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Interesting topic, classify me however you want. But I am with Judman. Plain and simple, I am a hunter, and all that entails. I still have two any deer tags, and three antlerless tags left this year. So I can be both a meat hunter and trophy hunter. Next weekend I am taking my 84yo Dad out deer hunting. Add guide and butcher to the list. Fortunately I filled my cow elk tag this year. Freezer is full. So for the rest of the seasons, I will be a trophy hunter, but I do want to shoot one antlerless deer for sausage, brats, bacon. So what am I? And why railroad me into one or the other. I hunt with traditional bows, rifles, muzzleloaders, shotguns, and 22 RF. I fish sometimes too.... If someone wants to focus all their energy into one pursuit, have at it.
Arcus Venator
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I shoot does and leave the bucks for my grandkids. When elk hunting I'd rather shoot either a cow or a younger, legal bull.
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My antlerless to antler ratio is probably 10:1, racks don't mean diddly jack squat to me. If it's legal deer in shooting range, it's getting popped, period. Antlers don't fill the crock pot 🤷♂️
Our firearm season is a whopping 7 days, MZ season is 3 days and this ain't primo deer country... if I pass on a shot, I'm likely eating tag soup. With the season being so short, a lot of it is just dependend upon the weather. There have been a few crappy weather years where I've sat all season and not seen a single deer.
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Campfire Ranger
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Campfire Ranger
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“Bad Feelings” between the two different types of hunters! 🫢
My wife’s a meat hunter and I’ve stopped her numerous times from taking the first legal animal seen hoping for a trophy animal, several times she failed to fill her tag…..and she’s not a “happy camper” about that! And I am very aware that she is “not” a happy camper! memtb When will you ever learn? Laffin Good luck to you and your wife elk hunting. 🦫
Curiosity Killed the Cat & The Prairie Dog “Molon Labe”
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Another meat hunter here.
When it comes to moose, 2 1/2-year old's makes for the best eating IMO, small unimpressive antlers. Shot a really old and big moose once, eating him was like eating shoe leather.
Last year I shot a small Mullie buck, loaded him in my truck went to a different lease road 3 minutes away and when I came around a bend and there stood a studhorse 200+ mullie with 6 does 50 yards away, man was I pissed. But that is the price you pay for being a meat hunter and taking the first buck up.
Last edited by KillerBee; 11/05/22.
KB
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Killer bee, got 2 moose hunts lined up next year, 1 in BC, 1 in Alberta. You can bet your ass I’ll be bringing meat back if I kill 😂👊🏻
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Ain’t easy havin pals.
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Campfire Ranger
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Interesting topic, classify me however you want. But I am with Judman. Plain and simple, I am a hunter, and all that entails. I still have two any deer tags, and three antlerless tags left this year. So I can be both a meat hunter and trophy hunter. Next weekend I am taking my 84yo Dad out deer hunting. Add guide and butcher to the list. Fortunately I filled my cow elk tag this year. Freezer is full. So for the rest of the seasons, I will be a trophy hunter, but I do want to shoot one antlerless deer for sausage, brats, bacon. So what am I? And why railroad me into one or the other. I hunt with traditional bows, rifles, muzzleloaders, shotguns, and 22 RF. I fish sometimes too.... If someone wants to focus all their energy into one pursuit, have at it. Done, CRS. Your classification is a ‘BI’ Hunter. 😬🦫
Curiosity Killed the Cat & The Prairie Dog “Molon Labe”
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Killer bee, got 2 moose hunts lined up next year, 1 in BC, 1 in Alberta. You can bet your ass I’ll be bringing meat back if I kill 😂👊🏻 Awesome man! What area in Alberta are you hunting, as you going with outfitters?
KB
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Campfire Outfitter
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Why would I want to be a meat hunter when I raise prime angus beef? The only exceptions are: 1) I donate 2 doe to the DNR sponsored food pantry. 2) My wife and her mother can the meat of a doe and donate it to the church bazaar every year. After that it is big animals and horns, son.
Last edited by roundoak; 11/05/22.
You're Welcome At My Fire Anytime
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Campfire Ranger
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Why would I want to be a meat hunter when I raise prime angus beef? The only exceptions are: 1) I donate 2 doe to the DNR sponsored food pantry. 2) My wife and her mother can the meat of a doe and donate it to the church bazaar every year. After that it is big animals and horns, son. Hell ya cuz!👊🏻
Ping pong balls for the win. Once you've wrestled everything else in life is easy. Dan Gable I keep my circle small, I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies.
Ain’t easy havin pals.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 10,843
Campfire Outfitter
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Campfire Outfitter
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“Bad Feelings” between the two different types of hunters! 🫢
My wife’s a meat hunter and I’ve stopped her numerous times from taking the first legal animal seen hoping for a trophy animal, several times she failed to fill her tag…..and she’s not a “happy camper” about that! And I am very aware that she is “not” a happy camper! memtb When will you ever learn? Laffin Good luck to you and your wife elk hunting. 🦫 Thanks Beav’, But for us, it’s all over but the crying! The ironic thing about the whole situation……..she’s the one with the trophies! 🤬 memtb
You should not use a rifle that will kill an animal when everything goes right; you should use one that will do the job when everything goes wrong." -Bob Hagel
“I’d like to be a good rifleman…..but, I prefer to be a good hunter”! memtb 2024
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Campfire Member
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Meat hunter here. Going to be going for my 1st hunt this year. Plan is to find a young buck or doe. Can't harvest a larger animal since most of the freezers all full of food
Proud Left hander!
