Hunting Forum

I've been hunting whitetail deer for over 20 years and was recently accused of not being a "real" deer hunter because of my hunting beliefs and because I don't get a deer every year. You see, I'm a deer HUNTER, not a deer KILLER and I'd rather eat a dead cow than a dead deer. I don't care much for the deer "hunters" that pick up their gun or bow the weekend before season, run a few rounds or arrows through them to make sure it's "close enough" and then go out and shoot the first deer they see, "if it's brow it's down", regardless of the size. Some of these "hunters" field dress the deer and some don't even do that. They taken the deer to the local butcher to have it processed and then go about bragging about what a great "hunter" they are and making fun of folks like myself because we haven't gotten a deer yet. Now, where I hunt we own about 160 acres which about 90 of it is some of the best deer hunting property in our county and the rest is farm ground. We have bedding areas, two creeks flowing through it, and it's surrounded by adjoining woods and farm ground. If I wanted to shoot a deer I could do it with in the first 5 minutes of the first day of bow season. We also practice deer management on our property and have been for about the last 7 years. The biggest thing we do is shoot only bucks that are 8pt or more with racks as wide as their ears. We have another rule, if you shoot a deer on our property then you process it also, no butcher shops, that's all part of the hunt. For me my deer hunting season begins the day the previous years ended. Even after the season ended I'll still go out to my stands with a camera to take pictures and to see which bucks survived for next year. I start scouting deer routes and glassing deer in August. We usually have 3-4 large bucks in our woods every fall with another 4-5 smaller bucks plus those that run into our area during rut. With the way the property is plus all the neighboring property the deer we see in the early fall we'll see in January, they don't migrate away, they stay. So once bow season begins I already know what deer I want which is where the hunting comes in. Trying to figure out what route he's gonna take, what time of day, what day of the week, that's the fun part. Putting all that work into the perfect set up to make the perfect shot to have that perfect moment. Then after the kill and the deer is processed and after the mount comes back from the taxidermist to look at it and remember all the work and fun that was done and had to get that mount on the wall, now that's deer hunting. Do I get a deer every year? Nope. Does that bother me? Nope. Do I have some nice antlers and great memories? You bet I do. I honestly don't know how someone can go out and shot the first deer they see and call it hunting and say they had fun. But, apparently if you don't shot a deer every year then you're not a "real" deer hunter. I guess I'll go on not being a deer hunter. Oh by the way, this "not a real deer hunter" got a 12pt with a 21" spread this year and the guy that accused me of not being a "real" deer hunter shot an 80lb doe.

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I hope you did not consider that "person" a friend of yours. There are going to be azzholes in this world. Just ignore them and do what is right in your book. BTW, noticed it was your 1st post. Welcome.

Thanks for the welcome and no, not a friend but i've had the same discussion with other "hunters" and i'm amazed at what some people think and do. It seems harder and harder to find hunters that hunt for the enjoyment of being outside and the thrill of the hunt instead of just wanting to kill something. My best hunting memories have nothing to do with killing anything and everything to do with the people i was with and the experiences we shared.

I guess there are a lot of us out there then.  If killing something is all that you want to do, I pity you.  I have killed my share of deer and a few of someone else.  With age my idea of what make a great hunt now does not have to involve killing something.  Watching the sun rise over a mountain, watching a flock feed by not knowing I'm there, seeing a doe teaching her young about me the hunter and too many things that it would take someone better than me to explain.  So if you not a "real deer hunter" I am glad to be your brother of sorts.

I had the best season of my life ans did not shoot a deer. But it was fantastic.

I have been told many times that I am not a real hunter because I have let so many walk past and never even raised my rifle or bow. It seems "real" hunters are only in the woods for a few minutes more than absolutely needed to kill a deer.

Just ignore the so called "real" hunters and continue having fun doing what you're doing.

Hi and welcome but a slightly different slant on your post. I agree with being selective when you have the luxury to do so but if you're hunting in "big woods" where deer aren't running everywhere or hunting in a high pressure situation where if you don't shoot, some guy 3 or 400 yards away is going to.. the game changes.

If I had 160 acres such as you that housed water, food, and great woods. I'd be picky too. Play that game around here and you'll never shoot.

