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What makes a great deer hunter.
- Thread starter Jeager01
- Start date
HuntNorthEast
Well-Known Member
A lot of things in my eyes. The most valued hunter though, would be the one that has the knowledge to do both options 1 and 2 and passes it down to get other people into it.
If you can be successful annually, in general, you are a good hunter. A "Great" hunter, all depends on how that person views their goals and successes. What is great to someone else may not be great for you. If I could kill 120"+ annually at 3.5yr old or older I'd be a happy man. Versus some guys look at a 120" buck and think, "why would you shoot that?"
My passion is and always has been anything outdoors. Hunting mainly. I feel like, in my mind, I am a great hunter for helping get other people into it and helping them learn. Once they are annually successful, it tells me I am doing my job.
To each their own.
If you can be successful annually, in general, you are a good hunter. A "Great" hunter, all depends on how that person views their goals and successes. What is great to someone else may not be great for you. If I could kill 120"+ annually at 3.5yr old or older I'd be a happy man. Versus some guys look at a 120" buck and think, "why would you shoot that?"
My passion is and always has been anything outdoors. Hunting mainly. I feel like, in my mind, I am a great hunter for helping get other people into it and helping them learn. Once they are annually successful, it tells me I am doing my job.
To each their own.
I agree in principle, but I would not consider myself a great hunter, just a good hunter. I quit keeping count when I passed 100. In SC (private and public), I was in an extremely target rich environment with no real bag limits, so I stacked up 10+ / year for years there starting out. Most were does and small/medium bucks with an occasional local trophy. Many evening hunts, I would bump does and shoot them before I even made it to the spot I had planned to hunt and could kill more than one at a time, but rarely did due to the effort to get them out. Did I learn to be a killer, most definitely. I stopped hunting SC, and found NC public to be more challenging and fun. I started focusing on big bucks and stopped shooting does in that transition, but the foundation laid in SC definitely made me better here.
So with all that said, my definition of what makes a great hunter is simply great deer property, whether public or private, above all else. If folks spent all their time finding the best property they can get and less on the gear, weapons, and everything else the hunting industry is trying to sell, they will automatically become a good to great hunter.
there may be places that it’s easier to kill deer. But when you take into consideration the effort of preparing, accessing, scouting, hunting, killing, getting deer out, processing, returning to some sense of normalcy in the rest of your life, then repeating 10+ times a year...even if the segment of “hunting” is easier, it’s still a cut above the rest.
and to your point about finding good property to hunt - that’s part of what makes a great hunter. I have the time, income, and skill to hunt only prime properties. I don’t. I don’t consider myself a great hunter. I know what it takes, and I either can’t/don’t do the things it takes.
A great hunter is someone who can pick a particular deer and then go kill it. Other than that, there are too many variables. There's places where it's nothing for someone to kill 10 deer a year and other places where you only get 2 tags (one person can reach 20 deer kills in 2 years, the other needs 10 years to accomplish) so forget about just kill numbers.
A little self reflection after @Adrena123's post has made me consider something I feel I am lacking in but is a necessary trait of a great hunter. IMO that trait is patience. A great hunter needs to have the patience and discipline to not hunt a spot when the conditions aren't perfect for it. A great hunter has the patience to know when to move and when not to and the discipline to hold to that. I have non-hunting friends that remark all the time to me that I must have great patience to sit in a tree for hours on end.
In reality that comment couldn't be further from the truth. I sit in trees because it forces me to be still. I don't have the nearly the patience and discipline necessary to still hunt off the ground. I always have to know what's around the next tree. There's just no way I can stop myself from taking "just one or two more steps". The only way I can stop is by literally tying myself to a tree. Guys who can consistently get it done on the ground have my greatest respect.
I also have found that I have trouble staying away from "the spot" (whatever that may be at the time) that I think is best at the time. In the past I have certainly been guilty of over-hunting spots and educating deer. If I could stay out of the woods entirely until the time is right for a spot I believe I would have a better success rate on the animals I'm targeting. I just can't do it. Since I recognize that I don't have the patience to just hunt occasionally (I want to be out in the woods every possible opportunity) I have found that I can compensate slightly by making a personal rule to never hunt same locales within 4 sits of each other (minimum two day rests for areas). That is a big reason mobile saddle hunting works for me. Even then I still find myself backsliding. I know for a fact I overhunted my prime spot last year because of increased hunting pressure and I paid a price for it. I was reluctant to move out and have someone else find it and move in. It's a mistake I'll try not to repeat again this year.
I'd like to say I could fix these issues but it's much easier said than done. I've been aware of this fault for decades and the best I can do is apply the "bandaids" I described above to my hunting style. In the end, I'm enjoying my time in the woods so what more could I really want?
In reality that comment couldn't be further from the truth. I sit in trees because it forces me to be still. I don't have the nearly the patience and discipline necessary to still hunt off the ground. I always have to know what's around the next tree. There's just no way I can stop myself from taking "just one or two more steps". The only way I can stop is by literally tying myself to a tree. Guys who can consistently get it done on the ground have my greatest respect.
