Why desire to kill a big deer

[Shed Hunter]

Today I put my first trail camera of the summer up. I've been excited to see what 2015 will bring. My excitement, as has been the case for the last three years, is mostly focused on one particular property.. even more specifically one particular tree. January of 2012 was the first time I strapped a camera around it. I will never forget the series of pictures the cheap WGI camera provided me. We already knew of two deer in the area, and another showed up on that specific camera as a surprise. He was old. Of the other two the one that caught my eye was actually the smaller one. Most likely due to the fact his amount of appearances far outweighed the larger buck's. Over time he began to mean a lot to me. I killed that deer on Nov. 20th of 2014. I had the time of my life pursuing him from his first appearance all the way up to the moment I shot him.

Today I strapped my camera around that same familiar tree, and I thought. I thought--was it worth it? I still can't answer the question. I look up at the deer on my wall as I type this, and I look over at the old trail camera pics of him I have left up on my computer monitor. I think about the countless hours spent looking for his sheds. The countless hours waiting on him to walk by. I enjoyed it so much and ended it so quickly. Perhaps I should have let him walk.. Should have taken advantage of how fortunate I was to witness him in person and patiently examined his behavior.. Continued to enjoy the countless pictures of one of the best looking deer you'll ever see in your life.. continued to enjoy following the deer altogether. Maybe my mind is just too curious about what would have been.. What time had planned for the deer if I had not shot him. I may be coming off as crazy, a panzee, or whatever to some, but I question-Why do we kill or desire to kill big deer?

I personally am starting to lose interest in the thought of killing another wall hanger.. I just can't see why I would want to. Some of you may think I'm being too sensitive, but this mentality is what put that deer on my wall in the first place (So if your still eagerly waiting on the first big one I'd open my mind and listen if I were you).. I began to realize that there was no sense in shooting a deer if it wasn't special to me so waiting on one that was was a very simple task. Now my question is why kill one that is special when I can just observe it-enjoy it?

So again-why do you desire to kill a big deer?

 

[muddyboots]

I can't answer that

 

[elknturkey]

I can. Killing big deer takes patience, self restraint, time, and leg work. The emotions I feel after killing a 4+ year old is not even a comparison to killing a young deer. Same way I feel about shooting a Jake turkey. They do nothing for me. It's all about the challenge. I went 6 straight years buckless but that doesn't bother me. I enjoy watching.

If I misunderstand the question and it was why kill them when we could watch them instead. Well I don't know. Proof I guess lol

 

[Mike Belt]

I've asked myself that same question several times. As much as the thrill of pursuit, the sighting of a big buck is one to behold. No other animal takes my breath away like a big whitetail buck moving through his stomping grounds. As beautiful as they are, in the split of a second; long enough for the firing pin to drop on the primer, it's over. There may be others but there will never be another him. As beautiful as they are, the hunter has just ended the magnificence that particular buck graced him with. I've often thought about pursuing them only with a camera. As much or more stealth is required as in lethally hunting him but you get the opportunity to kill him over and over on film without losing the grandeur of his presence. It's possible you may be at that point.

Although I've questioned myself about the same I haven't quite reached that point. I feel a remorse standing over a buck I've killed but I also feel an accomplishment and a connection; something akin to a brotherhood with the wild and the wildness. For the time being that keeps me in pursuit.

 

[Barnes Ridge Rambler]

Personally, every deer I've ever killed has been special to me. Some I've earned, some I haven't. Some I've had countless pics of, other's I had no idea even existed. The excitement of the hunt and the remorse of the kill makes for a very special feeling and respect for what we do. I'll answer your question with a question: how would you have felt to have all those hours logged documenting and pursuing your buck and pass him at the moment of truth only to have someone else kill him thereafter that had no idea he existed and had very little time invested in him? And I'll go on to say that I want to kill big deer because when you can kill a mature deer, buck or doe, you've beat an animal far more keen than we think we are.

