Antler Illness

[69Viking]

I can promise you not every guy lies about hunting.  I for one am very fortunate that my European wife loves deer meat and prefers it over beef any day.  Last year I managed to only kill one nice size doe so our freezer went empty of deer meat in August.  She has been asking me when I'm going to fill it up again.  In years I shoot two deer in a season we go the entire year without ever buying beef.  If I could find more time and hunting opportunities I'm sure we would never buy beef. 
 
As far as spending more time with the family deer season only lasts a few months and by no means am I gone every weekend, it's just not possible and I wouldn't do that to her with a 9 mounth old little boy driving her crazy!  On the other hand my 11 year old boy is starting to hunt with me and my wife sees that as a wonderful chance for me and my son to bond. 
 
Wifehuntingdwnhusban I hope things work out for you, what JPH wrote is good advice.  I don't know your exact situation but maybe things could impove if your husband starts taking your kids hunting.  It doesn't sound like you're into hunting so I won't insist that you should try it out!  I'm sorry about the lies you've had to tolerate, nobody should have to live that way.  I really hope you can work things out.   

[stormshooter4]

Perhaps the wives should be like mine. Not only does she go out with me, but if I see something hunting orientated I'd like to aquire, she either says that I deserve it and tells me to go ahead and buy it, or she goes back out and buys it for me.
 Now that's a wife!!!!

[Hudson Buckmaster]

Amen Storm!

Now if she could just clean your deer, then she'd be a perfect wife![:D]

[stormshooter4]

Hudson Buckmaster,
  I thought of that but that would take all the fun out of it then. I do the killing, the field dressing, the skinning, and the cutting. She does her part which is the wrapping. The part I'm not too good at.

[saoirseglen]

From how I see it, most hunters have antler illness because that is what game regulations, hunting focused propaganda and our fellow hunters encourage. I have never read a magazine article, seen a hunting video or talked with a hunter (save those older ones who really are just meat hunters) that there was not a comment about getting a huge racked buck. Even quality deer management and antler point restrictions feed into the promotion, cultivation and spread of antler illness though I know in their theoretical underpinnings that is not their intention, though that is the effective result.

The truth is, even if we want to fight antler illness, we honestly don't want to watch hunting videos of doe hunts. We don't want to brag about killing a doe. We don't want to talk about seeing does like we do about seeing a huge racked buck.

That being said, I don't see the condition of antler illness improving or going away. I believe it will continue to worsen because of the pressure to put a big rack on the wall so we can brag about it to others.

[Goose]

I cherish every doe I am blessed to take, pass up 1.5 bucks, practice QDM, follow the laws, and do not have Antler Illness. Do I hope to shoot a big buck and is that my goal? absolutely! But I'm going more for conservation than antlers. Theres a lot of fellow sportsman like me and Its a group I'm proud to be part of.
Look at the post your harvest pics 08 and tell me that people aren't happy taking does!

[Patriot]

I forget what I scored on the original survey.  If my memory serves me correctly, I think there was one question that I scored an 8 or 9 on....something along the lines of giving up a year of your life for a record buck.  I suppose it depends what year I could pick...maybe that last year in the nursing home.
 
Every deer is a trophy to me.  Whether it's the doe fawn or mature buck.  Of course I'd get more excited about the big buck, but every deer is special to me and I'm proud to tell others about each kill....as long as they'll listen.

[buckhunter21]

Patriot and Goose, I echo both of your comments.  As I love the antlers, nothing gets me going more or makes me more happy than being able to 'work the land' per say and seeing the deer thrive in it.

[schlupis]

this is what I love about hunting it doesnt matter how you hunt as long as you are following game laws you are doing it right. I like to kill big bucks so when the season starts that is what I am going for right away (unless I havnt E-A-B yet) but if I have E-A-B then I am going for a buck right up until the last day I can hunt.. Do I have Antler Illness yup I am not a meat hunter like some say because if I dont shoot a deer in a given year I will not starve, do I like venison you bet taste great but that is not what I buy a tag for I buy my tag for the antlers the venison is just a added bonus... Am I proud of every deer I shoot you bet am I as proud of a doe as a large buck no, is that wrong no. As long as you are having fun and following the laws who cares what you hunt for I dont need to prove to anybody that I am proud of what I kill they can see that from the pics..