State of confusion in my bowhunting life...

Well put! Call it "the next level", call it "progression" (which is the word I use to describe this phenomenon") :D, or call it what ever. The bottom line is hunt the way that makes you feel OK with you.

 

This thread Is kinda funny. Anyone who has ever hunted older bucks knows there's no doubt In the world 4.5's+ are much harder to kill then a 3.5 year old. Not just because there's fewer around but because their much harder animals to hunt. Obviously If you have an abundance of 4.5's around your chances Increase but for the people who hunt In not so fortunate enough areas you've got your work cut out and you must really step up your game to YOUR next level. One other thing, I guarantee you that you are not seeing every buck that's running around In your woods either. These older bucks don't get old by getting saw. Their smarter then most realize. Either way around It, you've got no choice to get better "your next level" If you want these caliber of bucks.

 

She is pretty much at the top for taking top end bucks for what her land produces. She take very good bucks at the other places she hunts.

I would imagine if she hunted the farm in Illnois that Atlasman hunted... she would say the same thing...

Well maybe not... I have a feeling it would be over 150 instead of 140 for her. :D

Tim

 

Serious question......is just "wanting" them enough to advance?

 

Sure. You can want all you want but for the hunters who don't have the numbers your going to have to try harder. It's pretty simple to understand Isn't It?

 

Wow.........that is some twisted logic.

 

Not really.

My question was/is.....is it enough to want to kill bigger/older bucks....or, do you actually have to kill them to advance?

 

Why would more of them around make it "easier"??

See my lottery vs raffle question earlier.

But you just said above that hunting where there are more of them makes it easier. Which is it?

 

I see what your saying now. Your sure as heck are probably not going to be consistent but your sure going to feel awesome when you do Indeed get It done.

 

Do you think the people that win a gun at the yearly raffle are the ones who "try harder"??

 

Let me ask it a different way, Steve.....

Are you at the "next level" by just stating that you're wanting to kill older/bigger bucks? Or, do you actually have to kill them to be there?

If the answer is the former.......how many?

This is interesting.

 

Both. As a hunter your can be a product of your area. You have to try harder when numbers aren't on your side.

 

But that's not what you said earlier........

Just trying to understand your point.

 

No I'm not at the level I want to be at. I could shoot 3.5's every year, I want 4.5's. I'm not at that stage because of 2 reasons. I'm not good enough and the numbers of older bucks Is very low where I hunt. Why can't people admit their not good enough besides just saying It's numbers? It's a little of both for myself.

 

I've never known anything that relied on skill that could be attained solely with money.

If you wanted to spend enough money (and do nothing else differently) you could kill (fair chase) multiple 4.5's or older every year.


I don't care how much money you spend (and do nothing else) you are not going to make the PGA tour, NFL, NBA, MLB, etc

 

Lot of people talking this that actually have the money and never put forth the effort. That is strange to me. Myself, I dont see me paying to kill a 2 yr old.

 

Not really Atlas.

 

Agreed.

I wouldn't bet anyone on this site $10K that they couldn't get their name in the P&Y book.....next year.

 

So Atlas, are you saying there are never any older age class bucks on the lands that you bowhunt?

A big racked buck has never stepped foot on the lands that you bowhunt?

 

I've been following this thread since the beginning and here are my thoughts.

"The next level" is not something that is universal. It is something that is personal. My next level can be much different than your next level which could be different from some other guy's next level. I shot my first deer in 2003, a 3 point. I was happy as could be. I was with my dad and he did all of the work. But I never thought of waiting for a bigger deer to walk by. I just wanted A deer. The next year my brother started deer hunting, so my dad had to take him. When I shot a doe that year I moved onto MY next level. I did the work to kill her. That year I also shot a 6 point, and still never thought of waiting for a bigger buck. But I still moved up one of MY levels. The next year I shot a 7 point that I thought was a great buck. In reality he only scores 80 or so, but I started to realize why people hold off for bigger deer. The next year I still was going to shoot the first deer I could and I ended up shooting a doe. Then comes 2007. I decided I was waiting for something that I was going to put on the wall, didn't matter how old the deer was. Again, I moved up one of MY levels when I shot a 7 point with a busted brow (should have been an 8). All this time I was still hunting stands that my dad had hung and picked out the spot. In 2008 I shot a 3.5 YO 10 point out of a stand that I picked the spot out for. When I shot that deer I moved up another level of MINE. I also shot a doe that year. In 2009 I went deerless and passed on some good bucks but nothing that I would have put on the wall and hunted stands that I picked out and saw more shooters than ever. Going into this past Fall I told myself that I wasn't going to shoot a buck that didn't gross 120". The buck would also have to be no questions asked 3.5. On November 6th I shot a doe out of a spot that I did the work to find, and put the time in. I also did something that made me move up one of MY levels, I got the kill on video. November 19th I shot an 8 point that we have 5 or 6 trail camera pictures of. He met my goals for this year and I got the kill on film.

So all in all to me all of these "levels" are personal and they're not something that will be the same for other people.

Disclaimer- only 2 of the above deer were bowkilled :D