Becoming a serious trophy hunter

[muzzhunter]

How do you serious trophy hunters find so much time to spend in muley country? I would love to become a trophy hunter, but with the little free time I have I find it hard to be able to get out as much as I would like. When I do have time, that usually means I don't have the cash to go out. Typically the only time I get out to the hills is for the hunts. I am hoping as the kids get older I'll be able to get out more, and maybe take them with me. Any advise you guys have for a guy who would like to get into trophy hunting more seriously?
Thanks,
Dave

 

[tageater]

I may not be the right guy to answer this question as I dont have a wife, or kids that would other wise take up all my precious outdoors time. I do have a job that gives me every other week off (Wed- Tues) so i can take off and go where ever I need to. And i also am not a proven trophy hunter, but i'm on the right track.

For me the biggest step in becoming a trophy hunter( after defining what a trophy is) is the ability to eat tags. Passing on the big bucks is a difficult thing, but to shoot a giant buck, thats what you have to do. Which means you have to hunt in an area that can grow big bucks...my area can grow big bucks, now its up to me to know where they like to be (my pre-season scouting) and where they go after the hunt starts (my during the season scouting).I'm learning the area more and more each time i go up there, and it can take years to get to know an area as well as you need to.

just some thought off the top of my head, i'd like to hear what others have to say also.

 

[jeremie]

I am not able to get in the mountains as much as I would like either, but I use every other resource i can find a big buck each year such as maps,biolagists computer reasources,looking at the numbers, and last but certanly not least talking to fellow hunters and anyone else you can.There are still some good guys out there that just love to hunt and share there expiriences in the field.They may not tell you exact locations but will share starting points, and some of there tricks.Lots of these guys are not trophy hunters in the sense that a 190 or better buck is all that they will shoot, but are more like myself which consider a 150 class buck that is 4.5 years or older a trophy.Also just like you have heard a 100 times just hunt harder and longer tan you tipical hunter

 

[muzzhunter]

Good advise guys! Thanks, I really appreciate it! I have been eating tags for a few seasons and passed up a ton of smaller bucks last year, but never found anything very big. I try to learn different things from this site, and reading magazines and books. I guess I just need to find a good area and hunt it every year possible, and learn it. Any more advise?
Thanks,
Dave

 

[BCBOY]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-12-08 AT 10:11PM (MST)[p]It is very hard to commit a ton of time to hunting trophy animals when you have a young family. Best to take what you can get and be happy with that. Being a committed husband and father is far more important in life than any sticky big buck. At a very young age, try to immerse your kids in the outdoors. Sure, it might mean just driving some logging roads and going for picnics when they are small, but every little bit helps. As they grow, you will find that you will gain more freedom for dad's own trips, and you will also find that the family trips get longer and the kids can go a whole lot furthur. Right now my son is 12 and my daughter is 10. This year we have been doing some serious backpackin and the kids love it. My son is now hooked on hunting, especially hunting the highcountry. He is my favorite hunting partner. Being a trophy hunter means different things to different people. To me, the more animals I can pass up on means the longer I can hunt, and I love to hunt. I am very fortunate to live in an area that I can be hunting in a matter of minutes from leaving the front door of my house. It is a lifestyle for me, not a hobby. It is the pursuit, the chase, the being in the great outdoors with family and friends, the whole package.

 

[dwalton]

Great answer BCBoy, you're a class act! I share the same feelings. To a young kid, seeing their dad shoot a 2-point on a short, fun hunt is more rewarding to them than dragging them through the hills on an all day hunt.

If you are fortunate to live in an area where you can hunt every year for big bucks, then you have a chance at becoming a serious trophy hunter. Otherwise trophy hunting can become an expensive proposition. Lots of $$$ for tags and applications, $$$ for lots of scouting or hiring a guide, $$$ for the right equipment. The list goes on. "Eating a tag", might be hard to swallow when you have invested 10 points and about a $1,000 in licenses and application fees (not to mention a decade worth of time waiting to draw).

Best of luck to you!

 

[jeremie]

great coments guys.Now that my sons are able to cover a little ground I take them on my homestate (washington) hunt each of the last 2 years.I shot a spike 2 years ago with my 3 year old son in my pack.I will start taking them on my so called trophy style hunts when they feel that they want to give it a try.Kids can do more than most people give them credit for.Keep after those big bucks and balieve me you will start finding them on a more reguler basis.I am in almost your exact situation and over the last 4 years I have seen and shot a more respectable buck each year than the year before .

 

[tageater]

If the question was "how do i get my kids interested in hunting" i may have stated something other than what i did. Passing on a 42"-190" buck, is a necessity if you want a 210" trophy, its that simple.

of course with the kids involved you have a completely different story, but that doesn't answer the mans question.

 

[AWHOLELOTTABULL]

Great post BCBoy!! I 100% agree! I would love to kill a 200" muley or a 400" bull but I would 10 times rather see my kids kill a 75" antelope or their firt mule deer. To me, those are the trophies of a lifetime and the ones that will have the most lasting memories!

It's always an adventure!!!
www.awholelottabull.com

 

[muzzhunter]

Easy tageater, it's all good. I totally agree with what BC said, I am totally dedicated to my family right now, and that is what makes it hard to get out as much as I would like. My son just turned 2 and I have some trips planned for the fall to get him out and hopefully get to see some elk and hear some bugles. I hope one day he will be my hunting partner and we can get more serious then I guess. I just know I am not getting any younger and can't help but think that it is going to get harder to hike into areas and that sort of thing. I was thinking I would like to take a 150-160 class buck before I turn 30. I am 27 now so I feel that is a reasonable goal. Anymore advise would be excellent. Thanks tag for keeping us focused on the original question.
Thanks to all,
Dave

 

[325wsm]

Dont forget that being a trophy hunter usually means you will eat a fair amount of tag soup

 

[woodruffhunter]

"It is very hard to commit a ton of time to hunting trophy animals when you have a young family. Best to take what you can get and be happy with that. Being a committed husband and father is far more important in life than any sticky big buck. At a very young age, try to immerse your kids in the outdoors. Sure, it might mean just driving some logging roads and going for picnics when they are small"

Its been a while since I have heard advice this good.

