What makes you "Stay The Course" on your hunting goals/dreams?

Pretty simple question, but it may not pertain to everyone....

What makes you stay the course on your goals? I know (and respect) alot of you who go out year after year, and get it done YOUR WAY, without straying from the goals you set.

Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong about taking any legal animal in a legal manner. My question is directed to the guys who set a "standard" for themselves. IE; only shooting mature bucks, or taking a true gobbler every year.

I started bowhunting for whitetails in 2006. That year i took a 1.5 year old 6 point and decided to only go after 120+ inch deer after that. I only took a doe in 2007, and never drew back on a buck. Last year, i passed a TON of small bucks, but i ended up taking a shot at a stud 1.5 year old 8 point and wounded him. I was disappointed at myself for even attempting a shot on him, (he lived), and saw it as a sign that he got away to stay on course with what i had set for myself.

This turkey season is what really strained me. Its been 5 years since i have gotten a bird, and even though i saw many gobblers, i have been tempted to take a jake when i have a "gobbler only" policy with myself.

Anyways, to get back to the question, i was wondering what your guys motivational factors are (I know mine)? Im really interested in hearing from a few guys on here (Shultzy, GregH, Buckeye) to see if i have the same train of thought.

 

I've been bowhunting whitetails for about 15 years now. For about the first 8 years or so I was happy to just fill my buck tag and also shoot a doe each season. At some point I just really wanted to shoot more mature bucks even if it meant eating tag soup now and then. My goal every year now is to shoot a 125+ inch buck and that doesn't change even if I didn't get anything the previous couple years. I think being able to stick to standards comes with time. I got all the small bucks out my system when I was younger and new to the sport. I can shoot doe's to fill the freezer. Probably the biggest thing that motivates me is get just one truly large whitetail (160+) in my life. But I also really enjoy my time in the woods which is really the most important thing of all.

 

I enjoy the challenge of matching wits with big bucks on their terms.

I cannot make him bed, feed or travel anywhere. I can't make him naturally leave his bed during daylight hours.... But what I can do is plot and formulate a new plan every day based on the time of year, the weather and human pressure in an attempt to put myself in a position to take an animal that makes me happy.

In a way I guess you could call it a "game" (though not in the true definition of a game). It's also a "game" I don't mind losing because I enjoy the whole process as much as the end.

If I knew I would get a big buck every year, bowhunting wouldn't have the same allure to me. I'd have to find something else to do. I need to lose to keep the fire burning as hot as it is.

 

I don't really have a set goal. My hunting is based on 2 criteria. If I have an antlerless tag and see a doe, she's getting shot at. I have a harder time filling my doe tag than I do my buck tag....go figure? Bucks I don't put a number on, I know if I want to shoot him when I see him.

 

Nor am I one you mentioned, but I'm not one to keep my mouth shut so........you get my way too. :d

How do I stay the course? Simple. Very simple. I have fun. Bowhunting is supposed to be fun, and that definition to me is shooting whatever deer or turkey that walks past that makes me happy. My goals really are that simple. My definition of a shooter buck is pretty loose and I never know when I go to the woods whether I want to shoot a doe that hunt or not. It's not too often that I set out on a hunt with the specific goal of shooting a doe. When it comes to turkeys, I shoot whatever legal bird I have a shot at. ESPECIALLY when toting the bow.

This is supposed to be fun. Plain and simple. Big or small, short or tall, I could personally care less what anyone shoots.......So long as they're having FUN!

 

Frustration is what i have, but it is also what keeps me at it (in a way i enjoy it). Like Scott said, if it was easy, then it would get old/boring. The more i get outsmarted and/or fail, the more i want to succed. The deer are there (some 2.5 year olds are in the 120's), im just not at the point where i can take one year after year.

 

You hit my motivation on the head Mobow. Fun. I find that its more fun to succeed your own way (with a goal). I go out on every hunt hoping for the best, and at the end of the day i don't have to kill an animal to consider my hunt successful. I also got into video-taping for this reason. It enhances the joy of being in the woods.

 

That's a good way to look at it. I will be first to admit that my standards could be a tad high for the realistic opportunties I have. But I am ok with not filling my tag each year.

 

Thats a great post Jeff, and kinda why i made this thread to begin with.

 

I learned alot from mistakes over the years and it helps keep me in check on certain shots. now as far as what animal i shoot,,,,it all depends on my mood, and a somewhat standard that could change in an instance depending on the situation.

