So why do you hunt Whitetail Deer?
09-20-2011, 01:07 PM
#11
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Tonganoxie, KS
Posts: 978
Just like everyone else is sayong. I enjoy being outdoors, watching the animals come out of the woodwork and provides food for our family. And one of my best memories with my son took place this past Sunday while hunting deer. Heres a link to our story... http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/whit...yesterday.html This beats watching tv, playong video games etc... any day for a kid.
09-20-2011, 03:50 PM
#13
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 417
Why do you choose to hunt Whitetail Deer?
Because I grew up on hunting, and whitetails are the largest animal we can hunt in Minnesota. Also because I enjoy watching deer. I particulary enjoy scouting and reading deer signs, so I can figure out where the deer travels most of the time, where they eat, where they bed, and I get a chance to test myself against one buck, and try to outwit it on its own ground, where it has most of the advantages. It is a challenge.
What's it like while your hunting a deer? I can best describe that in an n articl I wrote.
When I look back over the years I realize that I've spent more time sitting in my stand being cold wet and miserable, than I have been warm, dry and comfortable. I've also spent more time in a stand without seeing a deer, than I have while seeing deer. As a result of my reflections I've come to the conclusion that going to a deer stand is often not comfortable, and it is not about killing or even seeing a deer. So, what is a deer stand? And what is it all about?
Sometimes a deer stand is a wooden platform placed strategically in a tree near a deer trail or "high use" area in deer habitat. Often it is a cumbersome, somewhat portable, metal contraption hung from a tree, designed to make deer hunters feel somewhat comfortable for long hours in all kinds of weather; more often than not cold, windy, drizzly, snowy, miserable weather. A deer stand is someplace where the hunter hangs not only his stand, but also his hopes. Hopes of seeing a deer; hopes of seeing a buck, a big buck, one that might make the record book. Hopes of getting a chance in the clear and close enough. Hopes of a good shot and a clean kill. A deer stand is that and more. It is also a place where men, women and children go to get away from the office, the tedium, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It is a place for a short vacation; a place to rest in solitude, to enjoy nature, to commune with the other creatures of earth; a place to renew the spirit and soul; a place to forget what lies behind and remember what hopefully lies ahead.
I've spent more hours than I care to count on a deer stand in good and bad weather. The times in bad weather never leave my mind. Like the time I sat in a pouring rain, hoping it would let up so the big ten point buck I had been watching would appear. Or the time I went to my stand after a heavy snowfall and the temperature plummeted. I stayed at my stand, hoping a deer would come out for a quick bite to eat while trees crashed to the ground around me with the weight of the frozen snow. I finally had sense enough to get out of the woods before a tree fell on me.
The times in good weather are sometimes forgotten, because of my interest in seeing a deer before it sees me. But, even when I haven't seen a deer, there are days I remember well, because I've had company. When I sit in mystand there are often scolding Blue Jays nearby, occasional Robins, Chickadees calling out their own name, and Downy or Hairy Woodpeckers calling peek as they search through the branches for a meal. If I'm in the right area a Ruffed or Spruce Grouse may walk by. A Cardinal or a Song Sparrow often let me know when its morning. There are furry creatures too. I've had Raccoons hustle across the deer trail, looking like large balls of moving fur; and rabbits often stop and feed in the shadows. I've often been kept company and fooled into thinking a deer was on the trail by the rustling of leaves as a red, gray or fox squirrel or coyote searched for food on the forest floor. After an initial inspection the squirrels usually go about their business, or sit in the crook of a tree, their tail curled over their back like a parasol, while they munch on some tidbit held in their tiny paws.
From my latest stand I can hear the hunting cry of a Red-tailed Hawk as it soars over the hayfield as it searches for mice. The crows that caw most of the day have often kept me from using this stand because they claim the tree as their own, and loudly protest my presence, alerting every animal within hearing that an intruder is in their woods. In the morning I can hear the lazy quack of a hen mallard, and the deeper raeb - raeb - raeb of the drake mallard on the nearby lake. Over all the other sounds I hear the herr onk-onk … herr onk-onk of five hundred geese as they land in the lake and nearby cornfields.
