Are we really hunting?

[WoolOverAll]

Anti crossbow guys will gladly use a wheel bow with no shame. Different times I suppose...

 

[Blacktail_]

What are your thoughts. All is legal. Whitetail deer hunting, over bait with cell cameras and a crossbow. Personally I think this going to far and not hunting, harvesting. This is night and day from when I grew up bowhunting deer, no bait, no cameras. Killing a mature hunted whitetail was HARD and required a lot of work to do it consistently. Now you dump corn, set a camera, pattern a deer, check the camera before you walk into your stand so you do not spook deer, and then kill him. To easy?

Won’t ever shame someone for putting meat on the table but I’m darn glad I live in the west. Hunting the mountains for blacktail that have probably never been seen by other humans, big difference from people hunting the same 7 deer they can name every year on their farm over east.

 

[Fireflyfishing]

I am to the point where I would be ok if they get rid of all that stuff and go back to open sites or 1x max scopes. Don’t allow any electronics, including video cameras. Bring back into relevance the flat shooting rounds. It would be an awesome twist to the craziness that is long range hunting and social media influencers. I would even be ok with straight wall cartridges only. Give me some motivation to dust off the 444 marlin i inherited.

This is coming from a guy who is all in on expensive guns and optics for long range hunting and practices out to 1250 regularly.

Put your money where your mouth is.

I have no issues going 1940’s, but I prefer my modern gizmos and aids.

The Indian word for bad hunter is vegetarian...

This is internet gold right here.

 

[Rich M]

You’re comparing a 40 year old late onset hunter or what ever they are called to a 13 year old kid. I would hope the 40 year old is a little more capable.

I do too. But He does lack the take em by the hand and lead him to the game approach folks do w their kids.

The lack of training seems visible in elk hunting. The kid gets taught, the guy has to “earn it like a man”. Not sure the late onset guy ever catches up.

Down here folks take pretty little girls out to shoot some nice bucks. Cute as heck. Its mainly a property access thing but folks like to say otherwise. You got many acres and your grandkids outhunt some dude on public land so its a big thing.

 

[rodney482]

Im all-in on getting kids hooked on hunting. If some early success helps with that—and I believe it does—then Im all for making that happen. My state puts the youth weekend ahead of our rifle season. Any legal weapon and any deer (must be accompanied by an adult hunter). Also a youth waterfowl weekend ahead of that opener (same). And a youth turkey weekend. Less-skittish animals on a more predictable pattern and a bit nicer weather, and timed so its before many of the extracurricular school activities really kick in, is all part of maintaining a tradition of hunting. Not everything needs to be hard right from the start.
Not sure how anyone would argue against that, but I’ll argue for it if you want.

Then they hit 18 and its no longer easy and they give it up. Yeah hunting should be hard, same w any sport, with challenge comes great satisfaction.

 

[Boarmaster]

My first 20 years of my adult life I moved around the country quite a bit. I learned in all things to get along and be successful ( and invited) it was best to respect the customs of the region I was living in and to learn their ways. I got along dang good with the natives and learned one heck of a lot about many types of hunting and the outdoors. I’m glad I did that now some 40 years later.

 

[Boarmaster]

Anti crossbow guys will gladly use a wheel bow with no shame. Different times I suppose...

People seem to want to stop the technology right where they presently are….. or what their interests are.

 

[KurtR]

Then they hit 18 and its no longer easy and they give it up. Yeah hunting should be hard, same w any sport, with challenge comes great satisfaction.

Maybe kids in South Dakota are built different I hunted the youth season in the late 80’s and early 90’s along with all my friends and my kid hunted youth season with all his friends and none of them quit. Youth season is over at 16 that’s when you start hunting on your own.

 

[Macintosh]

You gonna keep paying your kid’s rent and phone/internet when they 30 too? Seems like a lot of folks do.

When do you stop pampering?

Why is your kid entitled to the at ease elk/deer in nice weather when the 40 yr old onset hunter isn’t? He’s trying to feed his family, your kid is trying to make you happy.

Doesnt make sense to me. You want your kid to hunt - take him or her. Plain and simple. You dont need a special season unless you lack skills as a hunter.

Come on, you are tilting at windmills.

Did you toss your kid the keys to your truck with no instruction? Isolate them from life and then release them into society with no “upbringing”? Its ridiculous to think that kids cant benefit from “going with” for a couple years and then be better prepared when you do eventually turn them loose on their own. If you dont want or need the opportunity via a special season, thats great. The data compiled by the us fish and wildlife service on why people hunt and why they stop hunting says otherwise though. Softer? Maybe. But are you “making it harder” right ip until you fail? Also maybe. Question is—does it matter? And what is the cost? It has such a low cost, I think we are fools not to try it and see. Based on what I see, it works.

And, this oughtta break some minds:

https://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/hunt/hunting-and-trapping-opportunities/white-tailed-deer/novice-deer-hunting-weekend