who is the better hunter?

[nick2720]

I'm curious as to what people think. I'm the type of hunter that aims for getting 130+ class deer only but if a good 8 pt 16 inside walks by its dead especially if its mature. on contrary the property behind me hasn't shot a buck in 5 years and only will shoot +125 or nothing. its either quantity or quality. but I try for 3 good deer a year and will hold out for bigger ones if I only have one tag. But my question. is who is the better hunter a guy who shoots a 125+ every 5 years or a person who consistently shoots mature big deer every year consistently. is it luck or skill in this case just curious of personal opinions.

 

[catman529]

"better hunter" could probably have different definitions

if you are a meat hunter then the better hunter is the one who consistently kills the most deer

if you are an antler hunter then the better hunter would be the one who most often kills the bucks with bigger racks

I think the most skilled type would be the one who consistently kills old bucks, because they are harder to find and kill than most other deer.

I happened to have a 5.5 yr old buck stumble across my path with some does this week, and I killed him, but that was more luck than anything. Only skill involved was setting up in the right place based on previous deer movement, and not getting busted and putting an arrow into the deer. I don't have the skill yet to consistently find and hunt bucks like that, but I sure won't complain if one steps into my line of sight.

I think the "better hunter" would also be the one who is more ethical and courteous to other hunters and respects the wildlife and the environment.

My 2 cents

 

[waynesworld]

I think the best hunter is the on who enjoys going out even when they see nothing and the absolute best is one that takes a kid out and teaches the proper way to hunt

 

[BigD_625]

Loaded question. No right answer.

 

[r1100s]

catman nailed it. beginning of archery i always strive to kill does for meat and hope to let young bucks walk, but if the freezer is low and its legal then its going home with me.BUT i have passed on several animals i really wanted to shoot because they were outside of bow range, or bad shot angle, etc. i always strive to make the most ethical shots first and foremost with respect to the wild things. other decisions are based on the situation. this time last year i had 4 in the freezer. this year 1. so what i kill will not be determined until it stands in front of me. what i hate is the people who dont check there weapons, take any and every shot regardless of shot angle, time of day, weather, etc and wound animals left and right.and/or too lazy to track. imo if your too lazy/unable to track then think twice about pulling the trigger especially on low percentage shots. end rant. lol those are the worst hunters imo, the best are the most ethically minded and those who take kids in a healthy fun learning way regardless of what they shoot. and my rant wasnt aimed at anyone on here, i just know 2 people who drive me crazy with bad dcisions mainly regarding low percentage shots and too lazy to track. my first deer i shot didnt bleed a drop but i had practiced and was confident in my shot. lots of searching later i found my buck and it bled internally. point is if i hadnt knew my equip and abilities, and/or was too lazy to search, id lost my first deer and wasted good venision.that could really turn someone off of this great sport!

 

[Vermin93]

I'm curious as to what people think. I'm the type of hunter that aims for getting 130+ class deer only but if a good 8 pt 16 inside walks by its dead especially if its mature. on contrary the property behind me hasn't shot a buck in 5 years and only will shoot +125 or nothing. its either quantity or quality. but I try for 3 good deer a year and will hold out for bigger ones if I only have one tag. But my question. is who is the better hunter a guy who shoots a 125+ every 5 years or a person who consistently shoots mature big deer every year consistently. is it luck or skill in this case just curious of personal opinions.

Your question got me thinking...

