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steadyb

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I'm 39 and deer hunted hard since I was a kid. Then seeing a deer was a big deal much less killing one. I have killed many since. The last few years I have basically no interst in deer hunting. My son killed one when he was eight and got sad about and doesn't care about killing another one. I have many places to hunt now, much more than when I was younger. I could kill a deer 90% of the time. I think that is why I lost interest. I know a lot of you guys have to hunt public and that is tough. Anybody else in my boat?
 
I'm 62 and have been deer hunting since I was 16. I enjoy it just as much or more now than I did then.
When the thrill goes away i'll quit. Untill then.....as long as my tired old bones will get me in the woods and the good Lord's willing i'll be there.
 
I am in the opposite boat. I own no land, lost my lease, and have no permission. All my scouting and hunting is on public land. Work has kept me from hunting as much as I wanted to this year. I finally got my first deer of the year on Sunday with my bow. It was just a doe, but I was as happy and excited as anybody to have got a deer and put some venison in the freezer. I think the harder you have to work for things in life, the more you appreciate them. If big bucks and deer sightings come really easy for you, then I could see the thrill fading. I think it's important to find a way to make it challenging to create a sense of accomplishment and appreciation.
 
I had simular feelings about turkey hunting some years ago. I had a private farm swarming with turkeys and I could tag out in a matter of days when the season opened. I thought I was an expert and should write a book because of my turkey hunting prowess. I soon became bored with turkey hunting. Well that farm got sold and I soon found myself hunting public land again and I learned I wasn't the expert I thought I was because I got skunked for a few years. That humbled me and also renewed the fire that had been put out. I would say take a break from deer hunting or mybe challenge yourself to a harder type of hunting.
 
I'm in the exact same boat. When I started hunting 20 years ago I only had access to heavily hunted public land in East Tennessee. Just seeing a deer was a treat. Now I have private leases of prime hunting land in TN, IL, and SD, but I only go hunting on a few occasions. The good thing is, I've become more patient, seen many more quality deer, and don't feel bad if I don't kill one.
 
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I've somewhat lost interest as well. Different things keep popping up (work, family, etc) that keep me from hunting as much as I'd like. That, and this warm weather doesn't exactly make me want to go hunting, I like hunting when it's cold.
 
I learned many years ago that it is about the hunt and not the kill. I do not hunt to kill but kill to have hunted. Most can go and kill a deer almost any hunt. So, we keep raising the bar to a level of what seems impossible but will become possible later after much patience and dilligence. Some can go years without success and others want some kind of success each season. To each their own. If you don't enjoy the hunt and all that goes with it, you simply will give up because their isn't enough success to make it worthwhile or the success is too easy and no challenge. I have hunted with a friend for almost 30 years and he finally took a really good buck this past Saturday. The thrill of that can't be replicated. I hope you will find the excitement of thrill of being in God's great creation again and create the challenge of hunting. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
 
Maybe your a victim of getting what you always wanted. The time and land to hunt all you want.

Until 10 years ago I was lucky if I got to hunt 8-10 days a year. I had 1 200 acre farm that was 90% one large field. I was always fired up and could not wait. I even bathed in a river with ice on its edges before opening morning once so as not to be winded. I wished that I could do it everyday. The shows on tv made me wish I could even do it for a living. I might see 30 deer a day and never a buck. If it had horns you pulled the trigger knowing you might be the only one at camp that got any meat. To kill a doe you had to draw a permit in a lottery. The shut the plant in Evart MI down for opening day and closed the schools. I won 3rd place one year with a small scrub 7pt(60")

Now I live close to Fort campbell and LBL but also have about 500 acres of private land to hunt with some of that bordering Cross creek wildlife. I can hunt just about any day. I still get pumped when I do connect on a good deer. But I have trouble getting pumped up and out of bed to go. I have killed teice as many bucks now, here in TN. I do miss the good old days of deer camp.
 
