If there were ever a disease outbreak in Texas that made it illegal to hunt deer over a feeder, I suspect the number of hunting licenses sold would drop by at least 25%. A lot more deer shooters in the state now than deer hunters.

Y
"When everyone gets a trophy, no one gets a trophy." There would be far less a chase to see who can shoot the deer with the biggest rack if it wasn't so easy to attract and shoot them. And there's no denying that people now feed and harvest deer as if they were livestock. Hell, some even give certain deer they see repeatedly a name. The only difference is deer can jump a barbed wire fence, which helped lead to the growth of high fences. Yes, there is definitely an elephant in the room when it comes to deer hunting in Texas.

Dan, I love that quote, “when everyone gets a trophy, no one gets a trophy”. But your comments in regard to it I disagree with(of course). 4 of us on a few 1000 acre lease that’s LF, no protein and not intensively managed. Hunt hard and long and all 4 of us can kill a 6yr 150+ deer every year. But we dont. The “challenge” is to hunt harder and longer in order to kill one bigger than what is common. Use feeders and cameras and everything you can, but up the challenge by upping the quality of the Trophy. That’s what I’m all about and I go empty handed most of the time and I’m very happy with that. The process, the pursuit, the challenge to find the baddest guy in the woods is what drives me.

Mostly meat hunter here! Not completely if it is brown it is down but I want at least 3 deer in the freezer a year. We can afford to buy as much beef as we want but we prefer venison, other wild meat like ducks, fish, and garden veggies. We process it at home, eat it, and share it with family, neighbors, and fellow church members who get in a bad way from time to time. Happy to kill does and have been invited a couple of times to do so on an MLD place which was so great. I took my wife hunting last year, she out of the blue asked to go with me for the first time in our 33 year marriage. She shot a huge doe and a young 6 point buck. Many on here would be upset at the age of the buck she took but she did it by herself, she chose him, she killed him ethically and legally, the meat was delicious and the event is a sweet, sweet memory for us. Everyone hunts/fishes for their own reasons and I don't think one is better than the other. Having said that, shooting a place out is obviously dumb and goes against everything it means to be a hunter/conservationist and good steward of the land and God's creatures. For those that are really into managing and trophy hunting I think what y'all do is so great as well! I love the pics. of the huge bucks. Whatever deer season means to you, everyone please have a good and safe season and don't forget to thank the man up stairs. The creations He made for us and our use are awesome!

“Should” being the key word.

What I’ve found is there isn’t nearly as many “meat hunters” as people claim. They will sit and lie to you and themselves that they are only interested in the meat, then will pass up a handful of does to smoke a 2 year old 8 point. “Can’t eat the horns they say” as they are busy loading up the deer to be skull capped at the processor and then nailed up to the garage along with the other 27 racks just like it…

Dan, I like your posts more than most on here(doesn’t say much), but you continue to disparage “feeder hunters” “every time you’re given the opportunity”.

No argument there. At least in Texas, the sport has evolved into something much different than how the game was played in decades past.

Still, in the grand scheme of things, so long as people buy a license, obey all bag limits, and show respect for their neighbors and the resource, all is good.

If there were ever a disease outbreak in Texas that made it illegal to hunt deer over a feeder, I suspect the number of hunting licenses sold would drop by at least 25%. A lot more deer shooters in the state now than deer hunters.

I would say they would drop by %50.
Most people hunting nowadays are hunting just to shoot at something.
They don't care and have no clue.

Y’all make it sound like deer hunting would be all but impossible for the majority of hunters.

Mostly meat hunter here! Not completely if it is brown it is down but I want at least 3 deer in the freezer a year. We can afford to buy as much beef as we want but we prefer venison, other wild meat like ducks, fish, and garden veggies. We process it at home, eat it, and share it with family, neighbors, and fellow church members who get in a bad way from time to time. Happy to kill does and have been invited a couple of times to do so on an MLD place which was so great. I took my wife hunting last year, she out of the blue asked to go with me for the first time in our 33 year marriage. She shot a huge doe and a young 6 point buck. Many on here would be upset at the age of the buck she took but she did it by herself, she chose him, she killed him ethically and legally, the meat was delicious and the event is a sweet, sweet memory for us. Everyone hunts/fishes for their own reasons and I don't think one is better than the other. Having said that, shooting a place out is obviously dumb and goes against everything it means to be a hunter/conservationist and good steward of the land and God's creatures. For those that are really into managing and trophy hunting I think what y'all do is so great as well! I love the pics. of the huge bucks. Whatever deer season means to you, everyone please have a good and safe season and don't forget to thank the man up stairs. The creations He made for us and our use are awesome!

This is the internet. Don't you realize that some of our "betters" on here have the skill set of a San Bushman?

This post is what hunting should be!! Congrats to yall! If you are happy & it is legal that is all that should matter. If you want to trophy hunt that is great too ,but always running people down for killing young bucks is totally wrong.

I changed from a trophy hunter for the last 65 years to a "if its brown it's down," this year. I took my three grandsons
deer hunting the first weekend in the season for the very first time in their lives and all three got a deer. That's all that
their mother would let them go.
I had no intention of telling them, "No, that's not big enough. You need something that you can hang on the wall if you
truly want to enjoy deer hunting." I think the smile on his face tells you his feelings and if he is now going to be a
deer hunter for life.

I changed from a trophy hunter for the last 65 years to a "if its brown it's down," this year. I took my three grandsons
deer hunting the first weekend in the season for the very first time in their lives and all three got a deer. That's all that
their mother would let them go.
I had no intention of telling them, "No, that's not big enough. You need something that you can hang on the wall if you
truly want to enjoy deer hunting." I think the smile on his face tells you his feelings and if he is now going to be a
deer hunter for life.