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The Piled-High Club

@Weldabeast, @Dsabhunt, @SNIPERBBB, @Chandler96, there are thousands of threads on dozens of forums where we can all talk. I'm confident that this forum has enough decency that we can leave this very specific part of the internet open for people who haven't killed lots of deer to learn from people who have killed lots of deer. We can discuss what makes a "good" deer hunter elsewhere. I mostly agree with the points made about body count not being the only factor. But that's the metric isolated here.

Back in college, I'd have given my left nut to find 30 hunters like the ones I tagged all in one place. This can be cool if we follow house rules. If you feel you don't have something to learn, please leave the floor for people who do.
 
Nutterbuster said:
@Weldabeast, @Dsabhunt, @SNIPERBBB, @Chandler96, there are thousands of threads on dozens of forums where we can all talk. I'm confident that this forum has enough decency that we can leave this very specific part of the internet open for people who haven't killed lots of deer to learn from people who have killed lots of deer. We can discuss what makes a "good" deer hunter elsewhere. I mostly agree with the points made about body count not being the only factor. But that's the metric isolated here.

Back in college, I'd have given my left nut to find 30 hunters like the ones I tagged all in one place. This can be cool if we follow house rules. If you feel you don't have something to learn, please leave the floor for people who do.
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I totally get it ...and I'm gonna read along and hope/expect to learn something too.....what I was talking about is how it's gonna get crazy with how it will read. Lots questions asked on page 1 or 2, quoted, and responded to days later when it's pages away kinda thing. U know how this kinda threads kinda roll from 1 subject to another..it's hard to keep up or u gotta get out pad of paper and take notes to remember who is who etc
 
1. At what age and at what number of kills, if at all, did you shift from, "Man, I love killing deer!" to "Meh, I'm going to hold out for a big one."

2. How successful have you been at killing "big ones?"

3. What changes and what stays the same if your goal shifts from "I want to kill a deer" to, "I want to kill a big buck?"
 
Nutterbuster said:
1. At what age and at what number of kills, if at all, did you shift from, "Man, I love killing deer!" to "Meh, I'm going to hold out for a big one."

2. How successful have you been at killing "big ones?"

3. What changes and what stays the same if your goal shifts from "I want to kill a deer" to, "I want to kill a big buck?"
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- I don't know if I would put a number on that metric. For me personally, I would say that shift happened once I was "responsible" for solely myself and then MY family. I typically won't shoot a deer knowing that I don't need it or that it is in excess. I personally can't eat 25 deer per year between me, the wife, and two little kids; but my family growing up ate that many, and we were usually about empty by the opening of the following bow season... I still need to fill my freezer, period; but I can do that with does, and if I'm selective it will typically be on bucks or waiting for a mature/larger doe so that one harvest may equal two harvests of smaller deer.
- Again, define "big ones"... If you're talking about solid deer that are representative of the area hunted, I would say fairly successful. Referring to deer that people may be in "awe" of, not as successful but part of that was due to not waiting for the "big one" and accepting the first opportunity. On the other hand my time in the woods diminished drastically once I became responsible for myself as well. So, about that time is when I started chasing better deer and therefore less time=less opportunity. If I put my time in, I can almost guarantee one or two opportunities per year at an "awe inspiring" deer, but that opportunity may or may not present a shot, and then you need to close on that shot, so odds are much lower. Couple all that with moving to a lower deer density state, with more restrictive harvest system, and odds lower yet again.
- Stand set location and acknowledged goals change when you start looking for the "big one". I have targeted specific bucks and been successful, and I have also targeted specific bucks only to have them die of old age... The mindset, drive, and attention to detail do not change.
 
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Nutterbuster said:
1. At what age and at what number of kills, if at all, did you shift from, "Man, I love killing deer!" to "Meh, I'm going to hold out for a big one."

2. How successful have you been at killing "big ones?"

3. What changes and what stays the same if your goal shifts from "I want to kill a deer" to, "I want to kill a big buck?"
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1. 73 years old and 383 kills (6 years ago).
2. Enough to not be disappointed.
3. Age, physical health and the ability to do whatever it takes to put deer under you. The ageing process is the real killer.
 
BuffaloBill said:
Has saddle hunting, specifically, helped increase your number of kills?
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No, the reason that I started saddle hunting was due to the safety factor. I was very satisfied with my way of hunting from an elevated position before I went to a saddle. But, I do find the saddle more comfortable with a lock-on when bowhunting and with a platform when gun hunting.
 
kyler1945 said:
What do you do for a living, how many hours a year do you work? I worked as a Tool & Die Maker for 46 years, lots of overtime, Sat. Sun.

Are you married? Yes, Happily Also

Do you have kids? Yes

What state do you live in? Illinois

How old are you, and many deer did you kill in each decade of your life? 75, most kills were after 35 years old

What other time intensive hobbies do you have? I was also a Volunteer Fire Chief, Assistant Chief, Deputy Chief, etc. for 32 years and 41 years EMT on Rescue Squad

Did you have a mentor(dad who hunts or otherwise)? My father took me squirrel and rabbit hunting
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Really can’t say I’m at 100 but I can say I’m close. But I can say that 95% of my deer are bow kills and none over any type of bait! You can leave me off the thread. But I figured it was an accomplishment either way since I was self taught and didn’t get anything with a bow for first 4 yrs! Good luck to all!
 
I've killed more than 100 whitetails, 15 elk, 2 moose, etc. All with traditional bows.

When I lived in Montana for 25 years, the first few were spent filling tags, I killed 30 deer in about 7 years, but then I got tired of messing up my hunting time by bloodtrailing, gutting, dragging, skinning and butchering. So I would shoot a deer then go into bigger buck only mode for the rest of season. Could have killed a lot more deer.

Now I'm in Illinois for the last 14 years. I've tagged one doe. The rest bucks, maybe 14 with the buck 2 days ago. I had a great October, saw a bunch of deer, could have killed 20 more.

Body counts don't mean much to me. I just want to get myself into stickbow range on a regular basis while I pick and choose.

If anyone asked me for advice, well the media is full of good info. But the one most important thing to know is when the best time to hunt is. When you can.

Hunt hard, hunt often.
 
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