Getting ready for deer season...

[BassDeaton01]

I just moved to Beaufort, SC and the deer season down here is incredibly long. The longest in the nation as a matter of fact. I believe bow season has already started. I'm a little late getting prepared. I wasn't even planning on hunting this year because I really don't have the money to hunt and fish but my father-in-law gave me a climbing stand and a Matthew's bow. So now I am amped up about deer season! Does anyone know of a website similar to this one for deer hunting? I've been looking but I cant seem to find any good ones. Thanks for any help that anyone can give.

[BadKarma42]

Try one called ArcheryTalk.com.

[bigtimfish]

I'm sure I will ruffle a few feathers with this one. Are you a "hunter" like stalking deer? Tracking and walking, looking for scrapes and such? If so cool. The very last deer I killed I said to myself what am I doing. I am sitting in a box, with slits cut out from all side watching a feeder. A feeder with a set timer on it. The deer after a while get used to the times that the feeder spins and slings corn. So basically it's like a dinner bell. Along comes the deer and BOOM. I personally find no sport in that. After that I have never hunted again. I have all respect for people that actually hunt them. But as for sitting in a deerblind and waiting on that dinner bell to go off, it's not for me. Now remember it's just my opinion.

[BassDeaton01]

Actually bigtimfish I feel almost the same way as you do about deer hunting. I've only killed one deer and it was with a 30.06 with a scope from about 30 yards away. It was a six pointer so I was pretty stoked but after I shot it I was like "wow that was pretty easy." That is why I've been wanting to kill one with a bow. It seems that you have to get a lot closer and more personal with a bow to do the damage. I will be hunting from a tree stand but it will not be on a food plot with a dinner bell...lol. I am just going to scout and find a trail, then find me a good tree and hope he comes walking through. I personally just find it rather relaxing to sit in the woods and listen to all the animals wake up and the woods come alive after sunrise. Whether you kill a deer or not it makes for a good morning. But nothing like being on the lake throwing topwater and watching the sun rise with the fog rolling off the water...GOSH that makes me want to go fish now!!

[fourbizz]

I dont like telling people that their idea of hunting, if legal, is inferior. If that is what you are into, more power to you. Now for my opinion

That being said, there is hunting and there is killing.

To me, they are two very different things. I could hunt out of a tree stand, with a bow, on public land, and feel sporting. But the private land hunters with their fences, food plots, feeders, heated blinds, and .338s bother me. As do road hunters.

I would say that the vast and utter majority of us are not subsistence hunters. We don't NEED the meat. As a matter of fact, I reckon that pound for pound, beef from the store is much less costly than deer when you figure in licenses, gear, etc.

To the few that need wild game to feed their family, I see no problem with stacking every available odd in your favor.

But for those of us ( again, the majority) that do it for the thrill of the hunt, how does the modern perversion we're calling hunting really live up to that?

I know my most rewarding hunts havent been the biggest animal or the farthest shot, but rather the animals that I had to work my butt off for.

I just love how many of these guys will berate you for using live bait for largemouth, then turnaround and shoot a deer next to a feeder out of their tripod condo.

Maybe I just dont get it.

[bmadd]

I dont like telling people that their idea of hunting, if legal, is inferior. If that is what you are into, more power to you. Now for my opinion

That being said, there is hunting and there is killing.

To me, they are two very different things. I could hunt out of a tree stand, with a bow, on public land, and feel sporting. But the private land hunters with their fences, food plots, feeders, heated blinds, and .338s bother me. As do road hunters.

I would say that the vast and utter majority of us are not subsistence hunters. We don't NEED the meat. As a matter of fact, I reckon that pound for pound, beef from the store is much less costly than deer when you figure in licenses, gear, etc.

To the few that need wild game to feed their family, I see no problem with stacking every available odd in your favor.

But for those of us ( again, the majority) that do it for the thrill of the hunt, how does the modern perversion we're calling hunting really live up to that?

I know my most rewarding hunts havent been the biggest animal or the farthest shot, but rather the animals that I had to work my butt off for.

I just love how many of these guys will berate you for using live bait for largemouth, then turnaround and shoot a deer next to a feeder out of their tripod condo.

Maybe I just dont get it.

The reason I stopped deer hunting. I realized that exact same thing and lost the passion for everything but duck hunting.  :-/

[preach4bass]

I'm a meat hunter (when I feel like shooting).  I like deer, so I usually kill my limit, clean it, and eat it, or give it to others who eat it.  I hunt with a rifle and sit in a nice, comfortable stand that overlooks a corn or soy bean field.  It's fun to me.

