Duke,while I understand your point as it relates to the scheme of things.I disagree,excellence in every endeavor has common denominators.To excel at any thing requires discipline,sacrifice,single mindedness.His personal life choices are between he and those close to him,not between he and any of us.It is next to impossible to be great in any field and to be the balanced best father and husband next door kind of person.Before any of you take offense,by great I mean really legendary,the top ten in your chosen endeavor.To do that takes a single mindedness that likely none of us can relate to and for the most part we don't want to.
wow...I never intended this thread to go this way. I do not know how this got personal for some, I was just getting debate going or not over Chuck Adams and his induction in the HOF.I enjoy looking at pics on here, does or bucks, bears, hog etc.. I will share in the vanity.. Is there some vanity in all this? Yes. And I don't think Duke said there was any crime in that.Im vain, I don't just hunt for meat, if I did, I wouldn't ever shoot a buck, does are better to eat. On the other hand, like Will and Jeff I have given tons of meat away, I have shot a deer to get meat for someone else, granted, I enjoyed the hell of shooting it, and my brother enjoyed eating it, it was a win/win deal. I repsect Will and I respect Duke, I think both of these guys are good for bowhunting, and I also respect Jeff for his determination and his accomplishments for a relatively new bowhunter, he has crushed. I do not want you guys to get into a tiff over this thread, it's really not that important.
Vabowman, As good a question would be do they belong there with him.Paul is legendary,I would say a great deal of his mystique and appeal may be because he died so young.An incredible hunter in everyone's book.The Wenzels are extremely deserving but I don't hold them in the same regard that I hold Paul or Chuck.The phsical nature of the hunting that Paul an dChuck have done and excelled at impresses me much more.I can't relate to Howard and Fred completely because of their era being so long ago.Do they have my respect?Yes completely.I just can't relate to them in the same way.
I don't care why someone hunts. If they hunt legally I do not care what their motivations are the moment they launch a killing instrument. I don't care if someone flies to Africa to hunt or if they strive to win the Campbell's outdoor challenge and post about it. I don't care if a guy is obsessed with killing monster bucks or wears blue jeans, chews some tobacco, and his shirt is covered with cologne as he hunts....I DON'T care.
Duke, My bad…I didn’t take anything personally, nor did I take it as an insult. I simply did not convey well enough. My Africa comments are a direct response to this comment: I wonder, how you can say things like this about the man when you have never traveled a step in his boots? IMO, you’re speculating. I tried to use my experience(s) to show the reasons why I travel to Africa. I certainly do it for reasons other than to kill a giant with great big horns. I’m not sure how it can be construed as being vain if the end result is a giant with great big horns and I, he, or anyone else gets recognition. Things happen and people become heroes whether they like it or not. I personally will give the man the benefit of the doubt-at least until I see otherwise. Good post Scot, to be legendary does take a degree of single mindedness for sure. I think the reason “we don’t want to” stems from the conditioning we receive from our present social culture. Have you ever heard the adage “There is no I in team”? It's all about being humble isn't it? I......I,.....am a vainaholic! There, I said it.
I have alot of respect for Chuck He stays out of the spotlight but his acomplishments cannot be without notice. Just wish he'd loose the sock hat when its warm out
Im still waiting for my book to come. I thought it would be here today, but it didn't...I really want to know about not only Chuck, but several legends in bowhunting.
If Im looking for a man that has experienced what he is writing about. I want a, what we historians call " primary source"....remember Tommy Boy? "hey you can learn a lot about a bull by sticking your head up his ass, but wouldn't you rather take the butcher's word for it?":d
Huck.. I never said he couldn't do what he wants.. I never said I cared or he should care about what others think about him or anyone else.. go ahead.. READ every post I've thrown up in this thread.. I don't care what a man does. Read my posts and you'll quickly come to this conclusion. I'm simply defending myself against a whole team of gents who don't think (by definition) that it's vain to kill something for recognition.. not for food.. it is.. it is vanity.. but I don't care if you do it.. and I don't care if he does it... I'm just giving it a name. My Africa example was just that.. I don't care if I said Asia.. it still was an example of a man (any man) choosing to kill for anything less than food.. for HORNS.. for antlers.. Make no mistake about it.. it's vain. But hey.. like I said earlier.. I don't care what another man does with his time.. I just think it's silly to acknowledge someone (anyone) who kills for these reasons..
Well said Scot.. but I'm not judging him.. I just think it's silly to follow or look up to any hunter. That's not judging him or anyone else.. I just have better things to do. I'll continue to follow the lives of those men in this world who made a difference to our history.. our history as and of mankind. A hunter looking for recognition doesn't appeal to me.. and I'm not sure why so many are "up in arms" over it. Why is everyone so upset about this.. I wonder?? Big deal.. so Mike doesn't look up.. revere.. or care what any record seeking hunter does.
Then where does it end? Is it vain to take a big rutted up buck over a small tender doe then? Is it vain to drive anything beyond the most basic stationwagon? Is it vain for a fella to post pictures of his kills, his family, his car, his house, anything? Is partaking in ANY athletic event just a big vanity fest? Hell you could call anything beyond basic survival actions vain I guess? Regardless his intentions on going to Africa, (hell why SHOULDNT he go with intentions of arrowing a bruiser _______) the meat IS donated and put to good use.
All right, I have been following this thread and and have kept my mouth shut. I am one of the newbies on this forum, so I didn't feel the right to chime in, until now. Since the vanity issue has come up, I feel the need to speak. I think that the vanity we see in the hunting industry is all too real, and wish it would stop. What the industry needs, and the whole world needs for that matter, is true HUMILITY!! I am so very proud of the way that I have remained so humble with all the greatness I ahve acheived in my life! I have made it a very consiense effort to remain the most humble man alive regardless of being the absoulute best at everything and anything I have ever attempted. I must be totally honest, out of all my trophy mounts, my sports trophies, my certificates of acheivments, all the pictures of my receiving awards and accolades... well... I am most proud of the room full of awards that I have received for humility. I will posy a pic of them for you all to see!! So please, all of you, just put away your pride.... and strive to be like me! If there were more of my type of humility and humbleness being practiced, this world would be darn near perfect!
I just had to post about how great my last post was. Awesome!! It is the absolute perfect example of the practice of humility!:d
