Luck and Hunting
#12
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,445
RE: Luck and Hunting
There just isn't any such thing as luck.
Is the hunter lucky or is the deer unlucky?
What was the lucky thing that "let you" get a deer. That your vehicle actually started, that you didn't get into an accident on the way, that you didn't fall from your stand, that your gun actually went off, your bowstring didn't break? All these things CAN happen, but we discount all these possibilities because they don't happen often.
Boils down to percentages. The odds for rolling snake eyes is 1 in 36. The odds for rolling a 7 are what, 1 in 12? Makes no difference who rolls the dice.
Luck is a superstition.
Is the hunter lucky or is the deer unlucky?
What was the lucky thing that "let you" get a deer. That your vehicle actually started, that you didn't get into an accident on the way, that you didn't fall from your stand, that your gun actually went off, your bowstring didn't break? All these things CAN happen, but we discount all these possibilities because they don't happen often.
Boils down to percentages. The odds for rolling snake eyes is 1 in 36. The odds for rolling a 7 are what, 1 in 12? Makes no difference who rolls the dice.
Luck is a superstition.
#13
RE: Luck and Hunting
I believe as others have said.."The harder I work, the luckier I get"....Is there luck in deer hunting... youbetchya. There is luck involved in almost everything we do and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I would certainly rather be good than lucky, but if Lady Luck comes knocking, I'll answer the door every time.
#15
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Cottage Grove Oregon
Posts: 918
RE: Luck and Hunting
Good “lucky” deer hunting has more to do with the term Serendipity. Which simply means being or appearing very lucky but in reality you make your own luck by paying attention to your surroundings. Please read on.
So begins the fascinating story of The Three Princes of Serendip. In order to provide the best tutors for his sons, the king travels throughout the island until he finds a number of scholars, each specialized in a different field, “And to them he entrusted the training of his sons, with the understanding that the best they could do for him was to teach them in such a way that they could be immediately recognized as his very own.”
As the three princes are endowed with great intelligence, they soon become highly trained in the arts and sciences. However, when the tutors inform the king of his sons’ achievements, he is sceptical. So he summons his eldest son and announces that he wishes to retire to a monastery and that his son should succeed him as ruler. The eldest son politely refuses, insisting that his father is wiser and should reign until his death. The two younger sons also refuse when commanded in a similar manner.
Although the king is astonished by the wisdom displayed by his sons, he decides to send them on a prolonged journey so that they can acquire empirical experience. He summons his sons and, giving the impression of being angry and disappointed because they have all disobeyed him, banishes them from Serendip. “Thus they started their peregrination and moved out of his kingdom until they reached the kingdom of a great and powerful emperor, whose name was Beramo.”
Misfortune befalls the princes when a camel driver stops them on the road and asks them if they have seen one of his camels. Although they have not, they have noticed signs that suggest a camel has passed along the road. Ever ready to dazzle with their wit and sagacity, the princes mystify the camel driver by asking him if the lost camel is blind in one eye, missing a tooth and lame. The camel driver, impressed by the accuracy of the description, immediately hurries off in pursuit of the animal.
After a fruitless search, and feeling deceived, he returns to the princes, who reassure him by supplying further information. The camel, they say, carried a load of butter on one side and honey on the other, and was ridden by a pregnant woman. Concluding that the princes have stolen the camel, the driver has them imprisoned. It is only after the driver’s neighbour finds the camel that they are released.
The princes are brought before Emperor Beramo, who asks them how they could give such an accurate description of a camel they had never seen. It is clear from the princes’ reply that they had brilliantly interpreted the scant evidence observed along the road.
As the grass had been eaten on one side of the road where it was less verdant, the princes deduced that the camel was blind to the other side. Because there were lumps of chewed grass on the road the size of a camel’s tooth, presumably they had fallen through the gap left by a missing tooth. The tracks showed the prints of only three feet, the fourth being dragged, indicating that the animal was lame. That butter was carried on one side of the camel and honey on the other was clear because ants had been attracted to melted butter on one side of the road and flies to spilled honey on the other.
The deduction regarding the pregnant rider is more complicated than the rest and is somewhat lewd, so I shall let the princes tell it themselves: “I guessed that the camel must have carried a woman,” said the second brother, “because I had noticed that near the tracks where the animal had knelt down the imprint of a foot was visible. Because some urine was near by, I wet my fingers (in it) and as a reaction to its odour I felt a sort of carnal concupiscence, which convinced me that the imprint was of a woman’s foot.”
“I guessed that the same woman must have been pregnant,” said the third, “because I had noticed nearby handprints which were indicative that the woman, being pregnant, had helped herself up with her hands while urinating.”
Although Walpole mistakenly believed it to concern a mule, it is of course this camel episode that he latched onto as an example of serendipity, inadequate though it may be.
So begins the fascinating story of The Three Princes of Serendip. In order to provide the best tutors for his sons, the king travels throughout the island until he finds a number of scholars, each specialized in a different field, “And to them he entrusted the training of his sons, with the understanding that the best they could do for him was to teach them in such a way that they could be immediately recognized as his very own.”
