Canned Deer

[victor3ranger]

I'd watch those shows with her, mine just wants to watch HG TV.

 

[victor3ranger]

the meat eater is the only hunting show I've seen that I had much respect for. The rest truly are just about the kill. I haven't perused too many, and it sounds like there are some others out there that are decent, but I really appreciate that Steve sometimes misses, or gets skunked, or makes a poor shot that needs tracked and followed up on. It's nice to see the real world represented (although far few of us get to hunt like he does).

I recall one hunting show I watched at my uncles house where a relatively famous hunter came to southern oregon to chase black tails (where I grew up, and what I learned to hunt on). It was pretty gratifying to watch him get skunked over and over, and by the end of the episode he took a medium 3 point and said "I've never shot a deer with a body this big and a rack this small, and I have NEVER worked so hard for a deer in my life. Hats off to you oregon guys who are actually good at chasing these ghosts".

I've always wondered what it would be like to be able to sit over a corn feeder and down 5-6 does to fill the freezer, and then go into public land to chase down a big buck. I think I would be happy as could be doing that. One process (feeder hunting) is just a meat harvest, which is just fine if you're ethical about it. Then the fair chase for the buck is an actual hunt.

I do agree with the general sentiment of the crowd here, that hunting a high fence and then crowing about your achievement is a bit gauche. But, end of the day, to each his own. If someone offered me a free fenced elk hunt, I honestly probably wouldn't say no to it.

I process every deer taken from our property. Most is kept in my freezers for the rest of my family for the rest of the year.
When any family members need meat they come get what they need or want.
I make sure that nobody is without meat when they need or want it.

 

[Recon$$]

the meat eater is the only hunting show I've seen that I had much respect for. The rest truly are just about the kill.

Check out anything by Donnie Vincent. Check out The Hunting Public. There's a few ultra marathon runners that put out good content like Cameron Hanes, he's not the only one. There's some stuff out there besides Steve. Definitely the minority though.

Edit*** Solo Hunter for sure!

 

[marksman1941]

I process every deer taken from our property. Most is kept in my freezers for the rest of my family for the rest of the year.
When any family members need meat they come get what they need or want.
I make sure that nobody is without meat when they need or want it.

Exactly. When you're feeding yourself and your family, as long as you're ethical there's zero shame in hunting off a feeder. It's efficient. Fill the freezer and feed your family.

 

[Montana'eer]

I'm not a fan of hunting off a feeder. The transmission of CWD is accelerated thru concentrations of deer in a particular feeding area. Hampshire County WV is where we first encountered it, and now since I moved to Montana we've seen a surge of it up along the Hi-Line/CN border (mule deer eating off hay and barley stacks).

http://www.wvwf.net/pdf/WV-CWD-Case-History-0908.pdf

Feeders may be convenient, but you may be doing the animals more harm in the long run. Just my .02c

 

[marksman1941]

I'm not a fan of hunting off a feeder. The transmission of CWD is accelerated thru concentrations of deer in a particular feeding area. Hampshire County WV is where we first encountered it, and now since I moved to Montana we've seen a surge of it up along the Hi-Line/CN border (mule deer eating off hay and barley stacks).

http://www.wvwf.net/pdf/WV-CWD-Case-History-0908.pdf

Feeders may be convenient, but you may be doing the animals more harm in the long run. Just my .02c

I didn't know this! Good info

 

[highfinblue]

I totally get what you guys are saying, but I have 70 acres to hunt, all the places I used to free range are all sown up with obscene lease agreements. I used to hunt public land a great deal, but my experience is a man has to get well away from everyone to do much good, and I'm just not as young as I used to be. Deer do not stay on my place, but I have thousands of acres to the north of me with very little human habitation, so I can draw deer onto my place with feed. I plant food plots and use feeders because if I want to kill a deer that's pretty much my option. I would have never been able to afford this place, but my father-in-law owned it, and he was so good to me and my wife, so we ended up with it. I hear what you're saying, but to each his own. I like backstrap, and big antlers if one happens to wander by. I pastor a church in a town of 1200, and have been there for 27 years. Not exactly the best way to get rich in our culture, but I couldn't be happier; if I got to feed em to kill em that's what I'm going to do.

 

[Lee7588]

I totally get what you guys are saying, but I have 70 acres to hunt, all the places I used to free range are all sown up with obscene lease agreements. I used to hunt public land a great deal, but my experience is a man has to get well away from everyone to do much good, and I'm just not as young as I used to be. Deer do not stay on my place, but I have thousands of acres to the north of me with very little human habitation, so I can draw deer onto my place with feed. I plant food plots and use feeders because if I want to kill a deer that's pretty much my option. I would have never been able to afford this place, but my father-in-law owned it, and he was so good to me and my wife, so we ended up with it. I hear what you're saying, but to each his own. I like backstrap, and big antlers if one happens to wander by. I pastor a church in a town of 1200, and have been there for 27 years. Not exactly the best way to get rich in our culture, but I couldn't be happier; if I got to feed em to kill em that's what I'm going to do.

