HuntinGUS

This fits my situation best. I have hunted since I was 7 and I am now 32. I have seen a lot of changes in my short time. I can't imagine what David has seen........

When I was a boy we found a "spot"..."any spot" cleared back the leaves and hunted.We were able to walk and not worry about trespassing. We were not allowed to shoot a doe, so any legal buck was a challenge in itself.

Now everything is posted or leased and not too many landowners will allow you to hunt. Greed ant the all-mighty dollar has definitely changed how we hunt.

Don't get me wrong, I love hunting and it is a tremendous part of who I am. I do have fun doing it how I want and I try to keep things fun and simple when I hunt with youngsters. It's not all about the size of the buck, but moreso about the time spent with Family and in the deer wooods........... the stories told and the lessons learned. The time at camp........watching a 10 year old gut his first deer.......jokes and prayers.

David makes good points about the evolution of the hunter and hunting in general. I have seen it and most of you have too.

HAZCON7

David - I always enjoy reading your perspective and on this topic, like so many others, I appreciate and understand your point of view.

Long winded reply follows:
EVERY deer I see while hunting is a treasure for me whether I intend to shoot it or not. I have my reasons why I would or wouldn't choose to shoot a deer if presented the opportunity just like everybody else. (some won't shoot mothers with fawns for example.)

Can I be so bold as to compare deer hunting with my other life long passion of Fishing?
With every cast of my line I am hoping for that lunker fish. The biggest bass in the pond so to speak. What fisherman doesn't dream of catching a record book fish?
However, when I get that strike I don't care if it is a 1 pound bass or a 6 pound giant, I am very excited.

David, have you never been excited at the sight of a giant rack coming towards you? It may not be what you were intending to shoot - but doesn't it make your heart beat just a little bit faster when it does happen?

I hunted in southern Georgia when I was much younger - before deer were known to be able to look up into the trees. I sat in one particular stand every day for 2 weeks straight patiently waiting to see my first deer while hunting. When the moment finally arrived the basket rack 8 point stood perfectly broadside and unaware at 20 yards. I was so excited that I forgot to shoot and he meandered out of sight while I stood there mouth agape and shaking uncontrollably. Today my deer sightings are much more frequent but nearly every time God graces me with another close whitetail encounter I still feel like that little boy who forgot to shoot.

I agree that people place too much emphasis on rack size and I HATE the word Cull, but isn’t it all just a natural progression of the passion we have for that elusive mature whitetail orthat lunker bass. I’ve never met anybody who complained about catching too big of a fish.

samuel.entrekin

i'm not sure what ya'll are arguing about. i'm in my twenties and have been hunting since i was a kid. up until recently in my life, i was pleased as punch to shoot 5-6 deer a year does and smaller bucks(meat for the whole families' freezers), because people who dont huntappreciated the meat, and i had bragging rights. i still followed a sense of QDM. now my goals have changed because i like to take new hunters and young hunters in the woods and i realized that if i want my "wallhanger" that i have not yet shot, i'll have to let the smaller deer walk. this is of course after i put a couple does in the freezer. my feelings on QDM dont change and i hope that my enjoyment of the hunt never change no matter what angle i look at it. just my opinion, i think we are all after the same ultimate goal, and that is to enjoy the hunt that God has provided us!

furgitter

Its a blessing just to be able to be there,and finding a shed of a forkhorn buck is a trophy to me,I bring em all home.The times you do shoot at a deer still gets me fired up.And even bringing home a doe and the thaught of heart and onions for dinner makes me feel like a lucky man.I realise im lucky and i thank God for it so much hes probobly ignoring me now.LOL
I feel bad for the folks who dont realise it......

Talondale

Most of the ones I talked to had their cows shot, or their house shot, or fields torn up, or had hunters fighting. [:'(]

HuntinGUS

What gets me more than anythibg about the QDM way is the arrogant perspectives.

It is assumed that if someone has not killed a "Book" buck that they must not be a very mature hunter or they must not be a very good hunter.

I understand those who just want to kill a "book" buck for their own personal goals......that's fine. But for pete's sake please stop puking your rhetoric to everyone and trying to convince everyone that in order to be a expert, you must kill "Book" deer! It's simply not true.

Rant over.............

_Dan

What gets me more than anything is the way people use the term QDM when they are talking about QAM.

HuntinGUS

Isn't it funny how the message of QDM seems to always center around the size of the buck? It seems to me that all of the rhetoric from the QDM'ers are simply a disguise for QAM.

Germ

What is even more funny is KY has one best DNR branches and deer herdsin the country. You guys have a quality deer herd! I wonder how it got that way

HuntinGUS

Wouldn't know. I don't hunt in KY. I hunt in WV.

Please describe quality deer herd as you arerefrencing itabove?