Are we losing sight?
06-24-2009, 06:52 PM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location:
Posts: 2,621
RE: Are we losing sight?
Well MGH, you kinda gave me a look into your soul
Have you ever questioned why you were so anxious and couldn't sleep the night before the opener?
What were you excited for?
Now if you were to be a first time hunter today, do you think your expectationsmight be let down if you were to go out and maybe not see any deer?
What if most of your outings you didn't see many deer?
Would you still be anxious for that first day for the next few years?
Why?
Kids today want instant gratification. They don't get that hunting today. Maybe 10 years ago, but not today.
Kids today have so many options of things to do ( football,soccer, video games)
Hunting doesnt provide many kids with that unless they are successful at it. If a kid can go out and see deer or maybe even get one, chances are, they'll be anxious to go again.
MGH, isn't that the main reason you were so anxious the night before? You were excited that you just might get a deer. Your confidence was boosted by previous experiences in the woods.
Well kids today don't get that kind of experience. They get bored. They sit in the woods hoping to see a deer and are many times disapointed.
While many of you will blast me for this, deep down you know it is the truth.
If its not the truth, then please explain why so many youth today don't want to hunt. Oh yeah, there are some kids that love hunting. Those kids are the ones that tasted success not the kids that went out and saw nothing.
I have buddies and relatives that have kids and I have kids. I know my buddies and relativeshave a terrible time getting their kids interested in hunting.
The truth hurts!
Have you ever questioned why you were so anxious and couldn't sleep the night before the opener?
What were you excited for?
Now if you were to be a first time hunter today, do you think your expectationsmight be let down if you were to go out and maybe not see any deer?
What if most of your outings you didn't see many deer?
Would you still be anxious for that first day for the next few years?
Why?
Kids today want instant gratification. They don't get that hunting today. Maybe 10 years ago, but not today.
Kids today have so many options of things to do ( football,soccer, video games)
Hunting doesnt provide many kids with that unless they are successful at it. If a kid can go out and see deer or maybe even get one, chances are, they'll be anxious to go again.
MGH, isn't that the main reason you were so anxious the night before? You were excited that you just might get a deer. Your confidence was boosted by previous experiences in the woods.
Well kids today don't get that kind of experience. They get bored. They sit in the woods hoping to see a deer and are many times disapointed.
While many of you will blast me for this, deep down you know it is the truth.
If its not the truth, then please explain why so many youth today don't want to hunt. Oh yeah, there are some kids that love hunting. Those kids are the ones that tasted success not the kids that went out and saw nothing.
I have buddies and relatives that have kids and I have kids. I know my buddies and relativeshave a terrible time getting their kids interested in hunting.
The truth hurts!
06-24-2009, 07:10 PM
#12
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Cogan Station, PA
Posts: 2,298
RE: Are we losing sight?
ORIGINAL: Windwalker7
Well MGH, you kinda gave me a look into your soul
Have you ever questioned why you were so anxious and couldn't sleep the night before the opener?
What were you excited for?
Now if you were to be a first time hunter today, do you think your expectationsmight be let down if you were to go out and maybe not see any deer?
What if most of your outings you didn't see many deer?
Would you still be anxious for that first day for the next few years?
Why?
Kids today want instant gratification. They don't get that hunting today. Maybe 10 years ago, but not today.
Kids today have so many options of things to do ( football,soccer, video games)
Hunting doesnt provide many kids with that unless they are successful at it. If a kid can go out and see deer or maybe even get one, chances are, they'll be anxious to go again.
MGH, isn't that the main reason you were so anxious the night before? You were excited that you just might get a deer. Your confidence was boosted by previous experiences in the woods.
Well kids today don't get that kind of experience. They get bored. They sit in the woods hoping to see a deer and are many times disapointed.
While many of you will blast me for this, deep down you know it is the truth.
If its not the truth, then please explain why so many youth today don't want to hunt. Oh yeah, there are some kids that love hunting. Those kids are the ones that tasted success not the kids that went out and saw nothing.
I have buddies and relatives that have kids and I have kids. I know my buddies and relativeshave a terrible time getting their kids interested in hunting.
The truth hurts!
Well MGH, you kinda gave me a look into your soul
Have you ever questioned why you were so anxious and couldn't sleep the night before the opener?
What were you excited for?
Now if you were to be a first time hunter today, do you think your expectationsmight be let down if you were to go out and maybe not see any deer?
What if most of your outings you didn't see many deer?
Would you still be anxious for that first day for the next few years?
Why?
Kids today want instant gratification. They don't get that hunting today. Maybe 10 years ago, but not today.
Kids today have so many options of things to do ( football,soccer, video games)
Hunting doesnt provide many kids with that unless they are successful at it. If a kid can go out and see deer or maybe even get one, chances are, they'll be anxious to go again.
MGH, isn't that the main reason you were so anxious the night before? You were excited that you just might get a deer. Your confidence was boosted by previous experiences in the woods.