I know the feeling. I'm 35, grew up in another state (NC) and I have killed more deer than most will see. A couple good ones too. I have more private land than I can hunt. Sometimes its aggravating when I'm back home...Trying to decide where to go. I got into duck hunting and to this day, I'd much rather be duck hunting than deer hunting. We would duck hunt 45+ days a season with deer being an after thought..Duck hunting in East TN is a joke. Not worth the time or the effort for so few birds.
Since we moved to East TN. I all but quit both except when I go back home. Althought I have since picked up a peice of private property in E TN. I get burnt out and have'nt been there since the friday of ML. I have never deer hunted public land, never had to and I never will. Now on Saturday's, I shoot skeet or sporting clays. More fun.
 
I guess if it was easy for me i would lose interest eventually, but maybe not. I can;t wait for the season to get here once it ends.

I too live in Mid Tn and if you want to talk to the land owner's and put us on the land we will be happy to shoot some of the deer :grin:
 
The last deer I killed was in 1998 I believe, not real sure last time I deer hunted but its been at least 8 yrs Id say. I got heavy into turkey hunting and found deer hunting boring plus I didn't care much for sitting in the cold. I've wanted to get back into it the past couple of years because I want some meat but now I have nowhere to hunt.
 
I went through burnout in my early 30's too. I would find myself going deer hunting purely because I knew the season would end and I would "miss out" if I didn't go. I would dread the alarm clock going off but drag myself out of bed and go anyway. I finally got to the point that I would just walk through the woods with my rifle until one day I said to myself, "What are you doing if you don't enjoy this??" I quit for 11 years. But then one Fall about 10 years ago the old urge to deer hunt just came back. One thing that has contributed to my renewed interest is the whole idea of Quality Deer Management as it relates to habitat improvement. Planting food plots, trees and altering the native habitat around my farm to help the deer herd makes it much more fullfilling than just hunting. It's a year round involvement.
 
Many, MANY great posts on this thread. Steadyb, perhaps deer hunting has lost its challenge for you, and like fairchaser said, you must keep looking for the next higher challenge to stay interested. Or perhaps deer hunting just isn't your thing anymore. I've certainly seen friends and family drop out of deer hunting forever. They just lost interest as they aged. And that's OK. It isn't for everybody.

I truly hope you find something that will make you excited again, whether it is a new goal in deer hunting or something else entirely.
 
Good responses, I am spoiled in that I have good places to hunt. I own a farm with a chance at a good one but I would rather put out plots and work on the land than hunt if that makes any sense. I have hunted horns only for the last ten years and have only killed two or three bucks in that time. If my son would get into it I would again. I guess the thrill of seeing one when I was younger was much more than seeing many now. BTW I saw many more good bucks in Md. Tn 25 years ago than I do now.
 
I just realized that companionship was a large part of deer hunting when I was younger. We would go to LBL, Catoosa, Natchez Trace, etc... always in a group of dad and kids. We hardly ever killed anything back then but talking about the hunt, camping, cooking and all of that was a big part of hunting. I hate hunting by myself anymore which is what I do if I go.
 
I've noticed over the last few years that my desire to go still remains but somedays I lack the drive to go and get out of bed and that may be weather induced or the fact that I may be running trail cameras year at my house and don't have a lot of good daylight pictures or maybe it's my nagging wife who seems to get more irritated with deer hunting at every passing year or could be just simply that for about 4 years the only place I had to hunt was the 36 acres my parents own and had no other place to go and over pressured the place reducing the amount of deer I saw... Regardless of what cause it may be when I am out I enjoy the peacefulness of hunting and being alone and still get excited about seeing deer especially good mature ones. I like some others will kill a few does a year and usually take 1 good mature buck a year. Generally if I kill early in the year around muzzleloader or gun then I don't go quite go as much.. I don't bow him at all because when I did I was extremely burnt out come November. I find now though that running trail cameras and doing work around the property and increasing habitat for the better to me much more enjoyable than actually hunting sometimes.. But there isn't any greater feeling than to to do all those things and practice qdm and develop a history with a deer for 3 or 4 years then finally getting to harvest that animal..
 
