Post by cambygsp on Oct 26, 2005 6:07:59 GMT -5
www.tribstar.com/articles/2005/10/26/sports/columns_yesterday/scol04.txt
Valley Outdoors: What kind of hunter are you? Take the quiz
One of the fascinating aspects of bow hunting is the wide array of personalities and hunter types.
There are trophy hunters, meat hunters, slob hunters, egomaniacs, tree-huggers, primitive hunters, gimmick hunters, and the list goes on and on. Most are a combination of different types, and I have found that the type of hunter is usually most influenced by age, experience, and personality type.
Although there are many kinds of hunters and combinations, here are the four types I recognize.
- The Beginner - The bowhunter who is just starting. He or she is probably in their first or second year of trying to shoot that first deer.
- The Natural - The hunter who has experience and is more interested in conservation, nature, and quality of the hunt. This fellow would hunt in a loincloth and with a spear if he wouldn't be arrested for public indecency.
- The Trophy Hunter - The hunter whose primary goal is a buck with enormous antlers. He enjoys the challenge of finding the “big boy.” This guy is easily recognized by his home décor, one wall covered with trophy mounts, pictures, and track lighting.
- The Old Codger - The older experienced hunter who has seen and done it all. This fellow is just glad to be hunting another season and relishes the actual experience. It would be wrong to generalize, but from my experience, bowhunters have been one of these types at one time or another or are a combination of two or three types, i.e. an old codger that hunts large bucks with a stick bow.
I am not intending to make this column read like Psychology Today, but I have put together a short quiz for you to take and see where you may fit. These are five simple questions that should help you reflect on what type of deer hunter you might be:
1. How would you describe your bow setup?
A. A “tweaked out” high dollar bow. A lighted sight with multiple glowing pins, carbon arrows with lighted nocks, cams that look like something off of the space shuttle, and a stabilizer as long as your leg.
B. A break down recurve, arrows with feather fletchings, finger release.
C. An old compound with new string, finger release, a single sight pin, a large peep sight, aluminum arrows that have been straightened and refletched by the owner.
D. A second hand bow that weighs as much as your stand, mismatched arrows with a variety of colors on the fletchings The owner has a red wrist from the string slapping him.
2. Which of the following deer would you shoot?
A. A large doe
B. A yearling doe.
C. A small six-point buck.
D. None of the above.
3. If you had $5,000 to spend on a hunting vacation, which would you choose?
A. A Texas ranch hunt with guides, a modern lodge, meals, comfortable lounge stands, and a trophy buck guarantee.
B. A fly in trip to Alaska, guided hunt with pack mules, each night spent in a tent with dehydrated dinner fare.
C. Taking a camper to Iowa with a group of buddies. Spending the money on pizza, out of state licenses, and other truck. Hunting public land and any private land you can get permission.
D. None of the above. Putting the money in an IRA and hunting the familiar places around home.
4. What best describes your hunting grounds?
A. You've hunted the same woods for years, and you know the landowner on a first name basis. You know exactly where the deer bed, feed, and move.
B. You hunt a huge virgin forest with mature trees, a creek running through it, and large scenic ridges.
C. You hunt public ground about two hundred yards from the parking lot with no idea where the deer are.
D. You hunt leased land from a farmer who claims to have seen a buck with a rack the size of Jed Clampett's chandelier.
5. Which of the following would you describe as your perfect hunt?
A. Walking to your stand, you spot a doe bedded in a field of weeds. You are down wind, so you crawl through the weeds to within twenty yards of the doe and make a perfect shot.
B. You sit in a tree stand watching the sun come up, a few does feeding in the distance, admire the fall colors, and finish the morning watching a couple of squirrels chasing each other around your tree.
C. After an hour of sitting in your stand, you have a six-point buck walk under your stand presenting a perfect shot that you nervously make.
D. You spend the morning scanning the woods, when at 10:00 AM, you spot a massive racked beauty traveling down a path two hundred yards away. You leave the woods that night confident with new knowledge of where you'll place your stand the next morning.
How did you do?
