Bowhunting perspective

[DanB]

Just an observation from my perspective.
Way back when I first started shooting a recurve ( mid 60's), we used to use pieces of yarn to tally up which shooter was the most successful for the days round.  Each shooter had his own color of yarn. Whoever scored the best at any given target would collect a piece of yarn or "coup".  The tradition of "counting coup" became integral with the culture at the range.  Of course any deer shot during the season carried automatic bragging rights.
Today,  some seem to need the fastest bow that shoots accurately out to unheard of ranges to prove themselves. They brag about harvesting the "biggest bucks shot from the longest ranges".
What got me started thinking about this was a chance encounter in Wally World yesterday with a younger gentleman who had about 10 bags of deer corn and was waiting on a sales associate to retrieve a treestand from stock.  I casually mentioned the stand he was getting looked very comfortable and asked him if he had had any success yet.  He informed me he had shot a "174" in Kansas on 30 Sept that he just couldn't pass up.  Took me a while to figure out he as giving me the score of a buck.  I inquired if he was going to hunt locally. His reply was that he was getting a comfortable stand for him so his cameraman could carry and use his "uncomfortable" Lone Wolf so they could harvest a "150" he had located in the area.  
There seems to be several subcultures of bowhunters, each with their own idea of bragging rights, method of hunting, code of ethics, etc. I am not knocking anyone's choices when comes to gear etc, but it is getting harder to understand why some people hunt.  The challenge and the opportunity observe what God has provided for each of us has always been the reason for me to get out into the woods and seek game. The bonus is providing meat for the table and rare bragging rights.  
Sorry if I offended anyone. It was not my intention. Just needed to express a thought (vent).

[KodiakMag]

Good post.

[rolltidehunter]

i get it!

[straitera]

Good observation hunter. Not for me to say what's right for anyone else unless they're less than ethical. Only thing I can do is lead by example. Hope I've done that? Plenty good folks here do the same, yourself included.

[Blaino]

i hunt because i like meat and the outdoors.  it just so happens i like to hunt the hard way.  to each their own.

[jhg]

Originally posted by DanB:
... it is getting harder to understand why some people hunt. ... (vent).

We all grapple with this question from time to time so I can relate to your vent.  All we can do is lead by example. I can attest to this being a lot harder than it sounds on paper, but its a valid way to go forward.
If a chance to present our views and how they represent the very best in trad archery comes along, by all means take advantage of that opportunity. It may change a mind.
Otherwise I feel its best to respect the choices others are making by refraining from offering them a correction.
 Nothing closes a mind quite like being preached to.

Joshua

[gonzoso]

I too like the meat and don't really care about antlers.  I also have not had a buck mounted or anything, it goes against my minimalist lifestyle to keep such a useless(although beautiful) item in my house.

Perhaps when I settle down I may get a bear I kill stuffed, maybe.

The whole scoring thing doesn't interest me at all, unless one is scoring my venison chinese pepper steak or jerky!

[Swamp Yankee]

Sounds to me like your Walmart friend has learned his hunting methods and techniques from television "hunting" shows.

[DanB]

Joshua, I agree completely. That's why I wished the gentleman good luck. To each their own. Life is too short to try to convert everyone to my way of thinking. besides most people can out-think me anyway!

[straitera]

Interesting Gonz. Always been after the Bull of the Woods since 11yo. Best of both worlds is to get the doe/buck ratio in proportion (2:1) allowing the big boys to scatter their special genes. Then, in few short years, everybody has big deer & plenty to pick from. Given the choice of young 8-point or doe, it's doe everytime. *But, I don't make the rules. Texas now has a 13" min spread on public land. Can easy appreciate your choices. Can't eat horns. But, something about outsmarting the PropoGator that settles a bet.

Not meant to start Arguemania in any way. Just saying what suits my itch.

[Mudd]

I've witnessed that scene more than once in some of the non-hunting segments of the tv shows.

I hope folks know what I'm talking about. I know there have been a bunch showing the show's host stopping at the local Walmart to pick up the last minute items including tags.

Also like you I too have had the experience in person at Walmart.

I came away thinking that for them it wasn't so much about the hunt as it was about them.

I say "Good for them!"

God bless,Mudd

[awbowman]

It's all about personal choices.  I usually stop after one deer because that's about all I eat.  But I still find myself in the stand after that to have some peace.

[finkm1]

I know people that talk class size of bucks. I have no idea what a "150 class or 160 class" looks like. I usually just nod my head like I know what they are talking about.

[Blueridge]

I personally really don't care about "score" sure , we would all like to take a big one. I am more about the whole experience and what God has blessed me with. A good life, enjoyment of his creation , good friends and tasty God made table fare. All the glory goes to Him.

