This is about my progression as a deer hunter. My first hunt was with a deer club when I was 14 years old. We weren’t allowed to have any ammo, just allowed to take a stand and drive. They wanted to observe how we handled ourselves and to make sure we were safe. I can still remember that first small doe that came to me. It was buck week and you weren’t allowed to shoot a doe back then during that week. Didn’t matter anyway because I had an empty gun. I was so excited. I had never seen a deer in the woods before and it was confirmation to a young hunter that they did, indeed exist. A year or two later, during does days, I killed my first deer. I remember the mixed emotions...feeling proud...and sad at the life that I had just taken. I was alone with my kill for a short while and I remember kneeling beside her and to be honest, was on the verge of tears. Out of nowhere, my friend came over and backslapped me and started hooting and hollaring. I’m glad he didnt notice my eyes tearing up or I still would have my balls busted to this day. All of the members treated me as if I was now one of the team. It was a great feeling.
As I gained more experience, I would quickly learn from my mistakes and tried not to repeat them. Figured out how to play the wind, judge where the deer would approach my stand from, what areas seemed more productive and why. Started bowhunting then a few years later, muzzleloader. The deer weren’t safe once I picked an area to hunt. We have a pretty liberal bag limit in NJ. You can kill a buck during regular bow, extended bow, two during 6 day firearm, one muzzy, one winter bow and if you only killed one during the six day firearm, you can get one during the doe days. Also you could kill does during all of the seasons. My 20’s and 30’s, I was killing 10-15 deer per season. I was giving meat to coworker, neighbors, friends and family.
Then something happened....I was not getting excited anymore when I saw a small buck coming toward me. I was now looking at it as work (tracking, dressing, getting it out of the woods, checking it in and butchering it). Not only was it work, but it was also the end of my pursuit of a buck during that season. So, I started passing up smaller bucks. Watching them, learning things from them that I never had the opportunity to do so before because I would shoot it as soon as I could. I liked extending my season but also liked learning about things like a deers body language, watching them make scrapes, how they would alert me to other deer coming, etc. There was no pressure to succeed because in my eyes, the season was already a success. I went from killing 10-15 deer every year to killing one or two...a season or two I killed none. I was now hunting for my enjoyment, perfectly happy just to be out in the woods. I don’t shoot does anymore because it’s just not fun anymore...so I guess my next progression is to start shooting a recurve bow. Become proficient and know my limitations. Then the does will be in trouble again! Any deer taken with a recurve would be a trophy in my eyes. Maybe it’ll come full circle and as I’m kneeling next to a doe that I’ve taken with my recurve, my friend will come up and backslap me...hooting and hollaring!
Here are a few pics of younger me and older me with some of the deer I have taken...everyone was a trophy to me.....
As I gained more experience, I would quickly learn from my mistakes and tried not to repeat them. Figured out how to play the wind, judge where the deer would approach my stand from, what areas seemed more productive and why. Started bowhunting then a few years later, muzzleloader. The deer weren’t safe once I picked an area to hunt. We have a pretty liberal bag limit in NJ. You can kill a buck during regular bow, extended bow, two during 6 day firearm, one muzzy, one winter bow and if you only killed one during the six day firearm, you can get one during the doe days. Also you could kill does during all of the seasons. My 20’s and 30’s, I was killing 10-15 deer per season. I was giving meat to coworker, neighbors, friends and family.
Then something happened....I was not getting excited anymore when I saw a small buck coming toward me. I was now looking at it as work (tracking, dressing, getting it out of the woods, checking it in and butchering it). Not only was it work, but it was also the end of my pursuit of a buck during that season. So, I started passing up smaller bucks. Watching them, learning things from them that I never had the opportunity to do so before because I would shoot it as soon as I could. I liked extending my season but also liked learning about things like a deers body language, watching them make scrapes, how they would alert me to other deer coming, etc. There was no pressure to succeed because in my eyes, the season was already a success. I went from killing 10-15 deer every year to killing one or two...a season or two I killed none. I was now hunting for my enjoyment, perfectly happy just to be out in the woods. I don’t shoot does anymore because it’s just not fun anymore...so I guess my next progression is to start shooting a recurve bow. Become proficient and know my limitations. Then the does will be in trouble again! Any deer taken with a recurve would be a trophy in my eyes. Maybe it’ll come full circle and as I’m kneeling next to a doe that I’ve taken with my recurve, my friend will come up and backslap me...hooting and hollaring!
Here are a few pics of younger me and older me with some of the deer I have taken...everyone was a trophy to me.....
