Evolving as a person and hunter?

[paintballdude902]

now i know that im not old at all only being 19 but i have begun to notice a change in my feelings towards hunting in the last year. i began hunting when i was 16 and taught myself everything i know just by getting out there and doing it.

this is the first year since then that i haven't killed at east 3 deer, in fact i didn't kill a single deer. I let several deer walk this year as they were either small does or button bucks. i did use one of my deer tags when i took my 14 year old niece hunting and she shot her first doe but that was it.

now the change that i have began to encounter is both a good and a bad change i guess, I find that i enjoy hunting smaller game, like ducks and squirrel, more than i do deer. it just seems a tad weird that im almost reverting just being happy hunting rather than to be going for "the big one" or shooting any animal that was in season like i did in previous years, i have been deer hunting a half dozen times since i got home for the semester but ive hunted everyday so far (except sundays) since the 15th.

has anyone else encountered such a change? i still love being in the field and seeing the deer, but i am beginning to think that my camera is just as important as my rifle.

 

[TCB in TN]

Not strange at all, it is just part of growing up. As we grow up we tend to refine our our personalities, and that effects our preferences. For years I wanted to kill a few deer, then wanted a big one. Now I would rather just shoot a coyote or other vermin rather than small game or deer. As you age further it will likely change more. Heaven help you when you really get a few years on ya!

 

[janobles14]

Dang I'm 31 and still drool over dropping any shooter deer. Of course my wife still says I'm the biggest kid she has!

 

[blackops]

Your young, your feelings are going to alter much more over the years. Don't worry that something is wrong, it's not! Do what makes you feel good.

 

[Art Eatman]

There is a natural progression over time, and it's been a commonly known thng for many generations.

We all start out eager. How long before we slow down some will vary all over the place among people. At some point, it becomes more important to help somebody else succeed in his hunting. I guess the last stage is that of providing "campfire wisdom".

I started out as a kid, eager to shoot something. Most anything. Possums, chee-chee birds, whatever. I grew out of that, and got picky about what if anything I shot. I had maybe twenty or so years of being a serious deer hunter, but even then I enjoyed "just huntin'" as much as I did any killing. Then, I started focussing more on helping others find Ol' Bambi, if I could. Now, I'm pretty much relegated to the campfire--which doesn't mean I won't go out and just sit and watch, "In case of in case" a big one wanders by.

 

[NCsmitty]

Life has a way of changing one's self as we live and learn. Many hunters feel as you do, the thrill of the hunt trumps the thrill of the kill.
The heightened senses that you feel and the awareness that comes in nature's cathedral is a sensation hard to describe to those who do not hunt.
Enjoy the ride, as life goes by too quickly.



NCsmitty

 

[Leaky Waders]

Try duckhunting...it's like a gallon of espresso and half a bottle of ritalin put together!

As for the deer hunters, the season overlaps too much with duckhunting, but i sincerely appreciate all those guys and gals out there keeping the deer off the highways.

 

[Victor1Echo]

Part of the thrill of any hobby/sport/interest is learning. Sounds like you have "mastered" deer hunting, or at least have developed enough skill and knowledge that it no longer presents a challenge. You are even teaching your younger niece--this is all part of learning cycle. What you you are doing now is expanding your interest with ducks and smaller game. nOw you are starting that learing process all over again, and it presents new challanges. As humans we thrive on new experiences--if they do not scare the hell out us. You can also think about hunting deer out of state in different terrian. Keep adding to your knowledge and experience base. As I get older, I learn it is important to plan to do things like a vacation, save up for a gun--it keeps me interested and excitied-gives me something to daydream about. Try to plan a deer hunt in another state, that is very different from the area you are used to. You will have to start learning about new techniques, and it might just spark your interests.

 

[buck460XVR]

There is a natural progression over time, and it's been a commonly known thng for many generations.

Art said it well. This progression is what differentiates the true hunter/sportsman from the common "shooter"........when the hunt becomes more important than the kill.

 

[Fremmer]

I'm not surprised, either. People change. I get strange looks sometimes when I tell people that I prefer a nice doe to a big buck. But when it comes to good eatin', nothing beats a nice doe (in my opinion). And I also think it helps reassure landowners that I'm not going to shoot bucks that their relatives might want.

But a nice monster buck is still a dream for me.......

 

[janobles14]

if its brown its down!

 

[.38special]

I am 19 and went through a similar change. I normally only hunt birds, but my tastes and tactics have changed. When i started hunting at around 14, i wanted to shoot every bird i saw. It didn't matter if it was a Bobwhite or a Yellow belly sap sucker. I also would shot at ridiculous distances for no good reason.

Now I take more pride in making good shots. I patiently wait for the covey rise and I pick out single birds instead of just pointing and shooting. I also find no joy in killing non game birds.

I also find it very fun to hunt varmints like coyotes and possums.

 

[higher4hockey]

im the same way. I've started not only taking a camera, but a bird book as well. I could really care less about deer hunting, small game is where it's at for me.

 

[dakotasin]

i just like going out and letting 162 grains of whoop-ass fly every now and again...

but i do get more pleasure from helping a new hunter through their first seasons than i do from killing a big buck...

 

[Snakum]

but i do get more pleasure from helping a new hunter through their first seasons than i do from killing a big buck

Wish there were a few more like you. I just went thru my first deer season, and with one rare exception the thing that struck me more than anything else was the stinginess, rancor, and childishness that normally rational adults display once deer season hits. Went it totally alone. After respectfully approaching every hunter I know and every neighbor I suspected might hunt, with my hat in my hand and my ego in check, I still had to learn it thru library books and hunt a tiny postage stamp of family property and another tiny lot where we rent a home. Former friends or aquaintences that I've done target shooting with and hung out with (for years in two specific cases) or neighbors for whom my family has done everything from feed in tough times to chase away potential burglers acted like I'd spit at them when I asked to hunt with them or hunt a little peice of their property for does (don;t care about horns). One of the most disheartening things I've experienced in a long time. I really enjoyed just being out in God's gorgeous creation, but 'deer hunter syndrome' may have put me off of hunting deer for good.

 

[John Peddie]

Snakum got it right

Hunting, like fishing and wilderness canoe trips, brings out peoples' true character faster than anything else I can think of.

Traits they can hide under a veneer of civility when things are easy and going well suddenly come to the fore.

Some-many-will disappoint you; but when you find a partner who's there when the firewood is wet or your legs are too tired to drag that deer any longer...well, they make it worthwhile.

 

[dakotasin]

snakum... sorry to read about your experience. in many cases, the nonsense you describe is true for many people once deer season rolls around, and i never understood it either. guess i just don't see where or why rude behavior is acceptable to some folks. sometimes, i even inject a little decency into a situation by holding a door open for a complete stranger, or thanking someone for their business, etc... little things.

shoot me a pm sometime if you still have an interest in hunting deer. i may be able to offer you some limited help.

 

[Snakum]

Will do. Thanks.

 

[SteveCase]

Ive had the same problem im 20 and i started at 15 with my dad. every weekend or day my parents let me skip school to go, I got so excited that I couldnt sleep the night before. Now I get everything packed up and ready the night before and then pass out cold, when I wake up im miserable and in a foul mood and thus usally I drive to the spot by myself and meet my uncle/dad/grandpa there. I used to like hunting with others, now I like to be alone do my own thing go where I want to. and this usally causes friction

But still nothing compares to see a big buck walk not more than 20 yards from where im set up. nothing compares to seeing that big ole Tom strut or that Brookie jump from the water. Nothing compares no drugs no alcohol no nothing. well besides a college girl in my bed but thats completely different.