Hey ya'll......Brad didn't mean any harm. We've PM's back and forth and he was just stirring the pot a little bit......he just didn't realize we use liberal amounts of 'Tabasco'.
No harm done.
Brad, to answer your question......I'd have to say that 'giggin' a smart ole buck would rank up there with a lot of other things that requires some dedication and proficiency. It takes years to develop skills to get to a certain point in your game, whether it's ducks, deer, clay shooting, or tidly winks. Like you said though, it's just a matter of personal preference.......and I think a lot of it has to do with how you play the game.
Nobody hunts the same way, or gets out of it what the next fella does. That goes for ducks just as much as it does, deer.
Personally, I still enjoy deer hunting (although I didn't go one time last year), but the fun of it (to me) is seeing how close I can get to one, before it spots me. I'm a stalker. I really DID crawl within arm's reach of that doe bedded-down next to a log, but that was when I was 19. I only bow-hunted one season.......and that was a little tougher than gun hunting for sure......because you had to develop sharper skills to stalk within range. I'm not one to sit still and wait for something to walk by. I think that makes it more appealing and evens the 'game' out a little bit. The more I hunt deer, the more challenging I try to make it, cause once you've 'done that', you take another step. Just depends on what 'stage' a fella's at in his game, I guess.
My most memorable bow hunt (although I've never actually shot 'at' anything), was in my favorite 'squirrel' woods......tall hickory trees, oaks with a mix of cedars in the draws. There are deadfalls. I spotted a group of does coming across a field and they got in the woods with me and started feeding on acorns. 'Course I had a revelation that I could, somehow, get close to 8 pairs of eyes. I mean, they weren't gonna come my way, so I thought I'd follow them and see what happened.
It wasn't really as hard as I thought because all their heads were down......feeding on acorns. Oh, every-so-often the periscope would shoot-up and check things out.....but for the most part, it was like crawling-up on cattle.
Well, I kept working closer. Then they got full and milled around there a little bit and bedded down. That was perfect! I ended-up within 25yds of the closest doe, but again, was on my stomach with my bow under me........and couldn't figure-out how to get rolled over on my back for a shot I'd never practiced......lying on your back and shooting off your bow hand side. Seemed like a 'do-able' thing at the time, but just couldn't figure how to get there.
I lay there for a good hour, just watching and enjoying being among the deer in their leisure.....ya know, we always see'um when they're being chased, or just for a few minutes as they get to the 'spot'.....and then we watch'em run-off. But we don't get many chances to lay among them while they're snoozing, so I just watched each one, noticing their differences and features.
Eventually, they stood-up one at a time, stretched, pooped, peed, and started milling around. I just put my head down and tried to blend in (that was when 'Bottomland' first came-out). One by one, they walked past me.....the farthest was about 30yds....but the closet was about 10 feet. Most of them looked toward me but of course the one that walked 10 feet from was the one that jumped straight up like she'd stepped on a rattler, when she saw me. She ran about 15 yards and stopped......and didn't really appear all that concerned. Of course the foot action ensued and it eventually looked like a hoe-down for deer......with no music.....just their rhythmic snortin' and stompin' and carryin'-on. They ran-off when I finally broke-out in belly-splittin' laughter.
Man, I didn't realize how much noise their ears make when they shake their head like that......(deer flies). I like to came outa my skin when one doe got behind me and did that......I didn't know WHAT was goin'-on back there.......and then another out front of me did it and I almost cracked-up and ran the whole herd aout the woods.
That was one of my most memorable stalks ever......and why I can't sit still, waiting for the action to come to ME. Like I said, I think it would be a real 'kick' to get close enough to one to slap him on his rear-end.
But......Whatever floats yer boat, fellas.
Welcome aboard, Brad.
That's what I hate about deer hunters, they think they know everything. In case you don't know, this is a duck hunting forum. If I were you, I would get tired of getting bitch slapped and go to one of those gay deer hunting forums. 