Not to hard to tell the seasons are over in most places Just a matter of time before the scent lok and whisker biscuit threads start popping up [8D]


So we are debating location again huh??..........this has been going on for ages and will never stop I'm sure. After so many years of having this same discussion it is abundantly clear that what rubs everyone the wrong way is the hidden message in the debate..........those in prime locals feel slighted by the notion that their accomplishents are being diluted because of the suggestion that THEY are not the key to "success"...........and those in less friendly locals feel slighted because of the suggestion that THEY are the key to their "lack of success".This will probably never change.


Maybe the problem is the definition of "success" I shot two 3.5 year olds and one4.5 year old this year.........the 4.5 had the smallest rack of them all........+/- 100" and the other from NY is under 115" I'm sure. I shoot two deer that age in Kansas, Iowa, or Illinois and they would be 140"150" at least.........that is common sense based on what people describe as the "average" big deer for their areas. That is genetics and nutrition more then anything else.......so to compare deer based on racks only is about as useful as a rubber crutch. However, no one takes pictures of a deer's teeth or mounts jaw bones so I guess it's natural..........boys will be boys.


Here are some things to consider when wondering how important location is to putting a big rack on the ground.


In 20 years of hunting NY I have never even seen a deer that would make P+Y........3 days into an out of state hunt I had one on the ground.........you mean to tell me that is a coincidence?? Obviously my skills as a hunter were not the obstacle.

For somewhere in the ballpark of $2,500-$3,000 you can see and have legit shots to kill big deer EVERY year with your bow..........these are fair chase hunts. If you are average to above average in your skills you will have more heads then walls to hang them on. As the price goes up so do the rack sizes. $5,000 and 150" minimums are not uncommon out there.

When people pay the above quoted price it isn't to hunt the coast lines...........why?

Does anyone here REALLY think they couldn't kill a big deer on Hunsucker's land?? (Please don't turn this into an insult against Michael because it isn't)

Why does everyone want to know where greg hunts if location doesn't matter??

Why do greg and his friends (and everyone else with a brain) keep their mouth shut when they have a great place to hunt??

If someone called you tomorrow and offered you a lifelong chance to hunt Pike County would you be happy or sad??

Why do people guard their land so tightly if location doesn't matter??

Would POSTED signs even exist if location didn't matter??

Why do guys spend tens of thousands of dollars on hunting land??

Why are out of state licenses more in states with higher concentrations of big bucks??

Why is it that those who say location doesn't matter are always speaking from a location most would kill to be allowed to hunt??........the opposite of course being true as well.



Location matters...........A LOT.............Would greg and troy kill big deer wherever they lived?? Of course they would. Would their walls look different if they lived in Tampa??.........of course they would. Would I have bigger deer on the wall if I lived and hunted in the corn belt??.......of course I would.

You still have to know how to hunt and find these deer.........trying to find one in Florida is not the same as trying to find one in Kansas, I don't know how anyone could argue that point.


In closing.........I mentioned a few names in this post only because everyone knows them and nothing more. I am only gonna say this once.........I have nothing but the HIGHEST amount of respect for these guys as hunters and men and IN NO WAY included them in my write up to diminish what they have accomplished. I view them as fine hunters and excellent examples of the good in this sport.......I could have easily used other names in place of theirs so absolutely nothing personal should be implied.


I just find this discussion very interesting.

LOL Yeah and I heard Charlie Manson like the movie Silence of the Lambs

Could not agree more!GOOD POST!!!!

That was the point I was trying to make in the P&Y thread.

=I big man I kiil big deer syndrome.

What is more funny that goes for

Equipement used IE:

Me use bow, you use gun, me much better

Location
me hunt public ground, me much better hunter



Let face it, it's all about wagging our Johnsons

Exactly....though I've never said it or implied such.

You and I don't agree often....but your post is spot on. Every bit of it.

Exactly! Great post atlasman......The issue you pointed out above will never be resolved.

That's why I just do them all and avoid such high brow conflict............like I said, boys will be boys.

Thankfully our yearly pics only include the first two you mentioned []

A guy I know used to go to Alberta worked in a camp and would come back with some huge racks every year. Well now he has a house and family and too many responsibilities to go to Alberta every year but consistently kills huge racks for our area every year. Stilla really good hunter but the location he gets to hunt has changed.

So does this mean I don't suck because I've never made a trip to the taxidermist? [8D]