Just curious if anyone looks at hunting differently being in the contest than you would if you were not in it? Some possible examples would be you feel more pressured to fill your tag, you shoot a smaller buck than you normally would like to but feel too bad to pass it up, you hunt more often than you would because of the competition, etc.


I don't think it has changed anything for me except for the fact that it is nice to have some more people to share my successes and failures with.

Nope!!!! I will still hunt as I have in the past, for myself....But if I do get a shot at whatI am after it will help the team.... However,I won't shoot anything that I normallywouldn't. This is my first time to sign up for the contest and it will be fun to be checking to see how everyone else is doing as well....

I thought you were advocating "DOES" to be in the contest by the thread heading....lol.

MAN....I was ready for the midwest guys to start the mortar barrage, again!

The HNI contest only changes one thing for me. It gives me a chance to share hunting stories, successful or not, with the good people on this forum. It seems to make my loner style of hunting not so lonely, if that makes any sense.

Disclaimer: I just got home from knee surgery and the drugs haven't worn off yet!

No it doesn't. It's just fun to be involved in it and enter a buck if you shoot one.

Nope it's all just fun.

It changes nothing for me, I'm still going to try to kill the biggest buck I can. And yes, I'm talking about inches. You can't score "maturity". I willallow lesser bucksto walk toachieve this.

Greg, I just had that done several weeks ago (maniscus tears) in my left knee. It healed faster thanI expected...Good luck with it!!!!

Sure it does, in year 1 and 2 I was holding out for 200" or better and came up short. In year 3 I lowered my standards and shot a 130. Last year, year 4, I went back to the 200" or better standard...

I haven't really decided what I will do this year

Lmao!! It don't change a thing for me either. I'm hunting for myself. The guys that I end up being on a team with might be disappointed in having me. I won't shoot anything unless he's 130"+. The odds of that happening, not nearly as good as shooting a 120" buck. I've got enough of these around the woods just not as much as the other but they are there.