responsible hunter

[JW_Halverson]

I never gave much thought to the "Welcome Hunters" signs over bars and liquor stores until it was mentioned on this thread.  It does kinda paint us with a wide brush not of our choosing.  I see forests of those flags here in South Dakota looking to lure in yet anouther outa-state pheasant hunter hoping to squeeze yet another buck outa him.  I guess it rubs me the wrong way, making business outa hunting, I mean, hunting is something more akin to a church service than business opportunity in my life.  Enter something here about beating the living crap outa money changers in a temple here.

And I preach the gospel of killing your own meat to vegetarians and vegans and I have found that I get a healthy dose of respect from them, IF I CAN GET 'EM TO LISTEN.  And I got a nice mule deer mount up on my wall, and I am glad to explain to people that I ate every last bite and morsel of his carcass, made tools from several bones, gave the hide to a brain tanner, and made sure all the rest of the inedible parts were carefully scattered thru the woods to be returned to where it came from.  Tsalagi has an excellent point, the non-hunting population outnumbers us, but we can counter their misconceptions with facts and good ethics. 

Unfortunately, that small percentage, the guy that gets away from the wife for a three day trip to South Dakota to hunt pheasants reinforces that stereotype by drinking a little too much, dropping a few too many singles in the strip bar (the one that isn't a strip bar the rest of the year), and generally being a slob.  That is what I think of when I see those "Welcome Hunters" signs.  I can only imagine what the non-hunting voting public sees.

[Tsalagi]

Very good points, JW. About some of the anti-hunters, there are a few that won't be convinced no matter what we do. And, at the point, I usually wheel out my reverse psychology and accuse them of "cultural imperialism" since they're trying to deny me my own heritage and force me to live their lifestyle. The backpedaling after that is really entertaining, because it forces them to actually have to think about it. It's hard for them to counter that, because it's not something they can deal with being accused of. 

When some anti-hunters hear that you not only hunt, but forage and preserve food, make your own stuff, and use as much of the Earth's bounty as possible, they almost get a little envious. They're paying $12.00 an ounce for dried Porcini mushrooms, I'm out there picking them for free. They're paying $6.00 for a piece of pinyon sap the size of your thumb tip, I'm out there collecting it for free. As far as the anti-hunters that eat meat (there are a number of them), they're out there paying $12.00 a pound for farm-raised rabbit. I'm out there getting as many as I want for a bit over $34 a year. And better quality meat, too. They're going to pay $15.00 a pound for black walnuts, and I'm going to get those for free, too. I know of one guy in this town who used to be a major anti-hunter----until he saw his neighbor not buying meat. Guy hunts now. You're not guaranteed a deer, but I can pretty much guarantee rabbit and jackrabbit.

Being an anti-hunter just limits your choices when it comes to being frugal and REAL Natural, and not just store-label "natural".

[Fingers]

Responsible comes before during and after the shot, no matter the weapon. Rifle hunting I had taken an "easy" shot but made a mistake and hit a sapling, the shot went errant and hit too far back. My hunting partner and I set out through the swamp in the big woods, crossed the river 3 times in a bunch of switchbacks... at the forth crossing my partner sort of lost it, called me every name in the book, said I was nuts, we were too far back in, it was too late etc etc etc. I told Him to turn back, I'd shuck down to my skivies and he could toss my clothes across to me, but he didn't think he would find His way and that I should give up.
Well I guided him back to the cottage and he left for home, then I got the wife and we drove a firelane with no luck, then stopped by another camp and went over maps and went back to the cabin and the wife says, well if it crossed a 4th time, its back on the same side you started, so just head out before first light and follow the river till you get back to where you stopped but now on the other side. Sure enough she had a great idea, 10am I found him 30 yards past where he crossed last, by 2:30pm I had him in the truck, by 7:00pm I was back in town at work for a 12 hour shift (tired as all get out) and I get a phone call from my hunting buddy and he goes on to say not to worry , everyone at his work agrees, there was no use going after that deer more...
Then I told Him I found him, and yes I had the tenderloins ready for lunch that night...
Thing was I screwed up, that deer was MY responsibility, I didn't yell back at my buddy, he was doing me a favor, I helped him get back out, but I was NOT done, My Mistake, My responsibility and well I figure I'd have spent the rest of that season not taking a shot at another deer, I had already fatally wounded one. It's life was given for Me to feed My family and I and that was that. And even though it was not a "Trophy" I did have the head mounted, that deer had alot of meaning to me, maybe it defines a part of me...
I'll hunt with anything and I love every style I have tried, but I am always the same.