[fourbizz]

Again, not looking to offend.

I fish for bedding bass. Some people would say the same things about that as I have about this kind of deer hunting.

[daviscw]

So using electronics to see the fish under water before you catch them is somehow different than hiding in a box? I mean, of course I know it is, but the principle is there.

I can sit in my recliner and shoot them out of my back window. Why would I go through the trouble of putting on war paint and one of those leather crotch covers to go into Indian hunt mode when I can shoot them in plain daylight?

I hunt mostly for the meat honestly. Sitting for 4 hours and getting an adrenaline rush for 5 minutes is not what I hunt for. I do enjoy cleaning and eating deer though. They look pretty cool on my wall too.

[daviscw]

Again, not looking to offend.

I fish for bedding bass. Some people would say the same things about that as I have about this kind of deer hunting.

We were typing our posts at the same time. My post wasn't directed at you, cheater.

[fourbizz]

So using electronics to see the fish under water before you catch them is somehow different than hiding in a box? I mean, of course I know it is, but the principle is there.

I can sit in my recliner and shoot them out of my back window. Why would I go through the trouble of putting on war paint and one of those leather crotch covers to go into Indian hunt mode when I can shoot them in plain daylight?

I hunt mostly for the meat honestly. Sitting for 4 hours and getting an adrenaline rush for 5 minutes is not what I hunt for. I do enjoy cleaning and eating deer though. They look pretty cool on my wall too.

Then why dont you fish with nothing besides live bluegills?

[Tin]

So using electronics to see the fish under water before you catch them is somehow different than hiding in a box? I mean, of course I know it is, but the principle is there.

I can sit in my recliner and shoot them out of my back window. Why would I go through the trouble of putting on war paint and one of those leather crotch covers to go into Indian hunt mode when I can shoot them in plain daylight?

I hunt mostly for the meat honestly. Sitting for 4 hours and getting an adrenaline rush for 5 minutes is not what I hunt for. I do enjoy cleaning and eating deer though. They look pretty cool on my wall too.

Then why dont you fish with nothing besides live bluegills?

He has a hard time catching those too.

[bmadd]

It's pretty apparent he doesn't like to leave his recliner...

[bigtimfish]

So using electronics to see the fish under water before you catch them is somehow different than hiding in a box? I mean, of course I know it is, but the principle is there.

I can sit in my recliner and shoot them out of my back window. Why would I go through the trouble of putting on war paint and one of those leather crotch covers to go into Indian hunt mode when I can shoot them in plain daylight?

I hunt mostly for the meat honestly. Sitting for 4 hours and getting an adrenaline rush for 5 minutes is not what I hunt for. I do enjoy cleaning and eating deer though. They look pretty cool on my wall too.

Well, you do what you do. I personally could not find any enjoyment out of shooting a deer from a recliner. Whatever happened to the thrill of a hunt? Why not venture out and actually hunt? Like with a recurve bow.  BTW there is a big difference in a deer feeder dinnerbell deer and finding fish on a depth finder. Just because you see them on a depth finder does not mean you will catch them. If your deer is at the feeder it's pretty much a sure thing.

[daviscw]

Did you read my post at all? I said I don't hunt for "the hunt", I hunt for the meat, and their heads on my wall.

So, if you can see a fish there's a probability that you wont catch it, but if you see a deer at 200 yards its a done deal? Not true at all. Deer spook more easily than any fish. My sister has killed just about as many deer as I have with her car, and she wasn't even hunting for them. Does that make her lazy too?

How do you know I use a feeder?

[bigtimfish]

Did you read my post at all? I said I don't hunt for "the hunt", I hunt for the meat, and their heads on my wall.

So, if you can see a fish there's a probability that you wont catch it, but if you see a deer at 200 yards its a done deal? Not true at all. Deer spook more easily than any fish. My sister has killed just about as many deer as I have with her car, and she wasn't even hunting for them. Does that make her lazy too?

How do you know I use a feeder?

Yes, I did read it. And I fully understand that you don't do it for the thrill. I was just wondering in general what happened to the thrill of it? Because a ton of guys I know hunt the same way you do. It is just not for me. I personally don't need the deer meat. And in my opinion I do not agree with your and other peoples methods of hunting deer. I would do it for the thrill (venison is the bonus). I would really enjoy stalking around the woods, looking for scrapes using calls and tracking.Using a bow. Hunting. Not sitting on my a** in a chair waiting for deer to walk up. To me any other way seems ridiculous

[BassDeaton01]

The thing about sitting on your a** in a stand is that you have to scout the land you are hunting and make sure your stand is in the right spot. You can't just go wondering aimlessly through the woods and find a tree and set your stand up and expect to see deer. There is a lot of research that needs to be done before placing your stand. So that, to me, is part of "hunting" the deer. I agree that shooting a deer with a rifle is pretty d**n easy but as far as getting one in bow range without spooking it...that is a different story.

