What Stage Deer Hunter Are You?

[H20fwler]

I’m not on the list either.
More of a deer and nature watcher anymore, and really enjoy the habitat work during off season.
Have noticed in the last few years I’m getting more empathy for the animals I hunt.

At this point in my life I have nothing to prove. Absolutely love still going out and sitting in a tree or blind.
Shooting a big one is nice but it doesn’t have to be, the rack means less and less the older I get. A fat healthy buck may or may not get shot by me..all depends on the day and my mood.
Would rather see my sons shoot the big ones, they are still chasing horn.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I’m not on the list either.
More of a deer and nature watcher anymore, and really enjoy the habitat work during off season.
Have noticed in the last few years I’m getting more empathy for the animals I hunt.

At this point in my life I have nothing to prove. Absolutely love still going out and sitting in a tree or blind.
Shooting a big one is nice but it doesn’t have to be, the rack means less and less the older I get. A fat healthy buck may or may not get shot by me..all depends on the day and my mood.
Would rather see my sons shoot the big ones, they are still chasing horn.

Same here. Though if I had to pick one I'd pick Method. I'm a Northeast big woods tracker once the snow flies...and in the big woods a mature deer is not measured by antlers or age but by weight. I have yet to kill a 200 lb. buck while tracking, but take to the North woods each fall with my 7600 in search of one.

 

[TreeDaddy]

Where is the " hunt with field glasses,I-Pad,and a 6 pack of Coors Light and listen for my wife and kids to shoot" category?

bill

 

[Angus 1895]

I like using my mules the most.

I like eating good quality meat second. That usually isn’t from bigger ones.

I am also getting way more empathy for the critters.

My new deal when I’m in Rogers Minnesota area during rut is picking up road kill for dog food.

My avatar is the biggest one I ever found. Even with its legs removed and gutted. I couldn’t lift it onto my flatbed alone. A client stopped on the highway in the dark to help me. What a surprise meeting in the dark of early morning on a busy road.

 

[Tree Spud]

Where is the " hunt with field glasses,I-Pad,and a 6 pack of Coors Light and listen for my wife and kids to shoot" category?

bill

That's the Sportsman category ... I assume that the 6 pack and I-Pad porn lead to a nice nap break.

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

Trophy hunter, If it isn't going on the wall it isn't getting shot. With that being said i love eating deer meat and try to shoot at least one doe every year. I would shoot more but some of my kids hunt and I want to give them an opportunity at ANY legal deer they want to shoot.

I enjoy the time spent with family telling stories and drinking beer but in the end it is about that chance at a trophy that keeps me going. If it wasn't i wouldn't be buying a license.

 

[bwoods11]

For me it does not have to be a wall mounter . I’d take a thick 8 or 10 pointer with a scruffy rack if he’s 5 yrs old, or older. If he has no real upside.

This is one I shot 8-9 yrs ago …that was 6 yrs old. I bet he field dressed 225 lbs+, rack was poor . One of my favorite hunts of all time !

 

[Turkish]

Where is the " hunt with field glasses,I-Pad,and a 6 pack of Coors Light and listen for my wife and kids to shoot" category?

bill

You and I would get along real good!

 

[S.T.Fanatic]

For me it does not have to be a wall mounter . I’d take a thick 8 or 10 pointer with a scruffy rack if he’s View attachment 57291View attachment 572905 yrs old, or older. If he has no real upside.

This is one I shot 8-9 yrs ago …that was 6 yrs old. I bet he field dressed 225 lbs+, rack was poor . One of my favorite hunts of all time !

I wouldn’t exactly call that a poor rack.


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[bwoods11]

I wouldn’t exactly call that a poor rack.


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The pictures make it look better . It was not even 130. Busted up on part of it . Old buck that was a local bully .. had to go
!

 

[Angus 1895]

For me it does not have to be a wall mounter . I’d take a thick 8 or 10 pointer with a scruffy rack if he’s View attachment 57291View attachment 572905 yrs old, or older. If he has no real upside.

This is one I shot 8-9 yrs ago …that was 6 yrs old. I bet he field dressed 225 lbs+, rack was poor . One of my favorite hunts of all time !

Down a dink?

I call that bugger pictured a whopper!

This is my best here…..

