Could of would of should of!

[Rich M]

I'm not as die hard as many on here. Have 42 whitetail seasons under my belt, and do have some comments. Wanted to hunt out west since I was 12, about 40 yrs ago.

Did first antelope trip in 2017 and worried about being in shape. Did a low point/low public land/high competition unit for does and regretted not having a buck tag. Had 2 opps on doe goats and 6 or so opps on bucks... Don't want to do combat-style antelope hunting again either.

Did first mule deer trip in 2019 and worried about being in shape. Did a plains unit and shot a 159-inch buck on day 6.

Not interested in elk. Almost bought a license this past season and forget physical hunt safety card at home - couldn't get it. Good thing, never saw one anyway.

Am collecting points for antelope and mule deer again. Hoping to go for antelope in a better unit in a couple of years and mule deer a couple years after that. Telling myself i'll get in better shape. Still enjoy hunting whitetails and am happy with that too.

Figure out what you want to do and go do it. Hunting/fishing/sight seeing/diving/etc. opportunities will never be as good as they are right now. This is the golden-days of our lives. It will never again be as good as it is right now. I believe that - most of the hunting and fishing I saw 20 yrs ago is gone, never to return. The population will keep rising and opportunity dwindling.

Everything I'd do diff - start saving for retirement earlier, put $ aside for fun stuff, work harder when younger, plan good hunts/trips and take em. No desire to do "just go and hunt" type hunts but would select some good units & hunts and get the points necessary to do those. I don't live to hunt, I enjoy it and have been able to hunt multiple states and species but easily affordable stuff.

 

[go_deep]

I won't disagree that saving points or money for a few big trips is always nice, but now that my kids are old enough to hunt the simple things are a lot of fun. Rabbit hunting for a few hours, turkey hunting, grouse hunting. You live in Missouri, i'd bet there's tons of fishing and hunting right there that you might be overlooking. Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side, and sometimes that grass is covered in bullchit in an effort to make it green.

 

[kidoggy]

I won't disagree that saving points or money for a few big trips is always nice, but now that my kids are old enough to hunt the simple things are a lot of fun. Rabbit hunting for a few hours, turkey hunting, grouse hunting. You live in Missouri, i'd bet there's tons of fishing and hunting right there that you might be overlooking. Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side, and sometimes that grass is covered in bullchit in an effort to make it green.

I agree. these days ,I would rather go out for a few hours coyote calling then to go on a ten day elk hunt. I also enjoy taking new hunters out , more then actually killing one myself

 

[marcusvdk]

Spend as much time hunting with your kids as you can I agree with but sometimes people forget the other side of that. I have been going on as many hunting and fishing trips with my dad and brother as we can fit in the last few years after my grandfather pasted away. Our parents will eventually not be physically able to get out there. So make memories with them well you can.

 

[RICMIC]

You just have to keep moving or they throw dirt on you. It's better to be in shape than to get in shape. Start walking, improve your diet, expand your exercise routine as you start to plateau. Your life can change in an instant, so live it to the fullest every day. CARPE DEIM

 

[Bonecollector]

You just have to keep moving or they throw dirt on you. It's better to be in shape than to get in shape. Start walking, improve your diet, expand your exercise routine as you start to plateau. Your life can change in an instant, so live it to the fullest every day. CARPE DEIM

Lot of wisdom right there...