I started deer hunting 5 years ago. My boss got me into it. The first 3 of those years I shot a mature 130+ deer on my boss's 700 acres in Missouri. I parked my truck where he told me to, walked about 150 yds, sat in a nice comfortable chair in a heated, elevated, enclosed shooting house overlooking long, narrow, worn down food plots and I tried to stay awake while occasionally sipping from my thermos of nice hot coffee. Throughout the day does would come and go and periodically a buck would cross the food plot. Occasionally a buck would cross slow enough that I, a total newbie hunter, could feel comfortable taking a shot at him. I did not know what a rub was, or a scrape, or a bedding area, or how to judge a deer's age, or even what a deer turd looked like. Heck, I didn't even know what the rut was....but I could shoot pretty dang good. The buck I shot the first year wasn't even 100yds from the shooting house. I was so excited and have fond memories of it. My boss taught me how to field dress it and butcher it into steaks, roasts and burger. It was then that I knew I wanted to be a hunter. I felt like I had made a special and unique connection to the outdoors. I was doing what men used to do long before we had the Kroger meat department. The next 2 years I did the same thing, except I wanted more of a challenge so I practiced shooting longer distances at the range. I shot a nice buck each of those years. One grossed 150+. I am proud of them, but not because I hunted them. I'm proud of them because I shot them both from about 350 yds away while they were crossing the food plot. I had practiced shooting longer distances and it had paid off for me.

What is my point? Well, I'm done with that kind of hunting. It was a great start for me and it got me into the wonderful world of deer hunting and I'm very thankful to my boss for giving me such an awesome opportunity (I had to pay a modest amount to hunt there), but to me it was no longer hunting. It was shooting. My boss would not let anyone walk around the property to scout and set up a treestand or blind. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere except from my truck to one of the 10 shooting houses and then back to my truck when I was done. He didn't want people walking around his 700 acre deer "sanctuary". I've since moved on and learned a lot on this site and through books and most importantly through getting out and walking around thousands of acres of public hunting land and a few small private land places where I have permission. I scout...a lot...all year. I look for places where very few hunters go. I look for and try to read deer sign and plan a strategy. I implement the strategy. To me, that's hunting. I'm not very good at it yet, but I'm getting better at it each month. I'm seeing things that I never noticed before. I'm seeing more and more deer. I'm killing some deer on public land and I'm loving every minute of it.

Who is the better hunter in your comparison? To that I say who really cares? It's impossible to tell with the information you provided. But if you really want an answer I would say it's the guy who has studied the habits and behavior of whitetail deer and who puts in the time to scout in the off season, learns his hunting area, reads sign, finds food sources, minimizes his scent, sets up multiple good stand sites, hunts the wind, practices with his weapons, maintains his equipment, and doesn't miss when he has a deer in the crosshairs or peep site.

As I explained above, I shot a mature buck for 3 years straight and didn't have hardly a clue about hunting whitetail deer during that time. I haven't shot a buck in 2 years, but I'm a much better hunter now than I was when I sat in the shooting house overlooking the food plot.

 

[bowriter]

By far, no questions asked, the best hunter is the one who is consistently, year after year, satisfied at the end of the season.

 

[MUP]

I'm curious as to what people think. I'm the type of hunter that aims for getting 130+ class deer only but if a good 8 pt 16 inside walks by its dead especially if its mature. on contrary the property behind me hasn't shot a buck in 5 years and only will shoot +125 or nothing. its either quantity or quality. but I try for 3 good deer a year and will hold out for bigger ones if I only have one tag. But my question. is who is the better hunter a guy who shoots a 125+ every 5 years or a person who consistently shoots mature big deer every year consistently. is it luck or skill in this case just curious of personal opinions.

Your question got me thinking...