At other times I sit alone on my stand, just watching as the sky changes from purple to violet to pink. Then the great, glorious, orange ball of the sun peaks over the horizon, spreading it's light slowly over the shadow covered fields and hillsides. The grass and goldenrods in the meadow below me glisten with dew or frost and, for a while, everything has a silvery shine from the reflection of the sun. Daylight creeps across the land and the birds begin to wake, making their soft, early morning sounds. The wind picks up and I listen to it sighing as it blows through the leaves of the hardwood trees. If I happen to be in an area with pine trees the wind has a different sound, more distant, more remote; bringing with it the inner peace and stillness of the wilderness.
These sights and sounds may be the reasons deer hunters sit on a stand waiting for a deer. Some hunters may not want to admit it, but the call of the wild, the peace, the solitude; becoming one with nature, regaining primitive instincts often lost or forgotten, is what really makes them get up at what otherwise normal human beings consider ungodly hours. It is not the lust to kill; some bloodthirsty passion that drives us. It is some inner need reaching out, desiring to be expressed. The need to spend time experiencing nature and all the glorious sights, sounds and smells that God, in his wisdom, gave to the woods, the wind, the sun and the animals.
A deer stand is not just some piece of metal or wood or camouflage, where a hunter waits to kill a deer. A deer stand is sun and wind, sleet and snow, rain and cold, birds and animals, trees and grass and leaves. It is sights and sounds and smells. It is now, often was in the past, and hopefully will be in the future. A deer stand is hopes, dreams and memories. A deer stand is not just a place or a thing: it is an experience.
What do you do with the body after you've killed your target?
First I cut it open - from the genitals to the back of the rib cage, and remove all of the insides. Then I usually drag it ot to where I can skin it and cut it up into meat for the freezer. I either put the carcass in the dumpster or take it back to where I shot it, so that the coyotes, crows, badgers and other scavengers can have something to eat.
How often do you hunt and which season is your favorite to hunt in and why?
Because I'm guide and outfitter, I usually hunt from the archery deer opener which is usually the first of September, until the end of the season, which is December 31. I usually hunt a minimum of 5 days per week.
My favorite hunting timeframe of the year is during the 2-3 weeks before peak breeding (which is ahbout thesecond week of November here in Minnesota), when the bucks are most activde during daylight hours, and when they are most predictable along their rubs route, because they are most active and predictable at that time.
My favorite time of day to hunt, is in the evening, which is when the bucks are generally the most active during the day, because that is when they are most active during the day, and when I see them most often - because of the hunting methods I use.
I hope that helps you.
If you have any other questions I can help you with, I am a professional writer - and I would be gald to help. Just e-mail me at [email protected]
God bless and good luck with your project,
T.R. Michels
Because I grew up on hunting, and whitetails are the largest animal we can hunt in Minnesota. Also because I enjoy watching deer. I particulary enjoy scouting and reading deer signs, so I can figure out where the deer travels most of the time, where they eat, where they bed, and I get a chance to test myself against one buck, and try to outwit it on its own ground, where it has most of the advantages. It is a challenge.
What's it like while your hunting a deer? I can best describe that in an n articl I wrote.
When I look back over the years I realize that I've spent more time sitting in my stand being cold wet and miserable, than I have been warm, dry and comfortable. I've also spent more time in a stand without seeing a deer, than I have while seeing deer. As a result of my reflections I've come to the conclusion that going to a deer stand is often not comfortable, and it is not about killing or even seeing a deer. So, what is a deer stand? And what is it all about?
Sometimes a deer stand is a wooden platform placed strategically in a tree near a deer trail or "high use" area in deer habitat. Often it is a cumbersome, somewhat portable, metal contraption hung from a tree, designed to make deer hunters feel somewhat comfortable for long hours in all kinds of weather; more often than not cold, windy, drizzly, snowy, miserable weather. A deer stand is someplace where the hunter hangs not only his stand, but also his hopes. Hopes of seeing a deer; hopes of seeing a buck, a big buck, one that might make the record book. Hopes of getting a chance in the clear and close enough. Hopes of a good shot and a clean kill. A deer stand is that and more. It is also a place where men, women and children go to get away from the office, the tedium, and the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It is a place for a short vacation; a place to rest in solitude, to enjoy nature, to commune with the other creatures of earth; a place to renew the spirit and soul; a place to forget what lies behind and remember what hopefully lies ahead.
