It came to my attention last year that there are many hunters out there who have many different ideas and strategies for hunting. This is what makes the sport so great, is different people trying different techniques that ultimatly charectarize our sport. However there are hunters out there which i call the "Macho" hunters. These are hunters who dont want to listen to anything about hunting strategies or just how to hunt in general. Many might recognize these hunters by some famous quotes of theirs like "scent control is a joke, i shoot more deer than youve ever seen" or "you think that deer is smart enough to notice the difference between camoflauge and regular clothing?" These people are out there and in some scences what theyve been doing may have worked out for them. But they are wrong, because any real hunter knows that while sometimes they may be right, other times they couldnt be farther from the truth. Plus camoflauge, scent control, decoys, and any other hunting gear that is controversial adds to the excitement of the sport. The "Macho" hunter cannot fully experience the hunt, because they dont realize that we real hunters use these things not only to increase our odds, but because it is all part of the hunting experience. For example, i am an AVID waterfowler, and when i go out, i like to make sure that my decoy spread looks as real as possible, all my decoys are where they should be and the spread looks natural. Im head to toe in camoflauge, max-4 HD mostly to obtain the optimal pattern of those marsh grasses. Now whether this stuff works all the time is debatable, but its the fact that i am so obbsessed with the sport that i must have these things makes it all the more exciting. If i were to go out with a dozen painted jugs as my decoys with a whoopie cushion as my call, dressed in a bath-robe and slippers, i wouldnt feel that i would be hunting so much as going out to kill. The main message that you should tell the machos when you encounter them is that you are the real hunter, your the hunter that in the end will have the most satisfaction. Because anyone can shoot animals, thats the easy part, the part that so many people miss is the true process of hunting and the joy that us real hunters take from the peristance and persiverance of the ancient sport that has proved so magical to people around the globe.

Tags: Dane Ardente

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I’ve been noticing lately that people have become more increasingly opposed to hunting in the past few years. Here in New England we have in many regions an over population of deer. Most anti-hunters will say what is wrong with that? and i will tell you what is wrong with that. An over population of deer in New England especially is a BAD thing. Although it is favorable to hunters it is bad for the average human being and i will tell you why. I will start with an example of my dear mother. My mother was diagnosed two years ago with chronic lime disease and Babesiosis, both diseases caused by the deer tick. I myself have also been diagnosed with Lyme disease about a year back. My mother is so terribly sick that it pains her to get out of bed in the morning; they do not have a cure for Lyme disease so she is stuck with it until she dies basically. The point is Deer are a huge carrier of the tick, and since the government took the cure for the disease of the market a few years back our only solution is to lower the tick population by lowering the deer population. I do not hate Deer by any means, I as a matter of fact love the species of the whitetail deer, they are in my regards the most amazing creature I’ve had the privilege of hunting. But we must do the whitetail a favor and help them control their own population, because a large sum of deer also means less food for each deer that are currently living.

Hunting is the oldest American past time. People have been hunting in North America since the beginning of time, it is how people have survived, flourished and created lives for themselves. Hunting by no means is a terrible thing; it is important and highly respected by the North American lands. It has made bonds with individuals and built friendships. Hunting has made me a stronger person inside and out. It has given young people like me something to look forward to and constructive things to do. It has kept many people off drugs and alcohol for a more natural high. I am proud to say that I am free of drugs and alcohol because of the outdoors. Hunting and Fishing is not just a sport, it’s a way of life for a lot of people. So before people go and criticize hunting and the hunters, think of the benefits, look at it with an open mind. There is nothing more satisfying than working hard to harvest one of nature’s most beautiful and majestic creatures, and believe me, I don’t care who you are it is no easy task. It is the most spiritual event anyone can ever have, such an unbelievable feeling of accomplishment that lets us feel that we are on top of the world after a harvest.

Tags: Dane Ardente

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Turkey hunting in the north east (new england) was tough this year because of the weather. Alot of experienced hunters i know did not sucesfully seal the deal on their bird this year due to a few reasons. I myself had alot of trouble getting a bird, as a matter of fact i didnt harvest my bird until 2 days before the season was over. I had been out every day of the season on the weekends and had a few nice birds come in but could not find a nice shot to put on them. I had hunted many different areas but still could not find a bird that would cooperate. The reasons for this was because of lousy weather conditions. In the north east we had terrible conditions for most of the season. We had a few cold snap's that shut our birds up, they wouldnt even respond to the best calls we put out. The wind was rediculous on most days also, we went out one weekend and could hardly hear ourselves call (we did not even hear a gobbler that morning). This all happened during the early season which hurt our turkey season because near the end of the season they are harder to connect with. But despite bad early season conditions, we had great weather conditions for the end of the season, i harvested a bird and my friend got one as well at the same time. If i can say one thing about this turkey season, it was that we got our birds due to hard work, determination, and extreme patience. We hunted hard all season long, and did not quite. But the bottom line is you will never know what will happen unless you hunt hard all season and never stop trying for that bird, and that is what will provide a succesful turkey season, even if a gobbler is not harvested. This is the turkey report for New England, happy hunting and be safe.

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