I started deer hunting 5 years ago. My boss got me into it. The first 3 of those years I shot a mature 130+ deer on my boss's 700 acres in Missouri. I parked my truck where he told me to, walked about 150 yds, sat in a nice comfortable chair in a heated, elevated, enclosed shooting house overlooking long, narrow, worn down food plots and I tried to stay awake while occasionally sipping from my thermos of nice hot coffee. Throughout the day does would come and go and periodically a buck would cross the food plot. Occasionally a buck would cross slow enough that I, a total newbie hunter, could feel comfortable taking a shot at him. I did not know what a rub was, or a scrape, or a bedding area, or how to judge a deer's age, or even what a deer turd looked like. Heck, I didn't even know what the rut was....but I could shoot pretty dang good. The buck I shot the first year wasn't even 100yds from the shooting house. I was so excited and have fond memories of it. My boss taught me how to field dress it and butcher it into steaks, roasts and burger. It was then that I knew I wanted to be a hunter. I felt like I had made a special and unique connection to the outdoors. I was doing what men used to do long before we had the Kroger meat department. The next 2 years I did the same thing, except I wanted more of a challenge so I practiced shooting longer distances at the range. I shot a nice buck each of those years. One grossed 150+. I am proud of them, but not because I hunted them. I'm proud of them because I shot them both from about 350 yds away while they were crossing the food plot. I had practiced shooting longer distances and it had paid off for me.

What is my point? Well, I'm done with that kind of hunting. It was a great start for me and it got me into the wonderful world of deer hunting and I'm very thankful to my boss for giving me such an awesome opportunity (I had to pay a modest amount to hunt there), but to me it was no longer hunting. It was shooting. My boss would not let anyone walk around the property to scout and set up a treestand or blind. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere except from my truck to one of the 10 shooting houses and then back to my truck when I was done. He didn't want people walking around his 700 acre deer "sanctuary". I've since moved on and learned a lot on this site and through books and most importantly through getting out and walking around thousands of acres of public hunting land and a few small private land places where I have permission. I scout...a lot...all year. I look for places where very few hunters go. I look for and try to read deer sign and plan a strategy. I implement the strategy. To me, that's hunting. I'm not very good at it yet, but I'm getting better at it each month. I'm seeing things that I never noticed before. I'm seeing more and more deer. I'm killing some deer on public land and I'm loving every minute of it.

Who is the better hunter in your comparison? To that I say who really cares? It's impossible to tell with the information you provided. But if you really want an answer I would say it's the guy who has studied the habits and behavior of whitetail deer and who puts in the time to scout in the off season, learns his hunting area, reads sign, finds food sources, minimizes his scent, sets up multiple good stand sites, hunts the wind, practices with his weapons, maintains his equipment, and doesn't miss when he has a deer in the crosshairs or peep site.

As I explained above, I shot a mature buck for 3 years straight and didn't have hardly a clue about hunting whitetail deer during that time. I haven't shot a buck in 2 years, but I'm a much better hunter now than I was when I sat in the shooting house overlooking the food plot.

Nominated for post of the year.

 

[Knothead]

I'm curious as to what people think. I'm the type of hunter that aims for getting 130+ class deer only but if a good 8 pt 16 inside walks by its dead especially if its mature. on contrary the property behind me hasn't shot a buck in 5 years and only will shoot +125 or nothing. its either quantity or quality. but I try for 3 good deer a year and will hold out for bigger ones if I only have one tag. But my question. is who is the better hunter a guy who shoots a 125+ every 5 years or a person who consistently shoots mature big deer every year consistently. is it luck or skill in this case just curious of personal opinions.

Your question got me thinking...

I started deer hunting 5 years ago. My boss got me into it. The first 3 of those years I shot a mature 130+ deer on my boss's 700 acres in Missouri. I parked my truck where he told me to, walked about 150 yds, sat in a nice comfortable chair in a heated, elevated, enclosed shooting house overlooking long, narrow, worn down food plots and I tried to stay awake while occasionally sipping from my thermos of nice hot coffee. Throughout the day does would come and go and periodically a buck would cross the food plot. Occasionally a buck would cross slow enough that I, a total newbie hunter, could feel comfortable taking a shot at him. I did not know what a rub was, or a scrape, or a bedding area, or how to judge a deer's age, or even what a deer turd looked like. Heck, I didn't even know what the rut was....but I could shoot pretty dang good. The buck I shot the first year wasn't even 100yds from the shooting house. I was so excited and have fond memories of it. My boss taught me how to field dress it and butcher it into steaks, roasts and burger. It was then that I knew I wanted to be a hunter. I felt like I had made a special and unique connection to the outdoors. I was doing what men used to do long before we had the Kroger meat department. The next 2 years I did the same thing, except I wanted more of a challenge so I practiced shooting longer distances at the range. I shot a nice buck each of those years. One grossed 150+. I am proud of them, but not because I hunted them. I'm proud of them because I shot them both from about 350 yds away while they were crossing the food plot. I had practiced shooting longer distances and it had paid off for me.