Well kids today don't get that kind of experience. They get bored. They sit in the woods hoping to see a deer and are many times disapointed.
While many of you will blast me for this, deep down you know it is the truth.
If its not the truth, then please explain why so many youth today don't want to hunt. Oh yeah, there are some kids that love hunting. Those kids are the ones that tasted success not the kids that went out and saw nothing.
I have buddies and relatives that have kids and I have kids. I know my buddies and relativeshave a terrible time getting their kids interested in hunting.
The truth hurts!
This observation isn't just limited to PA. Look at the emphasis on record book animals, guided hunts, crazy gear/gadgets promising monster animals, etc.
I just feel that we sometimes need to step back and enjoy the time spent in the woods and with friends and family.
As for the recruitment of new hunters, I know plenty of kids my age that hunted until they were 16 or 17 until they got their first deer, and they were enjoying the experience every year in between regardless. If a kid today loses interest in hunting because he isn't seeing many deer, then maybe his heart isn't set on it. I can go days without seeing deer, and still just enjoy being out in the woods. Maybe I'm just a weirdo[
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06-24-2009, 07:16 PM
#13
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW PA USA
Posts: 7,220
RE: Are we losing sight?
Its all a matter of how the kid gets introduced. A father who takes the kid out and helps the kidexperience all the great things there are toexperience by being in the great outdoors, maybe the kid won't be so disappointed if he doesn't always get to pulla trigger.
I've worked with kids for years as a scout leader and seen the whole spectrum. The kid whose dad drags him to camp and spends the weekend before getting blotto with the gang and then takes the kid outfor three hours and spends the rest of the day leaning up against the bar biatching about no deer probably wont get the kid to come back. The father that takes the kid out for squirrels and points out that hawk, turkey, raccon, woodpecker etc etc and makes an experience out of it is far more likely to have a hunter for life.
It's not that the harvest isn't an important thing. It is of course. But some guys make kids believe it's the only thing and that guy is the one who is driving youth away from hunting.
The kids I see staying with it have fathers (or mentors) that help the kid learn to enjoy the whole experience. Not just killing or seeing bunches of deer.
Oh and on the instant gratification thing, I agree, our kids have been proframmed for it. But just like the video game thats the hottest thing going one month and a doorstop the next, instant gratification gets old and gets tossed quickly. true challenges that arent instantly successful are better appreciated when success comes and it makes for a much more long lasting interest.
I've worked with kids for years as a scout leader and seen the whole spectrum. The kid whose dad drags him to camp and spends the weekend before getting blotto with the gang and then takes the kid outfor three hours and spends the rest of the day leaning up against the bar biatching about no deer probably wont get the kid to come back. The father that takes the kid out for squirrels and points out that hawk, turkey, raccon, woodpecker etc etc and makes an experience out of it is far more likely to have a hunter for life.
It's not that the harvest isn't an important thing. It is of course. But some guys make kids believe it's the only thing and that guy is the one who is driving youth away from hunting.
The kids I see staying with it have fathers (or mentors) that help the kid learn to enjoy the whole experience. Not just killing or seeing bunches of deer.
Oh and on the instant gratification thing, I agree, our kids have been proframmed for it. But just like the video game thats the hottest thing going one month and a doorstop the next, instant gratification gets old and gets tossed quickly. true challenges that arent instantly successful are better appreciated when success comes and it makes for a much more long lasting interest.
06-24-2009, 07:28 PM
#14
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location:
Posts: 2,621
RE: Are we losing sight?
You make very good points in your thread. I just wanted you to see why so many are disgusted with the PGC.
Deer hunting was so different years ago. It wasn't about point restrictions and herd reduction. It was about all the thing you mentioned in your post.
It was the PGC that turned things around. That is why so many are upset. That is why you see all the bashing. Things have changed so drastically.
I enjoy being out there as much as anyone. But lets face it. You don't need a hunting license to go bird watching. So isn't that what hunting would be if you aren't seeing deer? You'd be bird watching.
So many say it isn't about the kill its about being out there. So.......take up bird watching if it really isn't about the kill. Buy a license and leave your bow or gun at home, if it isn't about the kill.
Even the PGC knows its about the kill. Why did they come up with all the youth seasons? Its to give the youngsters a better chance about bagging some game. They know that if they bag something they just might like hunting and hunt in the future. They want kids to have an edge at getting something.
I don't mean to bark up your tree. I do respect anyone that has the maturity that you have at your young age. I'm just trying to show you why so many are disgusted with the way things are.
Deer hunting was so different years ago. It wasn't about point restrictions and herd reduction. It was about all the thing you mentioned in your post.
It was the PGC that turned things around. That is why so many are upset. That is why you see all the bashing. Things have changed so drastically.
I enjoy being out there as much as anyone. But lets face it. You don't need a hunting license to go bird watching. So isn't that what hunting would be if you aren't seeing deer? You'd be bird watching.
