WOW you guys spend a lot of time "classifing" things !!! Im a hunter as is everyone else thats on this forum. chances are if your one of the guys on here daily talking about bows and deerhunting you fit in the same class as everyone else on here a hunter ! For a million different reasons one guy hunts more than the next or vise versa, were all still hunters that love the same thing. Not bashin anyone for their opinions or "definitions" but c'mon Hold on a second................... yep its bowhunting.com not philosophy.com
I would say Jeff has it down pretty well. I'm guilty of using the term, "Weekend Warrior" to describe people who aren't as serious about their hunting, but when I stop and think about it, it's not a entirely fair label. I'm fortunate enough to get out usually 6 days a week. I will not miss a day in the tree until I tag out as long as I'm not sacrificing my family/job obligations. I suppose that would put me around the avid bowhunter definition. Although I also agree that the obsessed hunter is not always the best hunter, I wouldn't classify myself as an obsessed bowhunter. There are plenty of you here whom I consider obsessed (or at least more intense than me). What I feel separates the avid bowhunter from the obsessed (often times and based off my experiences) is the person that NEVER quits preparation. It's a 365 day affair. There is no "season" to an obsessed hunter. While I find myself spending more time preparing and hunting, I still don't do it 365 days a year. I scout in the post season, but I don't shed hunt every chance I get. I will hang stands early (out of personal preference), and then I slack off a bit in the summer to enjoy some other things (although I'm still VERY much into shooting my bow year round and that never stops). I'm able to step away from this sport, even if it's only for a few months or weekends here and there. I don't yet have the DRIVE to push through every single free day that I have year round. That, to me, is the line between an obsessed and an avid bowhunter.
I decided I would respond before reading as I didn't want to sway my opinion. Casual bowhunter- This guy gets out 4 times in a 6 week season, enjoys shooting casually with friends in the summer months, and generally will not be surprised with a kill or a blankin for the year. This guy's success is affected by who he hunts with and where more than effort or time spent on his part. I don't look down on these guys, it's just not their main thing. They put their vacation days in for a day or two during rifle season. Weekend warrior- This guy hunts every weekend and slips out of work early two or three days a season. He thinks he has the desire to step it up a notch, but given extra time, he would burn out relatively easy. He has all the gear, but doesn't get to use it to it's full potential. He is just the next rung up the bowhunting chart. He knows more and puts more effort in, but he is much like his lesser counterpart in that his success lies in the hands of chance. He kills maybe every other or every third year. Avid bowhunter- This guy could hunt anywhere from 10 sits a season to everyday of the season. He puts his time in. He shoots year round. He may even get out shed hunting and scouting a few times. He puts some planning into his hunts and hangs a few traditionally successful stands in the summer. His success rate is higher due to his extra effort. He kills nearly every year, but its not always the wallhanger he desires. Obsessed bowhunter- Bowhunting is this guy's life. He doesn't just hunt every chance he gets, he makes his own chances happen. Food plots, new permissions, shed hunting, 3D, constant shooting and equiptment maintainance and upgrades. The first day of bowseason is Christmas to him. He's moving stands a week after the season is over. Every month of the year there is something to do geared towards the season. He kills by design, not by accident.
Mobow, I agree to a degree. Your definition might be applied to an exclusive "North American" bowhunter. In my experience, much of the world is without seasons of any sort and "hunting" can take place year round. Have bow, can travel (thanks Trev for pointing that out) I would say an obsessed bowhunter lives to hunt another day (a definitive number really doesn't matter). He thrives for efficiency. Everything he/she does is done for a reason after considerable analysis. When he shoots, for example, his shot is spot on-a quick clean kill is paramount. He is a conservationist as well as a preservationist. He takes the time to learn his prey inside and out and offers up the utmost respect for land, life, and leisure. He does his homework/practice...he is both the teacher and the student. He knows when to dismount his bow for a rifle to avoid waste. He loves "the" challenge-it is he who set the legal limits and boundries. I wish I had more time to dwell...
I have a general question to throw out to those who have defined a hunter into the categories of casual, weekend warrior, avid, or obsessed. I am going to use my situation as an example, as it is probably pretty common amongst those who may or may not frequent forums. All of what I post here is not for personal boasting, etc, cause I have a long way to go. Just posting this to enlighten and see how others feel about my situation. Does hunting over work and family time, which may or may not lead to a kill, necessarily constitute an obsessed or even avid bowhunter? If so, I guess the other 12 months I think about hunting, yet can't take time away since the crop is out there, makes me just a "casual" hunter. Does "casual" mean a blatant disregard to what I know about deer right now (which isn't much, but could be more than an "avid" guy who is out every weekend, and possibly a few times during the week) and how much time I am putting into scouting? This season I am putting in the "time", but I might only see the stand 5-6 times if I’m lucky. I consider myself a hunter. I am interested in learning about any prey I intend to hunt. I am trying to soak up as much information from these boards, as well as picking up books to help with this area. I am putting in more time scouting, shedding, locating possible stand sights, and learning about the property I hunt. I am okay with how people classify or define the spectrum of hunters. I would tend to agree with Dave, Jeff, Will, and a few others who place more than just time in the stand or number of kills you have with a bow into their definitions of what makes a hunter, a true avid, obsessed hunter. I know I lack deer knowledge, but what I do have is the drive to learn more, and even the fact I may only hunt with a bow on such a limited schedule doesn’t make that drive "in vain" in my eyes at all. But then again, I've been on stand ONCE, once with my bow, and I would consider myself far more than just a "casual" hunter because of what I expressed above. Feel free to speak your mind....as the only reason I posted this is because I value and respect the opinion of those who frequent this forum.