As the three princes are endowed with great intelligence, they soon become highly trained in the arts and sciences. However, when the tutors inform the king of his sons’ achievements, he is sceptical. So he summons his eldest son and announces that he wishes to retire to a monastery and that his son should succeed him as ruler. The eldest son politely refuses, insisting that his father is wiser and should reign until his death. The two younger sons also refuse when commanded in a similar manner.
Although the king is astonished by the wisdom displayed by his sons, he decides to send them on a prolonged journey so that they can acquire empirical experience. He summons his sons and, giving the impression of being angry and disappointed because they have all disobeyed him, banishes them from Serendip. “Thus they started their peregrination and moved out of his kingdom until they reached the kingdom of a great and powerful emperor, whose name was Beramo.”
Misfortune befalls the princes when a camel driver stops them on the road and asks them if they have seen one of his camels. Although they have not, they have noticed signs that suggest a camel has passed along the road. Ever ready to dazzle with their wit and sagacity, the princes mystify the camel driver by asking him if the lost camel is blind in one eye, missing a tooth and lame. The camel driver, impressed by the accuracy of the description, immediately hurries off in pursuit of the animal.
After a fruitless search, and feeling deceived, he returns to the princes, who reassure him by supplying further information. The camel, they say, carried a load of butter on one side and honey on the other, and was ridden by a pregnant woman. Concluding that the princes have stolen the camel, the driver has them imprisoned. It is only after the driver’s neighbour finds the camel that they are released.
The princes are brought before Emperor Beramo, who asks them how they could give such an accurate description of a camel they had never seen. It is clear from the princes’ reply that they had brilliantly interpreted the scant evidence observed along the road.
As the grass had been eaten on one side of the road where it was less verdant, the princes deduced that the camel was blind to the other side. Because there were lumps of chewed grass on the road the size of a camel’s tooth, presumably they had fallen through the gap left by a missing tooth. The tracks showed the prints of only three feet, the fourth being dragged, indicating that the animal was lame. That butter was carried on one side of the camel and honey on the other was clear because ants had been attracted to melted butter on one side of the road and flies to spilled honey on the other.
The deduction regarding the pregnant rider is more complicated than the rest and is somewhat lewd, so I shall let the princes tell it themselves: “I guessed that the camel must have carried a woman,” said the second brother, “because I had noticed that near the tracks where the animal had knelt down the imprint of a foot was visible. Because some urine was near by, I wet my fingers (in it) and as a reaction to its odour I felt a sort of carnal concupiscence, which convinced me that the imprint was of a woman’s foot.”
“I guessed that the same woman must have been pregnant,” said the third, “because I had noticed nearby handprints which were indicative that the woman, being pregnant, had helped herself up with her hands while urinating.”
Although Walpole mistakenly believed it to concern a mule, it is of course this camel episode that he latched onto as an example of serendipity, inadequate though it may be.
#17
Join Date: Dec 2004
Posts: 8
RE: Luck and Hunting
I love EVERYTHING that has been said about this topic. First of all, lets remember that deer hunting is hard. Luck or no luck. You said that all you have killed are only does? WELL NICE GOING!! Nothing wrong with shooting does. We all want to kill a nice buck, but takeing a doe home is MUCH better than takeing home nothing! I hunted just yesterday, & the only thing I saw was a cat! Thats right a cat! A cat walked past my tree stand in the early morning. I thought it might make a nice mount but I let it go! (JUST KIDDING!) Anyway, I believe that luck has at least a little something to do with every thing that we do. (The right place at the right time.) Hunting smarter & harder helps alot also, however I killed a 10 point buck on opening day last year, in the first hour of hunting, in a place that I never been to or scouted. THATS LUCK! This year, at this point I would love to just get even a doe! I would even take a small doe & be happy! I have hunted 12 times this year so fare totaling 120 hours in the tree stand, including bow, muzzel loader, shot gun, & rifel. I have been the only hunter on a this farm that has 450 acers. I have done everything that I can think of to bring in a deer & have not seen thing. I have baited 4 tree stands, I have used sent loc, doe scent, I have tryed these new stupid punks that you burn in the woods to attract deer, & NOTHING! So if you ask me you have been VERY lucky becauce you have harvested at least a doe. I think I would rather be a lucky hunter rather than a smart hunter. I work on Wall St. & I know alot of really smart people that are also realy broke! & I have met alot of "lucky" people that have become millionairs with little education of the markets, & if you ask me, thats luck.
#18
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location:
Posts: 170
RE: Luck and Hunting
Skill is important, but it does take the combination of many fortunate coincidences happening to result in a deer. I think it's the height of arrogance for guys who come off thinking "it's all me". Like cardeer said, there's more to it.
#20
Typical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 590
RE: Luck and Hunting
My point on the dice analogy was that a newbie hunter needs to roll snakes to get a deer, where maybe an "expert" needs a seven. See, the newbie and the expert are hunting at entirely different levels, but it's luck that determines if today is the day a guy puts his buck on the ground. If not, if it's really some scientifically precise process, then the expert should know the day, hour, and minute that he will kill his buck.