Question for the good luck hunters

[Wayne D Davis]

I also was fortunate to score with a young buck first. Then after several doe the bucks got better. Been a quiet a few seasons waiting for the mutual of Omaha buck to arrive. I'm now over due. Come on September

 

[formula1]

Shot my first buck in '72 on a dog hunt. It was an 8 pointer. I thought it was a giant. All it did was make me want to learn more and more about deer and get better at whitetail hunting.

Today, I've sort of mastered the craft ( if that is really possible). I tend to shoot only bigger bucks these days and does for meat. I don't shoot too many and will admit the more big ones I shoot, the less I want to shoot the younger ones. I'm not really talking about antler size, but I'm just more into matching wits with the older mature bucks in a given area. I just love to put in the work and figure them out. It's just as fun to me to take a 100" buck in an area where that's considered big as a 170" in a big buck area. The best thing of all is when I'm too old to do this, I have 9 reminders on the wall and the memories I will cherish.

The Lord gave me a really special gift in hunting! And for me it is a reminder that as great as it has been to this point, it's great to remind myself that His love for me is so much more wonderful! Hope that means something to someone out there!

 

[Mr Bya Lungshot]

If anyone took this as me hating, it is totally not that!!! I am glad it took me a couple years to kill a goodun, as I stated I feel the work, effort, and hours on stand made it sweeter. I was not asking how to kill big buck lol. I also don’t agree that you have to have prime land. The 3 biggest deer I have seen while hunting were all on public land, luck, skill, and knowledge. That biggest buck was on Bartram Forest Wma. The side they sold, that backs up to the mud bogging place. As I said you see some 8 year kill a monster on tv and wonder if that is a detriment, also I have a family member who hunted prime land and his first deer was a nice 9 point, his second deer was a nice big 8 point. He no longer has interest in hunting, I was wondering if this is just him or everyone. I am by no means attacking anyone!!!!

I agree and should have said it this way as you did.
On a side note the shows on tv are not typical.
You’ll always hear me say “GoodLuck” just before we separate to hunt!

 

[BeerThirty]

I was 31 before I shot what I would consider a halfway decent buck by my standards (pic below). So in my 19-yrs of hunting prior to this, I've shot my share of forks and smaller basket racks just to fill the freezer. I always had the drive to shoot something bigger. When I shot this one, I was excited like it was a trophy buck as it's likely going to be the biggest one I ever shoot since they are so rare. But, even after this one, I still have the drive to shoot a bigger one.

However, as I've said in other posts, my goals have evolved over the years. When I first started as a wee lad, all I wanted to shoot was a monster buck. As I've aged, hunting is becoming more about enjoying nature and the camaraderie at deer camp. And now that my oldest son is hunting with me, I'm totally engulfed with that, so I really could care less if I shoot a deer these days. It's really just a bonus.

 

[MikeyD6]

CrossCentered there is some truth to that for certain people, depending on what their goals are. For someone who doesn't particularly enjoy hunting but wants a mount to hang over the fireplace, I can see them losing interest once they pop a good one.

I consider myself pretty lucky, I got a 12 point bruiser this last season on public land after hunting for only 3 years. Odds are fair to good I'll never get another one that big in my lifetime. But I can't wait to get back out there this year because I love hunting so much. If anything I want to get out there even more because now I know it's possible. I may be more selective in what I shoot but I want to get out there all the same.