"Anyone who claims to be a "meat hunter" has to be some kind of an IDIOT. Do the math - Jeff Foxworthy could help explain it to you if you can't figure it out yourself. Nobody hunts for meat anymore."
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>I definately dissagree with that one. Most of the people I know, hunt for meat. Whether it makes economical sense or not, the idea of getting something edible out of a passion/hobby is a great idea. Maybe my taste buds are a bit different than yours, but in my humble opinion, its hard to beat a thick elk steak, cooked medium rare on the barby. I know some guys who would trade horns for meat
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>definately a nice shed good find
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I'll try to explain exactly what I meant when I made the above statement. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY pays hard earned money and takes the time to go through "Hunters Education" class in order to apply for and occasionally draw a permit to hunt. Nobody goes out to purchase trucks, camp trailers, 4-wheelers, rifles, scopes, ammo, binoculars, hunter orange cloths, camping supplies, gas, knives, etc, etc, etc because they need 30 lbs of meat. Every modern day hunter puts out this level of effort and expense primarily for the enjoyment they get from the act of hunting, and the fun times they have with friends and family while being in the outdoors. They also get an undefinable sense of accomplishment when they are successful and bag a trophy that they are proud to hang on the wall, show off, and brag about. The trophy antlers (big or small) are a reminder of the good times we had while hunting. The meat is a free bonus and all of the related chores that go with it are done because we are obligated by the law and our own personal ethics to utilize what we kill.
Whenever a meat hunter tells me that they just want to kill a small buck for meat, I ask them if they would be willing to pass up a big buck and hold out for a small one. They usually say no, but they don't want to go home empty. Then I ask them if they like to hunt. If they say yes, I let them know that they are hunting because they enjoy it. The meat is just a bonus. I have never heard anyone say "I don't like hunting but I have to because my family is starving to death". If anyone ever tells me this, I will tell the idiot to spend his money buying food at the store. It's cheaper, it's closer, and it's pre-packaged.
Don't get me wrong, I don't have any problem with a new hunter shooting a small buck (my first was a forky). I don't have any problem with hunters using doe or cow tags to help the DWR bring an overpopulation problem back into check. I don't have any problem with hunters donating the meat from their kills to charitable organizations or people in need. But when hunters start saying things like "I haven't seen any bucks the whole season, so I am going to shoot the first one that comes along", we have a BIG problem. These hunters should be going home and leaving the deer alone until the population is back up.
Meat hunters are wasting money and killing my potential future trophies. I'm sorry I am so long winded, but I like to talk.
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