For example when I once had more private land to myself I saw more mature bucks. Now I see fewer in the same places because of sharing with a few other hunters and along with that the occasional trespasser. More hunters = more human/deer contact = more human scent= less encounters with mature bucks. |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
It becomes a job when the enjoyment is gone from the hunt itself and sucess is measured in antler inches. The ammount of scouting and preparation is different for all of us. What we arewilling to put our minds and body through for the hunt and still keep it enjoyable is different for all. I personally dont enjoy a hunt unlessI am exhausted both physically and mentally by the end of it. That just happens to be my enjoyment.
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RE: When did hunting become a job??
When I started exchanging golf lessons for hunting trips.
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RE: When did hunting become a job??
it never becomes a job because i love being outdoors, and love the challenge. put the odds in your favor hunt the buck closer to rut. make sure all conditions are right
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RE: When did hunting become a job??
I know that some people do feel it as a job.
In my case, last year, I spent more hours in the field than ever, and putting it all on film.Some might consider it a job, since it's being made into a video, but I feel it's very far from it. I'm doing something I love to do, spending time with my wife, working as a team to accomplish a goal...a goal to harvest a mature buck. To me, it's work, but it's not a job. |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
It’s only a job/complete obsession for those who choose to make it that way. It is certainly possible to pursue “mature” bucks without dumping excessive time, money, and effort into it, and sacrificing family/social life. I hunt because I enjoy it, if it isn’t fun anymore or stresses me out too much I’ll stop.
Granted, as with many things, the more effort you put in the more you get out, BUT one can still hunt for mature bucks even on limited time and resources. You don’t need trail cams, food plots, go shed hunting all winter, hang stands in may, scout everyday over the summer to kill a mature buck. Hunt smart and you won’t need to spend as much time. Now if the time you spend is enjoyable, knock yourself out, but I think it’s a fallacy that the only[/b] way you can kill a mature buck is to invest hordes of time, energy and money. I think that gives a false sense of futility to guys who don’t have the opportunity to devote all their time to the pursuit of a mature buck. Evaluate your areas, account for the time/resources you have to spend and then make the decision of your threshold of what kind of buck you hope to shoot. Don’t wait on a 160, if nothing over 130 has ever graced your woods. But also don’t be afraid to go buckless trying for a high end buck for your area. |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
When did hunting become a job?? About 15 years ago, when workaholic yuppies got boredwith flyfishing, thendiscovered bowhunting and brought their high salaries, snooty dispositionsand their corporate one-upmanshipgarbage into the sport.
Whoa! Did I say that?!? [8D] |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
ORIGINAL: Arthur P When did hunting become a job?? About 15 years ago, when workaholic yuppies got boredwith flyfishing, thendiscovered bowhunting and brought their high salaries, snooty dispositionsand their corporate one-upmanshipgarbage into the sport. Whoa! Did I say that?!? [8D] If you let yourself get wrapped up in it you find yourself turning the hunting experience into a highschool popularity contest when you have to have the cool camo, the best bow, and the biggest buck to be with the cool kids. Now I like to tinker with my gear, but I'm not going to buy something becuase so-and-so on some board said I should. And I guess if you have to have the coolest gear and biggest bucks to be a cool kid I'm a dork, because I just want to hunt and enjoy myself as much as I can. Hopefully, I'll take a nice buck or two in the process. |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
I just do it to have fun. And I do have fun. In fact since my little girl and I have been hunting together, I don't even carry a gun or bow. I just leave it up to her. I get more kick out of the giggles when she succeeds than I ever got out of hunting. :)
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RE: When did hunting become a job??
i do it for enjoyment but i dont shoot small bucks because small racks dont satisfy me. i only like to shoot it if i will mount it. i work really hard and put my stands in good places because i want to get where the bucks are.
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RE: When did hunting become a job??
[quote]ORIGINAL: Arthur P
When did hunting become a job?? About 15 years ago, when workaholic yuppies got boredwith flyfishing, thendiscovered bowhunting and brought their high salaries, snooty dispositionsand their corporate one-upmanshipgarbage into the sport. Whoa! Did I say that?!? [8D] /quote] The snootyer they are the more sh!! I give-um! They hate that. It's a good reason to support more golf courses (to keep them out of the woods) but unfortunately each new course robs us of good habitat. |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
The thing that I've always loved about my approach to bowhunting is that there's absolutely no pressure. I pretty much hunt the same areas year to year so I know going into the season where I want to place my stand. Now when the season starts and if there aren't any deer moving in the area that I'm in I know where to move my stand to. Not only that but the only people that I'm trying to impress withthe deer that I kill are my wife and son and they're easy to impress.
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RE: When did hunting become a job??
I would probably qualify as someone who spends "too much time" hunting, scouting, thinking about hunting, planning hunting, etc. I am not just talking whitetails either. However, it is not a job to me. I love doing it. I certainly am not going to be a professional hunter, it is just my #1 and pretty much only hobby.
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RE: When did hunting become a job??
One mans ceiling is another mans floor ...... um, what some consider work others consider fun.
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RE: When did hunting become a job??
ORIGINAL: huntingson I would probably qualify as someone who spends "too much time" hunting, scouting, thinking about hunting, planning hunting, etc. I am not just talking whitetails either. However, it is not a job to me. I love doing it. I certainly am not going to be a professional hunter, it is just my #1 and pretty much only hobby. |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
It is only a job if the enjoyment is only tied to the end result of killing a big or mature buck.If every aspect is enjoyed and the killing of a big deer is the icing on the cake than it is not a job.
I am so fascinated and challenged by being better or more effective as a hunter,but not from a sense of pressure,from a perspective of my own enjoyment.I absolutely want to be successful in taking a mature buck but more importantly is the blessing to have the sense of gratitude to be out in the woods doing something I love no matter what the outcome. |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
ORIGINAL: Buck Magnet At what point does the pursuit of a "big mature buck" turn from an enjoyable experience into a job? When a hunter sacrifices his ethics, principals and standards to make a kill because of financial pressures (TV show, video, magazine articles etc etc etc). |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
I make hunting videos. I purposely showed hunters (myself included) NOT killing bucks and eating a tags versus shooting immature deer just to get another "kill" for a video. Not all videos and TV shows are the same!
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RE: When did hunting become a job??
ORIGINAL: WKP Todd I make hunting videos. I purposely showed hunters (myself included) NOT killing bucks and eating a tags versus shooting immature deer just to get another "kill" for a video. Not all videos and TV shows are the same! |
RE: When did hunting become a job??
Some of us hunters have piorities to are families. My first and most important thing when hunting is feeding my family. Not to say if I see a large mature buck and a doe and I have to make a desion on which one. If there is deer in the freezer I would sit and wait to see if I can get a shot at the buck. If no meat in freezer and I have the shot at the doe the family comes first.
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