I've spent more hours than I care to count on a deer stand in good and bad weather. The times in bad weather never leave my mind. Like the time I sat in a pouring rain, hoping it would let up so the big ten point buck I had been watching would appear. Or the time I went to my stand after a heavy snowfall and the temperature plummeted. I stayed at my stand, hoping a deer would come out for a quick bite to eat while trees crashed to the ground around me with the weight of the frozen snow. I finally had sense enough to get out of the woods before a tree fell on me.
The times in good weather are sometimes forgotten, because of my interest in seeing a deer before it sees me. But, even when I haven't seen a deer, there are days I remember well, because I've had company. When I sit in mystand there are often scolding Blue Jays nearby, occasional Robins, Chickadees calling out their own name, and Downy or Hairy Woodpeckers calling peek as they search through the branches for a meal. If I'm in the right area a Ruffed or Spruce Grouse may walk by. A Cardinal or a Song Sparrow often let me know when its morning. There are furry creatures too. I've had Raccoons hustle across the deer trail, looking like large balls of moving fur; and rabbits often stop and feed in the shadows. I've often been kept company and fooled into thinking a deer was on the trail by the rustling of leaves as a red, gray or fox squirrel or coyote searched for food on the forest floor. After an initial inspection the squirrels usually go about their business, or sit in the crook of a tree, their tail curled over their back like a parasol, while they munch on some tidbit held in their tiny paws.
From my latest stand I can hear the hunting cry of a Red-tailed Hawk as it soars over the hayfield as it searches for mice. The crows that caw most of the day have often kept me from using this stand because they claim the tree as their own, and loudly protest my presence, alerting every animal within hearing that an intruder is in their woods. In the morning I can hear the lazy quack of a hen mallard, and the deeper raeb - raeb - raeb of the drake mallard on the nearby lake. Over all the other sounds I hear the herr onk-onk … herr onk-onk of five hundred geese as they land in the lake and nearby cornfields.
At other times I sit alone on my stand, just watching as the sky changes from purple to violet to pink. Then the great, glorious, orange ball of the sun peaks over the horizon, spreading it's light slowly over the shadow covered fields and hillsides. The grass and goldenrods in the meadow below me glisten with dew or frost and, for a while, everything has a silvery shine from the reflection of the sun. Daylight creeps across the land and the birds begin to wake, making their soft, early morning sounds. The wind picks up and I listen to it sighing as it blows through the leaves of the hardwood trees. If I happen to be in an area with pine trees the wind has a different sound, more distant, more remote; bringing with it the inner peace and stillness of the wilderness.
These sights and sounds may be the reasons deer hunters sit on a stand waiting for a deer. Some hunters may not want to admit it, but the call of the wild, the peace, the solitude; becoming one with nature, regaining primitive instincts often lost or forgotten, is what really makes them get up at what otherwise normal human beings consider ungodly hours. It is not the lust to kill; some bloodthirsty passion that drives us. It is some inner need reaching out, desiring to be expressed. The need to spend time experiencing nature and all the glorious sights, sounds and smells that God, in his wisdom, gave to the woods, the wind, the sun and the animals.
A deer stand is not just some piece of metal or wood or camouflage, where a hunter waits to kill a deer. A deer stand is sun and wind, sleet and snow, rain and cold, birds and animals, trees and grass and leaves. It is sights and sounds and smells. It is now, often was in the past, and hopefully will be in the future. A deer stand is hopes, dreams and memories. A deer stand is not just a place or a thing: it is an experience.
What do you do with the body after you've killed your target?