If you can't get out much, I would apply for as many LE units as you can. Start banking points.

 

[sageadvice]

Getting trophy mule deer has gotten much harder as the years have passed. Your goal of a 160" buck is very realistic but depending on the conditions you stated, would be impossible if you can't afford to go or have little time.

I suggest that if you are serious about taking good bucks year in and year out, you take strong recomendation of moving to a state or region where;

1) big deer grow.
2) you can hunt from home on weekends or after work.
3) you draw for limited tags, yet have decent general season hunts near home as a backup.

Without a lot of money or time to hunt, you need to be where they live. Once you have established yourself in an area, your hard work from scouting to getting back in away from the majority will consistantly put you in position to take good deer.

Joey

 

[manny15]

lotsa time and money!........

 

[jeremie]

I did not catch where you are from but in most states out west a 150 to 170 inch deer is not totally unrealistic goal for each year even without a ton of scouting time on general tags you just have to do your research and hunt hard.

 

[257Tony]

Just hook up with some good friends that aren't married and don't have kids! Let them do all the scouting, then just roll up on the opener and blast a big one!!!

 

[muzzhunter]

Man I wish I could Tony, that would be ok with me! Most of my friends don't take hunting as seriously as I do. The ones that do are kinda in my same situation with the family and the funds. I have been applying for some out of state tags, and always hunt here in Utah for the general hunt. This year I drew the Northern Elk/Deer combo tag, so hopefully I'll be able to find one or the other. Any suggestions on where to try? Normally I hunt further south.

 

[BCBOY]

Muzzhunter,
You are still young man. I'm now in my late 30's and the hunting has never been so good. Figure I've got another solid 30 years to go too. The point I was trying to make is things do get a lot easier as the kids grow up. I lucked into my biggest buck when I was in my early 20's. Spent a lot of years trying to find another big 'un. Couldn't really commit to becoming a hard-core trophy muley nut until the kids were a little bit bigger. Can't expect dad to go to work all week long while mom looks after babies or toddlers or preschoolers ect and then be okay with dad takin off every weekend to chase muleys. As the child rearing days got easier, so did my time to be able to get serious about killing big bucks.

I totally agree with the comment that was made about living close to where you want to hunt. When you hunt your backyard, you know it. It is alot easier killing big bucks in an area that you know intimately, instead of jumping on the bandwagon and chasing the latest hotspot on the map and having no clue about the area. When you live in the area, you have time to get to know it. Simple walks making note of animal activity, rubs, tracks, beds, trails, ect are much easier. I pretty much scout year round. I start as soon as hunting season is over, by watching deer on the winter range. Lets me know the quality that is there. Spring shed hunting is another form of scouting for me. I may never see a monster in the area, but if I find sheds off a monster, I then know where he lives and I can start putting the pieces of the puzzle together to find him when the hunt is on. I then preseason scout all summer long. I combine family camping trips with my scouting. The spotter and binos are always along. I make note of little things I observe. I don't need to see a monster to know one lives there. There are calling cards that they leave behind. You mentally stalk pile those calling cards and you are on the way to figuring out that buck and possibly killing him.

 

[supersider34]

Knowledge, money, and time are the 3 things.
Knowledge is the key to everything. Knowing lay of land,where they feed, bedding area's, travel routes, movement times, where to glass, watering area's, escape route's, time of day, best days to be out, knowing weather patterns, where they hide in bad weather, best places to bed when a east, south, north or west wind is blowing, etc....... You get all this down and you will harvest some nice bucks. I hear all the time about people putting in for out of state hunts. Well how much money and time are you going to take if you drew? Take that money and time and start learning area's in your home state.
The other thing is people talk like people that have familys that are die hard hunters are not dedicated to there families. Well the funny thing that cracks me up is alot of people that I have talked to have understanding about that time of year and also alot of them when the children are young, families go with them.
I am still working on killing some big bucks. Maybe one day it will come true.

 

[257Tony]

>Man I wish I could Tony,
>that would be ok with
>me! Most of my friends
>don't take hunting as seriously
>as I do. The ones
>that do are kinda in
>my same situation with the
>family and the funds. I
>have been applying for some
>out of state tags, and
>always hunt here in Utah
>for the general hunt. This
>year I drew the Northern
>Elk/Deer combo tag, so hopefully
>I'll be able to find
>one or the other. Any
>suggestions on where to try?
>Normally I hunt further south.
>


If you have that tag and want to kill a nice Buck, hunt where there are no Elk. That way you should just about have the area to yourself. That's what I did last year when I had that tag, ended up with a nice 26" 4 pt. scored around 165". Good luck!!

 

[muzzhunter]

Great advise guys thanks!!

 

[AWHOLELOTTABULL]

I am a firm believer in passing on the little ones to get to the big ones. To put that big one on the wall it will take patience and a willingness to get a belly full of tag soup. As mentioned above, you have to hunt where the "trophy" bucks live and hone your hunting skills over the years. One thing that has really helped me over the years is to hunt with good hunters and pick up on some of their tricks. Everybody hunts a little different but you can incorporate almost anything into your bag of tricks and in my oppinion, that bag can never be too full!!! Good luck. I'm sure you'll do fine.


It's always an adventure!!!
www.awholelottabull.com