1 to 10 how would you rate yourself as a hunter?
 

On a scale from one to ten, ten being the best how would you rate yourself as a hunter?

I'm having a mind cramp right now and cant think of the other things I was going to say.

Ryan.

I rated myself as an 8 mainly for the time and effort I put into each and every hunting season. I will never be a 10 nor do I think anyone will ever simply because no matter how good you are you learn something new each season. I coyote hunt in the winter to help out the fawns and keep my hunting edge, shed hunt to try and see what deer made it through the winter, food plots in the spring and late summer, along with selective mowing to not only direct the deer it makes for new growth for them to eat.. Lots of scouting and trail cam use in the summer. I have something like 25 stands and groundblinds combined I either cut shooting lanes or move depending on what the deer do. Hunt as smart as I possibly can by playing the wind and not over pressuring stands. Practice shooting as soon as the weather gets nice and shoot all year long even through season. Lots of people quit as soon as deer season begins. I try and shoot at least 2 or 3 days a week even during season. I buy the best equiptment I can afford and double/triple check everything to ensure I hit my mark when it comes down to crunch time. I do everything I can think of to make myself the best possible hunter I can be. It takes alot of time and effort but when it all comes together it is well worth it.

I'll just say I'm better than average.:s4:

I'm not sure I'd agree that some of the "criteria" you brought up has anything to do with how good of a hunter someone is.

food plots & shed hunting??? To many people, those 2 topics are absolutely irrelavent to thier success in the fall. And then when you drag ethics into it, big can o worms opens up.

Food plots arent ireelavant, they are just another way to put the deer where you want them. Its not something you have to do to be a "good hunter" but it can help increase your chances and its good for the deer, also depending on your hunting situation it could make or break your hunting season. Shed hunting isnt necessarily irrelevant to someones success, it can help you key in on that particular deers area for late season. My dad and I both killed our best bucks to date over food plots we have planted and very close to the area I have found some of my biggest sheds. As far as Im concerned all those little things that may be "irrelevant" to some people play a role in my success each fall.

I put myself as a 4. I really like hunting, although I have only been doing it 2 years. I have the patience to go out and sit day after day, and actually really enjoy the being invisible in the woods. I am still struggling to differentiate the sound of deer walking from other sounds (squirrels scrambling about, wind, other stuff), and have had deer 'sneak ' up on me several times this last year. I still have a really hard time keeping calm and focused as a deer moves in to shooting range, and missed (clean) on more than 1 occasion last year. This year I have vowed to spend more time doing grunt/shoot drills and more time practicing from the stand. Hopefully with 4 deer now under my belt I will start to get a handle over the adrenelin.

I'm probably a 1. :guiness:

well i give me a 2...
i only hunt Texas and a lil bit O' Oklahoma.and a spell in Hawaii....
there is alot to hunt out there...
the rest of the U.S, Canada...Africa..New Zealand.. Australia the list is endless...
so not having been to these places and master the area makes it hard to give me a good rating...

(if it were just Texas, ill put me in the 8-9 category all day long)

always somethin to learn.

I will forever be a "white belt" hunter.

Even though I have been hunting for more than 25yrs, I rate myself a 4. I have killed some really nice bucks in that time but I can't seem to do it year after year as some do. Matter of fact, I have gone deerless the past two seasons. Not because I didn't have shot opportunities, I chose not to shoot at deer I really didn't want to shoot. It just seems I'm missing some part somewhere that would make me more consistant.

Blessings......Pastorjim

I'm pretty awesome, just not sure I have the animals to back up that statement just yet...haha.

6.

I'd rate myself at a 5. Average I guess. Been hunting for well over 20 years now and like stated above I have taken some nice bucks, however I know there is still alot for me to learn :) always is

When it comes to hunting im a beast, id give myself a 20 if i could lol. No but seriously, i really have no idea how good or bad i am, i guess a 5 or 6.

