how has your hunting changed???
#11
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Manassas, VA
Posts: 3,612
RE: how has your hunting changed???
Hunting has slowed down for me. I enjoy getting in the woods 2-3 hours before I have to, just to enjoy the show. My desire to just "kill" has decreased while my attempts to kill a larger mature buck have increased. So I went from a a guy who wanted to just kill a deer, to someone who did not mind killing 4-5 deer a year, to a small buck hunter, and finally to where I sit today...if there is such a thing, a person who has consistently killed 2.5 year old bucks. I want to move onto the next stage of my hunting, the pursuit of large bucks. I know it will take me many years of failure and hopefully some intermittent success to finally get where I want to in my hunting pursuits. After 15 years of hunting, I finally think I have put my time in from all the cold/hard days, and that I am ready mentally to accept the challenge of pursuing large bucks.
#12
RE: how has your hunting changed???
It seems as though most of us have travelled along similar paths to where we are now. I too used to focus more on killing something than enjoying the experiences. Now it is the exact opposite. The experience of close calls used to be a big frustration. Now they are as prized as the times I have connected.
#13
RE: how has your hunting changed???
X2 I used worry more about filling my tag. These days im more intrigued with just having a good time and trying to learn more from watching them. I even laugh at myself when i get defeated in the woods and the deer wins the game. Did i mention i laugh ALOT?
ORIGINAL: Germ
I havemore respect for whitetails
I havemore respect for whitetails
#14
RE: how has your hunting changed???
I evolved from wanting - needing to kill a deer to waiting for a chance at a mature deer.
I have also become more agressive. I don't enjoy the long hours on stand as much so I take it to the deer. I love calling and moving around a lot. I don't know if I will get more deer this way but it sure is a lot more fun that sitting all day looking at the same trees
I have also become more agressive. I don't enjoy the long hours on stand as much so I take it to the deer. I love calling and moving around a lot. I don't know if I will get more deer this way but it sure is a lot more fun that sitting all day looking at the same trees
#15
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,175
RE: how has your hunting changed???
Physical problems have really ruined me. Doctor told me 20 years ago that my x-rays looked like the spine of a 90 year old man. I can't get around like I used to, so I've gone from being a run-n-gun still hunter/stalker to mostly being a ground blind hunter - being on the ground still gives me the option of putting on a sneak if the opportunity arises.
Arthritis in my shoulders has ended my bow shooting, so now I'm using crossbows and muzzleloaders. And where I used to spend a couple of days in the woods, I'm only good for a few hours at a time before I have to get some rest.
Getting old ain't for wusses.
Arthritis in my shoulders has ended my bow shooting, so now I'm using crossbows and muzzleloaders. And where I used to spend a couple of days in the woods, I'm only good for a few hours at a time before I have to get some rest.
Getting old ain't for wusses.
#16
RE: how has your hunting changed???
Seriously, when I very first started I would just plop down in a spot (we have over 3000 heavily wooded acres we can hunt) I would be shocked when I would see nothing. The place was loaded with deer, but they move around so much it was hard to guess where they would be next.
Then I woke up and started feeding them and using trail cameras. No more guessing where they were, or what sizes etc.. For me, it revolutionized my hunting and results.
Then I woke up and started feeding them and using trail cameras. No more guessing where they were, or what sizes etc.. For me, it revolutionized my hunting and results.
#17
RE: how has your hunting changed???
I get my fix year round now which evens me out I think. I used to dream of the woods year round and I wouldn't be able to contain myself by the time I got there. Every deer I saw was pure magic back in the early days. I have to say that's changed some.
When you hunt alone obviously you have to adapt as you get older. Instead of dragging a deer 2 miles to the truck you go get the quad.
I cherish it all too and I know it will end some day. I've become a trophy hunter now and far more selective.I also know that if I only measure fullfillment by the result of killing a deer I'd be pretty unhappy. I've personally found the sport to be a lot tougher than they make it look on the video's.
I just never get sick of the journey and I guess I feel more at home in a treestand than any other place on the planet.
When you hunt alone obviously you have to adapt as you get older. Instead of dragging a deer 2 miles to the truck you go get the quad.
I cherish it all too and I know it will end some day. I've become a trophy hunter now and far more selective.I also know that if I only measure fullfillment by the result of killing a deer I'd be pretty unhappy. I've personally found the sport to be a lot tougher than they make it look on the video's.
I just never get sick of the journey and I guess I feel more at home in a treestand than any other place on the planet.
#18
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ohio
Posts: 7,876
RE: how has your hunting changed???
ORIGINAL: huntingson
Over the years, or even over the course of one season if it was your first, how has your attitude towards hunting and the game you pursue changed if at all?
Over the years, or even over the course of one season if it was your first, how has your attitude towards hunting and the game you pursue changed if at all?
#19
RE: how has your hunting changed???
I believe that leaving parts of your property alone is the best way to hold mature bucks. I leave about 120 acres alone and stay out of there as much as possible. Ten years ago I would have beenhanging stands up in every tree that over looked a trail. Now I hunt three locations with two stands for different winds.
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