Trophy Room

[Ski]

And so many of these people just copy each other. As I mentioned in the Food Plot section, the "no-till" food plot thing (basically, "throw-and-mow") is getting absolutely pounded to death, as if it's something new. Some of us were doing this years ago (because we didn't have the equipment to do anything else), realized it wasn't that productive, and moved on. Now it's being touted as the greatest system ever. Yes, it does have benefits. But it also has down-sides no one is mentioning in their YouTube videos.

I've also noticed most of these YouTubers are working/managing in Michigan, Minnesota, New York, etc. What works there doesn't always work in other areas, especially the Southeast. And I guess it is because of land ownership patterns in Northern States, but these YouTubers are all giving advice for the hunter with 25 acres to hunt/manage. I'm sure many hunters across the country are in the same boat, but good advice for 25 acres can be very different than advice for what many hunters in the Southeast have access to (100+ acres).

I've noticed the same thing. It's like monkey see monkey do. One guy says something and a dozen others make videos saying the same stuff as if it's their ideas. It can be a lot to wade through.

The current trend is to push TSI. Folks out cutting trees to open sunlight, which is all great but I hardly ever see a warning about paulonia trees, tree of heaven, etc. There are far more dangerous invasives than bush honeysuckle and multi flora rose. I like picking up little tidbits from YouTube videos but I draw the line at irreversible stuff like messing with my timber unless I have direction of a forester.

 

[7mmWSM]

Yes. Back when opening morning was opening morning. Wasnt a muzzleloader season. ANY buck was a trophy. Couldnt sleep the night before. The only climbers where the Baker tree climbers. I remember climbing up any tree l could climb, just standing or sitting on a limb, or a home built platform. No really good camo patterns, no really good cold weather clothes, nor rain gear. No cameras, no cell phones. Sitting around the campfire, just dreaming of taking a deer. Then the doe hunts began. You had to chose your county, go to the courthouse, put in for the draw. Man, like winning the lottery if you got drawn. l find myself thinking bout those days. In my mind, those where the good days.

Very true words. A lot of hunting buddies have passed on. But I'll never forget the memories we shared.

 

[Snake]

What years are missing?

Excellent post tickweed. I too fell into the trap of striving for only the biggest bucks possible. Part of it was scientific curiosity. How far could you push a single property? How many big bucks could be produced? How many of those could be harvested each year? I too eventually found out that following that track can prove less than pleasurable. Part of that is simply growing as a hunter (i.e. the 5 stages of a hunter), but there is also the fact that what you dreamed of ends up being too much work to be worth it. Eventually I realized that what I killed wasn't as important as the experiences of doing so. The hunting with friends and family. The great stories generated, told and retold. The comradery of hunting camp. THAT is what matters. Now I still strive to kill a decent buck every year, but my standards of "decent" have definitely modified considerably from my "trophy" years. And I'm much happier and enjoying hunting more than the trophy days.

This is me in a nutshell .

 

[348Winchester]

Notice the two on the right (myself and my cousin, Lynn) are wearing military wool pants. Triple-layer wool. Bought them at an Army-Navy store for $10 a pair. I think they were Belgian military. Still have mine.

There is nothing better than wool! It is the perfect material for hunting. It has no competition where being quiet is essential. It is my belief that camouflage is a marketing scheme that has worked very, very well. I used to wear it and still will until what I have wears out but 90% of my hunting attire is traditional wool, non-camo clothing.

 

[BSK]

There is nothing better than wool! It is the perfect material for hunting. It has no competition where being quiet is essential. It is my belief that camouflage is a marketing scheme that has worked very, very well. I used to wear it and still will until what I have wears out but 90% of my hunting attire is traditional wool, non-camo clothing.

Without question, the need for camo is highly overrated. Just don't move and deer will look right through you. However, I still often wear it, more for my peace of mind than anything else. But on a cool but not cold day, I will still hunt in just military wool pants and an old British commando wool sweater, both in the European brown-olive color.

 

[Rackseeker]

There is nothing better than wool! It is the perfect material for hunting. It has no competition where being quiet is essential. It is my belief that camouflage is a marketing scheme that has worked very, very well. I used to wear it and still will until what I have wears out but 90% of my hunting attire is traditional wool, non-camo clothing.

I wear camo mainly to hide from other hunters and the game warden. LOL.......

 

[kaizen leader]

There is nothing better than wool! It is the perfect material for hunting. It has no competition where being quiet is essential. It is my belief that camouflage is a marketing scheme that has worked very, very well. I used to wear it and still will until what I have wears out but 90% of my hunting attire is traditional wool, non-camo clothing.

If you want to see how you clothes look to a deer have a picture taken of yourself how and where you hunt. Then edit the picture to black and white. My brother swore his old camo was the best. I compared his old to my bright new blaze and his almost showed up white while mine blended in perfect. Fun to try.

 

[BSK]

If you want to see how you clothes look to a deer have a picture taken of yourself how and where you hunt. Then edit the picture to black and white. My brother swore his old camo was the best. I compared his old to my bright new blaze and his almost showed up white while mine blended in perfect. Fun to try.

Actually, since deer aren't colorblind, alter the photo with a good editing software to remove the red. Just keep the blue and yellow pigments. Deer see exceptionally well in the blue through yellow spectrum, but have no receptors (cones) that are sensitive to the red wavelengths.

 

[PWoody]

I cut my teeth hunting Prentice Cooper WMA and still love hunting there but only do for a day or maybe two most years. It's mostly a nostalgia trip for me. Gone are the days of the 2,000 member orange army the first rifle hunt but the high points are still the same and keep me going back…standing around a pull-off during midday sharing stories of what got away with a couple of fellow hunters you've not met before, celebrating a kill at the check station, again, with fellow hunters you've never met…from all walks of life, truckers, factory workers, firemen, stockbrokers, all bound by the commonality of our purpose. Someone need help dragging one out? The folks I've met have been quick to help out and genuinely want to see what was killed, big or small. It's one of the things that make me appreciate what we all have in common. I've met very few hunters that I didn't like once we talked for a while. Those times aren't gone, they're just enjoyed less frequently because we're doing bigger and better things, or so we think.

 

[killingtime 41]

Hunting like that is what it's all about. And I try to relive those days a few times a year myself. Not at prentice cooper. But other wma hunts.