Justin

Futhermore, our greed, selfishness, and losing sight of why we are hunting in the first place will continue to degrade our sport until the average Joe is no longer able to afford hunting the way we knew it 10 years ago, which barely resembles hunting as we know it today anyways.

Now I'm done.

Colorado Luckydog

There may be senarios that would make us selfish, but this is'nt one. To see a dead animal and to wish that you could have harvested it is not selfish its natural. I go into Bass Pro shops and look at all the trophy animals and I wish I could have killed everyone of 'em. That doesn't make me selfish it makes me human.

I would like to add, that I'm glad I don't hunt with the people you guys hunt with. The people I hunt with are good, ethical, friendly, and all around good guys.

HNIJustin- You must hunt with some real chithead, no good SOB's.

Windwalker7

I think that the reason most make replies about it being a waste are because of how the deer died.

A deer is a magnificent animal of which we all admire. To die along a hiway or to drown in a pond doesn't seem to be a very fitting end to such an admired creature.

Just picture , if you will, a deer getting hit with a car. See it in your mind. See the car swerve, hear the brakes screech, listen to that horrible thud. Watch the deer try to get up amongst the broken glass and plastic. See it struggle as it tries to get up, just to fall down with broken legs.

Now picture this. Seea deer crossing a frozen pond. Hear the ice creek. listen as the deer crashes through with a splash. Watch it struggle to get out of its situation. You get the idea.

Now imagine this.Watch as the hunter slowly turns his head toward the sound of rustling leaves. See the deer as it slowly, calmly works its way toward the waiting hunter. Listen to the birds and feel the slight breeze as the sun burns off the morning chill. Smell the autumn air as a squirrel drops an acorn out of a nearby oak. See the hunter slowly draw his bow and take aim.

There is a difference.

This reminds me of a buck a friend of mine got a few years ago. This buck was truly a very big mature animal. He had been seen a couple of time in the small area with new homes being built all around. My buddy was hunting on a hillsideof a small woodlot. He shot the deer with his bow and started his tracking job. He found the buck about a hundred yards away as it tried to make its way through a roadside dump. It was found laying in the garbage. It was a beautiful buck but my friends and I agree, it wasn't a very fitting end to for it to die lay in a bunch of trash thrown out along a road. It was kinda sad and not the kind of place for in the field photos.

But yes, hunters are selfish in other ways.

bloodcrick

Im guilty as charged, i am a hunter and it is sometimes competitive.Im a bit selfish as in not sharing auxzillery stands because i worked hard putting them up and deer movement is not always around them at times so they just sit idle until the time is right. I would rather harvest a buck than see it laying on the side of the road from meeting someones bumper, because i love hunting. Its the sport that drives me. I hunt ethically so that is the importain thing. Just thought i would share some pics of a buck that we thought was stuck in the mud up to his chest. We did try and free him, pulling him up the steep embankment with a rope only to find out his back legs were parilized and had to call the authorities to put him down. (In my opinion) it was ASHAME that a car hit him instead of my arrow, but thats just me. enjoy the pics and take care. if you look hard, he was missing his right eye. I did try and salvage some meat but had to throw it out, it was awful, i guess from the addreniline he had pumping in him. if you look at the bank, you can see he had been there for several days. he had pawed into it pretty deep trying to get out.

tsoc

I also hate to see a road killed deer not from as selfish perspective but from an appreciation I have for the animal.I don't want to see any animal die under the tire of a vehicle.(possible exception coyote's)
As it relates to selfishness in the field I am guilty.I spend a lot of time and effort locating good to great hunting area's and I am not about to bring in others to hunt in those spots.Not to say I wont bring a nephew or trusted friend in to them,but that is about it.If someone is a decent person and they want to hunt together and cover completely new ground let's go and we will have a great time.
Like many die hard hunters I am very guarded with the area's I hunt.

pjhunts

I think it is a real shame when a deer gets hit, plastered and sometimes completely obliterated. Not because I wanted to kill it, It's just not a fitting way for any animal to die. But the truth is that it is a part of everyday life. it happens all the time. And yes selfish would be a good way to describe most, however, I don't blame anyone for being that way. I don't generally share a whole lot of info about my hunting spots, to me it's nobody elses business. If they want a good spot, they can do their own homework and find their own spot. Don't get me wrong, i'm not completely cold hearted, i've taken my neighbor boys and put them in good spots and most importantly, showed them what makes it a good spot, and helped them get started. I've done the same for others including my wife. When it comes to being competetive with others is where I draw my line. I harvest what makes ME happy, not my buddy who shot a booner or two.

TJF

Alot of people are selfish... some of them just happen to be hunters. On the other hand, I know some hunters who are very generous and helpful. We need to look no farther then this forum with the great advice givenand seeing basically strangers inviting eachother to go hunting.

I guess I would fall into both groups. I've helped many othersget started intohunting, or finding spots to hunt or help them hunt. Will I give up mybest spots to hunt... not hardly to most. Only a very, very select few who I trust. Do I tellevery Joe Blow where I've been seeing good bucks ?? Never!!

Is it a shame a big buck gets killed by a car. Well it sucks to see a doeor fawn getkilled so I suspect so.


Tim

BowHunterFett

I agree with this, it is self preservation. you give hunter an inch we'll take 5 acres, just the way it goes. But, it isn't total selfishness, it is jealousy, desire, and human nature.
The deer you see laying dead on the side of the road is a sad sight, but it happens. I always wish I could have shot the big bucks that I see dead on the road, on someones wall, or in pictures, but that is just because i want to take a large buck, with my bow, after doing lots of work to get him, but have not done so yet. I guess I would say it is not fair to the deer to have to die that way, but it is our fault it did, so what can you do.
I would let someone use my extra stands, but not anyone, I'm sure you all know what I mean. I hunt a small area that has way too many hunters on it, but we all respect eachother, we use our own stands, which we help eachother put up. We stay out of certain areas because someone olse hunts it, but I don't like new people coming in, and there really isn't room, not just for the extra hunter, but for the errors that may occur to ruin the area.

Rickmur

You know, just sitting here reading and realized out of all the deer I've seen dead on the side of the road I have never seen a buck, they have all been does. Maybe someone scouped them up before I drove by or something but I have never seen a dead buck on the highways. I've seen pictures and heard some of the comments mentioned above about what a waste and so forth.

PreacherTony

Yaknow, if hunting and hunters that I ran into were like some of you guys say it is ... I would take up another hobby! I find mostly friendly people in this sport ... I think some of you need to step back and think of life outside of HNI.

Also, if you are a pessimistic person, you'll see negative in most things ..eg. "all they do on HNI is fight .... they hate trophy hunters ... they hate meat hunters..... blah ,blah blah"

If you are a positive person, you will see; open invitations to other people's lands to hunt all over the country, guys that make you laugh and lift your spirits .... fun competition ... people to pray for you ... people to pray for ... life long friendships forming ... etc.