# The Commercial Bulldozer...letter to a friend



## Pure river (Sep 12, 2005)

Any time Stretch

The whole subject gets me fired up from time to time. And many times it just makes me SICK to see what it has turned into!!

You see a show or video clip and many times the first thing you hear is some guy saying.."It should score..ect ect". Since when did hunting deer become about a numbers? Last time I checked it was about friends being friends, camaraderie, camp fire stories, getting a new rifle or bow for Christmas and looking at it for hours, getting a new coat or pair of warm boots, cutting up meat and drinking a few cold ones with a buddy...ect.

Now..its about 180 this, and 167 that. Call me nostalgic or old fashion as many things have changed, the commercialization of hunting to me has gotten out of control. Some see it as a positive move for the sport in the way of monetary gain, publicity, notoriety, fame, magazines, sponsors, and endorsements. I see it as a step away from a wonderful tradition called HUNTING. Men and women have been hunting since the dawn of time. It seems that only in the last 10 years has hunting become more than a simple act of harvesting an animal for sustenance, and sheer joy. Granted I do believe both schools of thought can co-exist together but how simple is it to do so? 
It's not just hunting either. The world is OBSSESSED with the bigger truck, the faster car, the biggest house, the fanciest yard ect. When you watch tv tonight, just watch the commercials!!!! It wont take you long to see exactly what I am talking about.

Hunting is one thing in my life I hold dear to my heart. It has been an intertwined part of my existence ever since my parents placed me in a little basket at 3 months old, put me in the middle of the canoe and floated down the Kokosing River. It's just something that I dont want to see "Ruined" or its innocence spoiled as many other things in life have become. I look at my daughter at 14 and I can see a 14yr old that has been tainted by the "Commercial machine" of society. The last thing I want to see is this same machine bulldoze through and over the annals of the great tradition of Hunting. 

Remember..."Now hurry, no worries, keep moving" 

Keith


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## reel (Dec 15, 2004)

Commercialiazation has been around a long time. But yes out of control.
I remember way back when "Outdoor Life" came we would read every word including all the ads for new products.

...


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## freyedknot (Apr 10, 2004)

i caught one this big >:::::::::::::::::::::::::> i am sure it is just a testosterone thingy


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## uglystick (May 3, 2005)

Haven't bagged an Ohio Big Buck yet?Don't let the #'s get you down.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

Pure River, I agree 100%. I would love to see those guys on TV hunt public land and get the same results. Watch one of those shows and go to the web page of the outfitter where they are hunting at. Most of them are fenced properties and cost big bucks (no pun intended). Only a small handful actually hunt fair chase. Us common guys take pleasure in what a real hunt is. I am not a score hunter, nor will I ever be. Every animal I take is a world-class trophy to me no matter how big or how small.


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## BuckEyeBigBuck13 (Oct 7, 2006)

I have Got one ohio big Buck and i have pics on Bucks and Does it is a 13 point with a 22 inch inside Spred and 28 inch mine beams ...... Shot it on January 30th in about -20
degree weather ... It was the year we got that 14 inches of snow and i was 14... It was kinda cool because i miss the buck on that monday and we didnt have school on friday and i Killed him then ... Then the 31st my brother sat in the same stand and shot a 10 point... They put me in the colubus dispatch and wrote and artical about it ...... The worst thing was the 300 yard drag Back to the truck in the cold wind and weather walking threw the deep snow.... But thats what the Hunters dream about... But U R right the trophy is in the eyes of the Hunter... but i perfer to let the little ones walk and let them live to b mature..
Dan


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## FishinDawg (Mar 9, 2005)

Your 100% correct, 

Many guys and girls have lost the soul of hunting, it's about shooting the biggest, shooting the most, outdoing the other, It's not about spending time in the outdoors together, spending all day in a cold shanny or tree stand and coming home to a warm house with a fresh made bowl of chilli and corn bread, it's not about sitting in the woods at day break watching the world come to life, it's not about drinking a few beer and laughing at your buddies talk about the one that got away, you could do this because they will laugh at you when you tell your story, It's not about taking your son or daughter hunting because your daddy did you, it's not about passing down to your children respect, for the land, respect for the animal and the others you met along the way, Yep many have lost this and turned it into a money making ordeal. But i'm sure there are many on this board who hold tight to the traditional values of hunting, we are the ones who must keep the purity of this sport alive. 

My son, daughter and i have been hunting together for 4 years now and havent got a deer yet, ya it would be nice, but it dosent bother us, we've come close, and we have alot of funny stories to tell and made a life time of memories, that's what hunting is about....


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## Pure river (Sep 12, 2005)

great reply dawg!!!

I feel the same way. Hell.. i tell a story of a buck I bumped or misse or ect.. and get crap for it. LIke I commited the unpardoanble sin!!! Instead of poking fun ..they try to make you feel like you did something wrong.

My father has a couple small bucks mounted on his wall at home he took in west va. These deer are TRUE TROPHYS. Just little pencil rack 6pts and an 8pt. Some make fun of them saying.."why did he mount those"..well all i can say if i dont know personally any of them that could have went through...gutted out ..hiked..glassed...his A** OFF...HUNTED..to get those deer. While everyone else in camp stayed 100-300 yards from the cabin..ole pops was miles from it....using his compas and map and smarts to get back to camp..TO GET THOSE DEER!!..thats a trophy!!!

As i mentioned in my letter to my friend. I do think both schools of thought can co-exist together. I love seeing mature whitetails in the woods. I love watching the way they act. And am a huge proponet of Quality Deer Management. BUT...Having a healthy herd doenst mean it has to be a contest or a commercial to see who kills the biggest!
I could ramble on for hours. I just thought I would share some of my feelings on the matter through that letter I sent to a friend.

ps..i froze my A** off last night and didnt see a deer..and loved every minute of it!! lol

PR


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## lg_mouth (Jun 7, 2004)

I totally agree and believe it may end up turning whitetail deer hunting into a sport that only the rich can enjoy.

Look at how much land in IL, TX, etc. and now in OH that is being leased up by a few for huge amounts of money. I can't blame the farmers for doing it, but it leaves the rest of us out that can't afford a lease. 

Look at the explosion of hunting "lodges" that charge thousands of dollars to shoot a "trophy" buck, often times that are more tame than a house dog.

Bows for $700 with no accessories, guns for thousands of dollars, items such as scopes, range finders, tree stands etc. that cost more than my bow. It is rediculous. 

I believe it has gotten way out of hand and am thankful I am blessed with a 20 acre chunk of land that I can still enjoy the change of the leaves and time with family in God's woods.

lg_mouth


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