Jimmy S

That's part of my point, nc. Imagine you do hunt in area where you only see deer 2-3 times a week. The rifle season is 3 weeks long and you are allowed one deer.

Now you go to a state/province where the deer population is 40 deer per square mile, you see many deer every single time out and you are allowed multiple deer...

It sure would seem that there is little or no challenge in filling your tag.

nchawkeye

It sure would seem that there is little or no challenge in filling your tag.


Yep, no challege, but I sure have alot of fun!!! It's not a matter if IF, just how many..

Of course, just because I see a deer, doesn't mean I have to kill it....

As I said, if I need a challege, I switch to a shot range weapon.
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Hotburn76

I guess it all depends on why you hunt. If your main goal is to get close to deer and harvest then maybe it loses its challenge after time. I see deer most of the time I go out. You can make more challenges as you progress through your hunting career. Mine used to be to shoot a buck. Now that I have three nice eight pointers my new challenge is to pass on smaller deer and get something bigger. Also trying to shoot does for family that wants the meat but does not hunt. Past couple of years my new challenge is taking Dad out with me and switching roles since he only ever gun hunted. Teaching him to play the 20 yard game is a challenge, lots to learn. I also have a new challenge this year, film my first hunt! But before that I have a challenge of convincing my wife to let me get a digital camcorder, and then break the news that I want it to strap to a tree!! Thats a challenge!! LOL!!

goos_blues

Maybe you should move if you can't get a deer.

Copper31

The whole idea is to see deer. If you are not seeing deer then you may be doing something wrong. If I go out and don't see a deer that means I didn't prepare well.

I add this, last year during the rut I had 12 different bucks walk with in bow range. That is just bucks in bow range. I will tell you it was a challange just to stay in the tree.

whitetaildreamer

Sorry Copper31 but I would have to disagree with you. Manyand most likely most areas do not have deer concentrations like you have mentioned unless of course it is a game farm. There have been many times that I have not seen a deer in range during a single day. That is simply due to the conditions of that day not due the work that I have put in during scouting. The next day I may see 2 or 3 quality bucks well with in range at the same spot. I think what frustrates some is that what they see on hunting shows they expect to see in their stand every day. Sometimes it takes many days of hunting for these guys to get 5 min. of footage for the show.If I am simply meat hunting there are those places where I can go thatharvesting a good size doe is pretty darn automatic but for thereal big bruisersit takes a lot more work.

deadstick

If you don't care what you fill your tag with (i.e., purely "meat" hunting) then I see your point. Where I hunt, I would have no problem harvesting a doe within 30 minutes of opener with a rifle. But, I love to hunt, so I go after big bucks.

For my area, my opinion of a big buck taken with afirearmis 140"+, usually a 5x5 minimum, with good mass (occasionally, a very large 4x4 fits the bill). For me, a novice bowhunter, a good archery buck is a 2.5 year old 4x4 or better. For some, it's a 150" deer, for others it's anything with antlers, for others it's a doe. The point is, challenge yourself within reason and enjoy it.

I had similar feelings a few years ago, when I began hunting this new area (coming from an area with less than 10% of the deer I now hunt). I went from shooting anything with antlers (or sometimes just does) to my current goals. I also took up bowhunting for the added challenge (had done a bit before, but not seriously).

In the past 2 years, I've seen myself become more of a bowhunter than a firearms hunter, even though it is very likely I will shoot a bigger buck each year with a gun than with my bow, the bow buck is more of a trophy to me. My most prized trophy is my first Pope & Young,which wasn't my biggest buck ever, but I took it with a bow, after spending 16 days in treestands with tons of scouting, and had game cam pics and sheds of this particular deer I was hunting. I also took it during the firearms season, foregoing some time to hunt monster bucks during our short 17-day season, for the opportunity to bowhunt the rut.

That's my story, and I can directly relate to what you suggest. I grew up ona farm with some deer, and married a girl whose father has a deer mecca, and this has been my progression. I will add, however, that when I was young, I was pretty excited to shoot a doe with a rifle. I now try to take all of my does via bow and only take 1 buck with a rifle. If it's crunch time, and I hunt does with a rifle, Ido admit to gettingvery little excitement out of it (just being honest) because it is easy (again, that's why I try to take them via archery).

Copper31

I guess for me it is hard to believe that one would not see a deer while hunting. I am blessed with a good area and maybe I should not take that for granted.

I don't want to suggest that I see that many deer all the time but I can't remember the last time I went out and didn't at least see one or two.

Also don't mix up seeing deer with seeing a brute of a buck. The issue was seeing deer. As far as unfavorable condition, a hunter needs to change and plan for those such times. The easiest condition that comes to mind is wind. I would garentee that if I sat in certain stands with a particular wind direction I would see no deer.

rtb5390

Even if there are plenty of deer around there are so many other things that come into play, you act like if you have lot of deer you just step into the woods and kill as many as you want. Dont forget that deer have excellent sense of smell, good eyesight, good hearing and many more advantages that we donthave. Plus even if you do get that deer within bow rangeyou still have to make a good shot, then your still not finished and you have to follow a blood trail which in some cases there may not be very much. Now if you ask me it seems like a pretty big challenge to kill a whitetail no matter if you see 30 when you go out or you only see one.

sjsfire

I don't hunt deer for the challenge.........I hunt deer to relax