I have seen maybe 3 bigger…

He was a bully……he scattered about six of them when he arrived…..notice he was still packing velvet..no one else was.

only time I have heard a dominant buck weez…

He was about 24 yards from me……I arrowed him at about 12

 

[Baker]

I'm at the stage where I like things like this...

 

[swat1018]

I haven't shot a buck since 2019, and it was a dandy. I shoot 5 does a year for meat. I'd rather put someone on a big buck that's never killed one, at this point. If I put an arrow in one, you don't need to measure it.

 

[Wind Gypsy]

Haven’t shot a whitetail since 2016 or ‘17 I don’t think. Shot a mule deer last in 2018. It has little to do with the challenge but a some to do with being a trophy. I’ve had elk meat in the freezer continuously for quite a while so I see no reason to kill does or young bucks. Killing another run of the mill immature deer would bring me no joy, create more work/disturbance getting it processed, and I have enough game meat to get us by.

When I was younger I had blood lust and just wanted to kill stuff. Now days that attitude rubs me wrong and I feel some empathy for game. I’ve got no issue with most types in this poll but the ones who have to kill every tag available to them and then try to find someone to take the meat (when done to kill and not for herd management objectives) can get bent.

Edit to add: The process is magnitudes more important than the kill to me. The habitat work, the scouting, the observing, the learning. I spend lots of $ and time on all that stuff and don't even hunt very hard lots of the time. I'm selfish in that I typically avoid the social aspect because it usually impacts the process or hunt quality but still dont get too wrapped around trying to kill.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I guess I'm a combination of method and trophy. My main thrust has been archery hunting, but still continue to hunt with a rifle. It's become easier for me to pass on smaller, younger bucks for probably 10 years now. I'd rather let 'em grow bigger for next year. I like the challenge of getting really close to a nice buck by scouting, reading the woods & terrain, attempting to control as much of my scent as possible, and having a boat-load of patience. Filling a tag means nothing to me, and I haven't even applied for a doe license here for 10 years or so. For myself, I love the challenge of trying to outwit / get lucky on (patience) - a big older buck. I'd rather see my sons get a crack at a big one than me, bottom line. I've taken my share, and don't have anything to prove to anyone.

 

[Baker]

AS we ponder what stage we are at it it might be relative to our circumstance. But I suspect no matter what stage one might consider himself I bet we all enjoy seeing magnificent whitetails. Would anyone on here not like to see bucks lie these? Would they change your perspective?

 

[Wind Gypsy]

AS we ponder what stage we are at it it might be relative to our circumstance. But I suspect no matter what stage one might consider himself I bet we all enjoy seeing magnificent whitetails. Would anyone on here not like to see bucks lie these?

Doubtful anyone wouldn't like to see wild bucks like that.

Would they change your perspective?

Depends on the basis of how they got that big.

 

[PatinPA]

I'd also like to add something. Not sure what category it would be in. There is nothing that makes me happier than cutting in a trail or a kill plot. Anything that I changed about the land that made a deer use it exactly how I wanted them to. Even if it's nothing I want to shoot. Just watching a deer walk exactly how I wanted them to brings me joy.

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I'd also like to add something. Not sure what category it would be in. There is nothing that makes me happier than cutting in a trail or a kill plot. Anything that I changed about the land that made a deer use it exactly how I wanted them to. Even if it's nothing I want to shoot. Just watching a deer walk exactly how I wanted them to brings me joy.

YES!!!! I've cut trails in nightmare mountain laurel as an experiment to see if deer would use those trails. Like us humans - they love taking the EASY WAY too. Deer adopted my cut trails as their own and even made scrapes & rubs in them. One even had a bed at the end of the trail looking downhill at the rest of the trail. Buck maybe??

I placed a couple tree stands off curves along those trails to catch bucks watching the curves in the trails - and not looking at me!!

 

[Catscratch]

AS we ponder what stage we are at it it might be relative to our circumstance. But I suspect no matter what stage one might consider himself I bet we all enjoy seeing magnificent whitetails. Would anyone on here not like to see bucks lie these? Would they change your perspective?

View attachment 57398View attachment 57399View attachment 57400

I would absolutely love to see bucks like that! I don't shoot a lot of bucks, only every few seasons. Love to watch them and see them grow over the years. I someday want to shoot a huge one but I never worry too much if I don't see one in a particular season.