"Hunter" or "Deer Hunter" ?

[tickweed]

woodsman is a better term to me

 

[redblood]

More challenging than MATURE whitetails with a bow???
coyotes?
Seriously?

absolutely. i have killed mature bucks with a bow, but rarely bowhunt any more. just lost the desire. seems in unit L there is a deer behind every tree. i do not think that there is an animal out there that has the combination of innate intelligence, hearing, sight (something deer suck at) or smell as a coyote coming to a call. i do not shoot coyotes that just wonder by during deer season (i know they are easiesr). kill call and kill lot of yotes and each time, i know that i have outsmarted a hunter, a killer, the ultimate survivor. nothing like it.

 

[redblood]

When I was eight years old, my dad took me dove hunting for the first time. I used a single shot 20 gauge Stevens.
I never missed another opening day of dove season unless I was in the hospital (which I was one year after a skiing accident at age 22) or at work.

Even at that early age, I never wanted to participate in any school or rec league sports as most of these took place in the Fall, and would inevitably interfere with hunting.

I guess I was obsessed even then.

As I grew older, it did not get better.

I started deer hunting in High School but knew nothing about it. My dad never deer hunted. At that time, I had never even heard of bowhunting.

In fact, there were virtually no deer near my home back in the mid seventies.

If you saw a deer track in a mud hole you called ALL your buddies.

In 1981 I traded a Marlin 22 for a Ben Pearson bow, Satellite broadhead tipped arrows, and hot shot release.

I practiced on a paper plate/hay bale target in the back yard and headed for AEDC on a tip from my neighbor.

I still remember shooting at my first deer on that bow hunt, and then killing my first deer the next hunt.

I told my buddy as I stood over that doe that I had set a goal of killing 100 with a bow.
That was in 1981...it took me until 2002 to make my 100th bow
kill, which I did on video. It was my first Pope and Young.

I am not a hunter who hunts with a bow. I am a bowhunter who occasionally hunts with a gun...just for fun and to switch things up a little.

Do I consider myself an "elitist"?

I am not sure, I have never really thought about it.

I chose my profession (not a bowhunting profession) so I could have plenty of off time to enjoy life including family, friends, side jobs, and the outdoors.

It was a good choice.

I used to want everyone I met to participate in bowhunting.

Now, I realize that is not a good idea.

Truth is, hunting with a bow is NOT for everyone. It can be a cruel sport. If not taken seriously, and practiced properly, wounding losses are a serious possibility.
It can be argued that gun hunting is also this way, and it is, but practice for average shots with a gun do not require near the time as does hunting by bow.

I simply participate in this sport because I really enjoy the year round practice, tinkering with the equipment, socializing with fellow hunters, and of course, the adrenaline of the hunt and kill.

I doubt that will ever change.

my blood lust hasnt waned at all. i just like to practice on animals more challenging than whitetails. i will still shoot the right deer under the right circumstance, but i save my killing sprees for coyotes coming hard to call and limits and limits of squirrels with a 22.

I incidentally pass on more coyotes during bow season than deer I kill in an entire season. -that's without calling. How can that be more if a challenge?

the treasure to a coyote hunter is not to kill a coyote. But rather kill a coyote that is called. i do not shoot mid morning wonderers, but only dogs coming the call. until you seen a hard charging breeding pair coming to the call fully furred, you wont understand. it was the worst thing i ever did in some regards, because when the air turn cold and their fur runs thick, its all i want to do.

 

[redblood]

I only hunt deer. I have plenty of time to hunt other things just don't care to do so.

I'm curious if you've ever hunted turkeys? I have only been turkey hunting for 2 years and I can't imagine any hunter not wanting to do it once they taste a little success. I think it's just awesome!

I guess I'm the opposite. I can't imagine spending all that time and energy chasing a big bird that looks far too much like a vulture!

I hunt any and almost everything, with any legal means. I averaged close to 200 quail per year when I was in my late teenage years. Many friends called me bird dog. If the quail were still around now like they were then I would still hunt them, I loved working with the dogs (we had some great ones) and loved the bobwhite. I hunt just like I fish, for anything with any legal method.
With that said, I don't Turkey hunt or care to. Actually if I had the last turkey on the planet in my hands, I would kill it and burn it. Went turkey hunting 1 time, had birds everywhere (good friend did the calling) killed a nice gobbler and they were strutting, calling, dancing, acting like turkeys, etc. and it did not excite me. The main reason why I do not like them is they are vaccuums. They eat everything.

200 quail is impressive

 

[W.Seay]

All I care for is deer hunting and bass fishing, you can have the rest

 

[Poleaxe]

Deer Hunter. Don't care to eat anything else that Tennessee has to offer so I ain't gonna hunt what I don't eat. Deer (not deer hunting) is year round for me so they ain't no time for anything else.

I won't be the least bit unhappy to drop it all in a couple years when my little man starts hunting.

 

[barkscaler]

I prefer whackmaster.

 

[102]

Poser,
I am glad you hunt. Period.

I am glad that not everyone feels the same about deer hunting and coyote hunting. THis gives us all room to hunt.

I too, have called in many coyotes and killed them. Mostly during turkey season and at close range.
It is exciting.

But nothing I have ever done (hunting) compares to finding sign, and then waiting for the right time, to arrow a mature, smart, hunter wary deer at 15 yards, right under the nose of some other public land hunter.

