Originally posted by pav:
Originally posted by ferb55:
[b] Does "shoot what you want and what makes you happy" include shooting a deer with big antlers?
Because thats what makes me happy.
I seriously doubt there is one among us that would not be happy to put their tag on a trophy deer. That may not be your goal when you leave the truck....but if you are loading a big whitetail buck in the back of that truck for the ride home....it is probably going to take at least a few days to wipe the smile off your face.
For some of us though, the mature buck is the goal. Personally, I have zero desire to kill what I consider to be immature bucks...2-1/2 years old or less. In my youth, I didn't hesitate to shoot any deer that gave me an opportunity....but those day are long gone.
Unfortunately, those 2-1/2 year old deer are exactly what the state of Indiana manages for. People used to tell me: "If you don't like it, go hunt somewhere else." So I did. All those trips to Iowa, Illinois and Kansas just re-enforced what I already knew in regards to my home state.
It took a few years, but I finally figured out it didn't have to be that way. I could get close to same experience at home...but it would take alot of hard work and effort to get there...via private land management. Yes, that costs money...but so does traveling out of state to hunt.
This state is comprised of entirely too many deer hunters that are hung up on more "opportunity" and longer range weapons. For a guy like me, that is like being on a train going the wrong direction. The old saying goes..."If you can't beat em, join em." I say screw that. If you can't beat em...take matters into your own hands!
Some of you may not like the direction we're headed in Indiana...but make no mistake, if you fall into the "more opportunity/better weapon" crowd, you definitely had a hand in it.
I hunt mature bucks because of the challenge. I restrict myself to hunting these animals with bow and arrow to increase the challenge. I find the insinuations that fair chase trophy hunting is responsible for shooting pens to be ridiculous and extremely insulting. That's like saying the guys sleeping with beautiful women are responsible for other guys hiring prostitutes...because they can't get beautiful women on effort alone. [/b]The point you are not getting is the brown and down crowd is the average deer hunter in Indiana, not the guys on deer hunting forums. They want to kill a deer just like you do but they dont want to put in a couple hundred hours hunting or a few thousand dollars to do it. They are not dedicated trophy hunters and shoot the first deer they see because if they dont that might be their only chance of the year.
As whitetail deer increase in value so does the expense of hunting them whether its leasing, land management or equipment. As these prices keep sky rocketing the little guy or brown and downer starts quitting because hunting becomes not worth it to them. Their limited income only allows so much to spend.
There is nothing wrong with trophy hunting but when you force trophy management on the average deer hunter they start to quit. That sounds good to the trophy hunter but in time the average hunter's vote is what you need to keep the anti-hunters at bay. Dont think this will happen, just look at other states that have lost bear and cat hunting rights.
DNR controls the herd size with bonus anterless permits not opportunity. You only get to kill one buck no matter what weapon of choice you use. If you are not seeing doe on your property then quit killing them. I did this 4 years ago and increased the number of deer on my property by 3x. I went from seeing 2-5 on a hunt to 12-15.
There is nothing wrong with trophy hunting if practiced by individuals but when the state starts to do it then you start to see whats happening to some right now. How many times you see a guy on here post they lost their hunting spot because someone leased it and many times these leasers are out of state.
Like I said earlier, antler worshiping and horn porn will change deer hunting in Indiana and it wont be good for a lot of younger hunters.
At some point Im sure the state will shorten and move the gun season out of the rut. A lot of you guys will jump up and down and cheer when this happens but be prepared for what follows. Dont believe me then try to hunt some where in Pike County Illinois for free. h.h.