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Campfire Ranger
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Why would I want to be a meat hunter when I raise prime angus beef? The only exceptions are: 1) I donate 2 doe to the DNR sponsored food pantry. 2) My wife and her mother can the meat of a doe and donate it to the church bazaar every year. After that it is big animals and horns, son. ROak You were specifically in my mind when I wrote about acreage owners that smoke exceptional animals. It’s like you and your family have it all - It never seems like a canned hunt situation. Real hunting on incredible land that gives up big, gnarly, bucks each year. They say jealousy and hate are close kin. If true, then I’m your distant brother, and I want what you have. 🦫 PS When do the pics start dropping of the bucks you and your family shoot?
Curiosity Killed the Cat & The Prairie Dog “Molon Labe”
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"The welfare of humanity is always the alibi of tyrants".
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Campfire Ranger
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“Bad Feelings” between the two different types of hunters! 🫢
My wife’s a meat hunter and I’ve stopped her numerous times from taking the first legal animal seen hoping for a trophy animal, several times she failed to fill her tag…..and she’s not a “happy camper” about that! And I am very aware that she is “not” a happy camper! memtb When will you ever learn? Laffin Good luck to you and your wife elk hunting. 🦫 Thanks Beav’, But for us, it’s all over but the crying! The ironic thing about the whole situation……..she’s the one with the trophies! 🤬 memtb Indeed. Plus, she swings a 338 Winchester. Always found that cool as hell! 🦫 PS As a suggestion, you know, to keep your ass out of the Fire with wifey. Just stfu and let her dump what she wants. 😂
Curiosity Killed the Cat & The Prairie Dog “Molon Labe”
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Just put three forks in the freezer and made the kids the requested jerky. 1 tag left and I’m hunting horns or won’t punch it. I enjoy the going and doing more than anything….have little under a month off from work to do it.
Last edited by AKduck; 11/05/22.
Yup.
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Campfire Ranger
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Liar! Lol Post a few pictures of your handloads and rifle you use for moose hunting. Impressive stuff! This thread needs some pictures. I’m contemplating what rifle I’m going to hunt with during elk. Since I’m primarily playing the role of ‘guide boy’ for Kingston and another buddy who’s been my faithful elk hauling pack mule the last several years. I’m considering going light on the rifle weight and just pretend to be a spotter for them. I opened the safe a couple nights back, grabbed the 300 RUM with it’s NF NXS and lifted it - too heavy. Then I picked up my 300 Roy with another NXS and said the same thing. Then I grabbed a 7 WSM with yet another NF and went, meh, maybe. After carry a Seekins Element in 6.5 PRC with a NF NXS for deer hunting. That rifle might get the nod weighing just 7lbs. 🦫
Curiosity Killed the Cat & The Prairie Dog “Molon Labe”
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Campfire Regular
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I would classify myself as an "experience" hunter more than anything, sometimes size is a factor in the quality of the experience, sometimes not. Even though I can appreciate a nice rack or large critter and sometimes target them, memories mean more to me than inches. Elk, antelope, and whitetail does are food. Mature (not necessarily monster) mulies are a treasure. Truth is, I spend more money and time chasing animals I have almost zero desire to kill than anything else. What I spend every year just on dog food, fuel, repairs, vet bills etc. just to go follow my hounds to an animal I won't personally tag would buy a lot of groceries. I may hang my tag on a nice lion someday but, so far, whenever I have had the chance, I let someone else take them because I figured it would mean more to them than me. I turned down a dandy a couple years ago because my kids or dad weren't there to be part of it.
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Campfire Ranger
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Talking strictly about ‘Head Hunting’ for a second. I realize there is canyon of distance between hunters, their hunting grounds and the type of game they are chasing across the US. So, one size boot won’t fit everyone on strategy.
Speaking only about hunting Roosevelt, ‘herd’ bulls on the Coast. The rut for our elk is during the latter part of summer. Some of my buds, who only hunt archery during their rut, have sunk arrows into some giant 6x’s and 7x7’s. 100% herd bull down.
By first season rifle hunting, in November, which is 4 days. Any herd bull has long pulled off the harem of cows he owned and become solo-non grata.
He’s hidden himself away into some of the thickest, nastiest oldest cuts, or deep canyons where hunting him up would be really difficult.
I can count on one hand, then subtract 3 fingers the number of guys I’ve known who would try to target a herd bull during rifle season. And even they said that it’s been by sheer luck that while scouting they glassed one up, giving away his possible hangout.
I’ve shot some nice sized bulls over the years, even a couple of 6x6’s that I found accidentally. Like Jud said, elk aren’t that hard to hunt in our part of the country. Just find herds and typically, there’s gonna be a bull or more running with them ladies.
I guess my point, and my excuse is, that if I exclusively targeted the killing of a herd bull during rifle season. I’d eat my tag most years.
🦫
Curiosity Killed the Cat & The Prairie Dog “Molon Labe”
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Campfire Ranger
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I would classify myself as an "experience" hunter more than anything, sometimes size is a factor in the quality of the experience, sometimes not. Even though I can appreciate a nice rack or large critter and sometimes target them, memories mean more to me than inches. Elk, antelope, and whitetail does are food. Mature (not necessarily monster) mulies are a treasure. Truth is, I spend more money and time chasing animals I have almost zero desire to kill than anything else. What I spend every year just on dog food, fuel, repairs, vet bills etc. just to go follow my hounds to an animal I won't personally tag would buy a lot of groceries. I may hang my tag on a nice lion someday but, so far, whenever I have had the chance, I let someone else take them because I figured it would mean more to them than me. I turned down a dandy a couple years ago because my kids or dad weren't there to be part of it. Word. 👍🏼 🦫
Curiosity Killed the Cat & The Prairie Dog “Molon Labe”
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