What is it about Whitetails!

[WhitetailAddict11]

Hey fellas, hope this season is treating you well. I thought it would be fun to get others input on what it is about hunting whitetails that drives you. I'll be the first one to say that I have a problem, a real freaking problem when it comes to deer hunting. There is nothing in this world that I'm more passionate about or completely engulfed in than the sport of chasing whitetails. I'm proud to be an NY hunter, because I feel this state truly makes you either love or hate the sport, and you really have to work hard to harvest a deer, let alone a buck, let alone a good buck. I'm only 21, but since I was old enough to remember, I can recall the mornings as a real little boy when I would get up and sit mezmorized at the kitchen table as dad and his buddies made plans for morning drives and the deer or lack of deer they had been seeing. Dad's deer rifle was like the holy grail to me, and I could only dream about what it would say if that old Remington could talk. I tagged along with him for alot of years, but by the time I could drive I was in the woods alllll the time scouting, drooling at rubs, scrapes, and trails of the prior season, and absolutely itching for the next season to come. As the years have progressed from hunting dad's old spots, to finding my own, and then narrowing down even better spots year by year, it becomes so addicting when each year you were a little bit better than the year before. I went from seeing two or three does a year, to seeing a few dozen does a year and even some small and sometimes some real good looking bucks. NY bucks can be so few and far between, and I'm certainly a trophy hunter as much as I am a meat hunter. Trying to kill a respectable buck year in and year out absolutely eats at my core, and I know many of you can relate. Every thought and move you make has to be perfect or quite frankly it most likely just isnt gonna happen for ya around these parts, and so the stories of "the one that got away" commense until the next season. There's something about the elusiveness and ghost like life that the whitetail leads that feeds the fire inside me 24/7, 365. Feel free to be as lengthty or as short and sweet as you'd like guys! Good luck out their!

[ants]

I have no idea what it is. My father and grandfather never hunted but for some reason I always loved being in the woods. when I a little kid my father would bring home old outdoor life magazines from work. I would look through them all the time and drool over the photos of big bucks. When I was old enough, my fathers friend took me deer hunting. That was over 30 years ago and I have been obsessed with it ever since.

[Doc]

I have not missed a deer season in over 50 years (with almost all of those years being both a gun and bow hunter), and still do not understand what it is that makes an otherwise normal person climb a nearly mile long hill, and stand in the cold for hours, waiting to kill a deer. Also, consider the thousands of dollars that I have spent over the years, and the hours of practice and reading and discussion. None of it really makes a whole lot of sense other than it is some instinctive predatory obsession that I have no real control over .... lol.

And it's not just deer hunting that effects me that way. It extends to all kinds of hunting, fishing and for many years, trapping. I've tried explaning it all, and never have been able to do so to any kind of acceptable level.

[nyslowhand]

Apparently it's that 60 seconds of adrenaline charged excitement after days (or weeks) of tedious boredom staring out into the woods that does it for most hunters.

[tughillhunter]

I ike the peacefulness of getting away for a while, and the challenge, memories, etc.

[Single_shot]

I ike the peacefulness of getting away for a while, and the challenge, memories, etc.

And no machines or run away pipe to knaw on your fingers.

[mark3885]

White tail addict , you brought tears to my eyes. This thing called deer hunting has been with me from as long as I can remember. When my 3 brothers and I were young, my parents always took us camping and fishing every chance they could get. When we were 12, we got our first bb gun at 16 , we got our first shotgun. My father always took us small game hunting then when old enough , he took us to deer camp with all the other guys. They accepted us , we were the dogs , we helped move the deer . This is how we learned the way of the woods, how to read the terrain so as not to get lost. We all got compasses and we learned how to use them after we got turned around once or twice. I'm 54 now and only missed 1 opening day of gun season due to college but I did work the DEC check point on that day for course credit.

All my 3 brothers have moved out of state for job reasons, but I'm still here. My wife and I bought 175 acres in the southern tier and are building our own handcrafted loghome. Hopefully in the future we all can get back together and hunt like early years on my turf. Dad turned 80 this year and is in great health , so we need to make this happen soon.

[nyantler]

I have not missed a deer season in over 50 years (with almost all of those years being both a gun and bow hunter), and still do not understand what it is that makes an otherwise normal person climb a nearly mile long hill, and stand in the cold for hours, waiting to kill a deer. Also, consider the thousands of dollars that I have spent over the years, and the hours of practice and reading and discussion. None of it really makes a whole lot of sense other than it is some instinctive predatory obsession that I have no real control over .... lol.