At the beginning of this season, I told my wife that I was going to play more golf this fall and deer hunt less. In her wisdom and knowing me, she said, hum, we shall see. One of the reasons at 52 that I still wake up with a passion for hunting, is that I got involved in a ministry that works with low income, mainly black kids and who for the most part, don't have a father at home. 5 years ago, I took one kid turkey hunting and sense that time we have had 43 kids to go through Hunters Safety class and many of these have killed their first buck, turkey, ducks, coyote, etc in our program. Two of our biggest challenges is having men involved that have a heart to mentor and teach these kids not just about hunting but about life and more importantly, a life with Jesus Christ. The second challenge is no surprise is getting access to hunting property. however, having started with nothing we now have access to almost 600-700 acres spread around middle TN. Only reason I am telling this as there are times I feel like the guy that started this thread but mentoring and teaching and being with these kids is exciting. I was with one of our boys in MZ and he shot a young 6, but I felt after watching his excitement we had just killed the state record.

Therefore, if interested still in hunting but don't have the passion, challenge each one of you reading to take the initiative to reach out to some kids at church, school that would like to hunt and go teach them, the passion will return. Secondly, if you have good hunting clothes or stands, guns and stuff you no longer use, we can put them to use, let me know.

Thanks and Merry Christmas. (forgive the typo, didn't know how to get back to correct)
 
Hawk11 said:
At the beginning of this season, I told my wife that I was going to play more golf this fall and deer hunt less. In her wisdom and knowing me, she said, hum, we shall see. One of the reasons at 52 that I still wake up with a passion for hunting, is that I got involved in a ministry that works with low income, mainly black kids and who for the most part, don't have a father at home. 5 years ago, I took one kid turkey hunting and sense that time we have had 43 kids to go through Hunters Safety class and many of these have killed their first buck, turkey, ducks, coyote, etc in our program. Two of our biggest challenges is having men involved that have a heart to mentor and teach these kids not just about hunting but about life and more importantly, a life with Jesus Christ. The second challenge is no surprise is getting access to hunting property. however, having started with nothing we now have access to almost 600-700 acres spread around middle TN. Only reason I am telling this as there are times I feel like the guy that started this thread but mentoring and teaching and being with these kids is exciting. I was with one of our boys in MZ and he shot a young 6, but I felt after watching his excitement we had just killed the state record.

Therefore, if interested still in hunting but don't have the passion, challenge each one of you reading to take the initiative to reach out to some kids at church, school that would like to hunt and go teach them, the passion will return. Secondly, if you have good hunting clothes or stands, guns and stuff you no longer use, we can put them to use, let me know.

Thanks and Merry Christmas. (forgive the typo, didn't know how to get back to correct)
Click to expand...
that's cool right there. Thanks for taking the kids hunting and getting them some quality time in the outdoors.
 
Sorry to hear about your situation. But like with everything if it gets to easy then why do it. Find another hobby or find a way to make deer hunting a challenge for you. In my opinion that's what all this one buck limit talk is all about. A certain portion of the hunters either have the location to hunt or talent that can kill a nice size buck when ever they want. To make it a challenge for them they want bigger and older bucks and they see this as a way to reach that goal. however there are plenty of other ways that can challenge you. Bowhunt the entire year or even only hunt with traditional equipment. There are plenty of options that keep things interesting.You just have to find the one that does it for you. Hope you find it
 
