All across hunting media we see plot and wait hunters using food plots to construct deer habitat and then harvest that habitat.There are few that still practice the tradition of camping deep and hunting deeper. However, I hear these stories less and less. *Not many are spending months scouting maps and tracking land looking for sign, counting droppings or finding funnels on large pieces *of land. What we see is how to plant a plot or grow a habitat. A large amount of hunting media focuses on the skills of building a *habitat. Do we still know how to go find it? The level of challenge and time required to hunt in this manner certainly deters many plot and wait hunters. Personally, I’m excited by the challenge this type of hunting offers. I find it more exciting to challenge nature in her home court instead of mine. *Don't get me wrong, when I become too old to conquer the forest ravines *I will buy my little piece of ground and create a purposefully-built areas and slay deer there. *In the mean time, I’ll stick to the challenging style of hunting on public ground *in deep woods. Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
All has to do with the fact that the vast majority of people who hunt don't have access (outside of public) to property's larger than like 200 acres. Shoot the largest piece of ground I have access to is like 75 with majority being fields. Changing slowly which is to be expected...the beauty of hunting is the incredibly vast options and styles one has. A food plot/habitat designer would be "behind" a step going to a HUGE chunk of land...and vice versa a HUGE land hunter might be lost how to tackle a specific 40 acre clump of ground.
I agree both would have a learning curve, but the big woods hunter would definitely get the hang of bringing the deer in faster than a plot hunter could adapt to finding them. Most states have 1,000's of acres of land to hunt it's not the land being taken away is the hunters are getting lazy and new hunters have no clue because there's no one to teach them. Again I'm not saying none or never just saying it's fading away and those of us that still do have to A) figure it out on our own or B) have our own land to mimic what we see on tv. Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
I think that's grossly oversimplifying and not fair to a lot of hunters. Many "plotters" are into plots for more reasons than just shooting deer. Your take on "plot and shoot" hunters is kind of short sighted and offensive to be honest. Guys like me will be hearing from you for advice on how to grow the best plots whenever you retire from jumping creeks and stalking hollows. Or you'll be asking permission or sitting on a fence line trying to hunt plot managed deer and benefit from a neighbors plots.
Its a different age. There are a lot of demands for our time. I'd love to take a week or more and get deep into the woods. living off the land and hunting. It would be a great time and experience. It is also something that for most people would be a bucket list event or something they could accomplish maybe every few years. what we see on TV is what makes for good TV. The kill. Not somebody in the woods for a week probably more likely to leave empty handed.
Maybe you're right and maybe I'll ask farmers on planting crops and other plant growing advice. I didn’t mean to over simplify it - and I welcome the discussion. *All hunting styles are hard and take work (Especially compared to the check-out line at Kroger). Partly what I am getting at is that shows like BowHut or Die feature more and more *plot hunted deer watched by cameras and stalked from trees. They aren't showing the other sides of hunting that the vast majority of hunters go through. I would like to see more focus on other hunting styles. We find enjoyment from shows like survivor man and survivor so why wouldn't we enjoy watching someone struggle and maybe even fail, but to come back and succeed. We watch elk hunters do it all the time on YouTube or the occasional episode of your favorite show. It might be different farther out west. *Mix a little elk hunting with seasonal scouting a climber or 2 and some whitetail. one day I will be a plot land hunter and what I learn now about their natural habitat will only make me a better habit creator. Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Lol yeah it seems to be a format thing. They aren't there til i post it Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Guess I'm the weirdo but the guys at BHOD represent my hunting style exactly (sans goggles) only thing I would like see is climbers being utilized more
I personally have not set foot on private land in 13 years. I hunt one tract here in North Carolina that is 51,000 acres and I hunt one tract in North Carolina that is 510,000 acres. Both of them I Hammock camp and bow hunt on. Everyone is different but I enjoy hiking and scouting and camping year round and finding where the deer will be naturally. Sitting on a field or food plot does not interest me at all. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A food plot is not like a corn pile.. you are giving them another food source they may or may not choose over the food source they already have ie hay fields, farm crops, acorns ect. No matter where or how you hunt, you are most likely hunting a food source.. Chances are you wont draw deer far from where they already are and you wont draw them where they dont want to be.
The problem is that if I only have 2 weeks a year it's a big gamble to go deep in the woods and there's a good chance I'll find you there first!
Seems like all hunters are dying. Maybe it is just me, but I am starting to see less people hunting in general.
Lol. That's why this becomes a life style we pass on. It's not the killing that we are giving the children. It's the chase. Learning to recognize the sign, and to read a map or to turn a field to a crop and where to put the rubbing post. The respect we learn to give to nature through time and hardships and lessons learned the hard way. I'm not saying one way is better than the other just that one way gets more attention than the other. Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
Lol, good luck hunting my place without being able to recognize sign, read a map or knowing basic and advanced hunting skills. The food plots would be damn convenient as long as you're using spotlights or night vision. Otherwise you better be able to actually hunt and think on your feet or you'll burn your KS tag on air or a stupid young deer. Plot hunting gets more attention because it's more fun to many people. You may enjoy the challenge and adventure of public land and big woods but plotters enjoy the experience of growing crops, getting back to agriculture, making hard work pay off and benefiting a broad spectrum of wildlife far beyond what they are hunting. You can talk to a lot of plotters and probably 99% of them will tell you they just enjoy the experience of growing plots and the enhancement it brings to the overall hunting experience. The difference is it seems you are speaking from your butt of an experience that you have not even been a part of whereas I've been a part of both sides of this subject. Not everyone is going to enjoy the challenges that come with trying to grow stuff but the reason plotting is popular is because it's fun and not just because it's "easy" deer hunting. To each their own but if I had a dollar for every braggadocios deer hunter I've seen go from puff chested he men public land hunters to buying their own land and doing food plots, I'd be able to retire from farming and do nothing but hunt (not that I would).
It would seem you aren't actually reading the post and think that I'm attacking someone for the way they hunt. I'm not. There's a large number of hunters that hunt public that aren't represented on hunting media. Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk