It is definitely the journey. From summer scouting to stand preparation to countless hours afield, to all the "almost" shot opportunities and the "blown" opportunities, its all good. If end results was all I was after, I still be a gun hunter, not that there is anything wrong with that, just a much shorter journey for the same results.
The whole journey versus end result "importance" for me depends on what I am hunting, who I am hunting with and where I am hunting. When I single out a specific buck in these mountains, its all about the end result for me. I want to finish what I started. When I get to hunt with friends here or in other states I choose to take a different mindset into those hunts and I would say its 50/50
You have to choose one of these scenarios, Troy..... 1. Taking a 160" buck that you have a 3yr relationship with. 2. Taking a 160" buck you saw for 10seconds, before you kill him. Which scenario gives you the most satisfaction? For me, the "end result" is a foregone conclusion. I can't imagine going through a season and getting skunked. Not something I consider. What matters most (if I had to choose between the 2) is the middle chapters. The foreword and the conclusion are spoilers.....known.
That is an obvious choice Jeff, both having the end result. It gets muddier when you choose one or the other... Say you fork out the money for a CO deer tag and use free airline miles to go out and chase mulies this year....you have a full 7 days to get it done. 1. You literally stumble into a buck 5 seconds from the truck on the first morning there, stalk in, make a good shot and the hunts over. Respectable buck that you are proud of...you even get to fly out early now and get back to your family at home. 2. You hunt for 7 long hard days, with many close encounters, blown stalks, new canyons explored, but never could seal the deal. Got within spitting distance once by accident, and got some cool photos along the way. Had a hell of a time exploring new country and seeing numerous bucks, just don't have a rack to take home as luggage this time. Which one would you guys choose? I know these are polar opposites, but that was kind of the point of the scenario. I'd prefer option 2 if I had to pick, but I'm not naive enough to think I'd pass on a good buck just because it was the first morning of the hunt.
It just depends on the hunter's goals and the situation. If I targeted MR. Mass and a 190 walk in, I am guessing I am not passing, nor would I think the journey was "lesser". That is what makes hunting so great. The Journey is not planned out, nor is it absolute. It can change in 30 seconds, and the end results was better than we might have anticipated.
Excellent hypothetical and situations in which I have experienced similar real life scenarios on both ends of the spectrum. You have to "seal the deal" when opportunity presents itself. But without any hesitiation I can say that my most memorable hunts are those where I failed as opposed to those where I quickly and/or easily succeeded. But does that mean I want to be unsuccesful in future hunts? Hardly. I'll take the first shot that meets my criteria. As the saying goes." Don't pass a shot on the first day that you would take on the last day."
My thoughts exactly, only worded better.:D I've had both happen, and the longer the hunt is the more I remember it. I remember my last buck in Alaska MUCH more vividly than my first. First one came a few hours into the first morning of hunting and was literally the FIRST buck I spotted of the trip....the last was after a 10 day span of countless stalks blown, a miss or two, and a day or two of terrible weather all the while my out of shape legs had had beyond all they could handle. Like you said, I'll never wish for an unsuccessful hunt or pass on an opportunity at a deer I want because of the timing of it...but when it doesn't work out that way I enjoy it more looking back.
I enjoy the journey, but if the season ends without a kill...well then the journey sucked. I hunt to shoot deer with a bow. I am 31 years old and have been on stand since I was old enough to be carried. I have been on stand alone since I was 10-12 years old and with a bow since I was 13-14 years old. I have witnessed some awsome sights in nature and continue to do so to this day. I love the outdoors, the journey etc...but I do not love it more than that very second when you touch the trigger, see the arrow go home and watch the animal run out of sight/fall. Did I get him, was the shot good, man that happened fast, what just happened, etc...all those questions that go through our head during and right after the shot, then every drop of blood has us looking ahead for the white of a belly over and over...man I can't wait for September!!!!! Journeys such as time with friends, my favorite hunting time ever with my grandfather etc...are part of the journey and they cannot be topped or replaced, but when it comes to me, alone in a tree hunting deer...the end result is what I am after.
its the whole package deal and the end results are the icing on the cake when you get to be w/ that animal knowing you experienced a moment that will never happen again exactly the sameway.it cant be just one or the other for a hunter its all different for us all and yet the same.
