Rack size = successful hunter?
 

I read in another post that hunters use rack size as determining success for hunters, specially competitive hunters. I am a competitive hunter but I dont see what rack size has to do with anything. Just because Joe Snuffy lives in Iowa and his grand daddy owns 1000 acres of prime whitetail hunting ground and the average buck size walking the property are 160"+ and the population of deer is astronomical and he tags one, does that make him a more successful hunter than me when I hunt the open fields of the Texas Panhandle where the biggest buck within miles and miles is a 120" and I happen to tag a 100" buck?

IMHO, a sucessful hunter is one who makes a clean kill and recovers the animal. All the planning and/or scouting in the world is meaningless unless you can do that. I equate rack size to bowling trophies - you can have a bunch of them and they really only mean something to you (and give you something to brag about).

Stop measuring your self worth against others in all aspects of life, not just hunting, and you'll be a much more confident and happier person.

I've seen road hunters busted with 170-class deer. Does that make them "successful hunters?"

There is a lot more to hunting than rack size. I've shot a couple does after long, hard and technically challenging stalks. I take pride in that a lot more than some of the bucks I've lucked upon.

Happy/Satisfied Hunter = Suffessful Hunter. I went hunting last week and had one of the best hunts I ever have but never touched the trigger. Mouth grunter an eight pointer into 35 yards saw a few does and get excited a few times. That was a very successful hunt in my book.

Some people have it easier than others to hunt certain game. My family owns alot of land that hold good numbers of whitetail where theres no pressure. Of course its easier for me than someone who has no land and is forced to hunt heavily pressured public land in the same region. It doesn't matter about how much you shoot or how big it is. If you do your homework and bag your quarry from your knowledge and hardwork, then its a successful hunt brother.

Hunter and competitive are 2 words that should never be used together.

A freezer full of meat and some good memories is a big part of what make me feel successful at the end of a season, but i wont lie, i also want to shoot a buck w/ a big rack too.

In todays obsession with big bucks, a successful hunter is often, and unfortunately, determined by the rack of the kill.

Me myself, I feel that I am successful if I just see a deer. No trigger has to be pulled to be successful.

The only person I measure myself against is myself...
I don't care what anybody else thinks about what I decide to kill.
I think alot of it is geographic. Sure there are some places in the country where there are more and bigger deer.

gospel!!!.

Using rack size as a measure of success is not how I was raised as a hunter or what I have passed on to my sons. It goes against everything I was taught as a young hunter.

I was taught to appreciate and respect the game hunted, try to understand as much as possible about the animal, enjoy those times in the deer woods and put together a strategy and game plan based on scouting to help increase the opportunity for success.

If one of us tags a beautiful, big old buck, that's great - no doubt. But if another in our group drags out a legal doe after days of hunting, success has also been achieved - no doubt.
For those who must kill a big racked buck to feel he or she is now successful, well, they are missing the true spirit of the hunt.

Success should be defined by each individual (lawful) hunter. I think it can change from hunt to hunt and season to season. Hunting isn't a means to an end, it IS the goal in many ways. To alot of people, getting out into the field and sucking in a breath of fresh air is success all on its own.

As long as I can stay above ground, I'm successful....lol. I'm perfectly happy with the three deer I've taken this season with my bow, rifle, and muzzleloader. The only person I have to satisfy is myself and I'm a happy man right now.

A successful hunter is not one who feels he has overtaken someone by tagging a larger deer, a successful hunter is one who takes a deer and feels pride in what he has taken. If people want to think that just because they can shoot 120"+ deer several times a season makes them a better, more successful hunter, then they can go hunt by themselves. "This year, I only shot two hundred-fifty class deer. I was dissapointed. What did you get?
"A doe. And I'm proud of it."
Rack size does NOT equal a successful hunter. If you have the opportunity to take one of these monsters, GREAT! But don't let it go to your head.
Lastly, an ethical hunter is, above all, the most successful hunter of all. I would rather not shoot at an animal that is in a position that I may cause injury or suffering to it, or potentially hurt another hunter in the woods. Creed of the hunter: "Ethics before Antlers"
BigBuck95:hit:

A successful hunter is a hunter who just has fun. Plain and simple.

i know quite a few "trophy hunters"......everytime they clean their deer , except one guy who is 76 years old, they are gagging and dry heaving and dont even know what the vitals look like in the deer, callin lungs livers and usually give the meat away.i dont even consider them hunters, they are just rack chasers. we are good friends and i bust their chops alot, but its all in good fun

Eh, gutting a deer is not something I'd ever call 'fun' but its not bad at all. Now a gutshot hog......(thanks dad, sure I'll handle it for you, no worries...)