Now, that being said, I made three trips to northern Maine for deer. A week each time. The lodge's driveway was 20 miles back off of a back country two lane road. Never even pulled the trigger any of the three years. The only one out of 6 of us that did was my nephew got ONE. Did we still have a ball? You betcha!

Not trying to disagree - I'm actually in agreement with you. Just saying that very few places have pristine hunting conditions such as you enjoy.

Again, welcome and it's nice to see new folks join who participate!

ohio, congrats on that buck ,very nice.
in my mind  a "real deer hunter "is one who loves the outdoors and the thrill of the chase, it doesn't matter what you shoot or do not shoot. some of the funnest hunts I have been on I passed several deer and went home empty handed. that said, I  have no issues with killing does or small bucks.if that makes the hunter happy then I  consider it a successfull hunt.frankly if what I shoot is legal in that unit I don't much give a chit what any other hunter thinks.I HAVE  killed big and small bucks, one doe ,several bull elk and a few cows,  couple of lions and bears (didn't much care for bear meat, not bad  as jerky though). what I kill usually depends on what oppurtunities the unit I'M hunting provides and how bad I need to fill the freezer.there have been years when having that meat was the differance between eating and starving.that is why I have 0 respect for a man who wantonly  wastes game meat.
   

   no sense stressing over the opinion of some  moron you don't respect .

    (stress is caused when you resist the urge to beat some arsehole that desperatly needs it)

Amen brothers Steve and Yote! I shot three deer this year, a spike, a 7pt, and a doe. They all taste great and I need the meat more than ever due to my wife getting hurt and losing her job. Do I care about horns, nope. Do I put my time in the woods? Many miles of walking and strategy planning. Sometimes it works, some times it doesn't? I also hunted new property this season that was unfamiliar to me and made it happen. That's hunting. Plus I enjoyed talking with all the neighbors because I saw and shot the most deer that they thought didn't exist. LOL! It was fun and I think I made a bunch more friends that will invite me onto their properties to help out next season.

Hunting is a personal thing. For folks like myself, it's the source of meat for me and Travis from season's end 'til season beginning. I also practice a form of QDM on my little piece of property through the use of trail cameras, food plots and bait piles in order to decide on which does I will or will not kill, and which bucks I will cull from the herd and which bucks I will kill due to age and rack. I also hunt deer with hounds, and down in the swamps, we don't have time to assess what size and sex the deer is as it comes through the water and thickets. What I'm trying to get across, is that hunting, whether it's done with a bow and only trophies are killed, or whether it's killing the first thing seen, is a matter of personal choice. The biggest thing is all of us, regardless of what and how, are hunting; and that shouldn't be disparaged by anyone of us who chose to do our hunting in a different manner. I personally don't bow hunt, or use a muzzle loader, I do use a rifle when I'm still hunting and a shotgun with buckshot when I'm hunting with the dogs; but if your method is to hunt with a spear, so be it....you are still a hunter! I'm on a site full of Western hunters who don't believe that anyone in the North, East, or South is a hunter, because we don't climb a mountain and glass for hours before beginning a stalk! To my way of thinking those guys are snobs who wouldn't know the difficulty of killing a deer in the SC low country swamps I hunt in; but I would never accuse them of not being hunters because they take 1000 yard shots on mule deer and elk. Hell, I'd never see a damn deer if it's 1000 yards away, since I don't have access to that type of terrain. My point is that all of us are hunters, and if I kill a young spike buck for the freezer, it's no one's damn business to condemn me for that decision. What we all need to remember is that our sport has been in decline for several years, and just recently the numbers seem to indicate a slight increase. We do not need to argue or criticize those who do things differently and accuse anyone's style as "not being" a hunter. We have enough anti-hunters out there who would love to see us bicker and fight among ourselves to the detriment of our sport. So instead of making a self determination on what is hunting and what isn't, we should all learn to just get along and appreciate the fact that even if it's not the way I personally do it, at least the other guy is doing it, period!!!!!!!!!!!