 

[mike243]

Its more meat for the bang lol.

I'm primarily a deer hunter. When I was young I hunted a few other species (squirrel, rabbit, dove, hogs), but I haven't hunted anything but deer in many years.

any particular reason why that is the case?

I can answer that for most of us,limited time,trying to earn a living & pick what to spend your limited time doing.family takes #1.its life,do the best you can with limiting the bad affects to your family ie time away from them.

i can understand time restraints- for me its teaching high school classes, online classes and running a business. My why inquiry relates to why deer hunting gets the time allocation over the other species aforementioned.

 

[redblood]

Poser,
I am glad you hunt. Period.

I am glad that not everyone feels the same about deer hunting and coyote hunting. THis gives us all room to hunt.

I too, have called in many coyotes and killed them. Mostly during turkey season and at close range.
It is exciting.

But nothing I have ever done (hunting) compares to finding sign, and then waiting for the right time, to arrow a mature, smart, hunter wary deer at 15 yards, right under the nose of some other public land hunter.

i am sure every turkey hunter has had yotes come in to their turkey calls. i know i have, even had some harass the decoys. but it is very different when they are prime, paired and coming into a howl or distress sound MEANT for them. knowing that you matched wits with an animal that kills for a living (not nibbles on honeysuckle and acorns), an animal that invaded the east (non native) and the one animal that is believed by many to be the last living mammal on the planet. not even a western ky bruiser or illinois swamp donkey compares to the rush of that in my book. ol wiley sure has earned his name. i will chase whitetails in 3 states this fall, but i am always glad to see the season in, put the deer hunters back in their warm beds and engage in the most challenging hunting that the East has to offer.

 

[redblood]

Poser,
I am glad you hunt. Period.

I am glad that not everyone feels the same about deer hunting and coyote hunting. THis gives us all room to hunt.

I too, have called in many coyotes and killed them. Mostly during turkey season and at close range.
It is exciting.



But nothing I have ever done (hunting) compares to finding sign, and then waiting for the right time, to arrow a mature, smart, hunter wary deer at 15 yards, right under the nose of some other public land hunter.

i am sure every turkey hunter has had yotes come in to their turkey calls. i know i have, even had some harass the decoys. but it is very different when they are prime, paired and coming into a howl or distress sound MEANT for them. knowing that you matched wits with an animal that kills for a living (not nibbles on honeysuckle and acorns), an animal that invaded the east (non native) and the one animal that is believed by many to be the last living mammal on the planet. not even a western ky bruiser or illinois swamp donkey compares to the rush of that in my book. ol wiley sure has earned his name. i will chase whitetails in 3 states this fall, but i am always glad to see the season in, put the deer hunters back in their warm beds and engage in the most challenging hunting that the East has to offer.

On the flipside, and to play devil's advocate, Cototes are apex predators and not used to being hunted. Though they are extremely wary of humans, they are not prey animals who are cautiously alert for predators at all times. They are hunters in search of a meal and, you are using an electronic call to attract them. I fail to see how that, above all other hunting pursuits, can light your fire. It's like "let me press this button and hope that there is a coyote, who have HUGE home ranges, within earshot."

Quite the contrary, I'd think the random coyote or, especially the turkey called coyote would be the most exciting encounter.

first off, i do not use ecallers. i have had been sent ecallers to test and have used them to kill coyotes, but as a rule i never use an ecaller. i prefer open reed mouth calls. my favorite being a v5 vermnator and toothy raspmaster. as far as the theory of apex predator that is not the case nor has it ever been- in most areas of their range where they evolved. mountain lions, gray and red wolfs, all bears and even domestic canines have made the coyote INCREDIBLY wary (in different areas of their range). Especially coming to distress call where every animal in ear shot could be coming as well. dont get me wrong, i still like to hunt deer. But i cant view them as equal to coyote in terms of wariness and survival instinct.But i am glad that everyone deer hunts and very few people seriously predator call.

 

[redblood]

here is one of the few yotes i have killed in the last 10 years with an ecaller. one of clients sent it to me an asked us to try it out. it worked, but like with all ecallers, i was unimpressed. on a side note, this particular female was in estrous- so she probably wouldnt have tasted good anyway lol

 

[102]

Poser,
I am glad you hunt. Period.

I am glad that not everyone feels the same about deer hunting and coyote hunting. THis gives us all room to hunt.

I too, have called in many coyotes and killed them. Mostly during turkey season and at close range.
It is exciting.

But nothing I have ever done (hunting) compares to finding sign, and then waiting for the right time, to arrow a mature, smart, hunter wary deer at 15 yards, right under the nose of some other public land hunter.

I meant to address this to redblood.

 

[redblood]

Is being a awesome "deer hunter" better/more practical/more fun/more stimulating than being a good "hunter"?

No, since turkey hunting is just as fun and stimulating.

I thought this might help answer, but I saw no deer in the clip.

The Deer Hunter

i am beginning to enjoy turkey hunting much more than deer. i am a very mobile person who likes to cover ground. i find it hard to get bored turkey hunting and if you it works out rght, you can be back in bed by 7

 

[redblood]

As much as I love deer hunting, I could not restrict myself to just hunting deer. Turkeys, squirrel and dove are important to me... Especially turkeys.

\

just wait till u get that marlin model 60 in an early september hickory thicket working on a limit of gray squirrels. you find out your level of marksmanship real quick. u may decide to squirrel hunt all october,