These days, it feels like hunters are judged more by the inches on a rack than the heart behind the hunt. But that’s not why I fell in love with this way of life. I hunt for the memories, the challenge, the peace of the woods, and the stories that come with every step—not the score. This isn’t about justifying a harvest. It’s about reminding ourselves why we started in the first place. Whether it’s a trophy buck or a first deer, every hunt has value. And it’s time we stop apologizing for doing what we love.
My two cents:
I grew up hunting before social media, and I feel sorry for the generation just learning to hunt in this period of time. When I started hunting I killed dozens of small bucks and more than a few button bucks. I wasn’t chastised, nobody attacked me, and I definitely didn’t feel the need to justify my harvest. During that period of my life I learned to love the hunt and everything about it. It gave me the desire to pursue this as a lifestyle and career. Fast forward 20 something years and God has blessed me to hunt all over the country, to guide other hunters on hundreds of tags filled, to kill multiple record book animals, to work on some of the most famous properties in the world, to get a wildlife degree, to work for a conservation organization, and the list goes on. Not because I’m special, I’m just a simple minded redneck from the mountains of western Maryland who developed a passion for hunting early in life and God has blessed my hard work.
If I was a new hunter today I’m not sure I would have that same passion. As I look on social media it seems as if no one can kill a deer without having to justify it to the internet. It seems like if you kill a deer less than 150” you have to give an excuse. “Not the biggest on trailcam, but”
“I know he is small, but”“He was never going to get bigger”Why??? Who is it that we feel we have to answer too???
Look I killed a buck this year that is smaller than any buck I’ve killed in a long long time. You know what, that’s ok!! I don’t have to answer to anyone on what legal deer I decide to shoot. I love hunting large antlered mature animals, but I pulled the trigger on one smaller, and it was fun, it made me happy, I had a blast to simply just go deer hunt on public land. I hiked 8.6 miles,swam an irrigation ditch, packed it out on my back, and loved every minute of it.
So if you’re a new hunter, then go hunt!! Fall in love with this sport and this way of life!! Don’t feel the need to answer to social media somebodies, dont degrade your deer by downplaying its size, the deer deserves better than that.
Finally, if you feel the need to bash other hunters harvest, to tell new hunters how they did something wrong, to sit behind a keyboard and comment negatively on other peoples harvest photos. Then please, sell your gun, your bow, and all your hunting gear. Take up golf, because quite frankly this sport I love doesn’t need or want you.