[Pappy]

Cool story,been there done that,now I have a tracking dog.  :)Spent many nights tracking gut shot deer for myself and other good friends,track till time for work and if we hadn't found it come back after work. Flesh wound is different but gut shot you know it's going to die, just a matter of weather you find it or not.
   Pappy

[kinkfeather]

bowhunting a bottom one year with my buddy.shot a doe over a scrape i just took one lung out an sliced the bottom of the other.my so called buddy wanted to go after her wright then because he wanted to get home he was having a party that night.i told him we needed to wait for at least 1 hr.he told me he had to leave sooner.i told him i would take him home wright now an come back so i did.came back an tracked her for at least 1/2 mile.took about 4 hrs.she never did lay down at all.came upon her in a clover field about 50 yds away laying down.she could hardly get up.she got up then layed back down.i eased out of their went back to my truck an went home.next morning went back at the crack of dawn.drove my truck up to about 30 yds on the road an their she was.i felt her body it was still warm.cut her open seen 1 lung busted an the other sliced.their was not much blood in her.how she went that far beats me.i know she was not pushed.she went to that open field for safety.i was hunting with a 43 lb recurve,bear razerheads,wooden arrows.no pass through.i was very very lucky.i believe a pass through shot is a must for a clean,quick kill my opinion.the shot was between 18 to 20 yds a 1/4 angle shot.the broadhead was sharp.she did not bleed for about 30 yds.then a steady fine stream.i took my time so i would not push her.if she had of layed down earlier.i would have backed off untill the next day.it was cold so i did not worry about bad meat.the arrow came out with in 10 yds of where she was standing.the point i am trying to make is their are so many factors in making a good clean,quick kill.i am proud of that young man for being a responsible hunter an not given up.their are responsible hunters out their with gun or bow.i am going out an buy me a crossbow wright now an learn to shoot it.i owe it to myself an the deer to be the best i can be up to 20 yds.i figure my eye sight,my muscles an my stamina is not that great any more.so why not make my hunting more enjoyable.crossbows have good penetration,they are accurate,they are fast.kink

[Parnell]

Just read through this thread.  I'm enjoying it. 
I'm in the middle of my hunter's safety course right now.  It's a valuable experience.  My hunting experiences are only beginning, now in my mid-thirties, and I'm having to be "self taught".  But for me it's about a journey to better understand who I am, what I value, and what I want to become. 
I sense there are people in the class who are out there to bypass "ethics" and just make it through the class to have the license and act like Jungle Jim - Johnny tough-guy.   
I could go on and on about people and their actions, but there's no point.  I'll simply say, the longer I'm around and the more I encounter, the more leary I become of man.  That said, comeraderie is why I spend as much time on this site as I do.  Wish it could be on closer terms with many.
Kinkfeather - I admire your evolution through this thread.  I respect it.
Striving for "humane" kills, wildlife conservation, meat, and the total experience are what I'm focused on.  The rest is about personal development and "doing the proper thing even when others aren't watching".

Best wishes fellas.

Parnell

[kinkfeather]

got me a crossbow it has peep sights.shot about 40 bolts through it to get it sighted in at 20 yds.boy does that crossbow shoot great.at 20 yds my groups were less than 3".now i admire the traditional shooters but i have to shoot what i can shoot best.i am scared of wounding a deer an need extra help.i put up my pop up blind about 20 yds from a game trail.now when i say game trail i mean deer,coyote,an turkey.i can get in my blind an hunt what ever comes by.i went to the doctor to see if i qualified for a disability permit.the doctor told me with the arther,cancer an no thyriod,but mainly arther in shoulders an hands.i would definitely qualify.thanks to fish an wildlife department i can still hunt.not as much as i use to but i can still hunt.thanks to this web site an all the hunters that visit it.i realize that you can not be head strong an your way is the only way.hunt with what you want too but please be safe an responsible hunter.because people are watching an listening to us.we all need to stay together.by the way i might sleep in that pop up blind.kink

[Thwackaddict]

Responsible comes before during and after the shot, no matter the weapon. Rifle hunting I had taken an "easy" shot but made a mistake and hit a sapling, the shot went errant and hit too far back. My hunting partner and I set out through the swamp in the big woods, crossed the river 3 times in a bunch of switchbacks... at the forth crossing my partner sort of lost it, called me every name in the book, said I was nuts, we were too far back in, it was too late etc etc etc. I told Him to turn back, I'd shuck down to my skivies and he could toss my clothes across to me, but he didn't think he would find His way and that I should give up.
Well I guided him back to the cottage and he left for home, then I got the wife and we drove a firelane with no luck, then stopped by another camp and went over maps and went back to the cabin and the wife says, well if it crossed a 4th time, its back on the same side you started, so just head out before first light and follow the river till you get back to where you stopped but now on the other side. Sure enough she had a great idea, 10am I found him 30 yards past where he crossed last, by 2:30pm I had him in the truck, by 7:00pm I was back in town at work for a 12 hour shift (tired as all get out) and I get a phone call from my hunting buddy and he goes on to say not to worry , everyone at his work agrees, there was no use going after that deer more...
Then I told Him I found him, and yes I had the tenderloins ready for lunch that night...
Thing was I screwed up, that deer was MY responsibility, I didn't yell back at my buddy, he was doing me a favor, I helped him get back out, but I was NOT done, My Mistake, My responsibility and well I figure I'd have spent the rest of that season not taking a shot at another deer, I had already fatally wounded one. It's life was given for Me to feed My family and I and that was that. And even though it was not a "Trophy" I did have the head mounted, that deer had alot of meaning to me, maybe it defines a part of me...
I'll hunt with anything and I love every style I have tried, but I am always the same.

