Does anyone miss the old days n feel the newer ways are hurting our kids n their growth both in personality and as hunters? The days of sitting behind a haybale w binoculars n glassing distant growing bucks to me were/are a big part of hunting. How bout finding the deer instead of bringing them to us? Sharpening knives n broadheads. Reading maps n using compasses. Practicing til our shoulders hurt n our fingers were calloused? The newer generation has it easier n maybe that's good, but is it? Do they grow if they rely on ozonics instead of wind direction? Do they learn deer's natural behavior if all they do is bait? Is it ok to miss like it once was. Now we need to shoot in our effective range but many guys shoot to 50 n beyond, myself included but never at game. My point is kids n newbies. How do we teach them we sometimes fail n to overcome the issues that caused it? Do they honestly appreciate a first deer if it's only a fawn and show the whole neighborhood like we once did? Imo learning to hunt not just shoot deer is a skill earned. It'll never be forgotten and it'll help hunter retention. The days of sharpening broadheads n knives than checking them on a forearm are no longer the norm n I for one don't think its good. This btw is a dis on no one
I get what you are saying. I still do things the way I was taught by my Dad. I use a compass and still use maps in areas I'm not familiar with. Our boys are still young. We work on the basics. I believe times are what has changed along with instant gratification. My wife and I are doing our best to teach our boys the right way.
Of course we used to have to hang out at the shooting range to talk hunting with a bunch of bowhunters too. I still sharpen all my knives & broadheads. Just because the tools/gadgets are there, doesn't mean they have to be used.
Then it's our job as parents to instill patience, perseverance, woodsmanship and work ethic to our children.
I've bowhunted pretty much the same way since I started 24 years ago. I guess I don't really care what other people do?
Sharpen broadheads and knives???????????? Don't you just throw them away when they aren't sharp anymore? Man. You must be older than dirt!!!!!!!! Yes. I too miss "the good old days" but there is no going back. Being in the woods and getting the next generation out there is a very good thing. Life does go on and finding the "new normal" for today is the challenge. There has to be a balance. My wife and I pushed our kids out the door and told them to go play but they were the odd ones in their classes at school, even though we live in a rural area. Urbanity in all of it's false shininess has taken over this next generation especially with the need for instant gratification. I have taken all four of my children hunting and have them all shoot with me in the back yard, rifle, pistol and bow. Fortunately one of my boys still loves to hunt with me and one of my daughters enjoys shooting her bow at the targets in the back yard. The times they are a changin' and I hope that my grandchildren will be able to appreciate the outdoors experiences as much as I have and still do.
When I first started bow hunting trail cams were just starting to get popular and I didn't have one. It was a lot of fun scouting fresh sign and setting up while having no idea what might walk through. When I started hunting you also weren't allowed to bait with corn and other baits. Now it seems like kids just throw out a corn pile, set up 4 cams for every angle and pick a deer. I'm not against baiting, and lord knows I like whacking slick heads over a late season corn pile, but it seems like the anticipation and surprise is gone.
I recently watched a hunting show and a little kid, maybe like 12 or 14 or so was hunting and he passed like 4 trophy bucks. Talkin like "oh I'm going to give him a year". Ok buddy. He's got a $1,000 bow and another grand worth of camo on. I know it's a show but still. That kid probably doesn't even know how to get to his stand if he wasn't driven there.
Part of our business is a broadhead sharpening line of products. Trust me. LOTS of bowhunters sharpen their heads and dont just throw away dull blades and by sharp ones. We make it cost effective and easy so bowhunters are saving money and doing it themselves. I dont agree with much of the original post. The sportsmen in the circles I travel are DIY guys that maintain all the skill sets of bowhunters and their kids do as well.
Hunting is far from the most important area where kids have everything handed to them, BUT, my old man probably said the same thing......
Im teaching my kids the same way i learned to hunt patience you may not have gotten a deer this year but there's always next year, and scouting is always your best intell on an area, and practice makes you have a better chance of a good kill
I myself couldn't see spending 300+ on something like the ozonics... As for the original post.. I do believe it's how hunting is represented, by those closes to us. I personally have the greatest dad in the world (no offense to anyone). When i was twelve i had already been shooting a bow since i could pull one back, i had to be able to put three arrows with broadheads into a paper plate at 30 yards before i could go bowhunting. We then did some preseason scouting and when we found a good spot with trails running through an area. He walked me to the tree that first day and left me there by myself. I missed two deer the first two days, and i seriously think that was the coolest experience in the world. I've never shook so hard in my life when that first doe came walking down the trail......
I wish people did not base their opinion of hunting on what they see TV hunters do, thing is people these days seem to lack critical thinking and do not realize what they watch is edited, produced and manipulated. You see exactly what the TV hunter wants you to see not necessarily what actually occurred.
Exactly right. I don't even have TV cause I can't stand all the liberal slanted garbage on there plus even in shows such as hunt shows its all put together as marketing
Wasnt referring to circles, referring to the masses. My kids, friends etc are dif than some. Maybe you're in a closed circle but saying you can't see what I originally posted I'll ask you this if what I said is true would that be detrimental to the sport n our kids?
The circles of bowhunters I encounter in my regular life and as I travel are pretty big based on the bowhunting line of work I am in. Im exposed to bowhunters of all ages. When I say circles I am talking about the masses which is why I reject your assertion out of hand. If what you assert were true (and I contend it is not) I would say no, its not at all detrimental and not by any stretch of the imagination. Since bowhunting began, bowhunters have sought a better way, a fast way, a more efficient way, a more enjoyable way (we each determine what that means to us). As such, we have developed tips, trick, hack, methods and ways to do things that save time or money or raise our enjoyment level. Fred bear did it and so did every other pioneer in the sport. Bowhunting have never remained stagnant, its always evolving but the base and its soul has never changed.
Mine did. I've always been aggravated by "progressive" action, but it's necessary to some aspects. If I have the time, I'm gonna fling an arrow from a natural blind on a scrape line or some other natural attractor with a longbow and cedar arrows tipped with Zwickey's. This year, I'm using modern stuff due to time constraints, convenience and efficiency.
Crossbows bypass evolution of archery and eliminate the development of the skill set needed to be a successful bow hunter. Can't draw and hold get a crossbow, can't get deer within bow range get a crossbow, don't have the time or patience to be an accurate archer get a cross bow, young hunter unable to draw the required weight, well that is unfair that a kid has to work hard and earn it, get a cross bow.
