First a few mulie pics. I had a bachelor group of 10-15 mulie bucks on the hills across the street from my house last summer. These pics are all from the month of June. Three of the bucks finished out as absolute bombers!
Second, I don’t post near as much as I used to, but I check the site multiple times a day. It seems like there is more negativity than usual lately, much of it surrounding not enough hunting opportunity, unfair preference/bonus point systems, etc. It must be that time year so, I have a couple of thoughts:
Third, more mulie pics.
Finally, get out and do some fishing, look for sheds or better yet start researching some of the incredible hunting opportunities that soooo many other hunters are overlooking (I will be doing all three over the next few weeks). Stay positive and have a great day!
Second, I don’t post near as much as I used to, but I check the site multiple times a day. It seems like there is more negativity than usual lately, much of it surrounding not enough hunting opportunity, unfair preference/bonus point systems, etc. It must be that time year so, I have a couple of thoughts:
- If you aren’t happy with the hunting opportunities you currently have, then move out west. I moved from North Dakota to Alaska and then to Colorado. One of the biggest driving factors was more/better hunting and fishing opportunities. You will make it happen, if it is your priority.
- If you can’t or won’t move, than research and dig for information. There are honestly more OTC and zero PP/BP draws for QUALITY animals in almost every western state than you will ever have time to go on. This includes elk, mulies, whitetails, antelope, bears and more. If you aren’t hunting in areas with quality animals EVERY fall, you aren’t looking very hard.
- Preference/bonus points aren’t the end all, be all of hunting. Some people got in the game early, others didn’t. Play the hand you are dealt, learn the nuances of each state’s draw system (using it to your advantage), make the best of it and quit bitching about it. It is not going to change in the foreseeable future.
- Hunt cows and does. Why are big antlers and horns the only thing that drives most hunters? Is it because the hunting magazines and Johnny Dip$*!% from your favorite hunting show said so? In my house, our yearly hunting application strategy is based on making sure our freezer is filled first. Only when that is accomplished, will we hunt for trophies.
- Work hard, don’t be afraid to fail, and learn from your mistakes. Don’t expect success to be handed to you, it is earned in blood, sweat, and tears. Too many hunters forget the last sentence or are simply not willing to do what it takes. Read paragraph five in Buzz’s quote below. I have had my share of success on public land for 25 years and he sums up EXACTLY how I feel!
To follow up with Randy's post, I am the friend that got turned in for illegal outfitting. I have to say the phone call was something else and one that honestly I was expecting considering the accusations that were being thrown around by Jim Sebastian on the thread about our elk hunt in Wyoming. Some people are just flat low-lifes, no way to sugar coat it, so I won't.
It also comes as no shock to me that Randy's information is being hacked, its happens to me a lot. People hack my draw information every year because they think the "secret" to being successful is the tags a person draws. I would guess that anyone that is so inept as a hunter that feels they have to hack someone else's draw information, would probably find it somewhere between challenging and impossible to sneak up on a glass of water. I've said it a lot, give a good hunter the worst tag in the State, they'll find above average success. Give the worst hunter the best tags, they'll still find a way to blow it.
The jealously that follows hunting is staggering and the lows people will stoop to is really quite sad. Its not just in the hunting world where this is common, its common in occupational success, athletics, you name it.
Ironically enough, I got a phone call just today from one of my closest work associates/partners that the GF had contacted him regarding the elk hunt that I enjoyed with Randy, Marcus, and Matthew. It didn't end there either, they asked about that hunt and how it is that I find success on public lands so often. I just have to be doing something wrong to be that successful...kind of sad the GF thinks that way too.
I would say those that are so sure I must be doing something wrong because I have success on public lands, probably would be shocked at the amount of hours, days, months, and years that its taken me to find any kind of success. Its knowledge that I've gained through a metric shit ton of NOT finding success, unselfish help from many friends, family members, etc. that have helped immensely over the years. I can assure anyone, that there are many, many people that are much more lucky than me, much better hunters, much better shots, much better at glassing, in much better shape, etc.
So, for whoever the numb-nuts are that seem to want to hinder either Randy or anyone else that finds success, good luck with that. You'll be as successful at that endeavor as they are at hunting, not worth a shit.
Third, more mulie pics.
Finally, get out and do some fishing, look for sheds or better yet start researching some of the incredible hunting opportunities that soooo many other hunters are overlooking (I will be doing all three over the next few weeks). Stay positive and have a great day!