Question 1. A: You are probably a trophy hunter. High quality bows are essential for reaching out and making those once-in-a-lifetime shots. B: You are a natural hunter who is interested in the “primitive” style of bowhunting. C: Old Codger. A large peep sight because the vision ain't what it used to be and a single pin because with age comes simplification. D: A Beginner. We all started with a second hand bow and arrows.
2. A and B: Most naturals and old codgers are meat hunters, but the old codger knows the yearling is the best choice because the meat is better and the drag is easier. C: A beginner. A six-pointer is a fine first buck. D: The trophy hunter will settle for nothing less than a big haul.
3. A: Texas is the home for trophy deer and therefore, is the Mecca for trophy hunters. B: There is nothing like the unspoiled beauty of Alaska for the natural hunter. C: Most hunters are social, but the social aspect of hunting is what draws in the beginner. D: An old codger has been everywhere, so why spend the money?
4. A: Old codger, why change a successful formula? B: Unspoiled forests are the preferred grounds for a natural hunter. C: Although there is nothing wrong with public areas, it's usually where the beginner starts unless he owns ground or knows someone. D: A trophy hunter's secret to success is leased ground occupied by big bucks.
5. A: The idea of stalking game is ancient, primitive, and thrilling to the natural. B. An old codger loves hunting for the sake of hunting. C: The first buck is a milestone for the beginner. D: The sight of a big buck is almost as exciting as shooting one for the trophy hunter.
There you have it, a psychological inventory for the bowhunter. After writing this, I have decided I'm an old codger who would like to shoot a trophy while enjoying the natural beauty of the outdoors, and I'm just beginning to understand what I'm doing.
-- An important correction: In my last column I wrote that there would be a fall shotgun turkey season in Parke County. That was a glaring mistake.
There will not be a shotgun season in Parke County. The only nearby counties allowing shotguns for fall turkey hunting are Owen and part of Greene. There will be a bowhunting season in Vigo, Sullivan, Clay, and Parke. Sorry for the error.
James Gambill would love to find out a good outdoors story, a trophy picture or a big success. Gambill can be reached by phone at (812) 894-2349; or by e-mail at sgambill@aol.com
Valley Outdoors: What kind of hunter are you? Take the quiz
One of the fascinating aspects of bow hunting is the wide array of personalities and hunter types.
There are trophy hunters, meat hunters, slob hunters, egomaniacs, tree-huggers, primitive hunters, gimmick hunters, and the list goes on and on. Most are a combination of different types, and I have found that the type of hunter is usually most influenced by age, experience, and personality type.
Although there are many kinds of hunters and combinations, here are the four types I recognize.
- The Beginner - The bowhunter who is just starting. He or she is probably in their first or second year of trying to shoot that first deer.
- The Natural - The hunter who has experience and is more interested in conservation, nature, and quality of the hunt. This fellow would hunt in a loincloth and with a spear if he wouldn't be arrested for public indecency.
- The Trophy Hunter - The hunter whose primary goal is a buck with enormous antlers. He enjoys the challenge of finding the “big boy.” This guy is easily recognized by his home décor, one wall covered with trophy mounts, pictures, and track lighting.
- The Old Codger - The older experienced hunter who has seen and done it all. This fellow is just glad to be hunting another season and relishes the actual experience. It would be wrong to generalize, but from my experience, bowhunters have been one of these types at one time or another or are a combination of two or three types, i.e. an old codger that hunts large bucks with a stick bow.
I am not intending to make this column read like Psychology Today, but I have put together a short quiz for you to take and see where you may fit. These are five simple questions that should help you reflect on what type of deer hunter you might be:
1. How would you describe your bow setup?
A. A “tweaked out” high dollar bow. A lighted sight with multiple glowing pins, carbon arrows with lighted nocks, cams that look like something off of the space shuttle, and a stabilizer as long as your leg.
B. A break down recurve, arrows with feather fletchings, finger release.
C. An old compound with new string, finger release, a single sight pin, a large peep sight, aluminum arrows that have been straightened and refletched by the owner.