I also have found that I have trouble staying away from "the spot" (whatever that may be at the time) that I think is best at the time. In the past I have certainly been guilty of over-hunting spots and educating deer. If I could stay out of the woods entirely until the time is right for a spot I believe I would have a better success rate on the animals I'm targeting. I just can't do it. Since I recognize that I don't have the patience to just hunt occasionally (I want to be out in the woods every possible opportunity) I have found that I can compensate slightly by making a personal rule to never hunt same locales within 4 sits of each other (minimum two day rests for areas). That is a big reason mobile saddle hunting works for me. Even then I still find myself backsliding. I know for a fact I overhunted my prime spot last year because of increased hunting pressure and I paid a price for it. I was reluctant to move out and have someone else find it and move in. It's a mistake I'll try not to repeat again this year.
I'd like to say I could fix these issues but it's much easier said than done. I've been aware of this fault for decades and the best I can do is apply the "bandaids" I described above to my hunting style. In the end, I'm enjoying my time in the woods so what more could I really want?
The common denominator for the guys I know personally and consider killers is that they can all do it anywhere. Not just their local spots and not just deer or just bucks. They can pack up and go to any state and have success on pretty much any critter they decide to chase. As far as just deer hunting, some have moved on to just chasing mature bucks, 5+ and some shoot does and try to shoot 3.5 or older bucks and some just kill whatever shows up.
I dont think you can evaluate the skill of the hunter based on horns because not every hunter places the highest value on horns. Like mentioned above the better measure of a hunter is their ability to kill to the critter they are after efficiently.
I dont think you can evaluate the skill of the hunter based on horns because not every hunter places the highest value on horns. Like mentioned above the better measure of a hunter is their ability to kill to the critter they are after efficiently.
You make a good point. But I will say that having killed 21 deer the last 2 years, it's far from "nothing" to accomplish. This past year I killed a deer every single weekend for the first 8 weekends of season on public land. One was a 5.5 year buck. The rest were does and yearling bucks. Everybody makes a false dichotomy between big deer and numbers. I've shot a mature buck every year for the last 5 years. I get my trophy. I just refuse to pass on does to do that.
I was on the path to kill 20 deer last season. I quit for 2 reasons. Duck season happened and I literally got burned out. It got stressful. I needed a deer every weekend. There was no room for "we'll get 'em next time." Every single hunt the question was, "Are you SURE there will be a deer within 30 yards of this tree?" I'm amazed that I was able to make that happen.
Does that make me a "great" hunter? Society's norms regarding modesty and humility demand I say no, regardless of what I believe. I readily admit that part of the success I've had the past few years is due to things that aren't me being excellent. Good habitat. No kids. Flexible work schedule. Understanding wife. Youth. Disposable income. But I know VERY few people in my area with my general circumstances who can accomplish that. I'd say it makes me an above average hunter.
And, I have no doubt in my mind that the only way to get great at killing deer is to kill deer. The guy who passes deer every year holding out for "the big one" is passing up the opportunities to learn absolutely critical hunting skills. Whether or not a deer is too jumpy to shoot at. When to shoot. Where to shoot. How to not loose your mind at that moment. How to follow up on the shot so you can start trailing. How to blood trail. How to know if you should go get the deer or let it sit. How to gut/field dress/debone, or just which processor nearby is the best. What "ground shrinkage" looks like.
For most people, I firmly believe passing deer does more harm than good. It's like saying you want to learn to play golf but only playing 9 holes once a year at Augusta. You get good at playing golf by playing golf. Not watching golf. Not reading about golf. Not walking the course while carrying a bag.
You gotta put balls in holes, or shafts in does. Show me a great hunter who got great on a diet of nothing but one 120+ inch deer.
Killing a 5 year old buck is a great task just about anywhere but a high fence.
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It’s a mixture of both. In this question it’s the person who has the knowledge/woodsman ship to target a deer/deers and kill but also the maturity to understand the importance of keeping the heard in check. Both are good hunters in their own right and for different reasons
I agree wholeheartedly with this. When I was younger I shot (or shot at) every legal antlered buck that came my way. It's invaluable learning that unfortunately is lost on a lot of today's new hunters in the era of the "only kill mature deer" climate. A have a hunting buddy who's 22 this year. He's killed some impressive bucks with his rifle but still has to "close the deal" with his bow. He gets opportunities but time and time again can't quite get it done with the bow. I really believe it's because he's bought into us older guys approach of only targeting the larger animals. I applaud him for his patience but at the same time I wish he'd just put it aside and just shoot some deer. He needs to remember there's a lot of experience (and piles of young deer) that made us older guys move to the targets we choose to target now. There's no shame in shooting any legal deer.
Its a good reminder to us as hunters as well to celebrate all of our counterparts harvests and not take shots at anybody for "shooting Bambi", unless of course it's @Nutterbuster, then tease away!
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I agree. And I don't want to come off as dismissive of trophy hunters or too cocky. I disagree with most people about why big bucks are hard to kill, or how much harder they are to kill, but not that they are in fact usually harder to kill. I'm not passing bucks just to shoot does. And I have plenty left to learn about deer hunting.
