[oldsparky]

I used to hunt with family and some friends that are gone. I did focus on killing game. But today I think about times hunting with them when I didnt have a tag. I was just the bird dog. I would give anything to be with them in the field once more as the bird dog. So I guess for me it's the hunt and memories made.

 

[Bigchiefchoctaw]

Brother Steve,
Congrats all the way around. Nice work.

Now my take on the question posed...

As we age, I think our perspectives change also. As a young man, it was all about the 'taking" of game. As I grew older, it became about the adventure. And even now, it has changed again.
It's about introducing the next generation, and the next to the joys of hunting, and its comraderies. It's about seeing young faces beaming over the antlers of a buck, or of the slick head of a Doe, for that matter.
It's about sharing a cup of coffee in a freezing blind, waiting on that first morning gobble and watching the sun as it sneaks up over the ridge, and painted streaks of sunlight on the forest floor.
It's about cold crisp morning air.
It's about a million things all rolled into what we call "The Hunt", the adventure of it all.
Go find your place in this adventure! Make memories. Share them with loved ones and friends.
And Thank God for the ability to enjoy it all.

I agree completely I have changed the way you described also

 

[rt2bowhunter]

Congrats on a great start to the year.

The hunt or the kill WOW now thats a tough one for me.

I enjoy every second of the chase. But man when it all comes together and you see that nock hit behind the shoulder and watch the mule kick then you walk up on those horns. That feeling i just can't put into words. I choose all of the above .

 

[Huntersthompson]

 

[Huntersthompson]

All the above.

 

[weekender77]

Off to a blazing start, CONGRATS X2.

 

[GregoryAK4]

Great question & awesome pics Steve. You know I’ve got the EdgeTacs ready to go on 22” Zombies. Really want to see the damage they do first hand. At 321 ft/s they should hit with authority.
With my health in the crapper & getting worse as I age, it’s all about being in the woods & enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. Tagging out is a bonus. I have passed on several nice bucks over the years. Just because I wasn’t up to the task afterwards.
Heck, I can’t even track a deer anymore. I have a friend that drops everything to do all the work & that’s a real friend!

Greg

 

[Gabowman]

Well, I do ALOT more hunting than I do killin' but I still enjoy the kill too. Heck, I even enjoy prepping the land getting ready to hunt.

 

[Huntersthompson]

I came to hunting as an adult. Learn as i went. Much better shot than a hunter. I kill what i shoot at but lost many opportunities due to mistakes.

 

[Gwn001]

YES!

 

[hookedonbow]

I enjoy the hunt/chase and as i age, have often let many walk. The work begins after the kill

 

[robertyb]

I hunt because I love to hunt. That is why ever since I retired in 2007 I hunted almost every day of bow and gun season but limited myself to 2 deer per season unless I was asked to kill one for a friend. I would go out day after day and sit on stand knowing I might see dozens of deer but probably would not even pick up my gun or bow and point it at one of them. Just being out in God's creation and watching the sun rise in the morning makes me a happy man. A kill is just the way I put food on the table unless it is a Coyote and I do love shooting them. So far this season I have only hunted 6 times and only have seen 2 does and no bucks, 1 coyote I did shoot and a Bobcat that walked on by me. I finally realized that I can no longer go it alone safely so I am cutting back to only hunting when someone is out with me. I am officially an old man now I guess. But I still love being out there as much as I ever have. I consider the hunt more enjoyable than the kill.

 

[Regohio]

I hunt because I love to hunt. That is why ever since I retired in 2007 I hunted almost every day of bow and gun season but limited myself to 2 deer per season unless I was asked to kill one for a friend. I would go out day after day and sit on stand knowing I might see dozens of deer but probably would not even pick up my gun or bow and point it at one of them. Just being out in God's creation and watching the sun rise in the morning makes me a happy man. A kill is just the way I put food on the table unless it is a Coyote and I do love shooting them. So far this season I have only hunted 6 times and only have seen 2 does and no bucks, 1 coyote I did shoot and a Bobcat that walked on by me. I finally realized that I can no longer go it alone safely so I am cutting back to only hunting when someone is out with me. I am officially an old man now I guess. But I still love being out there as much as I ever have. I consider the hunt more enjoyable than the kill.

