bawanajim

From a doctor Phils point of veiw , You are asking if the deer you shot while "The guide" that put the stand up was spending some sac timewith your#1 should be as respected as a deer you shot while your#1 did not use a guide. You sure shouldn't feel "cheapened" []
I think all deer shot in a free roaming area large enough that you can't see either the bait pile or the corner of the fence in the photo at the same time and that the hunter is not wearing a Wacem & Stacem hat is something to be proud of!!!!!!!!
Us hunters need to stick together!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

shed33

Amen

GregH

Huckleberry,
you're still at it? What a load of crap. DIY hunts really do happen. They happen all the time without help, advice or info from outside sources. No matter how much you try to water down a DIY hunt, it will always be more rewarding than a guided hunt. Why don't you include reading informative magazine articles as "advice, information or help",that way you can state that everybody has had help in one form or another therefore making guided hunts just as rewarding as a DIY hunt?

Your statements, especially the "we'llstart a new exclusive......cream of the crop", sounds exactly like someone making excuses for their own short commings or feelings about their hunts. BTW, who exactly is "we'll"? Do you have some kind of special pull with a record keeping org.?

As far as reward value is concerned, the bottom line is that the most reward comes from a total DIY endeavor. This value decreases in proportion to how much help or work you get or pay someone else to do for you.

There is nothing wrong with guided hunts, but stop trying to water down someones accomplishments who has DIY. You make it sound like asking the farmer where he has seen the most deer is the same as having a guide scout and put up stands then tell you where to sit. Big difference there.

BobCo19-65

Personally, I think you guys are trying to think too much.

nodog

I can be happy for anyone who hunts.

iamyourhuckleberry

Yeah whatever Greg.

You always seem to make EXCLUSIVE reference to White-tailed deer (or at least the methods in which they are hunted). Could it be that they're the only species of deer you've ever hunted? Here's a heads up buddy. Moose, Elk, Caribou, Coues, Black-tailed deer, and mule deer are deer too! Throw in sika, fallow, roe, water deer, red stag, muntjac, etc, etc and YOU'LL BEGIN TO HAVE A GRASP OF THE NUMBER OF DIFFERENT DEER SPECIES OUTSIDE YOUR OWN BACKYARD (many of which are not hunted from a tree stand and are totally unpredictable).I've been there and done it-don't even talk to me about short comings! The fact of the matter, I have had guided hunts that were far from perfect.One particularguide was a fumbling idiot that could not find his hinny with both hands! I was forced, by law, to havethe baffoon around (his boss, the outfitter, could not replace him)! I didthe leading and he,for the most part, followed. It might as well have been a DIY hunt, but it wasn't. Was it rewarding? You bet your arse! I was incredibly successful, but stupid me, I was forced to have a guide-even paid him! I did all the work! That is why it's easy for me to state a DIY hunt "MIGHT" be more rewardingthan a guided hunt. Each and every situation needs to be evaluated individually! It's seems guys like youactuallydo the watering...those that lack first hand experience.

Why? Are you assuming one hunter has a brain and the other is mindless? As an experienced hunter, do you not feel proper stand placement could be acheived in both scenerios? Why can't hunter #2 simply ask said guide to relocate the stand? Where is it written that the hunter must agree with everything the guide says?It's neat when the experience becomes a blend of information.It becomes even more challenging when you have to out think both your prey and your guide. Are you showing your inexperience?

You are right about the "we'll". How silly of me ("we'll" would include me)! I should have said "GregH". Afterall, you're the one with the book ties and so proud of the fact that no one has ever helped you...Personally, I could care less about record books ...they're a great way to compare apples to oranges, IMO.

Sadly, I know how you will respond, so let me say: I have 52 different species of wildlife, all killed with archery gear,that would qualify for one book or another. I elect to keep them out of the books.This is bychoice and notdueto alack of material. Someday, I'll tell you how many I've killed with firearms...You'll have to wait.

By the way, you are one of the few guys I would truly love to hunt with. Do you think that will ever happen? We can do it in my backyard...won'tcost you a penny.

MATHEWS PA BOWHUNTER

YOU STILL HAVE TO CONNECT ON THE ANIMAL EITHER WAY, WHETHER YOUR GUIDED OR NOT RIGHT!