MontanaVet

At this stage of my hunting, my son got a decent buck and if I don't score that is just fine with me. I am hunting a very big whitetail on public land. If I don't get him, he or his offspring will be there next year. MV out!

jimmy the foot

HONESTLY if i go out in the woods and see deer i consider it a good hunt. if i get a deer to come within killing range i think of it as a kick a## hunt. if i actually take a deer i think wow this is unbelievable! awesome! i now know why i hunt and i can't believe everyone else isn't doing this



THE FOOT

skeeter 7MM

For me no, notching the tag is icing on the cake but really isn't a determining factor to how successful I feel after the hunt. I have hung more than one tag on the wall come the end of the season and will continue to do so in the future. I have gone through a number of stages from just out to get one, to a little better than before, to trophy or bust and now in a stage where I just enjoy every minute I am in the field. If that means taking an animal so be it, if not I am just happy being able to do what I love.

I love the meat and we basically live off it, so I do enjoy pulling the trigger. I am lucky to live in an area where we have excellent whitetail/mule deer hunting as well as opportunitiesfor other game such as elk, moose and pronghorns. So usually having to pull the trigger just to fill the freezer isn't part of the equation for me. If it is I will take a doe or downslide mature buck vs shoot an immature buck.

AP deer hunter

I already mentioned this in the trophy vs. meat post. I agree with Jimmy. Seeing a deer is fun and if I tag one that just makes me feel incredibly blessed and puts me on cloud 9 every time baby! Shooting a mature deer is fun but, if I don't see one there is always next hunt. I'm not going to kill a young deer just because I feel like I have to kill something. If you can't enjoy it without killing a "trophy" (every deer is one in my book) or bringing home meat (unless you need it), you should seriously reconsider why you hunt at all. It's not about the killing, it's the pursuit of game and being a sportsman.

GSPsnFORDs

Harvesting a deer IS a sucess. BUT, ultimately, I say no. If you're patterning a deer for a certain amount of time and have him/her within bow range (or whatever you use) and don't get an opportunity to harvest it but learn something from the hunt which in turn leads to a later harvest, then I think that hunt which you did NOT have an op. to harvest it but learned something from it (like its pattern) is a success. In all honesty though, when I learn something new about a deer's pattern or where a group of deer are moving to/from is a success.....it opens up a whole new opportunity of hunts in the future.

spde911

I'm still very new to deer hunting or any hunting for that matter. This is my third year at it. My first year, I didn't see a whole lot of deer and only rifle hunted during the two week rifle season. I did learn a lot, but was also a bit disappointed that I dind't get anything. I got a late start on getting into hunting. I didn't grow up in a family that did any hunting. My little brothers started before I did and my youngest brother is the one who really got me interested in it. He also talked so highly of bow hunting that I decided to try that my second year. I bought a used bow off ebay, got it sighted in and tuned. I practiced for several months before my second year of hunting. Bow season also runs from October 1st through Jan 15th here, so I knew I'd get to spend a lot more time out in the woods. I didn't get a deer with my bow the first year using it either,but I did learn a lot more about scent control, looking for deer sign, and got to see a lot of deer that year. I was lucky enough to take a mature doe on the last day of rifle season last year. My youngest brother lives a few hours away, so I didn't get to learn a whole lot from him. When I did take my first deer last year, it was a learning experience all the way around. I'd read everything I could about hunting and watched a few hunting videos. I'd watched my brother field dress a deer, but didn't have anybody to show me exactly how to do it that year...I'd been hunting alone most of the season, but reading and watching videos helped me a lot. This year was my second year with a bow. I decided to buy a new bow (right before bow season) got it sighted in and practice about a week with it before going out to some new property. I hadn't had time to do much scouting, so I just put up a couple of tree stands and hoped for the best. I did set one stand up along an area where there were a few rubs. I shot my first deer with a bow and it was a buck. Not a huge buck, but a good buck....a great first buck! So, I'd have to say that no, killing a deer doesn't make it a successful hunt. Just spending time in the woods, learning, and enjoying the times I do get to hunt with family makes hunting a success. I've enjoyed every minute that I get to spend in the woods. Due to getting a late start in deer hunting, I don't get to spend as much time in the woods as I'd like to. I've been married 7 years and have two kids (boy and girl) and work a lot, but the time I do get in the woods is great. I sure hope for a trophy someday, but it's not all about getting meat or a trophy for me. I really enjoy the challenge and learning new things as I go.

Sorry if that was kinda long, but it's hard to just sum it up in a few words when you enjoy something so much. I wish I could get my wife interested in hunting so she'd understand why I enjoy it so much. I've started taking my boy out a few times and hope he ends up enjoying what I can teach him as much as I enjoy going out there.

Firehawk7309

Doing my homework, scouting and watching the payoff walk around me in the woods is success. A shot deer is just icing on the cake.

kevin1

My measure of a successful hunt is the enjoyment that I derived from it , this means that I even enjoy watching those white flags bounding away because it tells me that I'm not as good as I seem to think I am , and that I still have much to learn . I've gotten skunked plenty of times , sometimes for an entire season , and I still enjoy doing it each and every time . I'd rather get some meat for the freezer , and I don't trophy hunt , but it doesn't break my heart if I don't score .

rybohunter

Success is filling a tag. That doesn't mean that a hunt isn't enjoyed, or that it wasn't educational or fullfilling. Hunters are supposed to be unsuccessfull many many more times than not. Filling a tag doesn't even have to be the focus or most important aspect of the hunt. To me it seems like so many people substitute the meaning of success to make every hunt successful. Every hunt can be enjoyable, or educational, or you can experience something great, whether it be the wildlife you see or the people you hunt with. It's ok to not focus on filling tags, but I think people should be more at ease with being unsuccessful, because that is what hunters are supposed to be. Hawks, lions, cheetahs are all unsuccessful more times than not, but they still eat enough to live and its ok.

razrback

MEAT, MEAT AND MORE MEAT! As long as you do it in an ethical manner.