 

A persons gotta start somewhere Caleb and goals can't be met If their not followed through. How many people will pass the same buck up the 1st day and the last day of the season? I know I will. I've stuck to my goals every year since I started making them, sometimes though I think my goal Is too high. Dan Infalt (bloodbros) said It pretty good and I've thought allot about this since I heard It last year on his Hunting Marsh Bucks DVD- "Don't set you're goals too high for your woods, maybe your area doesn't have the size of bucks your looking for". "Make sure your goals are realistic for the woods/area you hunt". I thought that was a great line. It's something we should all keep In mind.

 

Freak Daddy would make me "stay the course"!!:d

 

Thanks Steve, i was lookin forward to your reply. I can honestly say your one of the hunters i look up to.

 

To hunt deer. To kill deer. To have fun doing both.

As far as goals, I set a few in my life. One was to get a rewarding education. Succeeded. One was to get a rewarding job. Succeeded. One was to learn to play guitar. Succeeded. I have one more. To be sure my family makes heaven their home someday. I hope that one, above all else is a success.

Hunting has no goals for me to fulfill. Just a good time.

Bobby

 

I do it strictly for the riches and fame!

 

I stay the course because it is what I want....I only set goals for personal reasons on what I want, not what others want....so why settle for anything less?

I want a turkey with the bow, jake or gobbler....so I would take a shot presented by either with archery tackle.

Shotgun hunting, I kill any full fanned gobbler...and THEN check out the beard/spur length. I have been "lucky" to take one the past 4 years in a row, but I honestly view that as not getting the job done...I have two tags for a reason.

Deer hunting, I have begun setting my standard at the beginning of every season rather than an unchanging one...last year I vowed to shoot any buck with 8 points or better to get a first archery buck down. I deflected an arrow on film on a TINY 1.5 yo 8 (semi thankful afterwards, only reason I shot was to stick to my original goal)..and later shot a 92" 2.5yo 8 point...couldn't be happier with him even though I have passed bucks better than him in years past, this one felt right finally. This year I will probably up it a bit to around 110"+ on film, 125"+ if off film.

On hunting trips? I just want to GET THERE...success is when I step off the final plane flight onto hunting grounds...then comes SEEING an animal. then comes STALKING a few animals....icing on the cake if I take one, and a dream come true if it is a P&Y quality animal. I have a few lined up, and I will take this mind set on every trip I make, so as to never be disappointed.

This fall we will have a HUGE emphasis on getting quality hunts on HD film, and this will obviously play into our goals.


Success is what you make of it!

 

Realistic standards, reaching a point in my life where I don't HAVE to shoot a buck every year, and the ability to still have fun & shoot lots of does each season. The moment it gets not fun, I will return to whatever I need to do to make it fun again.

 

My goal has been up until last season was nothing under 125" will get a arrow. Well after losing my honey hole which was alot of private land where if I let them walk they would have a good chance at living. Last season was my first in 10 years where I didn't have a special place. I had fun a few times out seeing a occasional deer. This year I am going to be realistic and get back to basics. I enjoy being succesful and I no longer will hold out for just a book animal. I am on small acreage surrounded by public land. This year if a clean shot is presented at good looking buck I am going to try and finish it. I have my share of big ones and although thats what I prefer I feel I would be real lucky to even have a chance at a buck of this caliber. Now I guess it all depends on what my trail cam captures. If I get pics of a decent 10 point that I saw end of November last season that may change. I would hold out for him. He just may make book this year but who knows if I will ever see him again. I only caught 1 pic of him last year. Who knows how far he traveled.
So my answer is with my limited land right now and until it changes where I can manage the herd I would rather shoot something versus nothing.

 

Personally, my goals have their basis in having fun, sound wildlife conservation, preservation, and the act of sharing with friends and family. I do not place much stock on this size or that...mainly, because my goals involve more than horns and antlers. I do the best I can with the limited resources I have. I weigh and assess the issues on a daily basis. On one hand, for example, it does my soul well to know that my legal kill feeds some family if not my own. On the other, for me anyway, "easy" is easy and "fun" is a challenge. A good representation of the species is all I'm really after. I rarely hunt one spot long enough to know herd dynamics (my local species are highly nomadic). Thus, the idea of being selective simply doesn't exist. I am happy for that...I have fun.

Be humble, search your heart, and find that which is right for you. It's a karma thing...

 

I don't really set goals. I keep it real and I shoot a buck if it feels right. For instance, last year I killed a 118" in November and then turned around and killed a 80" deer in December... Different properties, different circumstances, etc......