 

[Nsghunter]

Today I put my first trail camera of the summer up. I've been excited to see what 2015 will bring. My excitement, as has been the case for the last three years, is mostly focused on one particular property.. even more specifically one particular tree. January of 2012 was the first time I strapped a camera around it. I will never forget the series of pictures the cheap WGI camera provided me. We already knew of two deer in the area, and another showed up on that specific camera as a surprise. He was old. Of the other two the one that caught my eye was actually the smaller one. Most likely due to the fact his amount of appearances far outweighed the larger buck's. Over time he began to mean a lot to me. I killed that deer on Nov. 20th of 2014. I had the time of my life pursuing him from his first appearance all the way up to the moment I shot him.

Today I strapped my camera around that same familiar tree, and I thought. I thought--was it worth it? I still can't answer the question. I look up at the deer on my wall as I type this, and I look over at the old trail camera pics of him I have left up on my computer monitor. I think about the countless hours spent looking for his sheds. The countless hours waiting on him to walk by. I enjoyed it so much and ended it so quickly. Perhaps I should have let him walk.. Should have taken advantage of how fortunate I was to witness him in person and patiently examined his behavior.. Continued to enjoy the countless pictures of one of the best looking deer you'll ever see in your life.. continued to enjoy following the deer altogether. Maybe my mind is just too curious about what would have been.. What time had planned for the deer if I had not shot him. I may be coming off as crazy, a panzee, or whatever to some, but I question-Why do we kill or desire to kill big deer?

I personally am starting to lose interest in the thought of killing another wall hanger.. I just can't see why I would want to. Some of you may think I'm being too sensitive, but this mentality is what put that deer on my wall in the first place (So if your still eagerly waiting on the first big one I'd open my mind and listen if I were you).. I began to realize that there was no sense in shooting a deer if it wasn't special to me so waiting on one that was was a very simple task. Now my question is why kill one that is special when I can just observe it-enjoy it?

So again-why do you desire to kill a big deer?

First off, I get a large sense of pride just being a small part of all this. So many people are killers of animals and so few are hunters. You, Sir, have most definitely found the most out of the sport. You describe a reverence for the animal, a sacred sense of appreciation for the difficulties this great animal has overcome to were he was.

If a man thinks you a pansy for this, he most definitely is missing out on a large part of being a man. He will be no less of a man, just have a life less enjoyable.

I honestly can't imagine the sensation of seeing a large deer in the woods, much less pursuing one like that. I can easily see how this question could be asked, I wonder sometimes myself, is it worth it, couldn't I just trade all my equipment in for one camera, one monopod and trek silently, peacefully to observe without partaking?

To hunt, in true form, is to touch something deeper in oneself. Something without words that connects us to our ancestors as far back as Adam who named the animals and to Esau who was biblically known for his great ability to hunt.Connects us to the land that may not be here in decades to come, to the trees that breath in poison and breathe out precious life, to move through the world pursuing something greater than the harvest.

 

[AT Hiker]

We as humans desire the best out of ourselves, its when we settle for mediocre and become complacent and no longer satisfied that we fail. Yet, failure is good, it is a means to perfection assuming you utilize that failure to your benefit.

Why big deer? Good question, if you define "big deer" as a true free ranging B&C whitetail well thats simple, not everyone gets one and they are a subjective means to a goal. Its when you loose focus that the "big deer" becomes greed and we in turn idolize it.

Do any of us not want a good job, healthy life, great family, etc? Its how we get there that gives it the bad name and me personally I will sacrifice very little for a "big deer" anymore.

Why I hunt is a more valid question....


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[Roost 1]

Because I have killed lots of "small" deer... Lol
Seriously, that's a great question.

 

[easy45]

The challenge, I can kill small bucks easily, its a lot harder to kill one of those big old guys.

 

[catman529]

I've never killed a wall hanger anywhere near yours but I can tell it's not an every day thing and would be one of my biggest accomplishments in deer hunting, so that alone is a main reason I want to kill a good one. Now you know I don't just hunt for racks and enjoy being in the woods chasing the critters as long as season is open. I guess it comes from our instinct as humans to hunt and kill and it is satisfying to do so, even more when it's an old, wise buck with brag worthy antlers.

