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?

I' ll second that!

Thanks for taking the heat off my post wimp

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.

LOL Wolfen Hey it ain' t as hot as the one last year...[]...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.

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.

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.

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....

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.

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!!

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