D. A second hand bow that weighs as much as your stand, mismatched arrows with a variety of colors on the fletchings The owner has a red wrist from the string slapping him.
2. Which of the following deer would you shoot?
A. A large doe
B. A yearling doe.
C. A small six-point buck.
D. None of the above.
3. If you had $5,000 to spend on a hunting vacation, which would you choose?
A. A Texas ranch hunt with guides, a modern lodge, meals, comfortable lounge stands, and a trophy buck guarantee.
B. A fly in trip to Alaska, guided hunt with pack mules, each night spent in a tent with dehydrated dinner fare.
C. Taking a camper to Iowa with a group of buddies. Spending the money on pizza, out of state licenses, and other truck. Hunting public land and any private land you can get permission.
D. None of the above. Putting the money in an IRA and hunting the familiar places around home.
4. What best describes your hunting grounds?
A. You've hunted the same woods for years, and you know the landowner on a first name basis. You know exactly where the deer bed, feed, and move.
B. You hunt a huge virgin forest with mature trees, a creek running through it, and large scenic ridges.
C. You hunt public ground about two hundred yards from the parking lot with no idea where the deer are.
D. You hunt leased land from a farmer who claims to have seen a buck with a rack the size of Jed Clampett's chandelier.
5. Which of the following would you describe as your perfect hunt?
A. Walking to your stand, you spot a doe bedded in a field of weeds. You are down wind, so you crawl through the weeds to within twenty yards of the doe and make a perfect shot.
B. You sit in a tree stand watching the sun come up, a few does feeding in the distance, admire the fall colors, and finish the morning watching a couple of squirrels chasing each other around your tree.
C. After an hour of sitting in your stand, you have a six-point buck walk under your stand presenting a perfect shot that you nervously make.
D. You spend the morning scanning the woods, when at 10:00 AM, you spot a massive racked beauty traveling down a path two hundred yards away. You leave the woods that night confident with new knowledge of where you'll place your stand the next morning.
How did you do?
Question 1. A: You are probably a trophy hunter. High quality bows are essential for reaching out and making those once-in-a-lifetime shots. B: You are a natural hunter who is interested in the “primitive” style of bowhunting. C: Old Codger. A large peep sight because the vision ain't what it used to be and a single pin because with age comes simplification. D: A Beginner. We all started with a second hand bow and arrows.
2. A and B: Most naturals and old codgers are meat hunters, but the old codger knows the yearling is the best choice because the meat is better and the drag is easier. C: A beginner. A six-pointer is a fine first buck. D: The trophy hunter will settle for nothing less than a big haul.
3. A: Texas is the home for trophy deer and therefore, is the Mecca for trophy hunters. B: There is nothing like the unspoiled beauty of Alaska for the natural hunter. C: Most hunters are social, but the social aspect of hunting is what draws in the beginner. D: An old codger has been everywhere, so why spend the money?
4. A: Old codger, why change a successful formula? B: Unspoiled forests are the preferred grounds for a natural hunter. C: Although there is nothing wrong with public areas, it's usually where the beginner starts unless he owns ground or knows someone. D: A trophy hunter's secret to success is leased ground occupied by big bucks.
5. A: The idea of stalking game is ancient, primitive, and thrilling to the natural. B. An old codger loves hunting for the sake of hunting. C: The first buck is a milestone for the beginner. D: The sight of a big buck is almost as exciting as shooting one for the trophy hunter.
There you have it, a psychological inventory for the bowhunter. After writing this, I have decided I'm an old codger who would like to shoot a trophy while enjoying the natural beauty of the outdoors, and I'm just beginning to understand what I'm doing.
-- An important correction: In my last column I wrote that there would be a fall shotgun turkey season in Parke County. That was a glaring mistake.
There will not be a shotgun season in Parke County. The only nearby counties allowing shotguns for fall turkey hunting are Owen and part of Greene. There will be a bowhunting season in Vigo, Sullivan, Clay, and Parke. Sorry for the error.
James Gambill would love to find out a good outdoors story, a trophy picture or a big success. Gambill can be reached by phone at (812) 894-2349; or by e-mail at sgambill@aol.com
