Hunting big bucks before one is ready

[jonsimoneau]

Ben that's a great pic.  Maybe I'm all wet on this one.  I just hate to see youngsters become discouraged because they feel the pressure to take big bucks.  That is really all I was trying say....it just took me alot of words to say it!

[longbowben]

Every kid is ready at a diffrent age.I just want my son to enjoy himself.Last week he shot 2 ground hogs.Hunting big bucks only for new hunters is wrong .They need to enjoy every minute in the outdoors,I still remember my first a spike it still brings a smile to my face.After all the trophy is in the eye of the beholder.  

[fireball31]

I must have misunderstood your first post Jon, Seems like we see eye to eye on this one.

[fountain]

the hunt itself means a lot to me.  seeing a letting deer pass only makes you wiser by watching and learning--i dont think it is possible to learn too much from a deer.  young hunters that start at an early age begin the trial and error process that makes a great hunter.  starting at 5 or 6 learning deer and hunting in general will make for a very interesting career and most likely a successful one.  being successful on lesser properties than seen on tv makes that person a true woodsman/hunter to me.  they actually have to earn the kill, not pay for it.

not saying that all pay hunts are bad, but the high end places have it pretty good and shots/kills come pretty often.  i would love to have a place like that, no doubt, but i will make mine all i can with what i have resources to.

[sweeney3]

What Rick P said.  I don't have a tv or a radio in my house, but just the magazines are bad enough.  TBM, PA, FFG, and F&S are the only ones I still read, and those last two are kind of sketchy now.

[sparrow]

I am about to embark on my 38th deer season. When I started bowhunting in 1972 the first question asked among bowhunters was "Have you ever gotten one." Not buck or how big, but ANY deer. It is supposed to be difficult. Today the hunting here is better than ever. I can still gain access with a handshake and some work. I build relationships with landowners and cherish the privelege of being on their land. What I kill is less important than how I kill it. A perfect season would end on the last day with a big buck with my last tag but no matter what or when I kill a deer I respect that animal and all that went into killing it. I try not to judge others and what they want or decide to shoot, but it's not always easy. I have seen many lose sight of what is important because all they can see are big antlers. Hopefully if they stay in the sport long enough they will learn, unfortunately many never do. TV and the videos have done more harm than good in MHO. Showing the time and effort required is very difficult in a video and impossible on a TV show. Instant gratification is not something bowhunting is capable of, or should be providing. I am just as excited for opener in five weeks as I was 38 years ago. I hope I always have this to look forward to. Thanks for listening.

[Rick P]

Sparrow

I would be willing to bet you get access to private land due to the reputation you have built over the years. There are hidden benefits to being morally above reproach in the field as well. For example at the end of the road I live on there is a lodge owned by a Danish couple that caters specifically to northern European clients. The first thing they did was close there land too all hunting. This past year I was introduce to them by a friend for the expressed purpose of discussing the possibility of me harvesting a few bears off there property. Again my the owners and my friend sought me out. Long story short my standing in the community earned me 300 acres of land to hunt that hasn't seen a hunter in 5 years! I start working there land when I get back from my Caribou trip.

[JSimon]

Originally posted by jonsimoneau:
Ben that's a great pic.  Maybe I'm all wet on this one.  I just hate to see youngsters become discouraged because they feel the pressure to take big bucks.  That is really all I was trying say....it just took me alot of words to say it!

I know exactly what you mean and I think you are right on track. It really depends on the person and their expectations. If you have unrealistic expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment and burnout. Fact is, where that dude hunts, a mature buck may not even exist. Even if there is a mature buck, or two, in the area he is hunting, the odds of him shooting that buck are stacked against him. You need to be in the right place, at the right time, and all of the other countless variables need to align themselves at that very moment. A lone mature buck could also be taken by another hunter, hit by a car, or leave the area, never to be seen again.

I think a hunter must first understand that gaining permission on good property, doing the the scouting, stand placement, stand prep, entrance and exit strategy, scent control, etc. that you must master to regularly take mature bucks is fairly extreme and requires a lot of hard work, especially in high pressure areas. Secondly, the hunter must be content with the fact that all of that effort may result in tag soup. Many hunters understand that and it doesn't bother them. I think for other, often less experienced, hunters it can be extremely dissappointing and they may lose interest in bowhunting all together.

Big bucks do hold more clout and garner more respect for one's abilities than lesser bucks and it is no doubt fun to show them off. I'm also guilty of saying things like "It was just a spike, or awww just a little 6pt" when describing deer that I have shot. However, no one should worry about what others think if they shoot a legal deer. It is a personal choice that you should be happy with. I think the bottom line is do what makes you happy.

During the early doe season last year, I got a look at a good buck for my area (about the size of the one in my avatar). I passed on some perfect opportunities at smaller bucks during the early bow season while I was hoping for a crack at the larger buck. After some run-ins with another hunter on the property, who I suspect was trying to sabotage my hunting, I ended up shooting a small buck with the shotgun on opening day. I never did shoot a deer with my recurve last year. I didn't regret the fact that I shot a small buck but I really, really, regretted not shooting one of those smaller bucks with my recurve when I had the chance. I have only shot one deer with my recurve, but I had planned on shooting does and letting the small bucks go. It never worked out and I actually had more opportunities on small bucks than does during the bow season.

I understand the "let em go, let em grow" philosophy and I know some day I will be more selective, but this year, I have lowered my standards (and my expectations) and I couldn't be more excited about the upcoming season.

[buckeye_hunter]

Some people like all the gadgets, bells and whistles when hunting. They may even miss the best parts initially while focusing on "trophy" bucks. Hopefully, he will come to understand the miracle of the tree he stands near or climbs. I'm just glad he is hunting and continuing the tradition.

Personally, I made sure when I took my girls squirrel hunting we didn't get one the first couple times. By the third time they were begging me to shoot a squirrel to take home. My goal was to get them to understand successful hunting doesn't always equal killing an animal. Hunting is more about being in the woods and learning about the animals.

That said, their mom wants a dead animal coming home to make the time we spent in the field "worth it".

Go figure....