The process
Whitetail Deer
On another post the hunting process was mentioned. I find the process is an important part of the hunt. When I bought my first bolt action rifle the seller told me in wet weather he drove matches in the forearm to get it to group normally. I spent the first summer tweaking and glass bedding the rifle. I was given a Buck knife for my high school graduation. I spent hours getting it sharp enough to meet my standards. A friend built a muzzleloader for me. I adjusted the stock until it was just right for me. I bought molds and made my own round balls. I made my own melting pot and cast a batch. I still use that old sidelock. When I got into archery I bought an unfinished longbow and finished it. My friend made a grip out of a deer hide from a deer he shot and fitted it for me. I think you get the idea. Please relate an intangible that makes the hunting process special. I COULD list many more. Bob
I enjoy scouting probably as much as hunting. Lots of miles on the legs looking for sign and great spots in winter and early spring. I also love shooting my bow and try to improve my accuracy at distance every year. Fitness is extremely important to me as well. I'm not training for this season; I'm training for the next 20 seasons. All part of my lifestyle.
I enjoy the meat part of the process.
Quarter, debone except legs, game bags and pack out.
Age it if possible.
Cut it boneless 100% lean red edible meat. Wife vacuum seals it. Freeze and enjoy!
Dog gets the non-human edible scraps ground up and kept to go with her meals. Almost zero waste!
I like the physical scouting and preparation as much as the actual hunting.
I deer hunt 365 days a year, if I'm outside or on the road I'm always looking for deer, I guess that would be considered scouting...8^)
But yeah, I guess it depends on lifestyle and life priorities on how much time you spend hunting or preparing to hunt... Personally aside from raising children when they were young and my job, my life revolved around hunting even choosing job positions and residence best for hunting... Cost me a couple relationships through the years including marriage, but I'm all about bows and arrows, guns and ammo preparing to hunt...
I will be expanding my existing plots with my skid steer this weekend. I only have about 1.7 acres on my 68 acre farm. I want to expand it to at least 3 total. Ideally , I would like to have about 6, but without a dozer, thats out of the question. I plan to take my new brush cutter and cut some winding plot lanes to connect the plots too. I like to spend time thinking about improvements in the offseason. I hate tree cutting, but thats part of it. Got to be tired to know you did something.
I love the planning aspect, including looking over maps. I do it 365 days a year. I have topo maps sitting on the coffee table at all times. I can barely focus on a tv show. lol I’m constantly learning. I can’t imagine people who don’t see it that way.
When I was an outfitter, you could ask me in the middle of summer: What will you be doing on any given day. November 7 for example. I would look at my phone and say I have 11 people to feed. We are having salmon. I’ll be feeding seven bales of hay that night. Etc. etc.
These days I have the elk hunting consulting business. I sell detailed DIY elk hunting plans. So I am still planning hunts for other people. I really enjoy it. I’m working on two right now. One for Wyoming and one for Montana. There is nothing random about my elk hunting. I might be forced to shift gears a little bit, but I just hop over to another plan. Nothing is better than when a good plan comes together. I love that.
Recently I bought some trail cams. As elk licenses become harder to get. I’m going to get back to my old ways and get a little more serious about my deer hunting. I am already working on plans for next year and our late season isn’t even over. Always learning, always planning. I think that’s what makes a hunter successful too.
The process is easier and doesn’t rely on a bunch of things completely out of your control.
I’m blessed in that I own a decent amount of hunting ground in some very good whitetail country. I absolutely love the processes involved in food plotting, TSI, and other aspects of improving the quality of habitat on my farms for the deer, turkeys and other wildlife. Very satisfying seeing the energies of my labor, $ and time bear fruit.
Another aspect of the process that I garner a great deal of satisfaction is, having a hand in helping get a buck the chance to reach his full potential (maturity-wise), by not killing them when they are 3-4 years old. Wish I could get my neighbors to buy in on that as much as I do, but not gonna happen. Very satisfying to kill a 5+ yr old buck that I have an extensive history with, and passed on him in previous years, often multiple times.
T-Roy if I was in your position, I would feel the exact same way. I just admire guys who are even able to have what they call a target buck. I would love to be able to let bucks live to maturity. On public land in Pennsylvania where I hunt you would never see that buck again. so my “private land“ is the remote rugged stuff where no one else goes to look for elk. Too bad it’s getting near impossible to get licenses to hunt those places anymore.
A lot of my process is answering PMs from guys asking about units
This was my target buck on private land, never got him. Since I do not like the Walt Disney concept, I gave him no silly name.
This was my target buck on private land, never got him. Since I do not like the Walt Disney concept, I gave him no silly name.
"The process is easier and doesn’t rely on a bunch of things completely out of your control. "
Yup, the process is about controlling all the things you can control, from boots to arrows to shooting to stand placement to maintaining a positive attitude to...
For me, the process is the anticipation of the next season, as soon as the season ends. It is about continuing on with the tradition of deer camp. I enjoy the brush hogging, the scouting, the practice, and just being outdoors. Unfortunately, we lost another member of our group this year, and that takes a little of joy out of it. Once we were 7, and now we are 3. Just my Uncle, a cousin, and myself. A few other pop in and out, but I know as the years go on, there will only be one, then none. Enjoy it as much and for as long as you can. How I wish I could hunt with my Dad just one more time.
The "process" has kept me involved in the out of doors, hunting , well for many years. Not a day goes on then I do not think about those aspects of hunting or fishing. "Gee, what am I gong to do today, tomorrow and next week/month"? Just think about all of the past memories of those experiences that flash through your mind almost every day. Memories of the good and also the days when the outdoor experiences did not go the way you had wished. Memories, memories and dreams of the future keeps me going. The process, you bet. All something worth living for and protecting. My best, Paul
