El_Matador
Active Member
- Messages
- 359
So much talk about how to improve the quality of deer hunting lately. Everyone wants it to be "the way it was". I've seen quite a few pictures of big deer taken back in the 60s, they just make me think it was an era of big bucks aplenty! In reality was that really the case? My grandpa hunted deer every year for the most part until he became too old for it in 1988. I watched him kill his last deer when I was 12. In all those years his best buck was a gnarly old bruiser that probably scored in the high 160s. I believe that with all the hunting shows and high-dollar hunts going on today that our expectations have gotten a little too high. People go on a general hunt and expect to see huge deer - when they don't, they complain that the DWR sucks and deer herds are struggling. While I agree that is part of the problem I believe people are just setting their sights too high. Huge bucks are smart if they live on public land and they know how to hide from hunters! If I want a big deer I either need to pay more or work harder than 99% of hunters out there. Those who get off the beaten path will see bucks. I hunt a pretty popular area and I see on average about 4-5 bucks a day during the general hunts. But I hike 2+ miles from the road. Maybe we are taking for granted the good deer hunting that we have right now and complaining too much that things aren't like they used to be...when in fact they are!
Here is a pic of my grandpa's deer, its the buck on the right. I still have these antlers. I plan on getting a shoulder mount with them once I kill a deer with the right cape.
Here is a pic of my grandpa's deer, its the buck on the right. I still have these antlers. I plan on getting a shoulder mount with them once I kill a deer with the right cape.