The main reason I open my mouth when getting good at hunting comes up is that I want to do that thing more than anything else. I've chosen wives, homes, and jobs based on how they impact that goal. I've been plugging away at it for most of my life. And most of the information circulating out there on the topic has been more hurt than help. @Bwhana likes to talk about the "midwest bias." That for sure has screwed me over as a deep-south timber company land and hardwood bottoms hunter. But I also think the antler fetish we all have hurts as much as more. The idea that not shooting deer somehow makes you a better hunter. I think it's actually true, but only if the person making the choice makes it themselves. I think it'd be better to push a hunter to kill every deer he can, and have him go "Nah, I don't want to" than to instill the notion that passing deer is somehow better than killing them.
HuntNorthEast
Well-Known Member
I agree. A friend of mine joined the archery side of things 3 years ago. He has had opportunities but wants to wait on a good buck. He finally hit F it and let one rip at a spike. Well, the lack of experience shooting a deer with a bow came out. The spike came running by me with the arrow hanging out of his ass cheek at about mach 1 and was alive on camera 3 weeks later with no arrow and just a scab.I agree wholeheartedly with this. When I was younger I shot (or shot at) every legal antlered buck that came my way. It's invaluable learning that unfortunately is lost on a lot of today's youth in the era of the "only kill mature deer" climate. A have a hunting buddy who's 22 this year. He's killed some impressive bucks with his rifle but still has to "close the deal" with his bow. He gets opportunities but time and time again can't quite get it done with the bow. I really believe it's because he's bought into us older guys approach of only targeting the larger animals. I applaud him for his patience but at the same time I wish he'd just put it aside and just shoot some deer. He needs to remember there's a lot of experience (and piles of young deer) that made us older guys move to the targets we choose to target now. There's no shame in shooting any legal deer.
Its a good reminder to us as hunters as well to celebrate all of our counterparts harvests and not take shots at anybody for "shooting Bambi", unless of course it's @Nutterbuster, then tease away!
Young deer are great learning opportunities. Make the best ethical shot you can. If the freezer is empty, fill it. Experience, knowledge and skills will follow.
Each hunter should definitely shoot what makes them happy. I definitely like shooting 5 year olds and have shot a few of them (one particular one that was nothing but a wide 6pt) but I'm not going to not shoot a 4 year old just so I can say I strive for 5 year olds. Based on where I hunt, my target is 3 or better.
Who really cares as long as they're both having fun. If hunting prowess is your measure of self-worth, I feel sorry for you.
Again, I think arbitrary measures don’t tell us much, usually.
but I’d like for someone to make the case that a person who’s killed 100 deer isn’t a great hunter. As in, a specific hunter. Not the idea of a hunter who’s killed 100 deer that we can dream up a concept of with our thoughts about limits and populations and all that. I mean a real life, living breathing person who has actually killed 100 deer.
I think it would be a very difficult task to make that case. It’s not any magic in the number 100. It’s just the sheer magnitude of the effort, once all aspects are considered.
someone also brought up a good point in being able to kill a chosen deer or killing deer in any location. I think they both overlap in significant areas with my measure of efficiency, and differ in some too. Not bad measures.
but I’d like for someone to make the case that a person who’s killed 100 deer isn’t a great hunter. As in, a specific hunter. Not the idea of a hunter who’s killed 100 deer that we can dream up a concept of with our thoughts about limits and populations and all that. I mean a real life, living breathing person who has actually killed 100 deer.
I think it would be a very difficult task to make that case. It’s not any magic in the number 100. It’s just the sheer magnitude of the effort, once all aspects are considered.
someone also brought up a good point in being able to kill a chosen deer or killing deer in any location. I think they both overlap in significant areas with my measure of efficiency, and differ in some too. Not bad measures.
I have been hunting deer for over 40 years and used to live by the mantra of "if it's brown it's down". I got plenty of killing experience when I was younger(probably close to or over 100 deer now) Last season on my first sit in a new spot I had a big doe and a small 5 point pass my stand broadside in the open at about 22 yards and I let them go because I thought Mr. Big might be right behind them. 99.9 percent sure I could have filled the freezer but just knowing I could have taken one of them was very satisfying. Did Mr. Big show up? No, of course not but it was still a successful hunt in my eyes. Does this make me a great hunter? I can't imagine calling myself that but I would say I am a "Good enough hunter" because I'm happy with meeting my self imposed goals and even though I got injured the very next day and that injury ended my season I still consider my season a success.
I know a few 100+ deer killers that aren't necessarily great hunters. They are called poachers.
Haha. I bet I could make a good argument they are great hunters, if they are. Adding the ability to continue to evade law enforcement while continuing to put skins on the wall to a hunters skill set does not make them less impressive. It might make them less likeable. But then this isn’t a popularity contest, is it?
I hope you aren't trying to imply it takes skill to spotlight a deer? Granted you can be a poacher without spotlighting them...
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