A Bit of Perspective
Kansas
Hello everyone, longtime reader, new member. Just wanted to share an opinion and see what others thoughts are. A little background, I grew up rifle hunting with my dad, grandpa, brother, aunts uncles. Was a ton of fun, started when I was 12 years old, Im thirty now. Picked up a bow when I was 16 years old and have bowhunted since but have always rifle hunted still if I had not punched my tag.
This year I did not have the time to bowhunt, wife and I are remodeling a house and getting ready to sell ours. So I went out opening day of rifle and harvested a buck that im certainly grateful for but yet I find myself here on my couch bummed out. I will not post the buck as this is a bowhunting forum, I took all of next week off to pursue hunting. And I wound up being done 15 minutes in opening day. Snow was crunchy, I was noisy getting setup, yet a buck came by 5 minutes later and the buck I harvested was right behind him. Almost felt like I cheated, almost like I was sitting on a corn pile. It was too simple and while we love eating venison, it didn’t feel very rewarding.
I see that a lot of you get the archery only tag and I always wondered why. I love to hunt no matter the weapon but the last couple days I’m finding myself unfulfilled even after a respectable deer. I feel like as I get older I care less about the harvest rather than time spent outdoors, it may be deer hunting but I don’t think deer are what I’m really searching for.
It gives me an appreciation for all the years I hunted from September to January and ate the tag. I thought those were tough years, after a year like this year I’ve learned I was blessed to be able to spend that time outdoors challenging myself.
Does your wife hunt or at least willing to try? Could spend the next week trying to get her out for a couple sits. Mild weather might make it more enjoyable as well.
If that’s not an option grab a doe tag and just go sit/hike, however you hunt, and take some inventory on your spots for next year. Still plenty of other options to get out as well. Predators, upland birds, waterfowl, etc. Might be a good opportunity to try something new.
Sounds like life got in the way, you still had a successful season and will be fired up next year with more time available. Wouldn’t let it get to ya that much.
She has expressed interest but she’s been busy with work and moving. Maybe I can get her drug out for a sit, I did just buy a doe tag because I have a good friend that’s family would like a deer if I can find one. So I will be out tomorrow, doe or coyotes. I hunt unit 8 and numbers have been rough for 5-8 years. So I was hesitant to shoot a doe, but over those years I’ve slowly watched it creep back up from very few deer, back up to good levels. Every year they slowly but surely have came back. Where we are moving is actually unit 9 and her family has some pretty good deer ground there so that’ll be a whole new adventure.
Waterfowl is something I’ve always had an interest in, we just never had much action on our land for waterfowl. Where we are moving is a different story so that will be a future endeavor.
Just going to go out when I can this week and take it in.
I do enjoy upland hunting too, just don’t have many, quail numbers are decent. Usually just run into them on the way to the stand and get the crap scared out of me, then I go quail hunting and can’t find a one. Go figure. Lol
I own land, have about 2000 acres of permissions, and I've hiked 11 miles in the last 3 days on public and private.I have yet to see a live buck over 4 years old or a buck that will score over 140"s and I've passed over 20 bucks in the last 3 days including these two. I don't know what you shot with a rifle, but im curious what size it is. I've been on bowhunts and it felt like cheating, other times it to me almost the entire season to get it done. Anymore,bowhunting is not hunting at all, especially with corn and cell cams. Some guys come her every season and shoot a 150" or bigger within 3 days every year.
Jason you are absolutely correct, he is not a booner. Like I said he is a respectable deer, probably around 140, have not put a tape to him. Good mass. 5x4. Good clean buck with no broken tines. I’ll be the first to say I don’t consider myself to be a great deer hunter. But I will say I do believe I do things right, no corn, no cell cams. No cams period this year, big part of me feels like a lazy bastard that got lucky, but also got busy and went to a spot that I’ve been hunting for 20 years and know traditional deer habits, trails, etc.
I guess the message I was trying to get across was im learning for myself is hunting success isn’t measured by the harvest or a tape measure. It’s the experience and time spent out of doors away from it all. That’s the payoff.