I never hit the woods without a camera, and I am also satisfied to come home with some good footage. It doesn't take a kill to make a good hunt, but killing that trophy and putting your own hands on the beast that's eluded you has to be the most satisfying. I am a sentimental person and not only like to keep photos and videos, but also to have a piece of the story hanging on the wall or sitting on the shelf. I even save all the jaw bones from the older deer I kill, and when I pick up and look at the rack or the teeth of any particular deer I can immediately see in my mind the moment I took the animal and remember the hunt as a good one. Pictures and videos are nice to look at, but to have the trophy in your hands, to me, is the most complete.


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[FLTENNHUNTER1]

I love big racks.

 

[csi-tech]

It's like going to the moon. Because it's hard to do. It is challenging. I am always competing with myself and no one else. I shoot does for the grill, but killing the big bucks is my first love.

 

[chebuck]

It's the pure joy that it brings. Especially when you know that a big buck is in the area. Think about the moments after you killed your biggest buck to date. I would be willing to bet that if you were with someone you hugged and high river them. If you were by your self you picked up the phone and called the people closest to you. I know I woke up half of the county when I killed my biggest buck.

 

[turf08]

I do it because I love the challenge of stalking and trying to out smart a mature animal. What I love I guess the most about the sport, that is if you hunt free range deer, is no one is guaranteed a big buck. Im not a wealthy person, I do not have the top of the line anything, but when it comes to killing a big buck, I have just as good a chance as anyone. Once again if you are hunting on a ranch or high fence Im not talking about you. When it comes to killing a big mature buck its about being smarter than he is or having the patience to wait him out.
Another thought is remembering back to the old days when after a long hunt I would go to the local check station and talk with all the old guys. Looking at their kills and listening to all the stories about how their hunt. Its these things that keep me going back.

 

[fairchaser]

Hunters hunt for various reasons; the meat, the outdoor experience, to separate from the toils of everyday life, pursuit of something that is difficult to acquire, an element of danger and mostly because we must. When I first started hunting any legal deer was a trophy. The sight of antlers in the woods was enough to forget your gun and completely break you down. As the deer population grew and the opportunities were numerous, the sight of a deer was more common and the challenge diminished. You realize at some point that if you were going to continue this pursuit passionately you were going to have to up the game. If killing mature bucks in a fair chase wild situation becomes common, many of us would likely pursue other challenges although we might still hunt deer for other reasons. I've heard it said by professional hunters that hunt various species all over the world, that killing a mature whitetail is one of the greatest hunting challenges there is. Other wild animals are difficult to acquire because they live in remote places and are few in number. This is not true for whitetails and yet they are difficult to get. To hunters they are the ultimate hunting challenge. Thank God we get to hunt them. It's not something you ask why!

 

[Grill-n-man]

Good question, very good question.
Thought about it and not going to get into the BS that surrounds this subject to justify why or why not. If its what YOU want to do then so be it
For me I always have had and always will have the desire to kill a big horned deer, good or bad right or wrong the desire is there, can't really explain it. Now the weird thing is that regardless of its a doe or a nice 10 point I still shake, can hardly breath, and feel as if my heart is fixing to come out of my chest. Had this condition for better part of 40 years and that is the reason why I hunt. And if I just to happen to take a deer with a good set of horns then so be it I still am just as excited. Now from time to time I have gone to places after horns but that was a personal goal.

 

[AT Hiker]

Good question, very good question.
Thought about it and not going to get into the BS that surrounds this subject to justify why or why not. If its what YOU want to do then so be it
For me I always have had and always will have the desire to kill a big horned deer, good or bad right or wrong the desire is there, can't really explain it. Now the weird thing is that regardless of its a doe or a nice 10 point I still shake, can hardly breath, and feel as if my heart is fixing to come out of my chest. Had this condition for better part of 40 years and that is the reason why I hunt. And if I just to happen to take a deer with a good set of horns then so be it I still am just as excited. Now from time to time I have gone to places after horns but that was a personal goal.

We are about to take an animals life, its expected for our emotions to shake a bit. Those that dont have those feelings should probably take a look at the big picture.


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