[bigtimfish]

The thing about sitting on your a** in a stand is that you have to scout the land you are hunting and make sure your stand is in the right spot. You can't just go wondering aimlessly through the woods and find a tree and set your stand up and expect to see deer. There is a lot of research that needs to be done before placing your stand. So that, to me, is part of "hunting" the deer. I agree that shooting a deer with a rifle is pretty d**n easy but as far as getting one in bow range without spooking it...that is a different story.

That's different than the way it's done around here. Here you pay a yearly fee for a lease. with say 6 other guys. There are stands in different plots or sections of this piece of land or property. You go there a few months prior to season and start loading the auto feeders with corn. There is no walking around. just set up a game camera at your feeder and see what's been around.

[BassDeaton01]

I can definitely see your frustration and lack of interest in that then. Down here people do plant food plots but it is more for the deer to have the proper nutrients. I believe the law down here states that you can't hunt a food plot like that. I could be wrong though. I'll check. But I normally try to find a trail that is leading to a food source from a bedding area and try to be in the stand when the deer is walking from one to the other. I definitely see where you are coming from with hunting an auto feeder like that though.

[daviscw]

The thing about sitting on your a** in a stand is that you have to scout the land you are hunting and make sure your stand is in the right spot. You can't just go wondering aimlessly through the woods and find a tree and set your stand up and expect to see deer. There is a lot of research that needs to be done before placing your stand. So that, to me, is part of "hunting" the deer. I agree that shooting a deer with a rifle is pretty d**n easy but as far as getting one in bow range without spooking it...that is a different story.

That's different than the way it's done around here. Here you pay a yearly fee for a lease. with say 6 other guys. There are stands in different plots or sections of this piece of land or property. You go there a few months prior to season and start loading the auto feeders with corn. There is no walking around. just set up a game camera at your feeder and see what's been around.

I see how you could be frustrated now, that's understandable. I hunt on my own land. Please understand I do not actually hunt out of my recliner. I've killed several deer out or a blind that I can see from my recliner though, and I've hunted from the 2nd story of an old house.

That's why I like to fish. I can get 5-20 adrenaline rushes in a day as compared to the 1 huge one of shooting a deer. I've honestly let just about as many walk as I have shot. After getting some meat in the freezer its all about the horns on my wall.

[Hookemdown.]

Some do it for meat.  Some do it for horns.  Some do it for the rush.  I like to do it because it gives me another excuse to be outside in the beautiful word that we live in.  Every hunter should enjoy that, whether it's sitting in a box with feeders (which I have done) or crawling his way through thorn patches (which I have done).

As long as the meat is not wasted and the game is taken legally, I see no problem.

[Big Mike in Fl]

I guess things are vastly different  here in C. Fla for me. I hunt only Wildlife management areas (public lands) and the possibility of even seeing a shooter deer is small, I've been hunting for about 7 years, and have only shot at one deer. I do all the scouting, I do all the research, I use the right gear, but the pressure, along with the timing hurts. most fo the bucks aren't even moving until the sun is gone. I do however get opportunity at wild hogs, which to me is as much of a trophy as a big buck (remember florida deer are smaller then up north, but the hogs get huge) I don't hunt with a bow, because I don't have one, I hunt with a rifle (30-30) though every shot I've had coulda been taken with a bow.

for me,its about being in the outdoors, its about the hunt, its about the adrenaline rush, its about the meat, its about all of it.

I don't hunt over a feeder or a food plot, but I dont' see anytihng wrong with it, those people are making the effort as much as those of us who stalk and hunt, the effort is in a different way, they have to maintain the plot or feeder, locate the optimum spots for them, and ensure the right feed is put to use, its a different style, but to think they aren't working for their kill isn't true. basically, they are bringing the deer to them, insteaqd of searching for it, and I see nothing wrong with that.

[burleytog]

I would really enjoy stalking around the woods, looking for scrapes using calls and tracking.

Is your name John Kerry?

[boneil]

hey deaton, try the mathews forum, it's a great website.

by the way, what mathews did you get?

and be ready for the haters. There's alot of bowtech and hoyt shooters that hate on mathews shooters. Not sure why, might be jealousy :

[tallydude]

Check out the forums at www.huntingnet.com. They are very informative and very friendly.