First I cut it open - from the genitals to the back of the rib cage, and remove all of the insides. Then I usually drag it ot to where I can skin it and cut it up into meat for the freezer. I either put the carcass in the dumpster or take it back to where I shot it, so that the coyotes, crows, badgers and other scavengers can have something to eat.
How often do you hunt and which season is your favorite to hunt in and why?
Because I'm guide and outfitter, I usually hunt from the archery deer opener which is usually the first of September, until the end of the season, which is December 31. I usually hunt a minimum of 5 days per week.
My favorite hunting timeframe of the year is during the 2-3 weeks before peak breeding (which is ahbout thesecond week of November here in Minnesota), when the bucks are most activde during daylight hours, and when they are most predictable along their rubs route, because they are most active and predictable at that time.
My favorite time of day to hunt, is in the evening, which is when the bucks are generally the most active during the day, because that is when they are most active during the day, and when I see them most often - because of the hunting methods I use.
I hope that helps you.
If you have any other questions I can help you with, I am a professional writer - and I would be gald to help. Just e-mail me at [email protected]
God bless and good luck with your project,
T.R. Michels
Last edited by trmichels; 09-20-2011 at 06:23 PM.
?
09-20-2011, 06:36 PM
#15
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 417
How many times do I have to explain the due to extreme chronic pain, and the blind spots in my dominant eye, plus sticking keys on my keyboard, I often have typos - mainly due to the very high dosee of morphine I am on to control the pain. It is like trying to write when you are drunk - or high (but I would not know about that).
I have a legitimate excuxe, what is yours - can't you figure it out on your own?
After watching the progarm on bullying on TV this lst week, and learning how many children have commited suicide as a result of it, and learning that two more childern commited suicide in the area where we used to live, where two of my children were bullied in school, and one is receiving intensive treatment for Post Traumtic Shock Disorder, as a result of the bullying - 10 years ago I've begun to realize that the abusive, negative, or maligning comments made on talk forums (often where the author is anonymous and can get by with it) are nothing more than the adult form of bullying. You'd think people would grow up- and that if they think of themsleves as Christians - that they would first ask thenmselves if what they are about to do - is what Jesus would do. If not - why do it?
May God bless you,
T.R.
I have a legitimate excuxe, what is yours - can't you figure it out on your own?
After watching the progarm on bullying on TV this lst week, and learning how many children have commited suicide as a result of it, and learning that two more childern commited suicide in the area where we used to live, where two of my children were bullied in school, and one is receiving intensive treatment for Post Traumtic Shock Disorder, as a result of the bullying - 10 years ago I've begun to realize that the abusive, negative, or maligning comments made on talk forums (often where the author is anonymous and can get by with it) are nothing more than the adult form of bullying. You'd think people would grow up- and that if they think of themsleves as Christians - that they would first ask thenmselves if what they are about to do - is what Jesus would do. If not - why do it?
May God bless you,
T.R.
09-21-2011, 07:35 AM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Sulphur,Indiana
Posts: 1,350
2 years ago my Nephew talked me into hunting Deer and Wild Turkey which I thank him for doing, I enjoy it more than anything I've ever done in the outdoors. I've fished since I was 13 but hunting with a Bow is my first passion now. First it gets you into a total different state of mind and focus which for me touches a deep cord,it seems we were made to hunt or gather from the ground and field. The Whitetail Deer is an amazing animal that challenges you to the core as you seek to outwit them in their habitat which I find very gratifing as success is acheived. As a source of food I could live off the deer meat and never need beef or pork again,I can't say that for Wild Turkey but the Deer is excellent. Sharing a hunt with family or friends is very rewarding,taking a young hunter out is a great thrill that I have come to enjoy almost as much as my own hunts. I think it's a good and proven way to practice conservation and keep the species healthy and growing,while limiting the damage done due to collisions resulting in death and suffering for humans and the animals as well. Hunting has a possitive impact upon all involved when done responsibly and is something I hope only improves as we learn more about the animals and how best to govern this great resource. I have my Deer processed by a local family who has done it for years,I'm not sure what the state requires for disposing of the carcass but I know that they use all they can and follow state regulations on the rest.