I think GMMAT defined them the best. I would consider myself an avid bow hunter, but obsessed in general. I usually hunt with a bow four or five days a week from the first week of Oct. to the last day of Dec.. When rifle season comes around I pull out my rifle and hunt a few days with my friends. I am the only hunter in my family so I am pretty much self taught. All year long I scout, read, and watch videos just trying to make myself a better hunter. That's why I usually just lurk in the bow forums learning from you guys. I feel that I see the deer in a more natural state when I'm bow hunting. They aren't on edge all the time and I get to see them do their thing. Thanks for everything you all have taught me over the last couple of years.
I just think your a countrified urban cowboy... How do you classify that? I think you're an avid bowhunter regardless of how much you actually get to do it.
Buckeye, to answer your questions... To me, a great deal of any type of classification has to do with a mental standpoint and not necessarily how much time or what kind of kills any given hunter has under his belt. There are a lot of other factors (just like Bols mentioned) that IMO affect any type of classification. To say that people shouldn't be classified as one or the other may be correct, however, it's not reality. Humans classify everything whether it be people, deer, or beer. Color, origin, size, intelligence, status... whatever is how most people define something. So to anyone that says I don't classify... is total BS. So here are my classifications: Casual bowhunter: Someone that things about bowhunting when the season is close or in, but not during july. This person may thoroughly enjoy the outdoors and bowhunting allows them to experience that. Shooting stuff with a bow is a bonus. They generally don't spend a whole lot of money on new equipment or products. Weekend Warrior: I personally feel that both avid bowhunters and obsessed bowhunters can fit into this category. It may be due to work, family, finances, whatever. Avid bowhunter: This to me is someone that spends a great deal of time thinking about bowhunting (strategically, equipment, etc.) and generally quite a bit of money on his hobby. Someone that when bow season is in, is in the woods every spare moment and when he's not... he's prepping or thinking about it. This person may have other hobbies as well, but bowhunting is either in the number one or number two spot. Obsessed Bowhunter: This person eats, sleeps, and breathes bowhunting. Every day in a year makes up one part or another of bowseason. A very large portion of this person's income is spent on bowhunting. Other hobbies are possible but mainly they are filler. This stage can often times be unhealthy for family, work and or finances... but not always. There is my best Dr. Phil depiction of the different classifications of bowhunters. Obviously, these are my thoughts and that's it... this is also a very large stereotypical generalization.
I love to hunt and I hunt every opportunity I can.I an constantly playing out scenarios in my mind as it relates to how deer will use area's.There isn't likely a two or three hour stretch when some thing hunting related doesn't come in to my mind. My order of priorities are family,business,hunting though.My archery hunting is only on weekends and one maybe two afternoons per week.I probably get in twenty five to thirty sits per archery season.Rifle and muzzleloader I probably get in about 15 to 16 full days of hunting.I wish it could be more but I am very thankful for the time I have! I know I have become a much more efficient hunter over the years,there are lot's of area's in hunting that make up the complete package.If some one asked me to decribe myself it would be Husband,Father,Business owner,Hunter.
Have ya'll ever looked at a fellow deer hunter and think "He's a really good deer hunter." Well, we've just classified that hunter. IMO, there is no "just a hunter"......I don't think we could honestly look at somebody that hunts literally every single day of the season and not, at bare minimum, classify that person as an "avid hunter." And, IMO, that's not being judgmental at all. The definitions we're using here, IMO, have nothing to do with ability.....and I think if we want to get technical, when we start discussing ability (or ...INability) that's when we begin to judge.
We all certainly label hunters. I certainly wish I could put the deer down that some of you guys do, but honestly (and I am hard on myself), I don't think I have the ability or skill. I don't think the time factor matters much in this instance. Like Jeff said, some people can be obsessed, but still not be entirely successful. I think if I did as much legwork and obsessed over bowhunting as some of you do, I would still have mediocre results. I think a lot of the guys on here who are SERIOUS (yep another label/classification) are also VERY good hunters. That's not always the case, and this forum is just a minuscule sampling of bowhunters in comparison to all of them out there.
