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Hunt for the deer, not the score

15K views 70 replies 14 participants last post by  buckfever 
#1 ·
I found a great story by Mike Leggett titled, "Hunt for the deer, not the score"Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did..

the following clip from the article is Exactly what I've been trying to say for several years now.

"Somewhere along the way some of us have lost sight of what deer hunting is supposed to be — fun and relaxing,
a way to teach our kids about life, time spent outdoors with friends and chicken-fried backstrap.
Somewhere along the way, it's morphed into an obsession with scoring big deer. Trophy deer.
Somewhere along the way, the hunt has gotten lost
"
 
#2 ·
when i was younger, if i didnt tag a deer or catch a fish, i would be pretty upset. Now that i have gotten older, i realize alot more things. its amazing just to get out in the woods, out on the water, or just relax at the range for a few hours. Im not out there trying to kill a trophy. or the biggest deer in the world. I am enjoying a sport that has been around since the beginning of time. i love my sport. and when i see people on TV, etc. getting these monster bucks, its not real hunting. its a guy with a camera killing a HUGE animal, just for the glory. I do it to put food on the table. and to carry on a family tradition, and teach the next generation about a sport that can not be replaced.

-Brandon
 
#4 ·
I read the article also and I'm 100 % in agreement, but this is only my outlook. I hunt for the adventure and camaraderie of hunting with my relatives . I do enjoy a great buck but in my neck of the woods a trophy is in the eyes of the beholder. Don't get me wrong as I do have some limits like nothing under 120 lbs dressed . Some hunters choose to hunt only big adult deer that are at least 4- 5 years old but I think I eat more and more often than they do. To each his own , but don't try to impose your beliefs on me and I'll do the same in return.
 
G
#5 · (Edited)
total bs and one mans opinion! you want a hunt? hunt for a 5.5 year old buck and while your at it make sure its a booner. that will test your skills as a hunter a lot more than whacking that 1.5 fork horn. every time no ands, ifs, or buts. just from the little bit you posted i have no desire to read any farther. pot stirrer lol you knew that i wasn't going to let that slide didn't you
 
#6 ·
total bs and one mans opinion! you want a hunt? hunt for a 5.5 year old buck and while your at it make sure its a booner. that will test your skills as a hunter a lot more than whacking that 1.5 fork horn. every time no ands, ifs, or buts. just from the little bit you posted i have no desire to read any farther. pot stirrer
Pot Stirrer? LOL If that was directed at me I gotta tell ya ronn you missed the whole point of why I posted the article but I'm not surprised at this sort of a response from you.
You have a real problem accepting the fact that a lot of hunters still hunt for table fare and not just antlers.
The article upsets you because you know how much truth there is in it, you refer to it as one mans opinion, NEWSFLASH,
I personally know a lot of other hunters that feel the same way about "hunting for a deer not a score".
Yeah I like harvesting nice big racked bucks like every other hunter but it isnt my GOAL, my Goal is to harvest a legal buck if it happens to have a nice rack, YAY!
So now you can calm down because I'm not about to go back and forth with you on this one. Have a good evening.
 
G
#8 · (Edited)
its was the last line of the quote that rubbed me the wrong way. its saying if you hunt for a trophy it ain't hunting.

and now you're putting words in my mouth i never dissed any meat hunter. if thats what a hunter wants good for them, heck i am one, but that doesn't mean the guy that chases the toughest of whitetails, that 5.5 year old booner, is less of a hunter. and thats was all that quote you posted was a about, and its bull.

had to go, so i'll finish my thought now. the posted quote is propaganda supporting YOUR idea of what deer hunting is or should be all about. there was no way i was going to let it slide without a rebuttal. just as i would have done if you posted something saying a hunter that shoots a 1.5 old buck for the freezer is no real hunter because he shoots the easy ones. that too would have met with a rebuttal.
 
#9 ·
Im guilty.. i like big bucks with big horns
But i still get a lot of enjoyment sitting on the stand .
Seeing deer , letting small and not bad bucks walk by
I dont care if i dont kill a deer every year
I can wait for the thumper
My wife goes to the store all the time so i dont go hungry
 
#11 ·
[QUOTE Somewhere along the way some of us have lost sight of what deer hunting is supposed to be — fun and relaxing,
a way to teach our kids about life, time spent outdoors with friends and chicken-fried backstrap.
Somewhere along the way, it's morphed into an obsession with scoring big deer. Trophy deer.
Somewhere along the way, the hunt has gotten lost[/I]"[/QUOTE]

Poor fellow I don't know who the "us" is he is talking about but I feel for you all that fall into that sorry state.:biggrin: "Somewhere along the way" I am sorry but he just doesn't speak to anything I know about hunting. Every hunter gets something different from the sport. I guess he is talking about himself but I'm not sure it's not a thinly veiled slap at trophy hunters.
 
