QuoteOriginally posted by imhntn:
I think we go through seasons of life and kind of grow up as a hunter.  When I started hunting it was all about the kill and getting as many as possible.  Now it is more about the way I hunt and having a great time with friends and family.

Couldn't have said it better Buddy.
There's more to your statement than many will ever know.

For me it is the whole experience......the anticipation, the preparation, the camaraderie, the fire, the food, and above all the stalk
to the final kill. Wow! Love it!!      

Naw it's not all about the kill but I do love shooting things with sharp pointy sticks!!  

My three legged hog and I have been dancing around each other for the last couple of months and last night we did the tango for about two hours before he bested me(never did figure out who was sneaking who).  Though I couldn't see him, I could sure hear him.  Maybe 12' away in the dark shadows poppin' them jaws.  Figured he was gonna bust out of there and show me whos woods I was in but he finaly trotted off.  

If I had any plaque or any other kind of build up in my arteries or veins, I'm quiet sure it got blowed out last night the way my heart was pumpin!

If I ever put a shot on the ol' boy the above experience will have made the whole hunt even sweeter.

Im with Terry its the chase.

QuoteOriginally posted by stevemfwills:
well i didnt hang up my compound because it was too easy,i hung it up because i feel im more proficient with a stick and string...im a headhunter till something else walks by...lol...i just love to hunt antlers or not i eat the crap out of deer meat...i and my family probaly go through 4 deer a year....and thats the whole deer just not loins and backstraps....i love to eat them and hunt them...its not the destination its the journey

  well said.  I feel about the same.  I kill to eat more than anything.  If I couldn't kill a supply with a trad bow I would get the compound out again.  I have been known to use a gun to finish filling that freezer.  I do love the chase.  That is what keeps me hunting all I can all season, but I start to get nervous if I do a lot of hunting and no meat.  That and the wife starts giving me the eye.  She likes me to have a good time getting away, but wants to see some investment return, in the form of free range meat, on those licenses, arrows, bows,................

For me it's definitely not just about the rack. You know the old saying that "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey", or something like that? Well, I find that saying to be more true now than ever for me. Don't get me wrong, I want to take game. However, the process and everything that surrounds the hunt means just as much, if not more, than the kill. If killing were the only goal, there are far easier ways to do the killing. The spirit of hunting with archery tackle has become so diluted that only a razor thin line seperates some of our ranks from our gun toting hunting brothers.
Which brings me to another point...Why are we all falling into the trap of using the word "harvest" to describe our killing. It seems to me that the word harvest plays right into the "mounds of racks" philosphy of todays hunting culture. The disrespect shown most killed animals on the TV hunting shows is sickening to me. Harvest, sounds as though they are gathering handfulls of wheat or bushels of corn, rather than taking the life of an animal. By using that word, it almost condones the thoughtlessness with which these hero hunters do their killing. Lets call it what it is. We are killing animals. Nothing wrong with it. Nothing to defend. No need to soften or downplay what it is that is a part of our sport/lives. I love to hunt deer with traditional equipment and I love the processes and people surrounding that pursuit. No apologies. Killing is part of that equation, but the killing is not a part of every outing. Sometimes I choose not to kill, and sometimes I choose to take an animals life. My choice, when presented the opportunity. However, I never take lightly the killing of an animal, and I never forget to show respect for the life I take. For those who get Traditional Bowhunter Magazine, there is a good article by David Peterson on the last page of this month's issue called "Waiting to Kill".
Just my two cents.

Who was it that compared hunting to onion soup?

You can't call it onion soup without it, but an onion all by itself isn't soup.

Jeff,
Nicely put.

to me its not how big the rack is or if its gonna make the book or not.i have my own book that each one makes it into wheather it culminates in a kill or not.the chase is why i hunt,why i drag my tired body into the mountains every sept.the not knowing what is about to happen before my very eyes.i love the smells and sounds of a busy camp.the laughter and even the controversies that sometimes arise.i hunt for the unknown.i think the best times to me are when i get to create a new elkhunter by teaching someone everything i know about hunting them.the kill means nothing to me.i have taken my share of elk.its all about the scream of a bull and how close i can get to them.see you in september.

Is it "all about the kill"--no--Is it mostly about filling the tag, yes! I would not even own a bow if I couldn't hunt! Different strokes for different folks! I'm not a trophy hunter, but I must hunt!!!!!!

 ElkNut1

If its just about the kill, then your really missing out.

Gilbert

Now that's what I'm talking about!  :D    The Journey is the thing.  The cold, the heat, the no seeums, the rain, the trek through the woods. The knee deep mud.  The heart in the throat moment,the release and the long moments before you know if you have made a good hit or a miss.  Campfire's with friends.  Seeing your kids and grankids take their first animal, either deer or squirrel, or what have you.  These are the moments you live for,  this is why you are a Traditional Hunter.  

As was said at the beginning by Terry Green.  The chase is the thing.      

I am with Terry,"The Chase". If every story I ever heard or told about hunting was only about the kill they would be pretty short stories,In fact I would personally only have about half the stories to tell.

I think if you read this thread it will give some good views on what we think about Traditional Archery
http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=087039#000000

I've been at it for more than 4 decades. I love to see mature antlered white-tail deer and I love even more to take them home with me --doesn't happen much. However, I've always gotten a huge kick out of the scouting and figuring things out (or not).  I'm fortunate to be invited to hunt with some folks in big deer locations -- I rarely accept the invites though because I enjoy doing my own scouting. A scouting job that results in a high percentage shot is very satisfying to me.

It's supposed to be hard. That's why lots of us do it. Taking an animal is icing on the cake. I have as much fun stump shooting when not hunting as I do hunting (almost!). To me, it's not just about the killing, but as Terry put it so well, it's the Chase.

It's the whole thing, but bottom line is you can't eat a tag. So.... I guess killing is a bit necessary if you are hunting for meat. My kids and wife want me to bring home food and I need to greatly improve in that area.

I have been laughed at 3 times when I brought my Hill bow out.  Once when I went pheasant hunting with my brother-in-laws, and I got the first kill of the day and they shut up.  2nd time when we went out for an early goose season here in Michigan, and 5 birds (2 on the fly and 3 once landed) later I had 6 other guys wondering how the hell I just did that (I am gratefull they let me shoot first), and the last time was out on Lake St. Clair, and at 20 yards I took the tail feathers off of a flying teal.  All of this is in the last 5 years, now no one laughs, they all just want to watch.  To me, it is just about being out there and having fun.  There are days too that I have used every arrow in my quiver on deer coming thu, that after shooting the last one, I climbed down and went home.  I took it as a sign to go to bed.  LOL

Yukon Chuck said it best!!!! great post Charles

I am just happy when it all comes together.Buck or doe.I have never shot a wallhanger and I would be thrilled to but I consider myself fortunate just to walk out the door and bowhunt.I do however respect those who consistently shoot large mature animals.Those who do their homework.glen