Hunting has Changed for the Worst...

[Guest oneshot]

Just an observation reading about guy's who got drawn and their hopes for their kids/selves on some web-sites...

 

It has been happening for many years now, I could blame it on all the "Hunting shows/personality's", but personal actions are what counts.

 

Guy's doing WHATEVER to kill high-scoring Bucks, pushing legal limits, historical ethical/moral bounderies.

 

Setting their children up for failure by placing them in possition to shoot bigger Bucks then they themselves have killed.

 

As Hunting becomes more about "X inches of antler!!!", "Nice Buck but, the G2's are weak", Why did you shoot a small Buck???", then the enjoyment/Brotherhood of the Hunt is pushed back to something ugly...

 

I guess I kinda fit into this also, at times, I don't even think of shooting a Buck unless it's a mature deer (i have killed 100's of Deer though and the kill is NOT whats important to me anymore), but I also don't rag on anyone for shooting the first Buck/smallest Buck, Their tag, Their Hunt, and they deserve praise for doing what alot of folks can't/won't do ...

 

Have a safe, memorable Hunting season...

 

 

 

 

[trphyhntr]

i bet old boys were saying the same shoot in the 60's.

[DesertBull]

Instead of banning trail cams, bait, salt, and all the other stuff people cry about, we should ban tape measures and score sheets.

[twigsnapper]

And take kids rabbit and bird hunting, no score sheets involved, unless you kill a jackalope.

[Guest oneshot]

"Wall of Deer" is from a couple of buddies and myself in NY (mid 80's), we always shot a Buck, sometimes more then one Buck a season, Rifle and Bow/dep tags...

 

Last year, on the same land with alot of nice bucks on it... 2bucks were killed, excuse given " They were'nt big enough, and they didn't want to catch craploa from others for the "let it go, Let it grow" Bs, which has taken over NY hunters"...

[Saguaro]

I feel the internet is to blame. Before the internet, people would hunt and kill whatever they could, and be proud of it. Now everyone has to one up each other. I'm just as guilty. I waited 20 years for an early Bull permit and finally got one. I looked at nothing but big bulls for years on the internet and elsewhere. I thought it was my turn for one. Didn't happen. Now I'm going to hunt and take a decent buck/Bull and feel great about it. They may not win any contests, but if they do, great. My attitude had to change.

[Tac]

Thats why I hunt cows currrenty

[lancetkenyon]

Nothing wrong with your kids shooting a deer bigger than any you have ever shot. Super proud moment.

 

It is the fact that the parents are not teaching the kids about conservation, nature, skills, tracking, flora & fauna, terrain, weather, insects, predator/prey relationships, enjoying the outdoors, stopping to admire a flower or sunset, the chase, the disappointment of a blown stalk or miss, the hard work and time that precludes a shot, the hard and messy work of cleaning an animal, the hard work and effort packing out your own animal, the hard work of processing the animal, the hard work of preparing a meal from that animal, the fantastic memories and lessons learned in the field, and the satisfaction of eating the animal you harvested while admiring the rack on the wall.

[Zeke-BE]

What Lance said! If you only focus on the prize and shooting the big trophy is the prize then you are in the same since teaching children that only winning in a sport is the most important thing, then you sir are a pathetic shallow coach. Every pro sport player started off loving the game and were properly trained to be a team player and taught to give it your all! You can't go pro without out that foundation and have a long career in that sport!!

[RackTracker]

Well stated Lance!

[6ANut]

Grandpa always said

You can't eat the horns.

[lancetkenyon]

Grandpa always said

You can't eat the horns.

You are correct.....but you can use them to make a knife handle that guts and skins your next animal to eat!

[wildwoody]

Big horns are always nice, if you say it or not its part of the chase, meat is better., experience with family and friends is the best part of a hunt. I agree things have changed alot. More hunters, further shooting guns and ammo, super binos, atv, cameras, radios, and much more, but I don't think hunters back in the old days were any nicer about there spots, they would just flat shoot you. SSS

[300RUM]

There seems to be an increasing element who feel hunting is a sport where you can win with the highest score. If you approach hunting with this mentality you lose so much.

[firstcoueswas80]

Hunting has been going down holl long before the tape measure became so important.