huntingkidPA

PA opener wasnt to bad this year. But i do feel unsafe going in the woods, it used to sound like a war zone but not much anymore. What really got me pissed off was, at about 10 am, i took off my camo, still had all my fluorescent orange on. I walk down the dirt road to pick out a spot to hunt later. i was walking down the road and A hunter about 100 yards away raised his gun on me and looked down the scope. I don't know if i was more overcome with anger or just surprise because of his pure stupidity. I am obviously not a deer, they don't walk upright or wear fluorescent orange.

petasux

I primarilly bowhunt with the exception of the late season muzzleloader season.Not sure I understand your comment, it sounds like your bitter because they shoot deer you feel the need to let walk.Do they pay the same price for thier license you do?Are they shooting deer that arent legal to kill for some reason?Because if its not one of those things then I really dont know what business it is of anyone elses what they shoot.

I like to hold out for a good buck myself and at the end of season will take a doe instead of a young buck, thats my choice.i know everytime I let a small buck walk by that odds are someone else will kill him by the end of the month.Im not entirely convinced this obsession with big antlers thats been gaining ground every year has been an entirely positive thing for deer hunting in general.

Its sad when you see a kid posting pics of his first deer on the internet only to watch him get flamed cuz he didnt hold out for the Big one and he shoulda let it walk.Its sad when everybody with a couple acres of ground gets pissed off at thier nieghbor for not killing deer that meets thier standards or shooting the deer theyve "grown".Its pathetic when people take kids out that havent ever shot a deer and wont let em shoot a legal deer for the first time cuz its not one they would shoot.Every year it gets more and more commercialized and most of the people practicing QDM arent after a healthy balance in thier deer herd, theyre trying to farm antlers.And we keep buying into it to the point everyone resents everyone else for not hunting exactly the way we do and not making the same choices we would.Its not even about hunting anymore, theyve turned deer into a big business and while a few people are getting rich off it the majority are just becoming more bitter as you said you were about what everyone else is doing.

WV Hunter

Good post peta.

I think with some forms of hunting...especially bowhunting (and even moreso with a diehard bowhunter), the elitism begins to creep in - even though we don't want it to, or maybe even know it does. I know I've felt it before...exactly what the OP is talking about. I let a buck walk, it goes over the ridge and dies. I've given up trying to control that happening, and shoot what makes me happy. I usually shoot a few does, and look for a nice (for my area) buck.

The other thing I found....especially when being involved in internet forums and maybe even contests - its tough to measure up with some of the deer our peers get. Lets face it, alot of folks live in big buck meca. Some folks scowl at a 120" buck, but in my area....one like that would make the paper for sure. In other areas, that is a routine 2yo...so it would be like me passing a 4 or 6 pt basket rack.

Anymore, I hunt for me...and don't worry too much about any of it. Its just a deer. I know what I can expect where I hunt, and try to make the best of it. I've also enjoyed watching the kids I hunt with get their deer, and grow up each year into better and better hunters. That has been alot of fun. Seeing an 8 or 9yo get a spike buck....doesn't get any better than that.

UPHunter08

Agree re: being too focused on antlers. I think what a lot of the guys (me, anyway) are being 'elitist' about are lazy hunters that take either risky, unethical shots, or outright irresponsible, dangerous behavior. I don't think it's elitist or expecting too much to assume every bow hunter is proficient with his weapon, or to assume every gun hunter is practicing gun safety. It's these guys that bother me personally. They give the rest of us (those that are responsible and ethical) a bad name amongst the non-hunting public.

petasux

Its a valid point, and honestly Ive been there before.When shooting deer started to get easy a few years into bowhunting I did the same thing.tarted focusing on big bucks, drove myself nuts trying to kill certain deer and letting tons of others pass and getting bent outta shape with anyone who didnt do likewise.It started to feel more like work than relaxation

.I guesse when my oldest son and some of the other kids in the family and thier friends started hunting it opened my eyes.I would get lucky enough to take them out, show them the ropes and sometimes be there when they got thier first deer.Makes you realize that youve lost track of why you started hunting in the first place.These days I dont really care if I kill a deer, and I still wait for that big un to come along.But if I let a basket rack little buck walk and the guy in the next field shoots him Im likely gonna help him track it and drag it out rather than get pissy that he shot it.

I agree entirely I was more addressing these type posts with my comments.

Weve come to a point where its preferable to raise deer behind high fences and then hunt them in the same enclosure rather than risk someone else getting a shot at one.And we call it a sport.

rubyliping

I actually suprised myself about was that I didnt even miss it. I have became a HUGE bow hunter the last 3-4 years and could almost careless abut picking up a rifle to hunt whitetail.