I just wanted to see how many of you get more excited for the hunt now at your current age or when you were a kid; and the second part of the question would be WHAT did you like more then and WHAT do you like more now? I myself think that I get more excited now simply because the options that are available to me but I know on thing for sure, when I was a kid hunting at twelve I thought elk and deer were pretty dumb, and nowthat I know more I am beginningto think they are smarter than me.[:@]

Waaaaay back when I was a kid there weren't really any deer around. I spent my time chasing raccoons, squirrels, wooly mammoths and the occasional hold-over pterodactyl.

I do like my hunting better now. There are more choices.

You know I just heard yesterday that there are more deer and elk across the United States then at any point in our recorded history, I probably should already know this but was plesantly surprised.

I can sleep the night before hunting now. When I was younger I couldn't. I kind of stagnated for a few years and lost some of the excitement. I have taken on some new approaches and the excitement has returned. I love the anticipation that comes with hunting. Never knowing whats going to happen. It's like Christmas morning wondering what your going to get.

Its a little bit different, but I think everything was more exciting when I was a kid. Christmas, the end of the day (release from school), summer, dogs, baseball.... everything.

Now that I know more about the world, there is less mystery and suprise about it. I still get plenty excited, though for different reasons, but its not the same as being a kid.

It only gets worse for me but I can sleep better the night before bow and gun opener.

Bowhunting has always been exciting to me regardless what age I was.

When I started bowhunting in "68" there really were not many deer around. Quite a bit different ball game then than it is now.

With the explosion of the Deer herd has also came a lot more Bowhunters, and that's good.

Dan

I haven't noticed the change yet.

I think I was more excited as a kid for that "week" of deer season. Now the excitement is different, it's not the excitement of a few days of hunting, it's more the excitement of outwitting the game. As a youngster, I had NO patience, and even less knowledge. Now as I've gotten older and gained knowledge, I enjoy the GAME of it more. Arrowing a deer on the ground, in the open from 11yds after it just walked past you at now more than 8 yds IS EXCITING. As a youngster, I'd have never been afforded that opportunity because I was too stupid to not blow it.

I still find it hard to sleep the night before opening day of archery season.