Good post.

[gonzoso]

I think it comes down to some people having to compensate for some reason and get very competitive about silly things.  

Some guys lift weights and work out to stay in shape, and some guys lift weights and take steroids and do all kinds of weird stuff to be more competitive on some level be it at competitions for medals or competition for mates.

It's all about how seriously one takes things.

Personally I just enjoy getting out in the woods and killing the deer.  I take one or two pictures of me with the deer and then it becomes components that I use with great reverence.  The closest I've come to getting anything mounted was a surrealistic oil painting I made of my buck I harvested, I did it like a European mount with only the skull on a giant maple leaf instead  of a plaque with a blue sky and cloud background and a carrion beetle on the skull.  I'm quite fond of the painting but I've not put it up or gotten it framed.

[30coupe]

Well, I have a doe tag and a regular tag. I plan to put a doe in the freezer then hunt for a mature buck. I'm not doing it because of any score, just because we are trying to let the bucks in our area reach maturity.

I don't care much how many inches he is, just how many years. Some of the older bucks won't score very high anymore, but they have had their time. If I can put a doe in the freezer and don't get a buck, I can live with that. But last year I held out for a buck and went hungry. That's not happening again!

I kind of cringe when they talk about "the sport of filming hunting" on TV. They have to "score" in order to be successful, even if it means putting up the bow and grabbing a muzzle loader or high powered rifle.

I've had many successful hunts during which I never drew my bow, but I don't suppose the average television viewer would find them very appealing. One of the things I enjoy about Tred Barta is the fact that he films hunts that are much like mine. He doesn't have to kill something to have a successful hunt. Sometimes the antics he uses to fill time on a successful, non-lethal hunt are corny and even annoying, but his point that getting out there and challenging yourself can be rewarding whether the trophy ends up one the wall or in your heart suits me to a tee.

The fact that lots of folks just don't get it, though Tradgang members mostly do, is something I can live with. Last weekend I had an awesome hunt with my two sons. I had a coyote come through at 20 yards (running so no shot) and a fork buck hanging out under my tree for 30 minutes. I could have taken him several times but preferred to watch and wait for a doe. Then when my sons came over by my stand to set up a trail cam on a nearby scrape, another fork buck walked to within 25 yards of us while we stood talking about where the camera should be...at 11:00 a.m.! Is that cool or what? On film...probably not. Nothing died, nothing got "scored," and we had to eat pizza instead of backstraps, but it was still a great weekend.

The Walmart guys will never have such an awesome time...too bad for them!

[Ben Maher]

To each their own .
I hunt more and more these days but drop the string less ... Stumping my way whilst stalking . To me the outdoors are a very personal experience and not one that can ever really be enhanced by gimmicks and stuff bought in a shop ...
To qualify that statement I have so much archery stuff that I store most of it in the crawl space under my house .....  

[danderson]

I'm only about 2 years into my hunting career, and i even suprise myself that i do not care about inches. Many people my age care about score and put a lot of emphasis on it. I wanted to get my buck last year scored, just for haha's then i had an inner monologue with myself and came to this conclusion

I'm taking credit for something i didn't create. Big racks are cool, and this year without a doe tag, a buck is all i can hunt for.  That buck grew that large on his own accord, and the only thing i pride myself on is outwhitting him. I think i've figured out what my drive is too. I love to figure deer out. I scout year round, putting a lot of miles on up in the berkshires. I love everything about it, but feeling like a predator is just flat out freaking exciting    

[stujay]

I too agree with you, good post

[broketooth]

i dont disagree with your perspective, but i dont disagree with the young man you talked to either.i dont think there is anything wrong with wanting to excel in whatever you do.however, from my perspective, ive always wanted to film a hunt ,whether its me hunting or someone else. i have no problem being the camera man. i also live in an are where monster mature bucks just dont exist. batman did harvest a dandy of a buck here in eastern nc last season, probably the most handsome rack ive ever seen in my 20 some yrs of living here. my point is ,the young man you talked to is fortunate to have the ability to afford to go hunt other states and areas where monster mature bucks live, so he goes and hunts , brings his camera man, harvests a nice buck, and has the proof. this fella probably has a goal of wanting to be on tv and live that lifestyle. some day my goal of harvesting a nice mature buck will be realized. im still working towards it. hopefuully i will be able to film it too. if successful im gonna brag a little too.if we all were as modest as we like to think we are here at tg none of us would be posting pics of our kills. we are all bragging a little. we are all having fun, and i think its great to see the joys and rewards of everyones hard work during hunting season. rv