Stick around.....a bunch of grown men are gonna flex in a few miutes and swap photos of one another.

Yes in whitetail only states I would agree for the most part.. but not in states that have a diversity of animals to hunt year around.. and granted your not hunting whitetails so to speak once you move onto say an elk, mule deer, loper..whatever...but you are still working on hunting skills that integrate into all disciplines of hunting.

We can bend my original to encompass ANYTHING, I guess.

I enjoyed the conversation.....but I think this has run its course.

Good luck all.

Youve just become a bit............nm

starting my 51st year as a Bowhunter & I have gotten better at tracking but my eyes have gotten worse.I pretty well know where my arrow hit for sure just from the blood & or hair I find & maybe the reaction of the animal when hit.I've tagged some real decent Bucks-some just popped up & other's I worked for to finally get that shot.
Am I a better Bowhunter-well, I say I am a Bowhunter, not really TROPHY orientated but have passed at least 45 Bucks in the past 3 years trying for a shot at one of 3, I have seen on several occassions. They just are smarter or luckier than I. Why do I pass lesser Bucks now & say I am not a TROPHY Bowhunter-I guess having killed 200+ biggame animals make's you just be a little more selective. I was raised "old school" on letting the Does go & still have a tough time releasing on them but I "have" the last 2 years-1st Does for me since 1980. I am just wanting to do my part at keeping our herd healthy as the "Experts" tell me to. I donated them to needy families as I had Elk, Buffalo & Beef in the freezer.
I think it's great when a hunter matures & feels he can pass on a lesser Buck for whatever reason BUT, I would never discourage a new Bowhunter from dropping that Forky. They will mature in time as most do. We are not going to run out of Deer anywhere soon from hunting-maybe disease, but I doubt hunting.
I only hunt the Bow Season so I get only ONE either sex (buck tag). I don't feel bad & now, with the bonus antlerless tags, everyone get's plenty of chances at tagging something.
Good Luck in whatever you draw on & if your in the woods, you may find you are never "experienced" enough.
This is a 1960 Ws. Buck & was I happy.

20 years later. Sometimes your just lucky. I just crawled up in the stand late. Worked all night & drove to my new spot. I just nocked my arrow when he walked out of the corn & into the timber. hadn't been there 10 min. & he passed at 18 yards & dropped less than 40 away. My 1st P&Y & the 4th day of the season (pure luck). Ironic-I took my 1st Deer ever on the 4th day of the season in 1958. We just never know.

I've read tthrough most of these posts/replies, now I state again, MOST...and one thing more common than not is the above quote. I'm the best hunter, no your not , I am, no your not, I am, no I am, no me....

I've been bowhunting whitetails for going on my 26th year and to quote our own very respected GregH, I'm still learning and I try to learn something new from my quarry every year" and in my own words, I don't think I'll every know enough. What I do know is about my whitetails, in my neck of the woods, or for the most part, so I think because every year I am humbled, every year, I am humbled....do I need to repeat myself. I'm sure Kshunter and Lady would say the same thing dispite turning in bucks last year that 99% of us would....well let's just say do many things for.

ERGO the orginal intent of the thread....I have to say, A.....having many, many seasons behind me, (not as many as some, more than most) that it's not a simple answer. I will not dare speak for the majority but I will compare myself with Mr GMMAT.....okay....first and foremost that AGE has the majority to do with experience.

I say that this way. When I was taking martial arts, (Kung FU)...my instructor came to me and said I have never had anyone take to this and advanced like you have......I was flattered but at the same time I understood that most of his students when starting out were half my senior if not younger so it's only common sense that with my life experience that I take that into my Kung Fu experienced. Same can be understood in bowhunting in general.

I compare myself to GMMAT........When I was in my (GMMAT's) 4 season, I haven't yet even harvested a single deer with a bow. Now don't misunderstand that I didn't have an opportunity but A. Maturity and B. Common sense I was immature at the age of 15....so, When I compare myself with 25 years experience GMMAT's. 4 years, I'd honestly say that he's ahead of the curve. NO DOUBT. I wish I had the same opportunity....or perhaps I did, I just didnt' approach it with the same dedication as he.

Now, I promise you this, in 20 years from now, I'd bet my house that GMMAT has more experience at bowhunting than I ever did in my first 20 years for varies reasons.

Many, he's articulated already...1 I took/harvested/killed/tagged my first deer in my early 20's...a good 6 plus years after I was "serious" about bowhunting and 2....opportunity.

