Is Bowhunting a talent or a mere collection of circumstances?

Except the deer do not know that they are playing a game. It is like if you were sitting down at dinner and all of a sudden I throw you a football and tackled you. I would be playing a game and you would not be aware that you were in the game.

 

Awareness is not required on the part of both parties.

 

I agree, although I might say it's 60% skill and 40% luck. Maybe that's because I have only hunted for the past four years and am feeling very optimistic about this upcoming season, but I have learned so much each year and applying what I have learned has helped put me on more deer. I certainly don't believe that the antler size of a buck has as much to do with "skill," since this mostly depends on location and land accessibility. People who have private land that only they hunt on have a vastly upper hand on locating, patterning, and taking these deer. IMO, those who hunt on public land and take mature deer each year (which may not be huge scoring deer) are the ones with the most skill.

 

Hunting is a way of life for me, never a contest. self taught .

 

To answer the original question, I think being a successful hunter is a developed skill. I'm assuming being a "successful hunter" means consistently killing big/mature deer. You may have the personality traits that will push you to learn what's required to kill big/mature deer, or you may not.......but it's not a natural born talent or a collection of circumstances.

One more thing........I think the whole "They just aren't there" discussion is garbage. Reality is, everyone has the ability to go somewhere that has big deer. It's just not important enough to most people to do what it takes to hunt those places.

One of my friends from NY is probably the most accomplished public land big buck killer I know. Yet he lives in an area of the country that has on average 3-5 deer per square mile in big woods. It's literally maybe the worst place in the world to try and kill a big buck. If it's important enough to you, like it is to him..........you find a place that has big deer and you do what it takes to get there. He's driving 15-20 hours each way every year to hunt Midwest public land and killing great mature deer nearly every year.

One of the biggest things I've seen coming from the East Coast to the Midwest, is that people on the east coast are much more accustomed to hunting their family farm, family camp, or the place they have always hunted. If they have big deer, that's great, but most don't and they won't seek out ground that has them. On the contrary, most of the really consistent big buck killers I've come across in the Midwest are seeking out new ground and making the changes necessary to put themselves in places where big deer live. There is less emotional attachment to a specific piece of ground here in the Midwest, and because of that I believe those guys are putting themselves in a position to kill big deer more often.

Just an observation. But if you don't have the deer you want to hunt, you can make the changes to get on them. Sometimes that means driving a long ways and sacrifices in other parts of your live, but you can choose to change that.

 

Great post! You make some great points.
In previous years, I did make the changes and sacrifices to get on the deer. However due to life circumstances now beyond my control, for the forseeable future I am in this current position. (Suffered from a stroke in 2016, now in school fulltime) Not everyone has financial means to make a yearly pilgrimage to the holy land known as the midwest. I did for a few years and I dream of the chance to go back when I'm done with school.

I was laughing when you brought up the emotional attachment, because that is EXACTLY what I have with where I hunt. I remember being 8 years old with my dad in those woods. There are big deer in there, and I've posted on the public land thread a few times in the past two years with topo maps seeking help.
I'm in better physical condition being two years removed from my stroke, so If I go back this year I'll be able to safely get to some of the spots you guys have pointed out to me.

This season I have cut the attachment and put in for a lottery archery hunt here in RI on reservoir property. I'm hoping my number gets called, because it will be cheaper, and put me in a better position for being successful.

 

Awesome response - Glad to hear you are getting healthy too!

One thought - While the Midwest is awesome, there are places closer with pockets of great deer. Think Maryland, Long Island, Western NY and PA, and even eastern Ohio have great deer and range in distance 2-10 hours of driving from you. That's a long drive for sure, but heck Justin and I went to public in KS last year, drove 8 hours each way, and spent less than $800 each on that trip including the $400 tags. We did it in 4 days too, over a long weekend so we only took two days off work to pull it off. Most everyone in the US can get to a pocket of great hunting in 8 hours of driving to replicate that type of trip.

 

Whatever it is I love it. Only person I judge myself against in the woods is me.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

Well said.

 

Very true, and well said!!

 

Well said Rick James. I said the same thing years ago, possibly on another forum we used to be on, and it wasn't really well received. The truth of the matter is if you want to kill big mature deer (bucks) you have to do what it takes to hunt where they live. Good post.

 

Some excellent posts in this thread. The one that stands out to me, and the one thing I need to do is "if you want to kill big bucks, you need to get out of the comfort of your small farm and seek out other areas where big bucks are."

I get a few good bucks on our small farm every year, but I have never had a chance to shoot one. I have ample amounts of public land around me but have not taken the initiative to get my boots on the ground in those areas and to get out of my comfort zone. It's definitely something I need to do if I want to improve my chances at getting my first big buck with my bow.

 

Yeah it is impossible to shoot big deer on small farms.

 

You know that wasn't the intent of my post.

To improve my chances at killing a big buck I need to find other places to hunt. I can only hunt our 60 acre farm so many times before big bucks/deer start to pick up on my smells, patterns, etc. Limiting my pressure on our small farm is a goal of mine this year. I don't have the option for food plots and like to hunt more than a handful of times per year (like in your case). It is in MY best interest to seek out other opportunities to improve my chances at killing a mature animal.

 

No Jake I was not implying that you felt that way, more pointing out the wrongness of the mentality.

 

Chief, I hate that feeling after I let a buck walk, granted I have different goals but I still mock myself for feeling a buck is not worth shooting.

 

I do honestly miss the days when you hunted and you saw a buck any size buck and you were excited, I think the smaller bucks brought me more joy. Just seeing a buck made my heart pound, heck having deer in bow range was a rush. Now I get pissed when I see a good number of deer in a sit and nothing but does, or a fork or a spike. I am not bragging, I think I got spoiled.

I don't think I am an accomplished buck hunter, I have shot some nice bucks and have taxidermy to be proud of but I have not mastered finding trophy bucks I have mastered in attracting and holding does in a specific area, part of it is I hunt a small plot and it is the best alternative. I don't know where the bucks bed but I know what direction they come from. I know a buck coming from the East or South is coming from the gated community and every single buck on the wall has come from that direction.

 

This is why I do not pass any buck that gives me that "feeling." Granted, I have only killed two bucks with my bow and the best is a 110"; it doesn't take much for a buck to make me happy with a bow in hand. It also doesn't take much for the next one to be bigger either.