It seems that it is a rather common occurance that the fun gets taken out of hunting when a person shifts towards "trophy" hunting. Why is that? Are these 2 things mutually exclusive for most people? And are there tips anyone can share to keep it fun through out the entire process.
Trophy hunting certianly takes a lot more patience but I still have fun doing it. I enjoy observing the younger bucks I see and ussually kill a doe or two each season.
For me personally, it ADDS more fun to target more specific animals than "brown". to each his own I guess. So no, I dont think they are mutually exclusive.
Sometimes It can take the fun out of It, specially when you work your ass off to manage an area only have to have It back fire on you damn near every year with neighboring land owners. I think It really depends on where your hunting and the abundance of trophy bucks you have running around. I don't have a whole lot of them around me so It can be a bit frustrating some years. It all boils down though to me having to be a better hunter because of the shortage of decent bucks. I have to take whats given and make the best of It and except It for what It Is I guess whether I like It or not.
Hunting became more fun for me when I started hunting older bucks. Everything from the scouting to the preparation became more involved which added to the fun. I don't consider myself a trophy hunter though. I would think more along the lines of land or herd manager.
Personally, I get much more enjoyment from hunting since I started trophy hunting. My hunting is tailored to suit me, specifically. This makes perfect sense to me since I am the one that has to be happy with my own hunting.
When you trophy hunt there is more work involved. Scouting,food plots stand placements what ever it takes to get on that buck.It's not just going out in the woods and finding deer.For me what has taken the fun out of whitetail hunting is the people that don't want to trophy hunt,on my property. There are 2 of us that do 95% of the work and we are selective about the deer we want to take, then you bring the 3 or 4 other guy's that hunted with me before QDM that don't want to work and shoot what ever they feel like spikes or forks that is my reason that trophy hunting isn't fun. Trophy hunting can be more frustating and you can put alot of pressure on yourself, you have to grow has a hunter and take what makes you happy. If you do that then it will all fall into place. As for tips hunt with people that share your goals,and kill what makes you happy.
I think that trophy hunting has actually increased the enjoyment that I get out of hunting. Sure, I haven't taken a deer for a couple years now, but I've gotten to spend so much more time out in the woods and have seen a lot of cool things. If I were to shoot whatever I saw I would probably have my tags filled opening weekend of bow season. Now that I pass a lot of deer, I get to see more of their behavior and have actually learned quite a bit about deer just by watching them.
Exactly. YOU may think trophy hunting is less fun, but others think it's more fun. Tembry said it... "To each his own." This does bring up a good thought though. Has anyone ever come across any research that says fun/less fun when making the shift to trophy hunting? I'd like to see an article or a poll on that one.
Trophy hunting doesn't HAVE to involve all this extra work. A guy can still "trophy hunt" without foodplots, trailcams, mineral sites, and all the other labor intensive activities associated with it. It can be as simple or as complex as you want it to....same as meat hunting.
There are basically two sorts of hunters... Those who need not to kill a buck every year and those who must. Those who must aren't cut out to be "trophy hunters", but rather deer hunters. To many people try to do what they think they should do (peer pressure etc) as a hunter rather than what they enjoy. If killing deer brings one joy, do it! If killing an animal of a certain criteria makes you happy, do it! The only hunter one needs to appease is him/her self.
I personally get a lot more satisfaction out of singling out a top end deer for my area and hunting him. I'd get bored fast if I went out and just shot the first deer that walked by and I wouldnt learn as much about deer in general. I honestly don't even get excited about BIG deer so to speak just because they are big, instead I like it when I have invested time into a particular deer. I really enjoy going one on one each season with a few bucks. I've said it many times before though, targeting the the old bucks is not for everyone" nor should it be. For me taking on the veteran survivors is what charges me, and makes me love whitetail hunting so much.
I could not agree with this more. Another thing that really gets me is when someone says "I shot one this weekend, but he's just a small 6 point." They say it like they fear it won't be up to par....that someone will think less of them or ridicule them for shooting a "lesser" buck. JUST?? LOL.....shoot man....shooting ANY deer w/ archery gear just ain't easy, no matter what specific animal you target. I've fallen victim to this as well. And when the above quote is clouding the judgement of said hunter, then "trophy hunting" is no fun at all. I've simply not got enough experience to let bucks like the one I let walk last year walk. I am not at the stage of my "career" that I get many chances at any buck at all yet, let alone one that is P&Y or better. Rest assured, though......that won't happen this year. And I can guarantee you that this season will be much more fun because of it. But I suspect that when I make the decision to target "trophy bucks" that won't be any less fun than the "deer hunting" I currently enjoy. In fact, I suspect it will be MORE fun.
Trophy hunting, to me, is "deer hunting" without the pressure to kill a "trophy buck". If one comes by, fine. If he does not, fine. Am I going to scout, set up, and hunt where I believe I will have a better chance at a "trophy buck"? Of course. When deer hunting becomes strictly business, I'm out. LAEq
Trophy hunting sometimes is my own worse enemy. I know how down I would be on myself to shoot a buck that isn't considered rewarding to me and fellow hunting partners. It gets tedious and sometimes it seems more like a job but in the end it's worth it. I love watching smaller bucks and get almost the same enjoyment. The anticipation of the next moment is what keeps me going!
Sounds like one of PETA's "scientific studies prove..." Personally I like being in the field more than killing something and trophy hunting keeps me afield and therefore having more fun for longer than being tagged out on day one of the season.
I do not believe that trophy hunting has to equal no fun. I really do enjoy seating in a tree and having a buck walk past me and not knowing that I am there ALMOST as much as I enjoy touching the trigger. Also, I live in a state with a very liberal doe bag limit (no limit really) and I have never seen a doe that I did not want to kill. So I can still touch the trigger a bunch of times and still let young bucks walk. This is the thing that makes me scratch my head when people around here whack a small buck and say they did it because they are hunting for the meat. I don't really care what other people kill on their own property, but with as many does as we have, you do not have to kill a buck in order to put meat in the freezer.
