I NEED YOUR HELP!!!

[waiting4fall]

                           

CASE HISTORY: This guy is one of my dearest friends, I care for him like a brother.I taught him to shoot trad equipment & make his own arrows a couple years ago.

Although he has successfully killed a couple of animals w/ his trad equipment, he has also lost an animal w/ that equipment. His confidence has dropped a bit. However, he practices more,& is a now consistently good shot.

He has developed an admitted obsession w/ killing a "BOOK BUCK". He is quickly approaching the point of it becoming unhealthy, & he doesn't know how to shake it.It's like if he doesn't have a 170 inch buck on his wall, nothing matters.       However, I know to each his own, but this is getting a little crazy.

I'll make sure he get's this thread so he can keep up with it. If this wasn't very important to me I wouldn't be asking for your help. Please help me help my "brotha". Thank you very much.- Dave Mullins.

[blind one]

I have not used my compound this year. It has the best of the best and its sitting in the case. I take my trad gear everytime I go to the woods hoping to get that one shot. I have sat and watched deer that were out of my range with the longbow but would have been easy shots with the compound. Not once have I said "wish I had my Z34". I would love to have a big deer, BUT I would rather have ANY deer with my trad equipment. My dad always told me "you cant eat antlers".....Roy

[woodchucker]

Just tell him that you have to learn to "crawl" before you can walk!!!!! It's a simple fact of life. The traditional road is a journey. It starts with one step. When he get's to the end of the road,(bagging his "book buck") he will look at his backtrail and see how far he has actualy come.

Unfortunatly,MANY hunters work very hard their entire lives,and never bag a record class buck. It is a WONDERFUL goal. But in all honesty,probly an unreasonable "expectation".

Enjoy the journey.....

[ron w]

My father hunted for many ,many years and shot a few does on permits. All those years he shot only one buck and that was a spike. That deer ment everything to him. Your friend needs to step back and take a breath,and rethink why he really hunts. If it to impress others he should try golf.

[BCWV]

Dave,
  It  won't help your bud but here's my thoughts. You either have it or you don't. We know what the it is. It's how that simple bow feels in your hand, how it feels when you let that string go and watch the arrow fly to the spot you're focusing so intently on. I'm not saying he'll never feel that way but it's up to him to decide if and when.

 I'm working on my brother much the same as you and your friend. I set him up with a Bear Grizzly this spring and talked him into going to ATAR with me. We had a ball but he still feels that he would rather use his compound and rifle to hunt with. He said he would hate to miss a chance at a nice deer. He knows his limitations and I respect him for that. I would rather go with an unfilled tag myself but we're all different.

 I sat in my stand on Monday, our rifle season opener, with my Shrew and a quiver full of Zwickeys and never thought about using a rifle. I came home without meat and shot a few arrows from the light of the dusk and dawn light before I went in the house. It was a great day.

 Brad

[Looper]

I don't think you're going to convince him of anything. Some folks just don't appreciate or understand the satisfaction one gets from using traditional equipment.  They might come around  at some point, but might not.

If it makes him feel better, who cares if he uses a rifle or a compound?  Why impose your own beliefs and restrictions on him?  You can't expect someone else to follow the same path you've chosen.

If he's obsessed with shooting a B&C buck, there are ranches all over the country where he can pay $10-20,000 and get his name in the book.  Many do it every year. If he wants to shoot one on public land, well, good luck.  It can be done.  Can it be guaranteed?  Absolutely not.

[jacobsladder]

An old doe is the smartest deer in the woods.... A big buck becomes very stupid during the rut..

so which is really the true trophy..

The big buck because they are few and far between or the smart old doe?

I get excited when i see a big buck...only because they are so rare... most deer in michigan never get a chance to grow their second set of antlers. But, in the grand scheme of things it doesnt mean squat....just another bag of venison.... period..IMHO

[trad_bowhunter1965]

This may not be what you want hear but when it comes down to it really is to each his own, this was my first year hunting with a Traditional Bow I drew a very hard to draw Antelope tag in my home state a lot of my Friends thought I was crazy for wanting to switch to a Recurve it has been something I always want to so I made the decision not to take a compound bow and I will hunt with my Recurve from now till I can not.

[Mountain_Man]

I'm not sure if you actually mean "to the point of being unhealthy" .. or "nothing else matters" ... the way you describe it, its as if he has some sort of addiction to killing the record book buck. Which is a big deal, IF its affecting his relationships, job, health..ect.. I sure hope your stretching it a little.. lol. If so ..let him be. If it is that bad.. talk him into getting help.. or have an intervention with Dr. Drew.     .. but, its no sin, IMO, to be obsessed with or taking only nice bucks, EVEN for a trad only hunter.. its not my style, but we are all on the same side.(i think)..lol .. Jason

[Johnny Reb]

If I could skewer one of these squirrels behind my house I'd consider it a trophy, I'd  ride it around on the hood of my truck untill the buzzards folowed me home.   I've  passed on smaler bucks before and it dont bother me if I drill anything or not, I just love be'n out ther, I kill one or dont great either way ya know.
   But to all his own, if he's in the rite place at the rite time it could happen, trad equipment aint made to knock down a deer at a great distance, thats the challenge of it, it takes more to pull it off.    but if your gonna dream, dream big I guess.

[wingnut]

There is nothing wrong with your buddys obsession with a big buck.  It takes time and years in the woods to get too the point where the hunt and the method of the hunt are more important then bring home game.  