What is my point? Well, I'm done with that kind of hunting. It was a great start for me and it got me into the wonderful world of deer hunting and I'm very thankful to my boss for giving me such an awesome opportunity (I had to pay a modest amount to hunt there), but to me it was no longer hunting. It was shooting. My boss would not let anyone walk around the property to scout and set up a treestand or blind. I wasn't allowed to go anywhere except from my truck to one of the 10 shooting houses and then back to my truck when I was done. He didn't want people walking around his 700 acre deer "sanctuary". I've since moved on and learned a lot on this site and through books and most importantly through getting out and walking around thousands of acres of public hunting land and a few small private land places where I have permission. I scout...a lot...all year. I look for places where very few hunters go. I look for and try to read deer sign and plan a strategy. I implement the strategy. To me, that's hunting. I'm not very good at it yet, but I'm getting better at it each month. I'm seeing things that I never noticed before. I'm seeing more and more deer. I'm killing some deer on public land and I'm loving every minute of it.

Who is the better hunter in your comparison? To that I say who really cares? It's impossible to tell with the information you provided. But if you really want an answer I would say it's the guy who has studied the habits and behavior of whitetail deer and who puts in the time to scout in the off season, learns his hunting area, reads sign, finds food sources, minimizes his scent, sets up multiple good stand sites, hunts the wind, practices with his weapons, maintains his equipment, and doesn't miss when he has a deer in the crosshairs or peep site.

As I explained above, I shot a mature buck for 3 years straight and didn't have hardly a clue about hunting whitetail deer during that time. I haven't shot a buck in 2 years, but I'm a much better hunter now than I was when I sat in the shooting house overlooking the food plot.

Nothing better can be stated than that right there. There is no better answer than what Vermin has just said. Great post.

 

[nick2720]

y'all all have great points and appreciate the feedback. there is no true way to say who is better than another when it comes to hunting due to not knowing the small facts. but just to stir the pot do y'all give people more respect that only hunt with long bow shotguns or lever actions that take only close shots? or what about people that only hunt woods not fields? people that hunt ladders or climbers vs hunting houses.

The whole purpose with this is to try and learn from this. I consider myself a good hunter not the best by any means, but room for.improvement without a doubt. these guys behind me kill, 130+ deer every few years but hunt with 300 mag and take 500 yard shots that never hunt woods only plots or ag fields.they also miss a lot, they have missed three deer since Sunday, two of them 140+ supposedly. on the other hand I hunt only from climber only in woods with a 30-30 compound bow and knight muzzeloader and my farthest shot has been 90 yards through the.woods. and I have only lost 1 buck with rifle in, 13 years due to the hornady revolution bullets.I'm just curiouse if I need to start hunting like them or learn their ways to better adapt my hunting strategies. but to.me I think they are more luck than anything and really have nothing to learn from?

 

[Winchester]

Better is defined in many ways, but I will tell you this, any hunter who can consistently kill mature bucks year in and year out, has long since quit worrying about being lucky!

 

[moondawg]

This is a loaded question with a multitude of answers, neither right or wrong. And there are some good answers here. I agree with wanyesworld and bowriter's assessment.

And Vermin, that is a great story!

 

[nick2720]

agreed there are a lot of great answers and multiple opinions. just curious how people on here think. and I truly do think some people including me can learn from post like these. this might persuade other hunters to see deer hunting on a new light.