G
#12 ·
[QUOTE Somewhere along the way some of us have lost sight of what deer hunting is supposed to be — fun and relaxing,
a way to teach our kids about life, time spent outdoors with friends and chicken-fried backstrap.
Somewhere along the way, it's morphed into an obsession with scoring big deer. Trophy deer.
Somewhere along the way, the hunt has gotten lost[/I]"
Poor fellow I don't know who the "us" is he is talking about but I feel for you all that fall into that sorry state.:biggrin: "Somewhere along the way" I am sorry but he just doesn't speak to anything I know about hunting. Every hunter gets something different from the sport. I guess he is talking about himself but I'm not sure it's not a thinly veiled slap at trophy hunters.[/QUOTE]
i give that a big ole:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup: as well
 
G
#14 ·
it was a term of endearment bb. grin

in the context of your last post it isn't as harsh or the focus of the point has shifted, but still who is this guy or anyone else for that mater to cast a disparaging light on what or the way someone else's hunt. it still isn't right. as long as the hunter is enjoying the legal hunt let the person be.

so the counter point to this yahoo's scratchings is, so what if a guy wants to sit in a box blind and shoot a buck over a pile of corn? is it the type of hunt i enjoy? nope but i ain't on that hunt so it should bother me and really is none of my business. if more people thought about it in that light the hunting world would be a lot more peaceful place.
 
#15 ·
My trophies are how any pounds of meat in the freezer, not the size or existance of a rack. I have my sights set on a massive buck this year, I know he has a rack but his body would feed us for a while. I don't even know(or care) how many points he has. To each his own, live and let live(except during hunting season).
 
#16 ·
Man,I'm gone for a few days and miss a whole lot. On this topic, why does
it have to be one way or the other? I think there are good points both ways. If some folks get enjoyment from just getting out and maybe putting some meat in the freezer, that's great for them. If others want more of a challenge and set standards based on whatever, who's to say that they aren't having the kind of experience that is fun for them. As long as we all observe good sportsmanship as it applies to our fellow hunters in the field as well as ethical hunting practices and respect for the game animals, have at it any way you like.
 
#19 ·
I don't understand. Why is it a us against them thing. Isn't it a difference of opinion ? A hunter that choose to hunt for a big mature buck should get the same respect from other hunters as the hunter who harvests for meat , be it a 100 lb doe or a 140 lb four point. the comradery should be in the sport not the outcome of the harvest.
 
#20 ·
I think we're all into the same thinking, writers just have to spark controversy just to be heard/read these days. Almost everything out there is a negative report in some way, people seem to respond to negativity. Why? I'd much rather read/listen to good things happening whether its hunting, sports, news ect. I agree, to each their own on hunting and what you harvest, it's an individual's personal issue. I know I tend to wander on posts sometimes, well most times, but its the best I can do. :bye:
 
G
#21 ·
i don't really understand either, huntr-. maybe hm is on to something with the negative pokes at the other person creates whatever, a buzz. some think because i defend the other guy i'm against something. well i guess i am against something, belittling the way some else hunts or the reason they hunt.

i am a trophy hunter. i love big ole bucks with big ole gnarly racks. I'm also a meat hunter. love me a good deer steak or stroganoff. i'm almost as happy just hunting as i am if i'm dragging a deer out of the woods.

so again if a guy wants to write a big check, sit in a box, and shoot a monster buck in a bean field. good for him. if a guy wants to put 100 pounds of meat in the freezer good for him also. but they shouldn't beat on each other while doing it.
 
#26 ·
I agree HM but, what do we do when it's an outfitter breaking the laws which has an indirect affect on each of us? should we stand united and ignore their illegal activities? turn a blind eye? promote their activites by utilizing their services?

Let me give you an example and I'd like to know how each of you feel about this 2009 incident referred to as a misdemeanor violation of the Lacey Act.. The fines totaled $20,000.00 Dollars that's an expensive deer head.

Personally I think this outfitter should have been shut down totally, I have zero tolerance with outfitters who knowingly and willfully ignore game laws.
Which again if they were Hunting for the deer and not the score, this wouldn't have happened.
 
#23 ·
whatever ones motivation is for hunting should be there own.i personally im most happy taking out whole backstraps with a cold one and friends but thats me.i do like to see that when somebody harvests something that the meat is consumed by someone excluding vermin of course.that would be my only pet peeve.
 
#25 ·
I'm with Ron on this one. Are you characters trying to tell me that my BIG BUCKS don't put meat on the table or that my hunts are not real hunts give me a break. Going out and slinging lead or pointed sticks at any brown fur bearer is far from hunting. Because of my hunting ability from time spent in the woods HUNTing I can harvest enough deer to feed a family of 10 for a whole year in less than a week of evenings. I did not learn how to do that by shooting anything that came by but by observation of what I let walk by. I am a trophy hunter and very proud of it.:yes:
 
#28 · (Edited)
And the bad eggs in those groups get punished too, With much greater punishments too. and FYI

I'm a Trophy hunter too but to me a trophy isn't just big bucks! Get a clue!
 
#31 ·
I wish they had never created the term trophy hunter! Whats wrong with simply deer hunter. A trophy is simply what one wishes it to be or makes it. The differences is really goals and time effort put out to meet those goals. While not a horn hunter per say, my abilities are equal to the experience and efforts I've put forth over the years. The degree to what one sets and accomplishes those goals separates us as individuals and hunters.
 
G
#36 ·
i will say this bb i agree with your thoughts on the illegal activity that went on in the link you posted, but you failed to rail against the hunter that knowingly kill a buck without a buck tag. and yea thats the place i went. had anything like this happened prior to my hunt it sure wouldn't have been with him. but that still wasn't the point of your first post. that was divisive pure and simple.
 
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