I still would love to get that big buck someday, but have learned to enjoy the journey also.  Something about sitting in a stand or stalking through the mountains with a trad bow in your hand that is fulfillment for the soul.

Mike

[waiting4fall]

I appreciate the input, it's good stuff. Just to clarify, This isn't about what I want my buddy to do. I just want him happy, & he's stressin over it. I only wish to see him relax & have cherished memories from times afield, in whatever method he chooses, just not regrets cause he didn't kill the big one. So when I said in my origional post "TO EACH HIS OWN", I meant that. Keep em comin, & happy thanksgiving to all.  

[Goke]

I've been there and I have very close friends and family there as well. For me, the obsession of killing a big buck, bull, etc. still exists. That is a good thing and will never change. The issue becomes whether you can commit to doing it with stick and string vs. wheels or gunpowder. Sounds like your friend already feels that traditional equipment is right for him in his heart but part of his brain keeps saying, "what if I have the chance at a buck of a lifetime that I could shoot with my wheels and not my stick bow, I'll kick myself forever." That frankly is a valid question and that issue is only reconciled within. I personally had many conversations with myself in my stand and blind about that very subject. Ultimately, for me, I concluded that if the drive to kill a record book animal was so great that I didn't care how, I was not hunting for for the right reasons - I was hunting to achieve social approval instead of hunting to achieve personal and spiritual gratification and satisfaction. I concluded that I don't hunt and don't need to hunt just to receive approval from others. Once I resolved myself to not worry about hunting to recieve approval from others, I felt like a free man. Once free, I concentrated on how to maximise my opportunity at that buck/bull of a lifetime with a stickbow. I realized that its not like shooting a stickbow eliminates the chances at record book animals. Heck, once I committed to the stickbow, it seems like more and more of those opportunities came. If your friend needs further confirmation that it is indeed possible (even probable) to take a "record book" animal with a stickbow, just have him look through some of the pics posted on this site and he will see that many, many people (some repeatedly) harvest animals that are bucks/bulls of a lifetime. So, all in all, in my humble and personal opinion, your friend needs to do a little self examination within to decide why he hunts- for personal and spiritual satisfaction derived from how the animal is harvested or for personal satisfaction derived from showing the animal to others after its hanging on the wall or in the book. Please don't get me wrong, most of us love to share our hunt pics, stories and accomplishments with others but the point is, if that becomes the driving force behind why we hunt, I personally believe the critical aspects of what we do and why we do it is lost. Finally, if your friend "only gets satisfaction from having trad equipment in hand when hunting," don't worry, he will eventually find his way. Sometimes it just takes some time and a few experiences in the woods. Support his decisions, don't try to force feed him, and he will find his own way. Good luck.

[Roy Steele]

Here's my story I don't know if it will help.But remember each person has there own golds.I deer hunted for 40 years.My buck olny hunting started so far back I can't remember.I started building and hunting with selfbows 20 years ago.And killed 33 bucks and 7 gobblers.But like your freind I could'nt miss those other seasons.That 280 or 45 or 54 cal evened the season out.The bucks got easer and easer 55 in all with rifle and muzzleloader.
  But it 06 I had 2 strokes and could'nt hunt the 06 or 07 season.Which was really hard for some one that hunted 2 OR 3 states over 100 day a years.I realized as I slowly recover how much I really miss  hunting with my selfbows.
  My right side was affected with lose of cordation and dizzyness.But in the summer of 08 my cordation was good enough I could shoot about 12,15 yards was my limit with groups 3,4 inchs.I had trouble feeling my ankor point in the corner of my mouth.And I could'nt take the cold.But manage to hunt 13 times saw 8 bucks.And on 28th o OCT.I shot a 6 point at 4 yards.I always said GOD must have sent him to me.Because I should'nt have been there in the shape in was in.
  This year I'm much better still get dizzy and have lose of cordation the coldness seems a little better.I now only bow hunt off the ground the strokes saw to that but and am just glad to be going and carrying my selfbows.The drive to hunt those other seasons and gone.
  Tell you friend not to let a life treating ordeal to open his eyes.This is what it took for me.He may not be so lucky.Just go and hunt the way he wants and enjoy life while he has the chance to go.

[Tsalagi]

Reminds of a good friend. He's a very good woodworker. A master woodworker, in fact. He only does it as a hobby. I asked how come he doesn't do it for a living. He said because then it becomes work and isn't fun anymore. Instead of being on his schedule, he'd have people calling up nagging after him about when their stuff will be done. And instead of doing what he wants, he'd have to build what other people want. Excellent points.

I think if hunting, which is supposed to be enjoyable, becomes a job when we're not sustainance hunters, then what's the point? To have to buy this and that and spend loads of money and get obsessed over THE RACK. No thank you. Our species started hunting for food. I don't know where the weird fetish for antlers came in, but offhand, I'd say it started in some sporting goods manufacturer's marketing department.

Our society obsesses over too much crap as it is. Gotta have this SUV, gotta have this gigantic house, gotta have all these electronic doodads, and so on. And then people spend all their time working and paying for this crap and getting into debt and don't have time to do things that are really meaningful. It's all a gigantic marketing gimmick to sell crap. Our ancestors made their own gear and hunted with it and brought home the meat. That was what was important. Still is, IMHO. I can't eat antlers.

I don't know what you can tell your buddy except to ask him if this obsession makes him really happy deep inside. And if takes getting some trophy buck to make him happy, well, it won't. Happy comes from inside, not outside.