Punching a Tag or Adventure? What’s more Important?

[sierracharlie338]

Depends on the hunt. If it’s whitetail then adventure for me. I just want to see some cool stuff, don’t care as much about punching a tag.

An elk / caribou hunt, then punching a tag takes priority. I’d be a NR hunter and putting a lot of money toward this hunt for a positive outcome in the form of meat in the freezer.

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

Depends on the hunt. If it’s whitetail then adventure for me. I just want to see some cool stuff, don’t care as much about punching a tag.

An elk / caribou hunt, then punching a tag takes priority. I’d be a NR hunter and putting a lot of money toward this hunt for a positive outcome in the form of meat in the freezer.

Agree. I'm spoiled with guaranteed R tags in Iowa for whitetails.

 

[Bigborealaska]

Punching a tag is always the goal, however the time spent with my brother and the breathtaking things i've seen and the mental peace and solitude are irreplaceable.

 

[Jason Snyder]

Sometimes one or the other, and sometimes both. I kill stuff to eat it and could care less about trophies. That doesn’t mean the adventure and the process aren’t a significant priority.

 

[Jethro]

Every one of our hunt trips has been an adventure. They're better when tags get filled.

 

[displacedtexan]

Adventure. That's what drives me to hunt and fish other states.

 

[roadrunner]

Punching. Always will be. Too many past seasons with little to no tags doesn't allow for experiences.

I don't have the patience or time to "just soak it in".

If I were to pull a coveted 2C deer tag in NM this year, I'd shoot a 3x3 opening day.

 

[Killerhiller40]

Adventure for sure, but feeling like I’ve got a good chance to fill a tag is what keeps me motivated. The adventure tends to wear off after a few days of getting your ass kicked lol

 

[5MilesBack]

A few years back I elk hunted a unit I had never hunted before. I had a good time exploring and all, but it was one of the worst elk archery seasons I've experienced.......and I took a 6x6 bull out of there that season. Two years later I hunted the same unit and had an absolute blast. I was after one big herd bull that I found early in the season, but I hunted through the last day and ate my tag. I had that herd bull within 5 yards of me when he came running in that last evening, and we both tried to go around the same side of a tree and almost ran into each other. Was within 50 yards of him 5 times that season, and just never got the shot opportunity I wanted. Saw a lot of other bulls, but it was him or nothing. I'll take that kind of adventure every single elk season, even if I never fill another elk tag. I love those seasons, and I've had a bunch of them.

 

[DanimalW]

I like to alternate between both. I figure by time my kids are old enough to go with me, I’ll be the tour/hunting guide, and every trip will be the best of both worlds for them.

 

[BeastOfTheTrees]

I’m guna say adventure but I hardly punch tags lol.

When I do it’s epic but the percentage and money spent to get to the tag punching is crazy.

I like to just jump into the deep end and see what happens. Leads to cool memories but hardly any animals killed. I feel like im on the cusp of killing a bunch. Hopefully.

 

[Doc Holliday]

The andventure aspect is up to you when you plan/book/choose what kind of trip to go on.

(Private ranch, staying in a lodge, riding in a truck or side by sides is not much of an adventure to me at this point in my life but that is subjective.

Horseback into wilderness or getting flown in on a super cub, or leaving the trailhead and living out of your pack for a week is an adventure to me)

Yeah, I want to punch my tag. None of us knows how many more hunting trips we will get. I don’t want to waste a year going on a camping trip if I can either plan or execute better and be successful.

 

[rayporter]

i always set out to have an adventure and killing was second. it was a long drive from ohio and we had lots of time to talk about it. then we hit the mountain and the BS stopped.

after i killed my first elk WT hunting stopped for a few years. then i got the urge back about 1989. now i try to hunt WT in big woods to get the adventure back.

 

[406RoadToad]

The prospect of punching my tag dictates where I go over a pretty view and good hike.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

I wish there would have been a choice for "camaraderie and spending time with family and friends". That would have certainly garnered my vote. I admit, I chose filling a tag. As I start to get up in age, I am definitely less adventurous, I have been on near enough.

 

[longspeak74]

Punching the tag is always paramount to me. I love adventure and creating moments that I can share with others, but if I don't meet the objective there's always a slight feeling of failure.
As a NR guy hunting out West, there's no way I am passing an animal the first day, regardless of size.

 

[cnelk]

Depends on what tag I have in my pocket.

I’ve been to Alaska 3 times and each trip was an absolute adventure. Just the ride in the SuperCub is worth the price of admission.

If I’m hunting elk or deer, it’s about punching the tag.

 

[Will_m]

All adventure until unpunched tags start piling up. Then the adventure seems much less important.

 

[_jeff_]

I like to see it as hiking/backpacking with a bow or rifle. Getting an animal is an added bonus.

 

[UPThunderbolt]

Just curious on what you guys deem more important; to punch a tag or adventure. Now I believe in the ole’ saying that it’s better to hunt one place five times than five places one time. But after a few years, it becomes stale; even if you’re consistently successful. So what’s more important to you? Punching a tag or adventure?

So, approximately 25 years ago, an Editor named Tom Davis wrote a tribute article in Pointing Dog Journal. The tribute was to his friend’s dog. They had been on a December hunt in South Dakota (pheasant if I remember correctly). Tom’s friend shot a bird and the dog released, running across a frozen pond, for the retrieve. As you might guess, the dog broke through the ice, and before the owner could get there, drowned. A year earlier, my dog had died out in front of me during a ruffed grouse hunt. With some empathy, I wrote a letter essentially letting the dog owner know that he wasn’t alone in his experience, shared my experience, and offered some, hopefully, consoling thoughts. I addressed the letter to Tom at the PDJ and requested it be forwarded. A few weeks later, I received a really nice response from Tom Davis. In that response, Tom made a statement that I have latched onto and adopted as my own personal philosophy. And I quote “After all, as hunters, what we are actually hunting are memories…”

With that long-winded introduction, I would suggest the real question is “What is it about the hunting experience that creates the best memories for you?”

For me it is the entire process, what ever that may be for any given experience.