So many say it isn't about the kill its about being out there. So.......take up bird watching if it really isn't about the kill. Buy a license and leave your bow or gun at home, if it isn't about the kill.
Even the PGC knows its about the kill. Why did they come up with all the youth seasons? Its to give the youngsters a better chance about bagging some game. They know that if they bag something they just might like hunting and hunt in the future. They want kids to have an edge at getting something.
I don't mean to bark up your tree. I do respect anyone that has the maturity that you have at your young age. I'm just trying to show you why so many are disgusted with the way things are.
06-24-2009, 07:42 PM
#15
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location:
Posts: 2,621
RE: Are we losing sight?
ORIGINAL: BTBowhunter
true challenges that arent instantly successful are better appreciated when success comes and it makes for a much more long lasting interest.
true challenges that arent instantly successful are better appreciated when success comes and it makes for a much more long lasting interest.
The key part is "when success comes..."
What if it doesn't come?
If it doesn't come, where will that long lasting interest come from?
The way it looks out there now, success will be a long, long ,long time in coming.
That's my whole point
06-24-2009, 08:02 PM
#16
Spike
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: huntingdon county,pa/4a,4b
Posts: 30
RE: Are we losing sight?
the deer are there though.not as many yes but they're still out there.i saw 3 bucks in the last 2 days without even going to look for deer,not to mention how many does.and this was all in the same area.and the reason kids aren't as excited or interested anymore is because they're easily influenced.if their friend wants to play video games instead of hunt then what do you think they're gonna want to do?when the guys they look up to say thats it's pointless to hunt because there's no deer then what do you think they're gonna think?if you explain to the child that they may not get to shoot something but you never know then they might see it as a challenge and not as a let down.you can't expect a kid to wanna do something when everyone bad mouths it.i'll admit there are less deer then there used to be and i've seen less deer in the past few years then i ever had BUT i've also seen some of the biggest bucks i've ever seen in rifle season and more deer then you can count with a spotlight at night in a single field.some parts of the state might be hurting but it's not like they aren't there.you might have to hunt them harder or walk farther to see them but they're there.and hunting isn't all about what you shoot.it's about getting out and enjoying the outdoors and seeing things you wouldn't normally see,like bears for example.you don't hear people complaining because their favorite fishing hole doesn't have the fish it used to so now they're gonna quit fishing do ya?no,because it's about getting out and having fun no matter what.
06-25-2009, 02:32 AM
#17
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Carbon County Pa.
Posts: 601
RE: Are we losing sight?
ORIGINAL: Windwalker7
The key part is "when success comes..."
What if it doesn't come?
If it doesn't come, where will that long lasting interest come from?
The way it looks out there now, success will be a long, long ,long time in coming.
That's my whole point
ORIGINAL: BTBowhunter
true challenges that arent instantly successful are better appreciated when success comes and it makes for a much more long lasting interest.
true challenges that arent instantly successful are better appreciated when success comes and it makes for a much more long lasting interest.
The key part is "when success comes..."
What if it doesn't come?
If it doesn't come, where will that long lasting interest come from?
The way it looks out there now, success will be a long, long ,long time in coming.
That's my whole point
"What if it doesnt come" Evaluate your game plan and make adjustments if needed.
"If it doesent come, where will that long lasting intrest come from?" When they see their buddies having successharvesting deerwhile they sit at home.
" The way it looks now, success will be a long, long,long, time in coming." Bull
06-25-2009, 04:27 AM
#18
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Ohio,mid
Posts: 1,275
RE: Are we losing sight?
oh man i still get wound up ofr the first day of hunting seasons and it is about the possibility of the rack of a lifetime! I love that excitement and i get cranked when a doe pops out and starts looking behind her........But i also like it when the geese start forming and honking over my valley and landing in the beaver pond behind my stand raising a ruckus. I like it when the hawk works the tree line across the strip mine fields from me, both of us tuned to everything in those thickets we are watching, nothing moving but our eyes. I like it when the red fox crosses the fields and starts jumping on the tufts of grass and I like it when the contrails are criss crossed in the sky. But i go out to kill a deer and hopefully a trophy, I am picky and have the patience to wait or possibly not get a the buck I am after, fine I am human, the rest of this stuff is just desert, I am out to kill a trophy and get meat! I take in the whole experience but face it after 45 years of hunting I am still out looking for the big one and making meat.
06-25-2009, 08:16 AM
#19
Banned
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location:
Posts: 2,978
RE: Are we losing sight?
"success is not an entitlement"
But responsible management which we pay pgc for IS. And we are not getting it. Extreme unnatural levels of biodiversity which can be found nowhere occurring naturally is not an "entitlement" for the ecofruitcakes either, but that is the current goals of our deer management program currently.
But responsible management which we pay pgc for IS. And we are not getting it. Extreme unnatural levels of biodiversity which can be found nowhere occurring naturally is not an "entitlement" for the ecofruitcakes either, but that is the current goals of our deer management program currently.