BTW, I deer hunt practically every single day from August 15th to Jan. 1st, this year was the worst season I've had in several years.  I only killed 4 deer and Travis only killed 1.  Sure I enjoy the outdoors, but the reason I hunt IS to kill something......and that something is called FOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Any day that results in not seeing a deer is a wasted day for me; but that's just my take on hunting..........and I have a lot of wasted days!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year I had the privalage of taking my 7 year old granddauter on a bow hunt for muleies, We spotted and stalked numerous times. She found the first buck of the day, and claimed it as HER deer. When I found a ,and described where it was, she found it in her bino's. We did not fill my deer tag this year. It IS one of the my most treasured memories. Later my 4 year old grandson went with me to find a pronghorn. Spot and stalk. He did great. We did not fill that tag either. Teaching, training, and enjoying the time. PRICLESS. We are hunters.

Ohiohunter who gives a crap what other people think. Nice deer. I have a couple of so called friends that come close to the views that your talking about. Sure I am very selective on what deer I shoot and some of my hunting buddies don't understand why I pass on certain deer. To me hunting is being in the outdoors enjoying all of the wildlife whether or not I kill anything. Sure, when I need the meat, I'll stick a deer, but still being selective on which ones I stick.

I say to each his own . Got one huge one in BC class , got some big ones and plenty of small ones , and alot of does because they are my source of "good meat" . Don't have the luxury of private , only public and don't see anything wrong especially since venison doesn't work for your palate . For meat or rack we're all hunters . Heard the same thing from rack hunters about meat hunters .

I've killed a lot of deer most with a bow. I get two tags for bow that's standard here. One for either sex and one for antlerless only. Then there are the DMP antlerless only permits that I can use during bow season. The simple fact is I see more deer bowhunting than during gun season. I've let a lot of yearlings walk but if a mature doe comes along I'll take her. I've sat for weeks waiting for that special buck to come along but three days before gun season a spike presents itself I'll take him. I like venison so I want to fill as many tags as I legally can. And I'd rather use a bow to do it. I can't gun hunt any more due to my accident. The people around where I'd be hunting would put a bullet in my ATV. The only way I can get into the woods is by ATV I fall down A LOT walking broken ground HE77 I fall on my own lawn. I have my deer processed by a guy who can do a lot better job than I ever could. For me skinning a deer comes at a cost. That cost is a lot of pain and swelling. With what we get from my SSD and the VA plus my wife's part time job filling the freezer with deer is a great help. And before you tell me that my wife should get a full time job. Lowe's doesn't have them. Walmart doen't have them. Home Depot doesn't have them. Etc etc etc. So I guess I'm in that group. Well except I'd never tell you you're not a hunter just because you went deerless through a season. I'm not a horn hunter but I'm not a meat hunter I'm a management hunter.

You say you have 160 acres and practice management. In your own mind. The home range of a deer is many times that area. You may have the deers Core area but if you think they don't leave that area you are DEAD WRONG! A deer's home range is in the neighborhood of 2 square miles. I know one year I was watching a nine pointer in my buddies pasture later in the year I shot him on the other side of a cornfield, woodlot, and an interstate highway a distance of between 1/2 and 3/4 mile. And I know it was the same deer by the notch in his right ear.

That's a really nice deer you got there congrats on it. Around here deer like that are far and few between. Over thirty some years I've taken some great 8s I've also shot a 4 1/2 year old spike. He looked like a dern goat coming through the woods. Each antler was 19" long the deer itself gutted weight was 210lbs.

Ignore the morons who make stupid comments and the know it alls. And don't judge other hunters either. You do your thing and I'll do mine respect that.