I gave myself a 7, I spend countless hours scouting, studing, learning, and experiencing the outdoors and the animals that I choose to hunt... I judge myself on those animals that I do hunt because I have absolutely no experience hunting in Africa and even some species of animials here in the states (for instance ducks,geese, most other winged animals with exception of phasants/turkeys).. I know if I was to decide to hunt those particular animals I would do the same type of methods I use now in order to increase my odds.. For who ever put a 10, either you know nothing about hunting or your full of yourself.. some of the best hunters in the world still wouldn't rate theirselves at a 10.. There is always more to be learned and any experienced outdoorsman would tell you that they learn something something new every single day..

I rated myself a 6 because I only started hunting a year ago.
But for the year i have been hunting i have done a pretty good job so far!

I'll take a 5.

Always room for improvement.

I rated myself a 10. Originally I was gonna go with somewhere around an 8 but after reading how many people think that planting food plots and putting up tree stands makes them at least an 8. It doesn't, planting food plots might make you a better farmer but it does nothing as far as improving your hunting skills. I also rated myself higher because of the fact that I consistently take many different species of animals not just whitetail deer. Elk are an exceedingly tougher animal to hunt than deer and in my opinion bring out any flaws a person has in their hunting technique.

i said 7. even though i am yet to kill a "big buck" (probably because i tell my self i'm a cameraman first, yes i know stupid lol) i put forth the nessecary work and time that i feel is required to be a "good" hunter. this goes as far as scouting, planting plots, hanging stands and even shooting my bow.

I don't think anyone on this forum will be able to classify themselves as a 10.

I rate myself as a 5.

Ain't it the truth.:cool:

I wouldn't know how to rank myself. If it just HAS to be a numerical rating, it would vary. If I had to rank myself against some of the gurus on here, I'd need to extend the list of options down into the negatives to find my spot.

If, however, I choose to rank myself by my personal satisfaction with what I've accomplished, then I rank way up there.:happy0001:
Shouldn't this really be all that matters anyway?

I think an interesting poll would be " How would other hunters rate you? " .

After you predict your score, your friends vote and you can see how they really feel about ya.

I'd get 6 on that one. I annoy some of friends with my "management sermons".

i gave myself a 5 - thinking that is average. i've been hunting for 5yrs. now and brought deer home every yr. except 1. i don't travel around hunting. i have 2-3 areas that i hunt all within 15 min. of home. they are small areas but they are heavily traveled deer routes. i'm also not really a trophy hunter. i like to get my does first and spend the rest of the season looking and waiting for bigger buck. my biggest buck is only a 6pt. but that's ok by me. food first and i love being in the woods second. big buck (someday, i'm patient) third.

I gave myself a high rating (not a 10), year after year i shoot good deer for my area the only problem is that my area I would only rate as a 3, not a great buck area at all.

I'm guessing I'm a 5 since I have only been Bowhunting 54 years & don't have a how it's done TV show...

the reason i rate myself as a ten is because i achieve what i set out to do during hunting season kill some deer and enjoy my time in the woods.

depending on what kind of hunting... overall for hunting of all animals in my area I would give myself and 8.. I know quite a bit on how to hunt here in Illinois I like to think.. not to sound ****y.. but I live for this..

i rate myself as a 6. i've only been hunting for 5 years and i have a lot to learn yet. i put in a lot of time hunting and in the off season but i have a lot to learn

I guess i'm a 5 too. Been there done that but don't have any sponsors backing me. LOL

But I'll give Teddy Roosevelt a score of 10. He did it all and yet had the foresight to give us something for the future.

Depends on what you call Average! :guiness:

I'm with you Jeff

Dan

I would say 5 or maybe 4, as much as I know, i'm still 16 and I really have so much to improve on and so much more to learn about the greatest hobby/addiction imaginable :)

As a bow hunter?

I am probably a two for bow hunting. I am probably a 8 for rifle elk.

I'll take that back I'm gonna say I'm a decent 3.