Totally agree Robert…when i was Young my buddies and I were Deer Slayers…if i didnt tag 6 or more deer a season it was a bad year. I have a couple wooden boxes full of Deer Horns and lots of Mounts. Now if im able to shoot a couple nice bucks a year hunting 3 or 4 States im more than happy. But yes enjoying the hunt itself actually made it way more fullfilling than filling the truck bed every weekend ever was 🤷‍♂️

 

[oldsparky]

It sure is neat hearing you guys talk about being able to kill multiple deer. I haven't been drawn for rifle deer in three years. And I am not putting in for a coveted area. I have never considered a guided hunt. But I start thinking I need to look into hunting in another state. I think Im in ok health but you never know. At 64 will I have many more opportunities. sure sounds fun

 

[robertyb]

It sure is neat hearing you guys talk about being able to kill multiple deer. I haven't been drawn for rifle deer in three years. And I am not putting in for a coveted area. I have never considered a guided hunt. But I start thinking I need to look into hunting in another state. I think Im in ok health but you never know. At 64 will I have many more opportunities. sure sounds fun

I live in GA and we are allowed 10 does and 2 bucks a year. I don't know many hunters that have shot a limit but I am sure some probably do.

 

[IronNoggin]

I will pass up many potentials shots in any given season - in order to stretch that season out for as long as possible.
That said, if the right buck comes along, all of that flies out the window - there's always another tag.

In the 55 years I have been hunting, there has only been one I did not take critters home.
Hoping that trend stays that way for a long time to come!

Cheers & Congrats on your early harvest!

 

[Regohio]

I will pass up many potentials shots in any given season - in order to stretch that season out for as long as possible.
That said, if the right buck comes along, all of that flies out the window - there's always another tag.

In the 55 years I have been hunting, there has only been one I did not take critters home.
Hoping that trend stays that way for a long time to come!

Cheers & Congrats on your early harvest!

Totally agree Noggin after 50 Deer Seasons i only had 2 years without a Buck they were both Military Deployments for Desert Storm and after where i missed the season But as i get older i talk myself out of alot of shots. A couple deer a year is plenty

 

[Rocky1]

Definitely more about the hunt on my end. Very fussy about what I shoot in my old age, let the little ones grow, catch a lot of flack about bird watching, but then I catch a lot of flack about being a lucky SOB too, because I always shoot nicer bucks. HELLO... If you quit shooting the little ones, they all get nicer in time, be fussy and let the little guys walk.

I feed year round, put out mineral blocks to promote horn growth, live a mile off the Suwannee River in north Florida with lots of management land there. Yes, I have some bigger bucks available because of that, but I also have my stand in my backyard and spend a lot of time in it. Like days on end sitting out there staring at nothing.

Most fun I have in the stand however, is sitting out there on a full moon nights, just watching nature. Especially cool during the rut, when the bucks are butting heads. Watched a couple go at it week before last for over an hour, one pushed the other all over the feed plot, off into the woods, back out of the woods, and across the feedplot again. It's amazing at times.

 

[vortex nation]

Excellent season so far. I'm chomping at the bits for my deer season to start in October. Hybrid x is dialed in and ready.

2024 season was a disaster but I won't dwell on the past. Lol

 

[Norski]

With deer populations growing in some areas, the feelings between the "Hunt" vs "Kill" feeling becomes more distinct.
SW PA offers "Hunting" tags for 1 buck (3 tines up not counting the brow tine) and quite a few doe tags, depending on your application and drawing dates.
The "Kill" tags are agricultural tags. As far as the farmer's feeling who's loosing crops go, it's brown and down with "Kill" tags provided thru PGC. "Earning" the right to "Hunt" some areas comes with the obligation to "Kill" at other times times. "Killing" helps farmers and puts a lot of protein in food banks, but it definitely feels more like work. For me, there is very little "Hunting" enjoyment putting an antlerless deer down out to 200 yards with a 6.5 creedmoor other than the handshake from someone earning a living off the land.
As I type this I'm watching a nice doe walk between the neighbors 2 cars that are about 3 feel apart and only 15-20 feet from their house. I had to grin at my first thought, the 505 would put blood right thru his radiator or garage door lol
.