He has many opportunities I never had, 1....all of you. He's always asking for advice even if you don't see it, or realize it. You guys offer more advice than most could ever comprehend and I only wish you guys and the internet was here when I was starting. I look back and cringe. Absolutely gringe. Although Mr GMMAT is a year or two my senior, I obviously have 22 more years experience bowhunting whitetails than he however when I come to his neck of the woods, I am the student and I learned as much as I may have taught through his questions and I ask or expect nothing more if I were to come to your neck of the woods or you come to mine. I don't care if your Mr Adams himself, I'd bet you'd ask my advice when you come to my haunts.....I'd bet all of it on that as much as I'd ask you for your advice when I come hunt with you in yours regardless of the years under your belt.

SO, in your first 4 years I ask only this, are your accomplishments those of any others and if not, why?

Some of it falls back and dare I say it......location? I doubt, again I doubt I lack experience when it comes to MR whitetail......but I do not have the accomplishments of many of you that lack my experience and it has nothing to do with my knowledge etc of the quarry but more so it comes down to opportunity. I hunt a very very posted area of PA and second I choose to limit my opportunities to a certain core area that I aboslutely love and I'm starting to reap the rewards only because of PGC intervention...IE point restrictions etc...

Okay, now I opened a can of worms...LOL but seriously, I think many of you have taken too many liberties or not unlike the holy bible, misquoted or twisted words for your own conclusions.

Experience or lack there of cannot be accounted for in necessarily years or quarry fallen to said weapon but moreso on the education and dedication that is taken towards said quarry and in that respect I commend GMMAT and give kudos because it's not an easy quest.

Let me end this soap box while talking about elk hunting with a bow.

I'd bet major money that in my first and only season of hunting elk with a bow that I have JUST as much ability (not experience) to killing an elk with my bow in a self hunt than anyone on here with 20 years experience......it comes down to knowledge, want and ability to adapt........yeah, I'll take tha bet.

Whew...... I just read all of the posts.

This is my take on it. Everyone is different therefore everyone will take (and learn) from their time hunting in the woods differently. Some will excel while others will just plod along never really learning too much more than what they needed to learn to get started.

You see everybody learns at a different pace therefore you cannot say that the guy who shoots 5 deer a yearAND spends all of his time scouting, shed hunting, etc... will learn more or gain more experience than say some one who onlyhas one tag touse and tags out early every year, if that guy/gal has the ability to absorb whathe/she has learned and apply it better than the first person...savy?

I know deer hunters (old timers now)who have hunted their entire lives and will swear to this day that deer never look up! Yet they are as proficient a hunter as you will ever come across and have much "experience".

To be honest my biggestconcern with this thread was why this question was posed in the first place?What could possibly belearned from it?I knowit was just "ramblings" and I can totally understand thatbut Jeff you must know that thereis NO SET WAY for someone to gain experience. It comes to everybody differently and at adifferent pace no matterhow much or little time is spent in the woods hunting.This will also differ depending on the region that you hunt. Someone who has a lot of experience hunting Midwest Whitetails may not now squat hunting them in the mountains and visa versa. This does not mean that either one is not an experienced hunter it's just that they know how to hunt their region better than someplace else.

While I agree that you must spend time in the woods hunting (this includes killing)in order to gain the experience, how much time and how many animals need to be killed will differ from one person to the next.

live and learn

Hey guys.....

So there shouldn't be a "set way" to discount how rapid one gains his/hers either, right?

This thread wasn't about "me". It couldencompass anyone. Heck I'm only entering my 3rd season.....second full season.....and I'll give Rob credit for noticingone thing....I learn here EVERY SINGLE day about something. I helped a buddy pick out a new bow, tonight.....who's been archery hunting for 30 years. Felt good.

Just rambling........that's all. Just like my "location" thread......I think people get upset when someone questions something usually considered "sacred" in hunting (i.e.....in this case......'it takes years and years of experience to....... ____________'). I just think there's ways for some people to straighten out the learning curve....and I ask your opinions when I think about them.

Is it ALL about the numbers? Nope. But...it also doesn't hurt......especially if all other aspects of hunting are being fast-tracked, as well. Is there a fast-track to experience? I think so.....but it's also why I asked the question. I knew it would be controversial. I've been at my profession for almost 15 years. If someone told me they could learn whatI know about it in 4......I'd (at first) think they were insane. But.....with the internet, today......the way information is available in other avenues.....and the nature of my business in these times.....I deep-down know better. What I do isn't rocket science, either. I think the people I deal with (in my professional life) have brains about the size of pears, too....lol.

Have a good weekend, guys.