And it's not just deer hunting that effects me that way. It extends to all kinds of hunting, fishing and for many years, trapping. I've tried explaning it all, and never have been able to do so to any kind of acceptable level.

exactly how I feel... must be some primal instinct that we just have no control over.. funny how for some reason there are some that just aren't as afflicted as others.. it doesn't really make a lot of sense at all...lol I must say that my obsession has waned a bit since I've gotten older though.

[tughillhunter]

And no machines or run away pipe to knaw on your fingers.

exactly!!!!!

[josephmrtn]

i dont know what it is but i can tell u i know EXACTLY what u r talking about! even tho ive only been hunting two deer seasons... i dont understand it but there is just something about being out w nature and then seeing a whitetail up close and the stress of trying to make a good shot ect ect its ADDICTING i can tell u!

[WhitetailAddict11]

Great stuff guys, keep it coming!

[Grizz1219]

Because they just taste soooooo good!!! LOL..

I am a first generation hunter.... So no clue why I love to hunt them so much. .but glad I do.. life would be BORING without it..

[Doc]

I must say that my obsession has waned a bit since I've gotten older though.

Oh yeah ..... no doubt about it ....lol. I remember as a young squirt how I would go hunting miles from home with absolutely no idea of how I would ever get a deer home if I got one. There was always better deer hunting just over the hill, and then the next one, and the next one. The level of energy was unlimited. The enthusiasm was unlimited. Well, the concerns are a bit different these days. I'm at the age where I can't quite make it over all those hills anymore. Now I have to be concerned with just how far I really can drag a deer. Being a lone hunter in my late 60's, I do have to think a bit about energy levels and exertion, so all these things have slowed me down considerably. Now I have to hunt smarter and not just harder. Sure, I think we all slow down as time goes on. Pretty much have to. But at the same time, that doesn't seem to keep us home .... yet. That day may not really be all that far off for me anymore, but I really doubt that I will ever lose the desire to hunt even when I can't.

[BaldguyLee]

It's only my third year hunting at age 43. Honestly, fishing is so good here in NY in the fall I never tried hunting until recently. Boy, was I missing out !! I got my first and only deer in my first season, shotgun, but the other unsuccessful deer encounters haunt me even more vividly. Luckily, I found a great hunting buddy or two, and I have a daughter about to turn 14 to join me next season. Goooood times...

--Lee

[tughillhunter]

thats another thing that drives me, to keep the sport going and going strong, by mentoring, or taking my youngsters along. And being out in the blind or stand, the excitement when a deer comes out for them is priceless. "daddy, shoot it shoot it!", then explaining why i have to let it ride. Thats a riot for me as well.

[GreeneHunter]

I've been at it for close to 40 years and still remember pulling the trigger on my first deer ! Then many years later with my son on our first (and his first) hunt together a nice buck runs under my tree stand and I let him go because he's running straight towards where my son is sitting ! A moment later "Bang" and then my son yells out "F@#* Yeah" and then "Hey Pops come see what I got " ! Ya just cant buy that experience !

[Fletch]

I was definetly born into it. I remember as far back as I can being a little guy watchin my Dad and Granpa and Uncle get ready and plan for the opener every year. And when I turned 14 my Dad let me tag along for 2 years until I was 16 and go with a gun. Man those first couple years I missed a LOT of deer!! I have missed only one opening morning in 29 years and that was because I filled my bow tag one year on a big buck the night before the opener and back then you had to go get your next tag. It was and is a way of life for me and my Grandpa was the same way. He actually taught my city slicker Dad to hunt when he married his daughter my Mom. I could listen for hours to their stories of deer camp and hunting back in the days in the Adirondacks. Back when my Granpa was still alive and we went up north to hunt opening weekend every year at camp. We would wake up to bacon frying every morning. We would hunt a morning watch in the mountains and then maybe some still hunting. Later in the season we would do the old fashioned deer drives. Man the history of some of those!!

Good times, and I am just starting to get to share em with my 10 year old boy. It gets no better than all this!

[Northsox65]

My Dad who in my eyes was the best Deer Hunter in the world, he took me with him when i was old enough to walk and we use sit by a tree in the hardwoods and he would tell me to be the tree and only talk when the tree talked and only move when the tree moved. Back then you could only shoot bucks and it was shotgun only and there was no "slug" guns, you used the shotgun that you knew where it hit at 50 yards. Back then and today I get a feeling of unconditional excitement in November and everyday closer to the first day of Deer season. I don't know about the Deer Population where the rest of you hunt/live however where I live I count about 25-50 deer everyday in the fields and peoples front yards. I tell my kids that when i was there age we only saw deer in the morning and at night and you never saw herds of 25 like we see now.