Fingers I had this same experience happen to me a few years back,only with a bow and i never found the deer.He took a step as I shot and got him a lil far back.I give him 2hrs and started on his trail but this dude never stoppped.Never bedded down,went uphill,everything against the book.Blood finally ran out after a mile or so and i looked for that deer everyday for a week.Never seen crows buzzards nada.He wasnt huge meat woulda been bad but i owed it to that deer to do everything i could to find him.Far as i know hes still running round with that arrow.As hunters we owe it to the animal good shot or bad to do everything in your power to recover it.(or give it one hell of a go)I think alot of people could do some learning from stories like ours!!Good hunting!!

[kinkfeather]

check out a new hunting ground that my friend 99 years old has.looks good plenty of sign day time bedding ground.real real thick brush but good trails leading in an out.what is so good their is a small pond they are using alot.it is real dry an hot here in kentucky.another good point is around this land their are alot of hunting so they can push deer into heavy cover.most hunters want hunt the heavy stuff.it is easy to get to all flat ground.alot of acrons bording this land.my friend has been feeding deer in has back yard.they come in late at night or real early in the morning.now he does not get up until about 8.30 or 9.00 a.m. so they may come in early an go to the pond to drink then bed down maybe.morning hunts are better now because of the moon an it is cooler.do anyone believe in the moon phases i do.kink

[kinkfeather]

set up pop up blind near acrons on ground waiting for cooler weather.too hot to shoot a deer now.62 degrees in the morning an at 9.00 am 73 degrees by 4p.m.91 degrees.it has been extremely hot an dry this year.have not had rain in 6 weeks 1 little shower for 4 minutes.i believe we are going to have a bad winter.the deer are staying close to water an not moving much.the ground is like walking on steel wool.we had alot of rain the the spring so we do have alot of acrons.the colder it gets the better i like it.the jet stream is high when those cold fronts start to dip down then the jet stream will come down an look out good hunting is on the way.thank goodness i have plenty of friends an prenty of places to hunt.i do not like to hunt 1 place all the time.you leave too much scent.but i do have a honey hole that i favor.kink

[kinkfeather]

hunted yesterday evening too HOT seen no deer going to wait until cooler weather.kink

[kinkfeather]

moon phases do have their merit but they do have their flaws.weather,food,hunting pressure,bedding grounds, rut all have to be considered. hunt all the time as long as it is legal.trial an error is the best teacher.we are all students an the game is the teacher.a professional is a person who thinks he knows it all.if hunting all the time is boring to some people then i guess i am a boring person.their is no quick solution to hunting an i am glad of that.if it was easy then i would not do it.i would be bored.the attitude that every time i go out hunting i have to kill is a myth.we do not want to miss out on all the other precious things around use at that time.if i went all year with out killing a deer.i would still have a good hunting season.enjoying being in the woods is the most important thing harvesting the game is a bonus.kink

[profsaffel]

Extremely hot and dry here, too. No rain for weeks... ground is crispy... we've been about to 99 degrees with high humidity the last few days  We're still a couple of weeks away from season, though, so no worries... yet.

One bright side though: I finished my stand today and checked the camera at my food plot. Result: a family of coons and a few doe. So at least SOMETHING is my line of sights this season. 

[mullet]

 Kink; Those temperatures would be ideal for archery season down here.

[kinkfeather]

it would be for me to if i had a thyroid can not control my body temperature if i get hot it takes me about 3 hours to cool down.if i were 10 yrs younger it would not be a problem.it would be hard for me to get a deer out of the woods an save the meat.when you set in a pop up blind it is hoter.there is plenty of time to hunt so no hurry.i do have  it lucky i can hunt any day an any time.i am retired.next week it is to be hot an dry our time will come.i have been getting every thing ready for winter.i mean my honey do list is done.i have to be very careful in hot weather but when it gets cold it is a blessing then i can regulate my body temperature real good.there are alot of deer this year meat on the table.the days are getting shorter you know what that means the temps will get cooler.some people will be saying it too cold not me it is the best time of the year for me.kink