What makes a good hunter

[Huntingfool]

I am 65. Dad took me deer hunting when I was 6 so it was back in the 1950's.

When I got to be 10-11 years old he would drop me off in the dark of the morning and tell me "the stand is that way - if you cannot find it and it gets light then sit down next to a tree and hunt". Talk about a young man growing up fast? Get dropped off at dark and walk through the woods by yourself.

He also said "once you are done hunting then hunt your way back to camp". Translation? Still hunt (my guess is that many here have never heard of the term "still hunt") through the woods and find your way back to camp.

He showed me how to still hunt - take 3 steps, stop, and listen for 3 minutes. If you do not see or hear anything then take 3 more slow steps and stop, look, and listen. This is what still hunting is all about. Amazing how many deer you could sneak up on with this method.

I am blessed to hunt on one of the best LF ranches in Texas but I still will crawl out of a stand or blind and try to still hunt a deer. I love it to this day.

I am NOT a great hunter but I have taken my share of nice animals and many of them were done by still hunting. Crawled through the brush to kill this book deer

[RR 314]

Mr. Buddy heater, DVD player/Ipad and yellow brick road of corn. :-)

[TN_boy]

Someone who can pattern and kill deer without the use of bait and/or feed.

[bowfishtank401]

Yup!

No money does not make a good hunter, that makes a good harvester , hunting and harvesting are very different.

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[rtp]

Apparently being a good storyteller will elevate your status considerably.

I think those that learn to hunt small game successfully with their pellet guns and then .22s and shotguns become really good hunters. Being a dedicated bow hunter will help as well. You have to watch a lot of animals that are out of range and begin to understand their behavior instead of just blasting away with a rifle as soon as a target walks out.

I will say not much about "hunting" in Texas these days resembles how we hunted back in the day. I think there are mostly shooters nowadays and a small percentage of hunters.

[Aggiehunter08]

Successful kills on mature animals.

[TacticalCowboy]

No money does not make a good hunter, that makes a good harvester , hunting and harvesting are very different.

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So.. harvest or kill?

[flywise]

Money

Money makes for a much more successful hunter but a great hunter....probably helped a couple.

[flywise]

Someone who can walk into public land and drag out a mature buck, or elk.

Not everybody hunts where the biggest bucks roams so cant always judge a hunter by the inches. Those guys that can head into woods, hit the trails and drag out a bruiser have my respect. No, I’m not one of them lol.


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[Ten Six]

The hunter who shows the next generation to hunt.

[bowfishtank401]

So.. harvest or kill?

I belive harvesting in the hunting world is to cull animals that have no potential to become mature trophy animals within the gene pool or to go on a high fence ranch that has feeders going all year long. To kill or hunt is to go to a area where the animals have never contacted humans or where the animal are not baited and skilled in the evasion of predators. I also don't like the word killing in regards to hunters because it gives us the rap of being remorseless killer that have no regard to the animals we kill, harvest, cull or hunt. It is very important to keep good public relations because the fait of hunter and fishing being legal or not is up the the voters and the majority of the population does not hunt or fish therefore have a lack of knowledge of it and us saying "oh yeah I killed 2 deer and a bear last year it was so fun" it takes away from the humble appearance that most Hunters portray. with out that they will just see us and a bunch of remorseless Trophy Hunters that have no regard for wildlife at all even though it's a quite the opposite, not that being said I use kill, hunt, cull and harvest all Universal even though technically the way people interpret it will have different meanings , you may not agree with me but keeping good public relations with people non-hunters and Hunters alike is important.

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[RiverRat1]

Mr. Buddy heater, DVD player/Ipad and yellow brick road of corn. :-)

And an ice chest full of cold beer!


I know a great hunter who was good enough to hunt at night on someone else's property. Other hunters were so jealous they took away his deer.

[TXJIM]

Alcohol, the longer people sit around a camp fire drinking the better hunters they all become

[sir huntsalot]

The hunter who shows the next generation to hunt.

I agree with the nubbin buck. Teaching the next generation about hunting ethically, safely, proficiently, and successfully is something we should all try to do. A good hunter leads by example, and hopefully when he's gone, his kids and his grandkids, and his friends can all sit around a campfire reminiscing about everything he taught them and the times they shared together.

[txoutdoorsman24]

Free range no bait. Understanding animal movement with out a feeder and figuring out how to take a wise buck or old doe on thier own terms. Might rub some the wrong way not intended though.

I agree.

I am 65. Dad took me deer hunting when I was 6 so it was back in the 1950's.

When I got to be 10-11 years old he would drop me off in the dark of the morning and tell me "the stand is that way - if you cannot find it and it gets light then sit down next to a tree and hunt". Talk about a young man growing up fast? Get dropped off at dark and walk through the woods by yourself.

He also said "once you are done hunting then hunt your way back to camp". Translation? Still hunt (my guess is that many here have never heard of the term "still hunt") through the woods and find your way back to camp.

He showed me how to still hunt - take 3 steps, stop, and listen for 3 minutes. If you do not see or hear anything then take 3 more slow steps and stop, look, and listen. This is what still hunting is all about. Amazing how many deer you could sneak up on with this method.

I am blessed to hunt on one of the best LF ranches in Texas but I still will crawl out of a stand or blind and try to still hunt a deer. I love it to this day.

I am NOT a great hunter but I have taken my share of nice animals and many of them were done by still hunting. Crawled through the brush to kill this book deer

Gear buck bud.
I was taught the same way. Started about 8-9 yr old. My grandpa would drop me off at the back side of our ranch and I’d hunt from sun up until I made it back to the barns. Sometimes I’d only be out an hour before he decided we had to leave or sometimes until lunch, but I would make the most of it. No Camo most of the time either. It was those days I’d see deer or pigs and try my best to get within a good shooting range for myself. Open sight rifle only back then. Took me several years before I finally connected on my first deer, a doe. Doing that for years taught me a lot. I see things andhear things that most of my friends or hunting partners never do. It’s definitely fun to get out and be in their (animals) environment and put your skills to the test.