Being rich isn't always measured by a bank account

 

[Mark37082]

This has been an interesting read. Perspectives vary, but I agree with Rosebud. I try not to judge others as long as they are following the laws of the land. Envy is powerful in this world of "Haves and Have Nots". I've been fortunate to go to places with wealthy friends that have large populations of trophy deer and other game. I saw more true trophy deer in one sitting than I have in decades of hunting in the normal places I hunt. I still enjoy going out in the woods and fields on public land and giving it a go. The personal reward of being successful or just being out in the great outdoors is a wonderful thing. Justifying a $20k hunt is just not in the cards for me at this point in my life. However, more power to those who are lucky enough to be able to do it.

 

[Buffalobwana]

In general, hunting shows are infomercials for the hosts sponsors and the place being hunted.

I'd rather watch golf.

 

[tigerrose01]

As a younger man in the military I had to give up a lot of hunting seasons but always looked forward to going out again. Then, as fate would have it, I was injured and medically retired from the military. I currently have over 1,100 pieces of titanium in my body and am in need of several additional surgeries. I have tried hunting the way I used to hunt but find that it is next to impossible to properly scout and hunt like that anymore. I'm fortunate that I live in a state that offers "guided hunts" for disabled veterans. It allows me to at least use my rifle or crossbow skills and to bring home some great protien options. The hunts are lottery drawings but I have been lucky enough to have been picked for a few. I felt a little guilty for the first one but loved the harvest despite the fact that it was a cull buck with only a half rack for 2 years in a row. Now. I just appreciate the experience and all the consideration these folks give me. I show my appreciation for their efforts with bang flop kills with my rifles. I will be hunting with a crossbow in a couple months so will use my abilities to get the best possible hits with that as well.

 

[Pauleye]

Interesting this started as a comment on TV deer hunting by persons getting paid to hunt by advertisers and ended up with hunters commenting on individuals who hunt over feeders. My comments still reflect on the poor representations by deer hunting television.

 

[Rosebud]

I've been blessed the last twenty years with really good, turned to great deer and turkey hunting around my home. A military base closed in 1998 and was turned into Mt. Long leaf pine Wildlife Refuge. About 8 to 10 thousand acres. This is due South of my property, boundary line is 300 yards away. North and East of me is 4 thousand acres of land belonging to a girl Scout counsel. No hunting is allowed on either. I'm hunting private land that borders both. One person on the forum stated he'd never seen a mature buck on a feeder. I have many daytime photos of them. Three of them were killed last year. One, by me and the others were shot by the grand kids of the other land owner beside me, another eight does were shot by invited friends. We work together on the stand sites and feeders. I've promised the man who just remodeled our kitchen to get his wife her first deer this year. I'm in the process of teaching her to shoot a rifle. Then get her in a ground blind and watch the doe parade. My main concern is another deer crash. It happened fifteen years ago, went from seeing lots of deer to almost no deer. Took two weeks. EHD! they come into my front yard every day to get to the cracked corn I put out for the turkeys, even though I keep two feeders full about four hundred yards apart. We have way to many deer. And before anyone asked, No, the neighbors, And myself don't allow anyone they haven't known for many years to hunt !

 

[birddog 68]

I've been blessed the last twenty years with really good, turned to great deer and turkey hunting around my home. A military base closed in 1998 and was turned into Mt. Long leaf pine Wildlife Refuge. About 8 to 10 thousand acres. This is due South of my property, boundary line is 300 yards away. North and East of me is 4 thousand acres of land belonging to a girl Scout counsel. No hunting is allowed on either. I'm hunting private land that borders both. One person on the forum stated he'd never seen a mature buck on a feeder. I have many daytime photos of them. Three of them were killed last year. One, by me and the others were shot by the grand kids of the other land owner beside me, another eight does were shot by invited friends. We work together on the stand sites and feeders. I've promised the man who just remodeled our kitchen to get his wife her first deer this year. I'm in the process of teaching her to shoot a rifle. Then get her in a ground blind and watch the doe parade. My main concern is another deer crash. It happened fifteen years ago, went from seeing lots of deer to almost no deer. Took two weeks. EHD! they come into my front yard every day to get to the cracked corn I put out for the turkeys, even though I keep two feeders full about four hundred yards apart. We have way to many deer. And before anyone asked, No, the neighbors, And myself don't allow anyone they haven't known for many years to hunt !

Unpressured deer are a dream to hunt.
You are blessed.