what type of hunter are you

[Mlindsay]

I hunt for the pleasure of being in the woods. I've never taken a buck but did pass on a legal fork this last season cuz his body was to small and I felt bad. But I hunt private land so I'm sure that changes my mindset.

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[ckhb]

Meat hunter here but if I was ever presented with a trophy shot I would take it. Honestly though, I don't let it dictate my hunt because I love the thrill of the whole outing and putting meat in the freezer which still is empty of pig...If there was a sow with piglets I wouldn't feel right shooting her. We may say that pigs are an invasive species or whatever but if we got rid of them, I would be pretty bummed because they just taste so good.

 

[mr sunset]

I've done a lot of hunting and harvested nothing. I'm going with the opportunity hunt for now.
Sure I dream of a trophy but want to fill a tag.
Now my buddy drew an X9A tag last season. he has everything from fork to 3x4 he was there for the 4x4 or better.
and he did pass on legal take. I wouldn't but he did.

 

[Hikingwithguns]

Meat hunter, so I hunt mostly for pigs and rabbits/quail. If its a pig and the shot is safe and in range its dead. I have yet to harvest a deer, but if its a legal spork I'll pop it. That goes for A zone and x9a when I can draw it.

 

[cali-carnivore]

Ahhhh, I love the smell of honesty in the morning......hikingwithguns! People are brainwashed by the shows they watch with rich guys/sponsors waiting for a trophy!

 

[thewolfman]

I m just wondering.... bfore these huntin shows on TV.....i thought ppl just shot watever was legal???... see i never thought i will just shoot the biggest buck or pig...i was taught u only shoot wat u eat and giv thanks/respect to the animal u shoot....

Has the TV shows alter our view of wat a trophy should b....cuz i get a rush whether its a forky or a 5x5... i see only backstraps...

 

[flingem71]

Not that I'm totally against harvesting what you can on a premium draw tag...but how do you preserve a species by harvesting outside the natural order of things? Harvesting the one closest to the grave is what my father taught me. If everybody ran around shooting forky's....older bucks may die during the same year and in a way that doubles that doubles the harvest. Ethics are like talking religion. Not being judge-mental....just explaining my own ethics and what I teach my son and why.

DISCLAIMER: some of the things I say may be unfiltered, offensive, or even complete B.S.

 

[cali-carnivore]

Is taking the best out of the gene pool the best idea? Especially with blacktail a small fork may be a very mature buck.

 

[ltdann]

With deer I first determine if it's a legal deer, after that I look the body over and if it's a nice healthy, big bodied animal, I'll take the shot. If it's kinda scrawny or looks beat up, I'll pass. I almost always fill both tags, so the first one is a meat deer, after that I'll try for the bigger rack until it's close to the end of season. Then, I get less picky.With pigs, I try for the 100-200 pounders. No wet sows, but I'll shoot a dry sow on her own.

 

[thewolfman]

Cali....i m reminded of a spike i saw for yrs since u say tha...

There was this spike wit its back sunken..roman nose...big neck and saggin belly...he was way bigger than a forky tha hung wit him...no body ever shot him cuz his a spike but he was fully mature...saw him every yr for over 5 yrs!!!...

I could never tell how big a buck is at 200 plus yrds...my 5x5 i shot at 350 plus yrds...took 3 shots bfore i hit it...i thought he was a small forky until i got over there...but it wasnt a big deal cuz the only thing i thought was...man his gonna b tough to eat and boy he stank!!!..lol

 

[HuntnBrew]

Yes.. fling you said it! just like to hunt. Ill pass on most sow, female an non mature species. I think every real hunter should have a nice buck mount, bear hide and a buffalo hide or mount. I enjoy the hunt more than anything. Every time I hunt, I learn more about nature and the "sacred hoop" of things. The smarter the animal, the better the hunt! For me its the romance of it. I hunt the animal, I learn nature, appreciate life, spend time with people, share what I've learned, and the best part for me is sharing a harvest. Bbq with friends, making use of all the animal to show my respect. Going to an event and sharing food I hunted and prepared. One thanksgiving we all gathered our harvest and had a full on, non store bought event. Pheasant, quail, wild hog, home grown veggies, ect. Everybody brought a dish of harvest and had a story to share. It was great and after dinner, we passed around the shine and continued stories and made plans to hunt together that would never happen. To me, that's what its all about. Keeping both feet on the ground and being grateful of any harvest. Happy hunting my friends!

 

[HuntnBrew]

If take an animal I take pride in every part of that animal. The meat that feeds my family and the scull that reminds me of doing it on my own or enjoying my hunt with some of my closest friends. I don't believe that any one of us would pass on a monster rack of any sort. I hunt because of the same reason that I work on my own cars/house, brew my own beer and pick my nose... Because I can! That being said I passed on an immature 3x3 for a big doe on my archery tag this year because of the shot that was presented. 2nd to last day of the season. I've met meat hunters and trophy hunters who needed a moral compass. I keep mine calibrated, so I guess I would fit into that category if I had to pick.

 

[Hikingwithguns]

Not that I'm totally against harvesting what you can on a premium draw tag...but how do you preserve a species by harvesting outside the natural order of things? Harvesting the one closest to the grave is what my father taught me. If everybody ran around shooting forky's....older bucks may die during the same year and in a way that doubles that doubles the harvest. Ethics are like talking religion. Not being judge-mental....just explaining my own ethics and what I teach my son and why.

I don't see mountain lions caring about whether they eat a fork or a doe or a mature 4X4. I understand where you are coming from. But I reject the whole environmentalist notion that man is "not natural." We are part of this world. If all you shoot is 3 point or better your going to genetically select for a lot of small forkhorns. That to me is less "natural". Where I grew up, I saw blacktails that lived on private land/regional parkland and many bucks were forkhorns their entire lives. If there aren't enough bucks in a hunt zone then dfg can adjust season length/quotas or change what a legal harvest is. DFG had a good explanation of why they don't do 3 point or better rules, I'll see if I can find the link.

The far bigger issue for deer is habitat.