Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Serious Deer Talk Forum Where are you in your "hunting career?"

I have hunted deer since I was 4 years old. Ever since then, I've been through stages in my hunting career that have gradually matured over time. I often wonder how other people mature compared to myself, but I think that would depend of a myriad of factors. I am now in my mid 30s. I have been fortunate enough to harvest plenty of mature bucks and does, some does can be just as tough to hunt as mature bucks. I've rattled and grunted in numerous bucks and does. Hunted a dog club. I've so far taken 2 boys hunting and had them kill their first deer on my watch. I'm sure there's a lot I am not saying. Now I find myself spending more time hunting public land rather than my own club or family land just for the challenge of it. I'm constantly trying to find that next chapter. Lately, I'm more apt to put someone else on a deer than myself. It pleases me more seeing someone else get a deer than me. I also have shot the antler off a 120" 8pt, accidentally centered a doe in the forehead with a muzzy broadhead(she was standing broadside so go figure), which I have mounted on the wall. I am managing land for deer. Of course I owe all of this to my recently passed Father and a looney old fart in Selma named Johnny Hale. (I'm sure Johnny would be proud of me to say that). Without my father taking me and Johnny helping to provide the location, I don't know how I would be living my life today. I couldn't imagine hunting whitetails not being a part of it. My uncle is a taxidermist, a lot of my family are born again, dedicated hunters, my very existence seems to be centered around family and our obsession. I have no doubt my 3 year old daughter will be a hunter. She already loves to fish.

I know folks come into hunting at different ages, and different stages of their lives. They have different priorities and evolve as hunters differently than others. I often hear folks say that hunters evolve from shooting everything to shooting almost nothing. Well, that ain't me. I love my backstraps and if I don't have any in the freezer I'm one ill SOB. In other words I'm still a meat hunter.

I know some folks to just give up hunting deer because they get plain bored with it. I don't think I could do that. It is in my blood and always will be. Every season I learn something new about a deer.

Sorry for the long spill but anyway back to my question, where are you as a hunter? What are your goals as a hunter? How did you begin your hunting career?

I've never been one to kill a deer just to kill one. I like seeing deer and I like planting for deer. I don't really know how that could change as I get older.

I began deer hunting I am told when I was a little over 2 years old. In other words I can't remember when I started hunting deer since it was before my first memories. I dog hunted till I was a Young teenager. My family and others we hunted with them started a still hunting club and we dog hunted some on Container permit land. In my mid 20's I started hunting still hunting only and joining hunting clubs. I became way more selective over time and now I rarely pull the trigger on a deer unless it is a mature Buck which don't come by me on average about once every 3 years. I let my son shoot a doe for Us to
Have some meat every season. I have been hunting on 1500 acres Me and 4 more people hunt on for the last 10 years and Me, Father in Law, and My Son hunt 150 acres together. The land I hunt is 5 minutes and 10 minutes from My house and I would much rather hunt there and have time to spend with my Wife and Son than having to stay gone for the Weekend.

There are supposedly 5 stages of deer hunting. I think that's bout right, however there are combinations of some IMO.

Some folks hunt a lifetime and never progress past the numbers level. I know a feller that may have spent more time deer hunting Jackson Co than anyone else. He may kill a 130 class 8 pt today and spike and a 4 pt tomorrow. He's only killed a few really high scoring, mature bucks, . Had he become super selective 30 years ago , he'd prolly have his own outdoor network.

http://www.wideopenspaces.com/sportsmans-5-stages-hunting-one-infographic/


I guess I'm at #6 , a combination of 3,4 and 5, with the majority being want to shoot the biggest, oldest, smartest buck in the woods. Mostly, if I like it, I shoot it.

Use to I didn't miss many available days to deer hunt, but as I get older it just isn't as much of an enjoyment. I think I went 4 times last year. The intent is to go more this year, but that is to be seen. Too many of my old deer hunting friends have either died or quit hunting.

ive been deer hunting for 50 years and have killed a ton of deer. I once enjoyed the killing but over the years I enjoy the hunt and the outdoors and not so much killing deer. On my property I see deer on every hunt and sometimes some really nice bucks but I rarely shoot any. I just like to set in a shoot house or stand and watch the sun come up over a green field and animals running around. My enjoyment has become the outdoors. This is really heaven but somehow we people have managed to screw it all up.

I've been a "shoot-em-up" guy and a "trophy" guy (though not very successfully at trophy). Last year or 2, I've hunted when I could, not put too much pressure on myself and enjoyed it as much as I ever have.
My places to hunt aren't that great and my time is kind of limited. I try to kill a doe and a buck a season. Didn't get a buck last year. Put pressure on myself last 6 weeks of the season to the point I was glad when it was over. That kind of got me away from the goal of just enjoying the ride.

i'm way on the down side at age 66, and shaky health. i just like a good excuse to sit outside, away from "stuff."

I started small game hunting as a young kid with other family members and transitioned to deer hunting around age 12. I grew up hunting with more than just Dad. I�ve shared hunting camp with everyone from cousins, to grandma, to great-aunt. Hunting was an ingrained part of life for the whole family.