When I got my buck this year it was my 8 yo daughter's first time so we played 'guess that organ'. It was instructive.

What's this? the heart? Very good.

Daddy, what's that? Umm...errr...that's his 'man parts'. Don't ask.

I shot 2 deer this year. Am I successfull? According to the big rack people the answer is NO. To my brothers in two other states who did not get anything I am sucessfull and they are happy for me. Success is in the mind of the hunter and those around him. In order to declare success a goal and a plan must have been created in your mind. If you carry out your plan and complete your goal then you are successfull. What was the goal??

If I'm after a trophy buck, then yes, I am gauging my success based on antler size. LOL! Nothing wrong with that either. It's no one's business as how I gauge my success and I don't concern myself how other's gauge theirs... as long as some clown don't press their standards on me, I'll do likewise.

Trophy bucks are a mature animal usually living at least 4 1/2yrs+ when hunted. Larger racks are harder to come by around here. I don't pursue them like I did in the past, but I've let bucks go that just barely missed the P&Y mark because I was looking for something larger. If someone shot any of those bucks I passed on and are happy with that, I'm happy for them as well!

If someone is tickled pink with a spiker, then I can't be more happier for them too, because being happy with your results is what it's about! :biggrin:

iSnipe

To answer the question of the thread: NO, it doesn't!

Ditto.

iSnipe

I have killed the 2 biggest deer of my life this year, an 8 and a 14. Both were on private land with no pressure. The best hunt this year was going to Bath Co. with my dad hunting the George Washington National Forest. I didn't get there untill 1000 hrs and had a 2 mile hike to get to where I wanted to be. I scouted around a thicket and found a hot trail. I had to walk another mile to get around it without disturbing the area and get to the other side so the wind would be right. I got set up by 1500 hrs and waited. Got to see 4 does but it wasn't an either sex day. They STILL scented where I walked 3 hours earlier but didn't spook. Public land deer are hard to fool!

IMO which ain't worth 2 cents except to me I think that if you get the animal you're after you're successful. For example I usually eat a buck tag each year because I start hunting a particular buck. I don't recommend this insanity to anyone. The year before last I hunted the same buck for 6 weeks before it finally came together. Now that was an awesome feeling of accomplishment. I also shot a doe one year after tracking her across several ravines. That was great. I snuck up on a bedded doe one year and harvested her with one shot (Muzzy). That was fantastic. So the answer to a great hunting season is, "Have you accomplished the goal you have set for yourself?" My greatest hunt? When my son stalked a doe in the rain and took his first deer at 75 yards. 2nd greatest hunt? 2nd son's first deer. 3rd greatest hunt? When 2nd son arrowed his first buck which was a great nine point. 4th greatest hunt. When my wife got her 1st deer, a doe. 5th greatest hunt when my friend got his first deer with a muzzy. Then there's the day my wife got a double, and the day we both got one. I taught them, I guided them, and I have greater joy at those hunts than any others. Now I'm waiting for my grandson to get old enough. The joy for me is in the hunt not in the score. So maybe the only goal we really need is to be hunting?

Hunting is NOT and should never be a competitive sport. Period.

No way. Everyone hunts for their own reasons.

X2!!!!!!
The competition is between you and the deer!
In today's world ANYONE can buy a big buck! Some of these people wouldn't know the difference between a muzzle and the breech!
Also, different areas produce different size deer. Having fun and enjoying the outdoors is success! A freezer full of venison is success! And as far as "trophies" go, a buck that is above average for the area that you hunt is as good as it gets!

Whatever you are happy with
Redclub

A successful hunter is one who achieved what he set out to do.
To some it is not necessarily a big Antlered deer.
There are times that we see a particular deer and we determine that it will be the deer we will take for that area and that year.
Sometimes myself I set out to just take a video of a certain deer and when I do, I count it a success.
Certain times I set out to take a lesser doe out of group and when I do I count it a success.
The best part of hunting is when you are just out for the sake of hunting and then the unexpected trophy(in your own estimation)appears.You might not take him then, but to me it is still a successful hunt.