body count mentality
 

A quick rant here,
There's a fine line with hunting. When to know when enough is enough. For me, it's when my freezer is full. When you're thinking about who to give meat to, maybe you're done for the year?

I might get flamed out over this post, but there's a point when just because you have a tag for something, doesn't justify filling it. In my opinion anyway....

Don't we always say that hunting IS conservation?

Cheers.
John
Highlander Hunting Podcast

With work being so busy and lots of sausage and moose meat from last year I didn't even buy a licence this year. With what little time I had, I spent that time helping others with there tags.

I have never been "tagged out" in 30 years of hunting...but I usually fill my freezer.

I have 2 outstanding draws this year that I likely won't fill, I could have filled one of them at least 40 times this year.

It has to do with the stages of hunting, I have moved past the "fill every tag I purchased stage". I still spend nearly $300+ on tags to offer as much opportunity as possible, filling them is another story.

I don't NEED to fill all my antlerless archery tags....in fact I never do but I have them in case I want to.

LC

Can't argue with the OP's Post. Kinda where I stand.

I'm trying to teach that attitude to my Hunten buddy. It's only his 2nd year of Hunten and he's doing awesome, but, he's still in it for the thrill of the kill and to fill every possible tag.
Some hard lessons coming this week...

I’ve thought this for years. One problem is there are many outdoor personalities that think shooting everything you can is the goal. This influences a lot of new hunters. Saying that, I filled all my tags this year. But, I only bought 2.

Hunting will always be part of conservation...people simply know when enough is enough in an area that they hunt, don't need a biologist to pump out some game stats if your in tune to the areas you hunt, many time too many tags are issued out but if you come across an area that is over run with game animals and you choose to take a few you can always donate them to those who are in need.
Food banks etc.

Haha! I remember my first couple years of hunting.... I was the same way. I think maybe we all were.

People who care decide when enough is enough. Those people are usually local to the area. Many transient folks don't care, take what they can when they can...who cares they don't live there.

I feed my family, there is no need to feed everyone else. Not everyone can hunt, that's fine by me.

LC

Your right transients are not in tune with the area you know most, just saying if it seems over run with game taking a few to feed others, help out really does look good on the hunting community.

Fishing for something?
 

anyway....:sHa_sarcasticlol:

This is where I'm at too (although you are probably a much better and more successful hunter than I am!). I buy tags for everything, filled zero last year and zero this year. Don't really need the meat, buying a half red Angus from friend, and the 'need' to shoot something has diminished. Could have folded a few tags over the last two years, but didn't feel like pressing that trigger and going to work. Though I did go help friends fold their tags. It would have to be something special for me at this point I think. I buy tags to subsidize conservation in AB!

I'd offer that's a healthy attitude. Just because you can tag or bag more big game, birds or fish doesn't mean you need to.

I wonder how many people end up throwing out wild game, birds or fish because their freezer is overfull or you never ate what you harvested.

Seems like a shameful waste to me (and is actually illegal).

Take what you (legally) want but eat what you take.

Like the older generation where you don't often scrape half a plate full of food into the trash.

bagging your limit
 

I do not think there is anything wrong with bagging your limit, but limiting your bag seems more appropriate for me.......especially with great game birds like sharp tailed grouse.

I have some tags I won't be filling this season. Let a couple animals go I could have shot. I share a lot of meat. I enjoy giving wild meat to friends and sharing the harvest with them. One buddy, loves the stories so much and takes any meat I can give him with the upmost appreciation. If next year I fill every tag, I won't feel guilty one bit. Just means my friend will recieve a few more roasts and sausages. Of course, thinking one HAS to kill every animal possible is problematic.

tagging out
 

Conservation is a by product of hunting, the areas I hunt have no shortage of deer and I don't feel bad filling tags whether they are draw or general. On the other hand I don't always fill my tags and don't feel bad about that either.

A non hunter's point of view
 

I'm prepared to believe that there is some science to how many tags are sold. I also know that there is a calculation, even a crude one of what percentage are filled.

With all of that there will be a deer killed on hwy 12 just about everyday this winter, on my country road, we have had one already (I live in 206). I have seen 3 does standing in the road in front of my truck early in the morning last week.

So to co-exist here I don't think that we can call a guy who has a tag greedy if he shoots a deer.

