redeyeddawg
New member
Quote:
Quote:
Don't forget to instill in her the mindset that the hunt itself is to be treasured, not killing something with the biggest antlers.
I stopped trophy hunting years ago and have been a happy hunter ever since.
Amen to that. Hunting used to be a tradition, an experience to enjoy with family and friends. Nowadays its more like a competition sport. And a money sport at that. :crazy
BTW pretty girl you got there,I have a daughter thats 11. Thats what lifes about man. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
We are out for a trophy, simply because we'll have a legitimate chance at one. If all we see is squirrels, neither of us will consider it a wasted morning. She told my wife after a morning in a blind turkey hunting, "Daddy sure does talk to me a lot when we go hunting." That's my chance to get to know her better one on one and listen to her goals, dreams and desires. It's my fault it doesn't happen more in other settings. I doubt she'll ever be the hard core fanatic I am, and that's OK. As long as she has some desire to go hunting with me, I'll be thrilled. Horses are where her passion lies, and we are taking steps to make that a reality. She has told me she'll be willing to pass on does and immature bucks on youth day. We'll get out for the regular season (post rut) a few times and take a doe given the opportunity. That would provide the family some meat for the freezer, and she'll feel good knowing she made a valuable contribution. I hear a alot of negative things about "trophy hunting" and everyone is entitled to their opinion. But who can honestly say they wouldn't want to take big bucks on a regular basis? For me, it was a natural progression. Growing up we had 120 acres in W. Virginia. During rifle season, you shot the first legal spike you saw because there was a good chance that would be the ONLY legal buck you would see the whole season, along with a couple hundred does. I quickly bored of that and took up bow hunting around 15 -16 years old. Around that time, more deer started showing up around the D.C. suburbs where we lived- including some real good bucks. They were enourmous compared to the little mountain goats we were used to hunting. I moved to the Eastern Shore in the early nineties and got a sense of how good the hunting was for mature deer. Back about seven years ago, I for the most part gave up muzzleloader and rifle hunting for the bow. Even then, does and younger bucks didn't provide the challenge I was looking for. In '01, I arrowed my first P&Y deer, after passing on about 15 other bucks and I was on top of the world. Since then,I've managed to take several more in the 120" to 130" range and seen several Booners. If my daughter or her siblings ever do become serious hunters, and want to focus on trophies, they'll have a shortened learning curve to do so without all the trial and error I had to do being more or less self taught. For us it's still man vs. animal in HIS environment and not a competition between hunters. I'm not rich, but devote a significant portion of what I make for good equipment to a sport I am dead serious about. In fact, I don't have the funds for leases, food plots, atvs, etc. I have only one private farm to hunt deer on, with the rest of my areas being public lands, and the Lord still provides great opportunities each year. In a nutshell, trophy hunting is what you make of it. At least now my girl is old enough to hunt and taking her out with a rifle will extend the season and get some real quality time with the kids- time that I don't get alone while bowhunting. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
Quote:
Don't forget to instill in her the mindset that the hunt itself is to be treasured, not killing something with the biggest antlers.
I stopped trophy hunting years ago and have been a happy hunter ever since.
Amen to that. Hunting used to be a tradition, an experience to enjoy with family and friends. Nowadays its more like a competition sport. And a money sport at that. :crazy
BTW pretty girl you got there,I have a daughter thats 11. Thats what lifes about man. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
We are out for a trophy, simply because we'll have a legitimate chance at one. If all we see is squirrels, neither of us will consider it a wasted morning. She told my wife after a morning in a blind turkey hunting, "Daddy sure does talk to me a lot when we go hunting." That's my chance to get to know her better one on one and listen to her goals, dreams and desires. It's my fault it doesn't happen more in other settings. I doubt she'll ever be the hard core fanatic I am, and that's OK. As long as she has some desire to go hunting with me, I'll be thrilled. Horses are where her passion lies, and we are taking steps to make that a reality. She has told me she'll be willing to pass on does and immature bucks on youth day. We'll get out for the regular season (post rut) a few times and take a doe given the opportunity. That would provide the family some meat for the freezer, and she'll feel good knowing she made a valuable contribution. I hear a alot of negative things about "trophy hunting" and everyone is entitled to their opinion. But who can honestly say they wouldn't want to take big bucks on a regular basis? For me, it was a natural progression. Growing up we had 120 acres in W. Virginia. During rifle season, you shot the first legal spike you saw because there was a good chance that would be the ONLY legal buck you would see the whole season, along with a couple hundred does. I quickly bored of that and took up bow hunting around 15 -16 years old. Around that time, more deer started showing up around the D.C. suburbs where we lived- including some real good bucks. They were enourmous compared to the little mountain goats we were used to hunting. I moved to the Eastern Shore in the early nineties and got a sense of how good the hunting was for mature deer. Back about seven years ago, I for the most part gave up muzzleloader and rifle hunting for the bow. Even then, does and younger bucks didn't provide the challenge I was looking for. In '01, I arrowed my first P&Y deer, after passing on about 15 other bucks and I was on top of the world. Since then,I've managed to take several more in the 120" to 130" range and seen several Booners. If my daughter or her siblings ever do become serious hunters, and want to focus on trophies, they'll have a shortened learning curve to do so without all the trial and error I had to do being more or less self taught. For us it's still man vs. animal in HIS environment and not a competition between hunters. I'm not rich, but devote a significant portion of what I make for good equipment to a sport I am dead serious about. In fact, I don't have the funds for leases, food plots, atvs, etc. I have only one private farm to hunt deer on, with the rest of my areas being public lands, and the Lord still provides great opportunities each year. In a nutshell, trophy hunting is what you make of it. At least now my girl is old enough to hunt and taking her out with a rifle will extend the season and get some real quality time with the kids- time that I don't get alone while bowhunting. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
