What does watching TV have to do with anything? Once again, you make a statement then when called on it you retort by first re-enforcing your prior point and then follow that by saying you meant something different than what you said. You're such a character. If you like to follow "if it's brown it's down" mentality then good for you...you aren't alone but there's no need to dis the other side of the coin that enjoys management as people that watch too much TV as if their enjoyment for management is a side effect of being zombie-fied by watching city hunters on tv. Hunters of both creeds are the progenitors of "game management". TV shows shoot to fill niches of specific targeted audiences so there are shows specifically tailored for some that just like killing stuff and some that are tailored for management minded hunters. I don't have much respect for non-management minded hunters that simply go out with intent to slaughter deer out of some twisted blood lust either, but I don't generally make a point of going about the forum making troll posts trying to whip them up either. You act like you're 12 years old.
Look, I don't think any of us on this forum are subsistence hunters, meaning that if we fail to kill our quarry we will starve to death. For all of us, hunting is a sport that also provides table fare. I'm fairly intelligent and understand what a the definition of hunter is. There's really not much sport in shooting any deer that walks in front of me, so I have grown as a hunter to enjoy letting those young bucks walk. Not everyone is at that stage in their hunting life, and that's what I mean by saying people who shoot the first deer that walks by is not really a hunter, but more of a killer. A true sport hunter has some type of set expectations as to what they consider a trophy, be it antler size or age. To shoot any deer that walks out in front of you is not really a challenge and the challenge is what most hunters are looking for. I'll link a little soft reading for you so you can understand that this is not just my personal thoughts, but the thoughts of many well known and well respected members of the hunting community. A killer falls into stages 1 and 2 of this well accepted line of thinking. http://charliealsheimer.com/ca/articles/5stages.html
I think you need to temper your opinion with the realization that not everyone has the same hunting opportunities. That would be the only thing I would add. To undermine what they have done because it doesn't meet our own personal standards is wrong. I'm not against management...I'm not against brown-and-down. Believe it or not, there are people that draw great satisfaction from shooting any deer and I support those people....I just don't let them hunt on my property. Haha.
I'm going to quote myself here. This was the first line that I posted to the original poster on this subject: "Shooter or not a shooter. Doesn't really matter what we tell you, it's about what makes you happy and generally depends on where you are as a hunter." So, I'm not real sure where your idea is coming from that my opinion is that other people shouldn't shoot a deer like that. My "opinion" about a person that calls all deer shooters, is based in the fact the hunters evolve throughout their careers as hunters. There a stage in your hunting career where you feel like killing a deer is the goal and it doesn't really matter what deer you kill. Eventually, most people evolve beyond that stage and become more selective and challenge themselves further. This is probably why we have so many bowhunters. It's an added challenge. I'm totally fine with hunters that are still in the "killer" stage, eventually every hunter should move past that stage.
I'm tracking now. My interpretation was that you were saying that there is a difference between a hunter and a killer and calling some one a "killer" was a slight against them. I know men that hunted when there were no deer in this state and to see one was an accomplishment. I've even heard my dad tell stories of getting excited just finding a track when he was young. Many of those men have a completely different view of what being in the "hunter" phase is. My opinion is this phase stuff is the product of TV and egotism more than any real hunting virtues.
Charles Alsheimer pre-dates the commercialization of hunting by quite a bit. Did you read the article I linked? These are stages that most hunters go through, regardless of whether or not they watch hunting on TV or the internet. It's a natural progression and evolution, not really any different than we mature in other ways as we get older and more experienced.
Some go crazy in their development, trophy hunters that become game hogs. You know the type the guy who has his wife buy a tag because he doesn't agree with the state's 1 buck a year any weapon law, usually the same guy who flames the DNR for the herd management failures.
No doubt. There are extremes in everything. Guys that kill every deer they see, guys that cheat by filling other peoples tags, guys that poach, guys that night hunt. If we could just get rid of the extremes at both ends of the spectrum, our sport would be so much better off.
Got a chance to read it. No disrespect to Mr. Alsheimer, but this is just one man's perspective. A perspective shaped by his own unique experiences. Human beings are too diverse to fit neatly on a list of 5 stages. I would say that the overwhelming majority of hunters do not progress through his 5 stages or fit so neatly on his list. My experience is that people are not easily placed in a square hole OR a round hole. We're too complicated for that. Good read though. I think I read that once before...or at least the list.
Mr. Bottom.. it seems you dont fit in well here (on bowhunting.com). Just an observation. I usually try not to be around ppl that I dont get along with or that dont like me. Seems to me most ppl are that way, unless they are just trolls. Are you a troll sir? Have you ever tried AT? You may find that you fit in better over there.. just a suggestion. The fact this guy cant play nice with others and ruins every thread he post in is getting old. js
I can see where it gets old but some ppl suck at guessing score/age... they may just want a little advice. I get the "is it a shooter" isnt the best way to word it as that will vary from person to person.
Its a young deer. If makes through the year he's has plenty of potential to grow in to something special, but shoot what makes you happy don't worry about what other people think.
