One of the worst things about hunting and fishing is the egotistical, stupid, ignorant and jealous crap that spews from people’s mouths and fingers online about someone else’s success.
Kill a few wood ducks or a small buck? Well, you’re not a “real” duck hunter because those aren’t greenhead mallards! You’re not a “real” deer hunter because that wasn’t a giant wall-hanger killed with the compound bow that I use!
Enjoy small game hunting? Better watch out for the “This is MY SEASON!” brigade of hunters who believe you shouldn’t be in the woods with a .22 rifle or 20-gauge shotgun chasing squirrels, grouse, rabbits or the like. God forbid you have a feist or beagles and they’re barking, too. Why, you just ruined MY hunt with THOSE dogs that shouldn’t be here! Why can’t you hunt before or after MY season!?!
Uh, it’s everyone’s season. Not just yours.
It doesn’t end with animals. Extends into gear, too. Your bow-gun-camo-scent isn’t as good as mine. Your camera sucks. Those cameras suck. My cameras are great. That attractant-corn-bait is illegal in my state and should be in yours because you’re a loser who can’t kill anything without it. My attractant-corn-bait is just fine and works better than anything you have naturally. You’re baiting if you’re anywhere near an apple-oak-food source or water source.
Whew. Maybe hunt naked in an open pasture?
The egotistical crap doesn’t stop with hunting. I’ve heard the same idiotic BS with fishing, too.
Oh, you caught a 10-pound bass in a pond? Eh, just a pond. ANYone can do that! Go out on the big lake and do it.
You’re going to eat those walleye-bass-crappie-fish instead of throwing them back? My gosh, man, you’re going to help wreck the lake! You should ONLY practice catch and release! Those will grow up to make more fish!”
It’s unfortunate this kind of truly stupid crap continues. But it’s prevalent in hunting camps, social events and even moreso online. It’s too easy to be jealous or just spitefully mean and toss out “Fence!” or “Corn, baiter!” or “Use a bow like a REAL man!” and then beat your chest while digging in heels.
Hey, you want to be a real hunter? A truly real hunter? Then use a stickbow with wooden arrows and knapped points. Put down the crossbow or compound that shoots 350-something fps with carbon everything and sights and scopes. Store the rifle or slug gun or in-line muzzleloader and shoot a flintlock with powder and patched ball.
Our society is sad in so many ways, when building, encouraging and offering a kind word is far better and just as easy. And if you don’t want to do that, not saying anything is just as good or even better.
I recently ran across this post on Mike Hanback’s Big Deer Blog. He’s a veteran hunter with tons of experience along with years of hearing stories, bitches, comments, praises, gripes and more from hunters throughout North America. I like watching his show and his enthusiasm. Hanback sums it up pretty well here:
The bigger point here is that we deer hunters, some 15 million strong, need to stop the jealousy, bickering, pettiness and downright rudeness that I unfortunately see a lot on the Internet. We need to coexist for the good of the sport.
If you don’t like bowhunting, fine, don’t do it. But don’t diss all bowhunters, it makes you look and sound small and petty.
If you don’t like gun hunters, fine, but don’t berate all gun hunters. What good does that do?
If you don’t like the way one man hunts (food plots, bait, drives, etc.) don’t do it, but if he shoots a giant buck, don’t get jealous and spout off about it. To each his own. It’s none of your business anyway.
Be civil. Nothing wrong with disagreeing, but do it with respect.
Amen. Amen. Amen. Let’s try to practice this more this season and in the future.
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Maximize Your Deer Season Planning With the 2016 Whitetails Wall Calendar!
From Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine, the 2016 Whitetails Wall Calendar features the work of deer researchers Wayne Laroche and Charlie Alsheimer, who reveal the 2016 whitetail rut prediction, based on years of lunar cycle research. Utilize this deer moon phase calendar to find out which days the deer will be seeking and chasing so you can time the rut for the best time to hunt.
“The DDH wall calendar is one of our most popular annual ShopDeerHunting items,” said Dan Schmidt, DDH Content Director and Editor-in-Chief. “The 2016 calendar, just like the ones before it, features some amazing whitetail deer photography that captures deer in all the seasons. It also provides deer activity charts so you can plan your hunt.”
With the 2016 DDH Whitetails Wall Calendar you’ll learn:
- When the seeking, chasing and tending phases of the rut will occur for North & South
- The predicted dates of Major & Minor deer activity in 2016
- Daily 2016 Moon-phase data