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

It used to be all about the number for me back when I was in my teens and 20's so I could tell somebody I killed that weekend or whatever. Didn't matter size. Now, I just want to see my kids kill a deer and I want to kill for meat. unless I'm a guest with rules or place that management prohibits it, I won't pass up a 3 year old buck. Probably ever.

Dr. B

I haven't killed over two bucks in a year in about 6 yrs. If I can get the one I'm after it's a great year. I put more time in putting my dad "73" and daughter "15" on deer and love watching them beside themselves with a nice deer. I've watched my dad kill his 3 best bucks in the last 2 yrs and it was as good as taking any of the ones hanging on my wall. I'm not sure what stage I'm in... The day after killing the one I'm after I'll start obsessing about who's next.

You and I would either get along great or fight over the tractor and kitchen.
I'm at the same place now. Much rather see the others kill deer. I've been very fortunate to have good places to hunt for many years and I've killed way more than my share of deer. I still hunt but only kill a couple each year to make my sausage. My main focus is making things good for my kids and the other members kids.

I'll be 57 when season opens this year. I still enjoy everything that makes up the hunt but have slowed down since when I started at the old age of 15. I'm more in to quality instead of quantity when it comes to shooting bucks. I still like to shoot 3 - 4 does to fill the freezer but even so, I try to shoot the older does. As I enter the PaPe stage of my life, I'm looking forward to sharing the woods with my grandkids and pass along the skills I learned to them.

I'm 24 and started when I was 8. Started out shooting as many as I could. Then started saying I ain't gonna shoot nothing but bucks this year. That would last a couple of weekends and then I'd get the itch to kill something. Killed a couple decent bucks .Then 2 tears ago I decided to not pull the trigger on anything but a wall hanger. Got lucky and got one at the end of this last season and killed a good one. I've decided from here on out killing anything that's not a basket rack. Don't see the need to kill any does where I hunt.

Im young (22) I enjoy killing deer but I don't shoot everyone i see. I go hunting every chance I get regardless of what the weather is like. I consider a hunt succesful if i see a deer Ive killed a few small bucks nothing worth hanging on a wall. I have 3 goals I am trying to achieve 1. kill a deer on public land 2. kill a deer with my bow. 3. kill a deer worth mounting.


also ill add My dad never hunted growing up everything i learned was from my grand pa and my uncle. 2 years ago i convinced my dad to start going with me and got him on his first deer (small doe) and now hes hooked

You're right, Top Cat! At some point I may. It's not that I don't like seeing sunrises, sunsets, birds, critters and such. I do. Love being out there. But that's not my main objective, at this point.

I used to feel like i had to kill something for a hunt to be successful. Nowadays, the pressure to kill isnt there. Since ive taken up bowhunting, i feel more in tune with whats going on around me in the woods and thats what i enjoy the most...

In the words of warren womack "I just love to watch that arrow fly"

Maybe when he has like 60 trophy mounts on the wall like you

I'm in the if it's brown it's down phase. Got the sticker on my truck. Some asshat had the nerve at a restraunt had the balls to ask me what it meant. Nosy sucker. I told him to suck off asking me stupid questions like that.

I like this answer.

I'm a hunter. Not a watcher. We go thru a bunch of meat around my house . So hunting and fishing ain't catch and release for me.

I'm 54. Done been thru the shoot everything phase, moved on to the trophy phase, now i just try to shoot representative 8ptrs for the area. Mostly shoot doe's with my bow. I have a grandson that i guide to a few deer a year.

I grew up working in a deer cooler for my uncle. My uncle took me on my first real hunt when I was 9.up until then I just chased birds and squirrels .I killed a doe with a 20 ga that other members of my family had killed their first deer with and it lit a fire in me that still burns hot in me today at 35 years of age. I love to bow hunt but I have an 3006 that I've had for 15 year's now. I've killed around 65 deer with it . It's honestly like hunting with an old friend. I feel like I'm cheating on my rifle if I take a different rifle, weird I know.
The Lord has blessed me with many mature bucks and giant hogs .I can't ever see my self losing the desire to hunt. It's a part of me . It helps to define who I am. I enjoy the time in a tree ,just me ,nature and and great conversation with my Lord and savior Jesus Christ! I enjoy camp too. One thing I've noticed through the years .I grew up hunting with different friend's. Several of them are either dead or in prison. When they quit hunting it marked the beginning of the end for them .
The Lord blessed me with a wife that never complaints about me hunting or fishing but I make for sure to be home when I'm home and spend plentyof time with my 2 daughter's and wife. I'm not sure what stage I'm at as a hunter but I'm a lot more likely to take a picture than I am to take a shot these days.

I am 26, and have killed my share of does and only one buck worth talking about. I just started bow hunting last year, and now its all I want to do. I think about deer hunting all year long, my wife always says, " Deer season is over, quit talking about it!"

To me, nothing compares to the thrill of deer hunting.

Yep, well said.

I have been hunting a long time and I am not nearly as mad at them as I once was. That is probably a good thing. I still sit in a ladder and watch the woods,but the hunting in South Ala. will never be what it was 20 years ago. Land use practices have changed that forever.

I mainly hunt for meat (does) but a nice rack works too. Once I have what I need the harvesting stops unless it is a huge rack. I enjoy watching them grow.

After Nam, I started back when i was 69, I just like the outdoors and its feels good to track & find the game,and watch them,sometimes on the wma, I get to see deer circle around a hunter ,at 74 the outdoors is still the way to relax & rest.