I buy archery only tags and always have for several reasons. I have never hunted for a buck with a firearm. For me it doesn't seem very challenging nor sporting being able to shoot them at distances when they have zero chance of knowing you are even there. If you are an experienced hunter, know deer and their habits and routines around their safe zones and bedding areas like you should, and if you are any kind of a shot, hunting season should be over in a matter of minutes each year. I have shot does with firearms in the late season, using unfilled archery tags. I only do it when we have injured/wounded does there, or the number of does need to be reduced. Most of the time I am loading a doe in the truck in less than 30 minutes after getting there. It is no fun to me doing so, and by that time of the year it is cold enough that I do not care to sit in a stand waiting for that single wounded or chosen doe to come within bow range when its 15f out. By that point of the season, I'm in property management mode. I buy statewide resident archery only tags because I have friends and land access in other areas of Kansas. We take each other out to hunt what we do not have at home. I want the opportunity to hunt the entire state and be able to shoot a large muley buck should that opportunity arise. In my younger days, I typically tagged out in October or early November at home, so I didn't go West. Being very picky about what I shoot now days, not caring whether or not I get a buck, I could go hunt other areas. I will not shoot a lesser buck to "fill a tag", so most of the time I add the tag to the collection in my man cave. Unless the winter doe herd grows this year, I won't be using my unfilled buck tag on a doe where I hunt. I will have to travel a fair distance to do so, so my season will likely end on New Year's Eve.
I agree experience is everything anymore to me. I've shot a lot of 140"s, but I'm 42 and never brought home a booner whitetail. I hunted 4 different huge bucks last year, but nothing this year. I have the entire rifle season off, and I find myself sleeping in. I think I'm procrastinating til Thursday when I get to join up with some friends on a big hunt in the Flint Hills.
An archery only tag is statewide either species. Any season tags are not. Plus I have zero interest in killing a buck with a rifle regardless of his size.
I buy the archery tag for couple of reasons. The any weapon tag is considered a firearms tag. So when the legislature looks at numbers they say very few people are bowhunting. I can see certain individuals using this information to introduce legislation to have one season allowing any weapon. I like Treebarker have no desire to shoot a buck with a rifle. I use the rifle to fill Anterless tags at times. Who knows, if the Mule Deer population recovers I might want to to go west to hunt them.
There are a lot more important things in life than hunting, or the size of a deer, dont let it consume you. I enjoy the chase, and I guess that's ok.
If I didn't buy the Archery only every year, and my buddy out West sent me a pic like this...I would just have one less thing to chase.
I buy an archery tag because I am an archer, not a deer hunter. Been bow hunting for over 40 years now and have never owned or shot a rifle. Kansas doesn't need a rifle season with a road every mile.
I don’t know what I am but that’s normal for me.
I do it all because I enjoy the sensation that being outdoors watching wildlife gives me and not necessarily what I’m holding in my hands. I will say I like hunting with a bow better though. I think it’s been about 5 years ago since I actually put my hands on a deer that I had killed with a gun which was a couple doe for meat. I’m doing some gun hunting now this year and find myself enjoying it. I enjoyed watching Utah shoot that buck last year with a gun as well.
I know your probably thinking why did you do a sketch making fun of crossbows? I like to have fun sometimes messing around but I really don’t mind people shooting deer with them as well. I really think they need to put them in gun season though. But see sitting in a box blind I don’t get that sensation of being outdoors…that’s just me though.
Dang Kyle. That is a tank.
I enjoy all kinds of hunting. I haven't shot a deer since 2019 I think. My boys like to hunt with a Xbow or rifle. This year we are out with the rifle. My oldest son got him his first elk this year with a rifle. Went out yesterday morning for the first time deer hunting and came up empty. Heading out now to see what we can turn up. I love to bow hunt, but don't mind picking up a rifle.
I can certainly see all sides of it, everyone has their version of why they do it or what brings them fulfillment. Some people don’t find that in using a rifle and that’s understandable. I think for me it’s partly what SitO said, I love the chase. In my case with the limited time this year I think that’s what I deprived myself of. But at the end of the day I have a full freezer and that’s worth a lot to me, still have a week off to work on some moving and mix in some hunting. Going to enjoy every second of it and look forward to having way more time to be out in the woods next year.
I get plenty of chasing in with a rifle. Up to 13 miles of hiking this season and still no shooter. My neighbor on the other hand, has a tower blind with a giant feeder and he smoked a huge one last night.