I myself would never tell you you're not a real hunter, however you need to understand where some of these guys are coming from. I don't have access to a grinder or sausage stuffer or the money/time to keep up with all the butchering materials. I gut, skin, and debone all of my deer, but I take the hind quarters and shoulders to the processor to turn into ground or sausage while doing the backstraps, tenderloinds, and the ocassional rump roast myself. My wife and I prefer venison as it's leaner and taste better than beef (at least to us). So I don't really understand your "have to process it yourself, no exceptions rule". Also think about how many people weren't taught the same way you were and don't know how to do all that. Does it really matter or make them any less of a hunter? Like some have said we're all hunters and should never discourage anything another hunter does other than bad behavoir or something unethical. Now as far as the "it's brown it's down" not everyone is as lucky as you to have the property you do. Other than public land I only have full access to one hunting spot that is about 12 acres. I once watched 2 buttonheads all season, saw them almost everytime I was out there and it made it more enjoyable. One day I was hunting with my dad and they both showed up. I watched them for about 30 mins, could've shot them 5-6 times and then the went behind me. Not 5 mins later I hear somebody shoot twice less than 100 yds away and within a minute. He had killed both of those buttonheads. So for me when I hunt there and haven't filled my freezer I shoot just about whatever I can especially during bow season as activity pretty much shuts down during rifle season because of all the pressure.

Hey Ohiohunter, welcome to the site. I agree that ther is much more to hunting than shooting. I only bow hunt for deer now, mainly because i'm there for the whole experience and not just to fill the freezer. Having hunted for over 50 years has given me plenty of opportunities to take game, now i'd rather watch the woods and see what i missed for a lot of those years. Watching the other animals, and birds, the leaves turning and hearing the sounds gives me more pleasure than actually killing an animal. Yes i do take a deer now and then, but bow hunting allows me the opportunity to draw on one, and decide if i really want to do the work or not. I look at it like catch and release fishing kind of. I draw on one, let down and think "i could have shot you" that's one. So you see i take several deer every year and usually only put one or two in the freezer. I guess i'm more of a trophy hunter than just deer hunter, if the chance to shoot a buck bigger than my last presents itself you bet i'm going to take him. But there is so much more to the experience.

SALBERS, isn't it also great about bowhunting when you see those deer out of bow range and say to yourself, "If this was gun season, you would be on the ground by now!"

Hey gut - skin 'em with your atv! 10 minutes - done - no work for you. You have to have seen the vid on how to do that, no?

Want an 08 Polaris RZR 4x4, 800cc with about 25 hours on it, ALWAYS dealer maintained and serviced? I've had it to 65mph but it gets a bit loose over 55 or so.

Loaded with options.

I'll pass on the Polaris. I've got a Honda Rancher 02 model 350cc plenty of power to get me in trouble. Look what I did with my Sporster!! The guy who processes my deer has a winch setup so the deer never leaves the ATV on the truck I go straight to his place.

I seem to not explained myself enough. I was in a poor mood and was just venting about a certain type of hunter, the one week a year, shoot the first deer they see, and then act as though they've put a ton of time and effort into it while belittling the guys that are more selective and wanting to get the bigger deer. I have no issues with the hunters that only want to the meat and don't care if it's a buck or doe, most of those guys don't go around shooting their mouths off about how great they are because they shot a deer. I understand the guys that hunt "big woods" or public ground and don't see a lot of deer, I hunt in the U.P. as well and see very few deer. If that's all you have then that's all you have. Most of the guys I know that hunt "big woods" or public ground put a lot of time in just to see a deer. I understand that not everyone has the means to process their own deer and I wouldn't expect everyone who deer hunts to go out and buy the equipment and then learn how to do it. It's very time consuming and a lot of work. It just happens to be OUR rule on OUR property because if you're gonna shoot a deer on OUR property then you're gonna learn and appreciate the entire process from beginning to end. And yes, I know deer roam, thanks for insulting my intelligence. In my particular area it's mostly farm ground with the only cover being along the creeks. We happen to own a large portion of what little cover there is which has 2 creeks running through it and about 90 acres of woods on either side with the rest being farm ground. With the way the land is there's little places for the deer to go with cover other than up and down the creeks. All the neighboring land owners hunt and we compare notes a lot. The bucks I see are not the same bucks the guy down the creek a mile sees. Sure they'll move around more during rut but other than that they pretty much stay in their area because there's nowhere else to go. They have food, bedding grounds, and cover. That's why I stated that the bucks I see in August I'll see in January (unless they get taken). From most of the comments I've read it seems that the guys that might have felt a little jaded were not the types of hunters that I was venting about and most likely misunderstood what I meant. Hopefully this will clear up some of that. Now, if you're the guy that I described in my opening statement and you're offended then I don't care, be offended.