catman529 said:
Hawk11 said:
At the beginning of this season, I told my wife that I was going to play more golf this fall and deer hunt less. In her wisdom and knowing me, she said, hum, we shall see. One of the reasons at 52 that I still wake up with a passion for hunting, is that I got involved in a ministry that works with low income, mainly black kids and who for the most part, don't have a father at home. 5 years ago, I took one kid turkey hunting and sense that time we have had 43 kids to go through Hunters Safety class and many of these have killed their first buck, turkey, ducks, coyote, etc in our program. Two of our biggest challenges is having men involved that have a heart to mentor and teach these kids not just about hunting but about life and more importantly, a life with Jesus Christ. The second challenge is no surprise is getting access to hunting property. however, having started with nothing we now have access to almost 600-700 acres spread around middle TN. Only reason I am telling this as there are times I feel like the guy that started this thread but mentoring and teaching and being with these kids is exciting. I was with one of our boys in MZ and he shot a young 6, but I felt after watching his excitement we had just killed the state record.

Therefore, if interested still in hunting but don't have the passion, challenge each one of you reading to take the initiative to reach out to some kids at church, school that would like to hunt and go teach them, the passion will return. Secondly, if you have good hunting clothes or stands, guns and stuff you no longer use, we can put them to use, let me know.

Thanks and Merry Christmas. (forgive the typo, didn't know how to get back to correct)
Click to expand...
that's cool right there. Thanks for taking the kids hunting and getting them some quality time in the outdoors.
Click to expand...

X10,000! Very, very, VERY cool stuff right there Hawk11! Keep up the good work.
 
steadyb said:
...but I would rather put out plots and work on the land than hunt if that makes any sense. I have hunted horns only for the last ten years and have only killed two or three bucks in that time.
Click to expand...

What someone gets out of hunting, and the things they like best about hunting will change over time. That's normal. I know a lot of hunters that have or are going through all of the "stages" of a hunter. They have gone from just wanting to kill any deer, to then wanting to maximize their kill, to wanting only a big buck. I've also seen (and personally experienced) a new phase, and that is the "management stage." Hunters in the management stage get more enjoyment with playing around with habitat improvements (timber thinning, food plots, fruit tree planting, etc.) and herd monitoring (trail-cameras) than the do the actual hunting. The "fun" is in seeing the progress in herd dynamics and health over time instead of what is hanging on the meat-pole at the end of the season. Personally, I believe I get more enjoyment out of running trail-cams than I do from the actual hunting. I've done the "big buck" stage, but eventually even that lost its allure. I have no idea what will be "next" after the management stage.
 
BSK said:
I've done the "big buck" stage, but eventually even that lost its allure. I have no idea what will be "next" after the management stage.
Click to expand...

As a financial planner, I use a financial life cycle to compare age and net worth; it helps a client see where they are compared to where they should be. I showed it to one couple and their response was, "We're just glad to see we still have more stages to go." Meaning, they weren't in the last stage. So maybe you really need to figure out what's after the management stage? :D
 
I have been hunting for 13 years havent killed a deer in 3 years havent as much seen a deer while huntin in 3 years before I had killed a deer a year now im gettin heart broken with it and disappointed but I still go thinking Ill get lucky but starting to get more interested in coon hunting and we dont kill coons alot of nights we go its just the thrill of hearing them and watching them run in the woods
 
I also haven't killed a buck in over three years now since Thanksgiving. I have killed one doe in each of the three years and that is all. My first several years of hunting was great. And always seemed to kill at least one nice eight every year. now I just hardly even see them. I am very discouraged about what I have been doing wrong with my hunting and management techniques. I know I haven't forgot how to hunt. I just going through a cold spell. Also do not get to go everyday like I used to.
I go whenever I can thinking this will be the day.
Everytime I go squirrel hunting with dad and his dogs I see a scrape or rub and wish I was deer hunting.
I will probably quit deer one day as my dad did to hunt with dogs.
 
Im 41 and while my main focus has turned to making sure my 2 boys and my Dad are where they need to be, I still try to kill atleast 1 or 2 good bucks every year. I dont hunt or kill nearly as much as i once did, I still really enjoy the woods, especially with my family!
 

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