I wish there had of been more shot around here.

I'm not trying to start an argument but I'm more concerned about hunters who have a tag and don't shoot because the animal doesn't meet certain criteria.

Any idea of how many deer are killed on the roads?

Why would you be concerned about a hunter choosing not to shoot a particular deer ?

I put a whole beef in the freezer (840lbs) in May. My son shot a moose in october and we put half that in the freezer. Between my son and my daughters boyfriend we go through a pile of meat. As far as filling every tag, those days are over. I will not shoot a deer unless its bigger than the last one. Needless to say ive only shot 3 whitetail bucks in the last 10years.

I'd also like to know.

Not shooting answer
 

I'm pretty sure the biologists don't have lots of money to spend on estimating the harvest of deer based on the number of tags sold. If some hunters who buy a tag will only shoot certain animals, does that effect the way the total harvest is calculated?

Maybe it would only apply to to the draws.

Do all the general wt get filled? I don't think that they do around here.

It's like the Facebook group.

Whitetail x2 , mule deer, bear, elk and moose to top it off

"Hey guys what a great season!!"

Biologists are supposed to have a general idea of how many animals are in an area, know how many can be taken out, they also have a general idea of success rates on general tags and draw tags, if they want 300 deer taken out of the area and know the success rate is 50% they will issue 600 tags. That's how its supposed to work but I don't think they have the budget for flying and doing counts or enough people in the field to get a good handle on populations these days so things definitely can get skewed alright. Then there are the guys who won't report what they shoot on the harvest surveys, yet they will be the first ones to complain there is no animals and too many tags or there are too many animals and no tags.

I think like Lefty said, there’s stages in hunting. Most of us go through them. Nothing wrong with it.

Some people were never taught the golden rule of hunting growing up.

“Take only what you need and leave the rest.”

You shouldn't be concerned about those selective hunters who have a tag and don't shoot, these are mostly experienced hunters who spend more time in the field than the average hunter and see lots of game and turn down many opportunities to harvest game. It's mostly guys looking to tag out on trophy animals. I guess you could consider myself one of them. I haven't shot anything in 15 years though I could have filled all my deer tags every year if I had wanted, that would have been 45 legal whitetails, I never took a single animal. The few if any deer or animals selective trophy hunters take are mature and have had many years to breed and spread their genes, usually don't have many years left. The argument that taking the trophy bucks out hurts the gene pool is poppycock, that trophy buck spread the same genes when he was a younger small antlered buck breeding does as he did when he was a trophy buck. Contrary to popular belief the largest bucks don't do all the breeding nor have time to breed all the does, they actually only breed a small percentage of does and while they are busy tending one doe there are lots of smaller bucks breeding the other does that are receptive for that 24 hour period that they are open. People who shoot smaller bucks and look down on trophy hunters should realize that forkhorn they shot was a potential trophy buck if given a few more years to live and grow big antlers. Nothing wrong with shooting whatever deer is legal at all, you have my blessings, just don't look down your nose at trophy hunters for being selective when meat hunters prematurely kill more of what would end up being trophy deer than trophy hunters do.

If shoot elk then I won’t shoot a moose One or the other and then it’s white tail deer for fun usually looking for a nice buck that I still never found. I shot and elk and moose once in the same season never waisted it but it was pointless gave most of it away. Then four years ago I shot a moose and went out for deer and had legal bull elk in front of me I let him walk. The OP is bang on.

Exactly, a deers genes are the same the day it dies as the day it was born. BUT in order to spread those genes they need to at least make the age of maturity and breed some does :)

My favorite argument is folks who are sad they don't see any large mature deer but hammer small bucks year after year. The big ones come from little ones, shoot what you want legally but realize your actions have consequences.

LC

I used to fill all my tags if giving the chance, past 2 weeks I've passed on some great whitetails but have mule deer and elk in freezer, will be first year I haven't filled whitetail tag in 16 years

Welcome to the new Improved Alberta where not filling your tags will mean that the Outfitters will get more licences.

The proposed "Opportunity" based licence allocation system....

My freezer is mostly full. I got two deer this year. However, I am hoping for, but realistically won’t get out, for one more. I really want my sone to get his deer this year, his first year hunting. I don’t care if I get another one at all.