These days I�m about like anyone else when they reach middle age. I'm 37 now. I still enjoy deer hunting but I don�t feel the need to torture myself anymore to the point that it�s a grueling test of will power. I don�t care as much about getting up at 3 or 4 in the morning and sitting in the freezing arse cold for hours on end just to put another rack on the wall.

I find much more enjoyment in other aspects of hunting these days. I really enjoy habitat management and blood tracking with my dogs. I have recently added trapping to that list of other aspects that I enjoy. When my boys get a little older, I�d like to start working with one of the big landowners or plantations in the area doing the whole nine yards��deer management, habitat management, food plot management, hunter management, blood tracking, trapping, etc�..

I have been deer hunting since I was twelve years old, I am 53 now and I still get excited about deer Season! For me, it's about being outdoors in the peace and quiet. If I see deer, great! If I don't, that's OK too!

I'm almost 43. I've killed few nice bucks but now I'd rather see others kill them. I'm more into the property management now.

I've killed a few good deer. I deer hunted a grand total of nine mornings last season. Spent twice that helping kids, veterans and others kill their first/best deer. Enjoy being in a tree watching the world wake up. Get in the stand an hour or two before sunrise sometimes, listen to nature and talk with Lord. Also enjoy being a camp cook. I've been blessed to have a place to do this all my life and give thanks daily for it.

Although I grew up in the outdoors, I never did any hunting until I was about 35. This will be my eleventh year at it. As long as I can put two in the freezer every year I'm good. I'm not as trigger happy anymore, but I'm still looking to kill my first eight point. Until last year, my only option was a small tract of private land that was very hard to hunt. I might have seen a deer every fourth hunt or so. That all changed last year when I gained access to new land. Very optimistic this coming season.

I've only hunted for 3 (really more like 2.2) seasons, and last season was really the first season I felt like I kind of knew what I was doing. I started constantly seeing more deer. I'm 26.

I've never had a shot at buck, yet. I'd love to kill a big one, but I have enjoyed taking 1 or 2 does and spending the rest of the season watching and learning.

Understatement.

I don't know how to answer this question. I like to hunt and kill deer. Always have, and pray I always will. I generally pass on smaller deer except when I don't want to.

I like to hunt and kill animals, whatever I'm hunting.

Sometimes I choose to be very selective and pass up shots. Other times, I want something in my pot and if it's a small buck or doe or hen mallard or whatever, so be it. I have chosen the last several years to not shoot does because I didn't believe it was good for where I hunted at the time. When I hunt with someone else on their property, I abide by their rules and appreciate the opportunity.

I don't only choose to shoot giant monsterwallbangerhanger bucks and truly don't give two chits what you want to hunt and shoot or how you do it, with a rifle or bow or crossbow or trad bow or handgun or muzzleloader. Doesn't matter as long as you're hunting legally and ethically.

I don't go to listen to birds or "watch creation wake up" or see game animals but then let them go. Seeing all of that is cool but that's not my main objective when I'm hunting. If I want to be a hiker or bird-watcher then I'll do it some other time. I enjoy all of it: scouting, trying to figure them out, choosing what I want to hunt-shoot-pass, cleaning, cooking, eating.

I like to hunt and kill animals. Hopefully I'll always be that way.

I hunted a little with my uncle's growing up but never killed a deer. Took it up seriously about 20 years ago and killed a small 6 point my first year. Decided then I was only going to kill deer over 120". Killed several over the next few years and then decided to start letting the 3.5 year old 120's walk. I made it way too much like work and took the fun out of hunting by being so serious about what I killed and worrying about what others were killing on property I hunted. I then went through a period where I didn't get to hunt much at all and my options on places to go was very limited. When I got back into it I decided to just have fun and enjoy the time I got to go. I still am pretty selective (either 4.5 or 120") but if I don't pull the trigger some years I'm ok with that and I love seeing my friends and family take any deer regardless of size. I guess I never really went through the normal stages that most hunters go through but I enjoy bow season and when the big boys get to cruising as much now as I did when I first started hunting.

I'm at the point that if you gave me a tractor in the offseason and then put me in the kitchen as the camp cook during the season, I'd be a happy man. I love the comraderie of a camp and enjoy seeing others getting the deer.

I'm at the point that I love being out there and watching them, but killing just doesn't mean as much as it used to. I'm content to film them now for the most part and look for the one in a lifetime. Both bucks I killed last year were old, 5 1/2+ with less than ideal racks. I filmed much better racked bucks and let them walk.

Now, if I was still able to use a climber, I'd still be bow hunting hard. That was the most fun I had in my "hunting career".

Like many I went through the stages. I started off killing every buck I could, then I became a little more selective. then I started bow hunting and using a muzzleloader on occasion. Now I'm in the "true sportsman" phase, as I've heard it called, of just enjoying the experience and getting more joy from taking a kid hunting and them killing a deer that anything.

From my reading, this is a pretty common progression in a "hunting career".