[koot]

thanks Addict, It must be the whitetail itself based on the varied responces. For me the tales around the table fueled a flame that will never die. I have hunted many species in many states/countries, but the family deer camp is still number one.

[wheelieman]

Whitetail deer have always been an obsession of mine, I can remember back when i was younger and my stepfather would come home from hunting with all his brothers, I would run outside and look in the back of the truck hoping they scored that day, Then my mother and him split up and we moved but i started to explore the wilderness around my house and started getting good at finding deer, I picked up reading magazines and watching hunting shows but had to wait until i was 18 to start hunting, The first year out opening morning i climbed up into an old stand and just after legal light i heard gunshots coming from the south, A few minutes later 3 doe came running down right in front of me, I shot twice that morning and harvested my very first deer a big plump doe, That moment in life changed me inside from that second i walked up on that doe till right now whitetail deer have been on my mind i'm an addict. I have never missed an opening morning and i have gotten my younger brother and a few others into the sport, The times we have shared together in the field are times none of us will ever forget, My brothers first deer with a gun and bow, Both my stepsons first deer with gun and this year hopefully my niece and my stepdaughter will both experience that feeling you can only get by taking your first deer, That feeling is the feeling you get when you see a younger person go through the roller coaster of emotions, The look in their eyes, is unforgettable just like when i walked up to my very first deer,

[phade]

Perfect game to hunt here on the east cost...largely because there are no elk (save for PA/KY lottery) on the east coast.

I'm deftly afraid of going on an elk hunt even though I plan to within the next 3-5 seasons. I fear experiencing it and losing the fire for whitetails. Most everyone I have hunted with who have gone out west say that it blows whitetail hunting out of the water.

[G-Man]

Don't really care if i get a deer anymore, would rather see my friends /guests get one. i'm more about scouting / habitat manipulation, and get my satisfaction telling someone to be in a stand at 1/4 to 4 and the buck will be there at 4:15. don't miss! Absolute best feeling when they connect!

[ants]

Don't really care if i get a deer anymore, would rather see my friends /guests get one. i'm more about scouting / habitat manipulation, and get my satisfaction telling someone to be in a stand at 1/4 to 4 and the buck will be there at 4:15. don't miss! Absolute best feeling when they connect!

Im getting to be the same way. This season I gave up one of my stands to my friend's son and he ended up arrowing a monster out of it. It was awesome watching this kid dance around and hi-five everyone. A couple of days later he tried to apologize to me for shooting the buck out of my stand. I couldn't have cared less. I just laughed, told him it was my pleasure and told him to get me a beer. I guess the older you get and the more deer you shoot, the more your attitude changes.

[bigbuck1024]

Been chasing whitetails since my father in-law got me into it back in Eastern OH when my wife and I first got married over 18 years ago. Started off with a slug gun and cross bow and could not get enough--got into driving deer with some friends when we had a little bit of land and really looked forward to getting in the back of the pickup truck and the leader dropping us off and us walking in and posting or beating the brush...that was a blast. Then the deer drives really didn't happen anymore and we moved to Northwestern PA where I started bow hunting..man I was really hooked..back then when I got my 1st 6 pt with a bow I thought it was a monster..and I had to have it mounted , ended up moving south for awhile and tried hunting in the FL-south GA area and this really sucked as I was not use to hunting the high temps--didn't make sense for me to be sweating sitting in stand. Moved back up north got some property in Western PA area and started helping manage about 600 acres of my uncle and friend's properties...this was the best -----watching the deer prosper from food plots, winter feeding and logging. I have to say this was my favorite place ever to hunt, I knew more about the land and where the deer bedded than the actually owners of all the land, then I lost my job and we had to sell our place. We moved to the Philadelphia area and it was tough to find a place to hunt, I ended up on a 1500 acre lease up in Elk country but since I was knew to the area it was tough hunting. Since then I moved back south again--WTH was I thinking..and now my kids are getting off to college and my wife and I just bought a small piece of property in the Clarksville-Cuba area and I can't wait to start our new life up their together..to be continued

[Five Seasons]

enjoying nature, the peacefulness of the woods, the thrill of the chase, the reward and i'm sure there's some primal urges we have that fuel us to go out and conquer.

Really enjoyed hunting when i first started with a shotgun, but it wasn't until I got into archery that I became obsessed.

I was introduced by my father and my whole family hunts. So a lot of it for me is tradition, memories of hanging out in the barn with gramps, and uncles.

Edited March 8, 2013 by Belo