Does it really matter!!!

[Woods Walker]

Most of you, and the people who sell the advertising for D&DH aren't going to like my response....but here it is.....
 
When I was 46, I had chest pains, which led to me having an angioplasty. Thank God it was only a warning. That was 10 years ago.
 
Since that time, I looked at my life, and besides the OBVIOUS (don't eat like you're 18 anymore!), I tried to, from that point on,  simplify my life as much as possible. Part of that was a lessening on my reliance on the toys and gadgets that I used to use for deer hunting. Instead, I returned to simpler ways. I also began to hone my skills of WOODSMANSHIP to a degree that I'd never achieved before. I got rid of all my scent junk, and by going to the ground, I also eliminated about 80% of the "terminal tackle" I had to carry when I treestand hunted.
 
Here's what I've found:  If you know the woods that you hunt like your own home, and you SLOW DOWN and observe what the sign in that woods is telling you, and you learn as much as you can about the local wind currents and you play the wind at all times, and you use the shadows, cover, and lack of movement on your part, you don't NEED 90% of the junk they try to sell you. I've had some of my best successes since I started hunting this way, not only in the type of deer I've killed, but also in the PERSONAL SATISFACTION I now get EVERYTIME I set foot in the woods.
 
If using all that junk gives you more confidence, then IT'S A GOOD THING....but you DON'T "need" it. It also does help the economy!
 
I do agree that the deer have changed. Afterall, what's made the whitetail into the magnificent game animal that it is, is it's adaptability. Part of this adaptability is that many deer now LOOK UP quite frequently. In fact, on the private ground that I hunt, I believe that I do as well as I do hunting on the ground while stillhunting because many of these deer have NEVER BEEN HUNTED FROM THE GROUND. I see them many times enter a woods that I'm in, and the first thing they do is look up into the numerous ladder and hang-on stands that are located in that area.
 

[burnnurse1]

You know, to each his own. I'm not knocking any one particular hunters method of pursuing these animals we love to hunt. I like gadgets and I like seeing all the new stuff that comes out. Some of it is pretty cool!! But I just find it interesting sometimes that you read an entire article about lets say......Scent eliminators. these articles will go on and on about what products are good and whats OK. Then they get to one particular product and they dedicate an entire page to how effective this stuff is. It's like the God send of scent elimination. So you finish your article thinking you've just read an unbiased opinion on a product that you "must have". You flip the page, and well what do you know. There is a complete full page ad pimping the product you "must have". Coincidence. I think not.. You see it's a scratch my back and I'll scratch yours relationship. scent eliminator pays good money to the mag. for adv. and mag does a full dissertation on why this product is numero uno when it comes fooling the olfactory senses of deer. Guys we're not stupid and we know that it doesn't end with the mags. Do you really think the guy who owns a South Texas ranch needs to sprinkle c'mere deer on the ground to attract a buck. He usually has to shew a heard of them away to pour it into it's alotted spot. I mean with his deer population he could attract a booner with cake and icecream. But this is a symbiotic relationship here. Scent eliminator needs the mag for advertising and the mag needs the money to run a business. C'mere deer needs to sprinkle their fairy dust and get a pic of a bruiser licking it, while the ranch is charging 5 grand a gun and getting valuable airtime pimping their ranch.

[danesdad]

So many of these posts are dead on that I can't add very much that hasn't already been said (and probably said better than I could say it).  I suppose that it comes down to how useful a particular gadget is to a particular hunter.  It would be cool to have one of those gadgets that keeps bugs away, but I'm completely covered head to toe with camo, including a face net.  About the only thing a bug could bite is my eyelids.  Plus, most of the time, it's between 25-55 degrees while I'm hunting.  Not prime bug temperatures.   So, while the bug repellent thing is cool, do I really need it?  How is an item going to make my hunting life better?
 
As far as the deer getting smarter, I can remember when almost anyone writing on tree stand hunting stated that deer RARELY look up.  But, wouldn't you know, at least once a year, I see a deer that didn't read the article cause, that deer is looking right up at me.  So, yeah, Id say they're getting smarter.  They should.  We kill the dumb ones!

[EatDeer]

I got to have Scent Killer, and WLRC products. Hank can keep that C'mere deer its a big waste of money. Smells just like apple cider to me!

[Woods Walker]

Thinking about this further, I am reminded of what Aldo Leopold said in his SAND COUNTY ALMANAC, about the use of gadgets.
 
He said that for him, the use of a gadget was fine, just as long as that gadget "Doesn't replace a learned skill", so that YOU are the one using the gadget, and the gadget isn't using YOU.
 
An example of this for me would be a GPS. They are a great tool, especially for those of us that are "directionally challenged".  But if you rely on a gadget like this that can fail on many different fronts....none of which you have control over...and you don't know how to/or carry a compass, or know at least the basics of finding your way via natural processes, then you are putting yourself in a very dangerous situation.

[djohns13]

I have been known to use, and appreciate, more than a few gadgets but let's face it, villages all across the world were well fed by hunters who had never heard of trail cameras, scopes, rangefinders, scent-lok, climbing stands, calls, sprays, etc.  They were just great hunters.  All of the gadgets in the world won't make a lousy woodsman into a good one.  Hunters who consistently produce results may use gadgets but don't rely on them - they are just very good at what they do.  Give them a slingshot and a knife and they would find a way to bring home game.
 
Gadgets are cool but it is experience and drive that make you a good hunter.  Feel free to use all of the gadgets you want - just make sure you put in the woods time to stay sharp.  If you do, all will be okay.
 
Good shooting.

[trapperDave]

I quit wasting my money some time go. Deer see movement, thats what gets you busted. I dont buy into the scentlock bs, or needed all the latest fads, the only purchase other than a lisence this year will be gas to get to the woods.
 
You dont need what Billy-Bob uses on tv, he's only using it because he gets paid to.
You dont need the latest bow/rifle/shotgun to kill a deer(time would be better spent getting intimate with what you already have)

[Sailfish]

To answer the question "No, I do not think we make it more difficult than it has to be".
 
Each one of us are different. Our approach and rituals are something unique to us, passed down from an father, uncle, brother, sister, ourselves, etc.
Over time, we want to improve. Get a bigger deer, get a cleaner shot, whatever it may be, we want to improve. We want an edge.
 
To me it's all about the journey, not just the destination.
 
I like watching hunting shows, reading magazines, forums, I like hearing others techniques and stories. When I go into the woods it's not just about killing an animal or throwing a mount on the wall or meat in the freezer.
I like to prepare. Shop, read, talk, practice, scout, try new things. I like getting up early, throwing on my camo (washed in scent free detergent, briefly thrown in the dryer, and hung out doors to dry , stuffing my pockets and pack with a call, a compass, scent spray, protein bar, two face masks, camo camelbak, a knife......
I am not doing all these things because a TV show or magazine told me I couldn't get a deer without them (I'm sure a few of us have harvested a deer wearing tennis shoes, sweat pants, a NY Yankee hat, and smokin a cig), i'm doing them because I love it. I love all aspects and if I FEEL, what I am doing will give me an edge, then thats all I need. Well that and success of course [;)]