Hunting success
 

OK the trophy debate has gone on long enough, I' d like to throw out the success debate.

Every hunt is not a success. Every hunt should be enjoyed, cherished, and become a memory, but unless you take home game it wasn' t successful. It really bugs me when people try and substitute enjoyment for success. As a hunter you are not supposed to be successful every hunt, or even approach that mark. It is all the times coming home empty that make the day you do bag something, that much sweeter. And for those who say thier goal isn' t to bring something home, then why do you carry your bow/gun around in the woods?

RE: Hunting success
 

I' ll second that!

RE: Hunting success
 

Thanks for taking the heat off my post wimp;)

RE: Hunting success
 

I consider when I walk out of the woods tired, sore, and smiling from ear to ear a success. If I' m bringing meat out with me, so be it.

I don' t define a successful hunt by blood on the ground and a punched tag. For that I offer no apologies. Hunting, to me, is much more than the taking of life. Therefore it' s success is not predicated on death.

RE: Hunting success
 

LOL Wolfen;) Hey it ain' t as hot as the one last year...[:o]:D...yet [:-]

Wimp...good post, and for the most part...I agree. I enjoy every time I get out...but just getting out does not make it a success. I think it depends on what your actual goals are for that particular hunt. If my goal was to locate the perfect spot within an area, and I did that...then yes that hunt was a success. I would say however, that about 90% of the time for me, success revolves around whether I brought home meat or not.

RE: Hunting success
 

I view each hunt as a success, just in varying degrees, as long as I learn something new, see something, or discover I need to move or I find an entirely new spot, I see that as a success, just a minor success,[:-] the ultimate success is the kill.:D

It is like a war, wars are comprised of battles that are won or lost, the idea in a war is to win the war, not all the battles.;)

RE: Hunting success
 

I do not count on bringing home meat every time out and I enjoy my time out in the woods every year. But I will say that by the end of the archery season I am very upset if I did not connect and I label the season unsuccessful but not each and every hunt. Just my 2 cents worth....

RE: Hunting success
 

Depends on your own definition of success. Seems a bit over simplified to call game in hand success or not.

My most successful day was not taking a single shot given numerous opportunities. I passed on 8 does and a two small bucks on opening day last year. All within the first 2 hours. Hunting on new land for the first time not truly knowing patterns and outlying areas I considered seeing that many deer a success. Only having put my stand out 3 days prior and no time to scout the land. I considered that seeing those animals a huge success.

I came back to the same stand later that week and had an 8 pointer in my truck at the days end. If I hadn' t been so successful in chosing where to put my stand, I wouldn' t have taken the 8 point. The stand placement I considered a success. And seeing the game is only the first half of a successfull hunt.

There are unsuccessful hunts, I have had a neighbors dog follow me into the woods and not be able to find me or his way back out and start running in circles for 2 hours and barking up a storm - not a success.

RE: Hunting success
 

Success is differant to each hunter on each trip. Most of my trips, just seeing deer and have a " shot opportunity" is considered a sucesss. For me that usually happens on half of my trips. Downing the next Pope and Young will make my " season" sucessful. Its changed over the years.


Good Luck!!

RE: Hunting success
 

When are you guys ever gonna get a life. Why does it matter to you what another person considers a successful hunt or a trophy. Does the fact that I call a doe a trophy in any way interfere with your ability to enjoy a hunt or if I go out with the intention of shooting a deer and not accomplishing that but seeing something I' ve never seen before and considering the day successful somehow take away from your hunting. How about from now on we all start e-mailing you guys with our accomplishments or the score of the deer we shoot just to get your approval to call the day a success or the deer a trophy. I don' t understand how you' re helping anyone by continually trying to force your views of hunting on the rest of us.

TJ

RE: Hunting success
 

i view every hunt as a success. if i dont bag anything i learned something that will help me bag something another day. geez if i brought something home every time i went out i would have no room for my hunting things. and i sure dont own that many freezers.

RE: Hunting success
 

I consider every time I see game afield a success. That means I am doing something right. Also, it is a success to me to see any game from a stand that I spent hours scouting, setting up, and preparing for the season.

RE: Hunting success
 

If I get into my stand qiuckly and quietly (some mornings I just seem to stumble
over everything) and I dont jump any deer or get winded, busted, etc.....
It doesn`t matter if I even see a deer, as long as I dont screw up, its a success.

I dont give a sh*t what anybody else thinks I should call a trophy, success or
whatever. Im not sitting on anybodys lap.;):D

RE: Hunting success
 

This is a very complicated topic, and to be honest, it is impossible to really come to a conclusion as to who is right and who is wrong, because nobody is. Everybody has a different goal each time they go in the woods. Mine is to have a good time. Do I want to kill a deer, heck yes, but, if I don' t, does that mean I failed at hunting that day? I don' t see it that way.

The hunt isn' t all about the success. People are getting to hooked on success. Yes, we all want it, but, it is when you want it so bad that if you don' t kill a deer you get upset, that is when you have a problem.

Like I said, the goal of hunting is to KILL an animal (not harvest or bag or acquire or any of that crap) but, the goal isn' t as good as the experience.

It will be a cold day in hell when I will get upset because I wasn' t able to kill a deer while hunting.

Hunting to me is about enjoyment, and, NO, I don' t need to kill something to enjoy myself. If your goal is just to kill something, become a butcher and slaughter your own cows. (Not being disrespectful)

Each person has their own idea of success when it comes to hunting, so, we as hunters need to learn to agree to disagree with each other. Too many are getting into the " my way is the only way" mentallity.

My mentality: " I have my way and my ideas of what hunting is, if they are different from yours, more power to you, just respect mine, as I will be respecting yours"