Every hunter has his or her thoughts on what a shooter deer is depending on experience, how many deer they've taken, and what they hunt for...I like to believe people mature as hunters and aren't like Jo Jo the circus clown when they see any deer and just want to shoot it because they see it or have a tag for it.
Ive been blessed to take lots of deer, and ten big bucks all in MA and CT. Thats a little guy. I let him walk and if I want meat, i shoot a doe if legal, and there are a lot of deer in the area.
In my area of CT, there are lots of deer so I take 2 does for my table. Essentially taking those two does, represents a possibility of taking 6 does out of the herd for next year, so on and so forth. So I'm careful not to over hunt my areas as they are small and there are other people around hunting too.
If you had asked me 30 years ago when I started bowhunting and only shot recurves only, absolutely i would have shot that deer. I think there is a cycle every serious hunter runs through, serious meaning a hunter that hunts all seasons, nearly all fall.
They seek out better spots as not to waste time, and in the process kill a bunch of deer usually.
Those guys like me then sit back and look at ten big bucks on the wall and either start going for elk, bear, or other game, or just sit back and relax and enjoy. I was at that point a few years ago....having deer under me was just not a big deal, i thought about time Im missing with my family (if my son wasn't hunting with me, also money I was spending that should be going to their college funds, and retirement savings) Serious hunting costs add up over time and use a lot of time.
I'm relaxing right now....though I'd love the thought of going out west, family commitments and the silly cost of tags, and the hunt has me thinking otherwise. If in my retirement, I have money to waste, I will go on those hunts, if not, then its no big deal. But I have other things I want to do with my time and money. Trophies are dust collectors, and I buy half a cow and feed my family for 6 months, for 1/3 the cost of many western tags nowadays. That's my thinking anyways.....I'm not selfish enough to blow that kinda money on a head on a wall anymore.
That said, I seek out hunts that are in states where I can visit family, find a place near there where the deer are thick, or arrange a hunt with my son, like the florida boar hunt we will go on this coming spring. Its all based on family stuff now, hunting is secondary.
And I'll hunt NH to take the rifles for a walk on Sunday, and sometimes MA if I feel like it...but there I'm spending very little money, so its not a big deal. I dont put a lot of effort and money into it, so I expect very little reward.
seen to my house.
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