Whitetail Deer Hunting

For me hunting is more than the hunt, it is more than the kill, what it is about is learning about the prey. This is something most hunters can enjoy year round. We get to learn about deer behavior from publications, off season scouting and keeping a log book. Although these are just a few of the tools we have in our arsenal many hunters use game trail cameras, photography, topo maps, gps handhelds to hopefully get the edge during the whitetail deer hunting season. For me personally whitetail deer hunting is a year round endeavor and the hunt comes on the NY opener of bowhunting season.

Defining what the modern hunter is can be rather difficult in this day and age. With the technology at our fingertips it not only makes us more informed but allows us to rethink our ethics and ideals online with other hunters. The first word that comes to mind is savvy, hi-tech, more informed and more vested than the grandfathers and grandmothers of hunting.

So in order to understand what it is to hunt we need to understand those that have already ensured our tradition. Those grandparents of hunting we are indebted to. They facilitated and ensured a ever lasting tradition. Back in the 1800′s they came to a critical crossroad either they formed conservation societies or we would lose one of the many iconic animals of the United States and that is the whitetail deer. Due to the fur trade the whitetail deer went from near extinction to today with a thriving population. The odocoileus virginianus known as the White-tailed deer would not be around today if it was not for their efforts in ensuring the future of the old stag of the forest. With laws now set in place we are in a better position to understand cervid ecology.

Although they have paved the road and set laws in place and formed strong ethics the fight to maintain whitetail deer hunting tradition is not over with, far from over with. The problem that faces many of us hunters is what is ethical and what is unethical. It has created a division among hunters that is deeply rooted and will need to be addressed. It can be seen on many forums, articles and publications. In order for us to ensure our tradition we as hunters need to come to a common ground. We need to accept the society we live in and we need to form a strong bond with the public at large. These “things” will ensure the whitetail deer hunting tradition for generations to come.

Being honest with ourselves is critical into knowing who we are as hunters, what defines our ethics, who we get our research from, is that research selling us a product. Back in the 1800′s it came to the critical point but what we have now is a open unlimited form of communication between hunters. If we harness that we can flesh out our indifference to ensure whitetail deer hunting is around for our grand children. These things make me the modern day hunter. They make you the modern day hunter. It is so much more than ecology, more than learning deer behavior it is the act of being involved in conservation and conversation to ensure the future of hunting.