Hunter’s thoughts on “stage” | News, sports, work

Dad said, “I’m happy I couldn’t get a deer today,” and he wasn’t even 40 yet. “I was 13 years old and I didn’t know why he said it. Although he was unable to get a deer that day, “disappointment” did not fully explain his feelings. For me, getting deer was my lifelong goal, my number one priority and validation achievement. It wasn’t that I wanted a deer. I needed a deer to satisfy something inside me.

In the past, someone identified five stages that hunters would pass through in their hunting careers. (1) the shooting game stage, (2) the restriction stage, (3) the trophy stage, (4) the method stage, and (5) the sportsman stage. The first thing I read about these stages in the 1980s was an article by Charlie Al-Sheimer from Deer & Deer Hunting Magazine. These stages are based on social research into what makes hunters happy. No doubt, what satisfy a hunter at age 15 (the year I first shot deer) is not the same as what meets a hunter at age 65. Stages are effective, are they strict rules?

I was six years old and wanted to shoot money. Dad was far beyond me. Shooting the money wasn’t his satisfaction. His focus came to me making money. Is there a “stage” that is a priority?

I spent many years on the “shooting game” stage and I’ve lived in a state where the limit is $1, so I don’t think I’ve been on the “limit” stage. We either get money or we don’t. There are a wealth of cornerless tags, but filling in all DOE tags doesn’t satisfy many hunters.

Trophy is in the eyes of the viewer, so the so-called “trophy stages” are not easily identified. Filming a lovely, mature deer is always satisfying, but most hunters live in places where they are unlikely to film record-breaking trophies.

How about “Method Stage”? My favorite way is still hunting. This is how my father and uncle hunted before stand hunting became popular. I prefer to be on the ground one-on-one with the deer. I want to be a place where deer can see me.

There is probably a preferred way to hunt deer. Most shooters take you to a tree in a strategic location. Some hunts from the ground. In a sense, is one method higher than the other? Perhaps it’s not the case. In some states, chasing a dog with a dog is considered a fair pursuit. Many hunters killed deer while driving. Whether one method is better than another depends in part on the meaning of “good.” Does Superior mean high performance rates? Does the top signify some difficulty? You can argue these things, but it can never be resolved.

Today I am at least partially in the “sportsman” stage. I understand that it plays an important role in the state’s gaming agency’s efforts to manage all wildlife. But that’s not the only reason I hunt, and that’s why I rarely notice it when I’m in the woods.

Over the course of 50 years, hunters’ priorities will change. Getting a deer is still an assumed goal for all hunters, but when something inside him says he is hunting more than a deer, he is satisfied even if he is not getting a deer. Ultimately, that’s not his true goal.

Does the hunt still excite me? I don’t know, but when rifle season rolls, when there’s a few inches of snow on the ground (but not stacked on tree limbs), when the temperature is between 20 and 30 degrees and the air is calming, I want to play the old predator and prey game. Often, on such days, my certainty is fulfilled. And if I don’t get the money, I’ll go back to the dog-bound home, but I’m still happy.

You may be experiencing poor hunting for deer. If you do, you will never sing “I’m not satisfied.”

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When “The Everyday Hunter” is not hunting, he thinks that he dreams of hunting, hunting, writing hunting, or wanting to hunt. If you want to tell Steve where your favorite hunting spot is, contact him through his website www.everydayhunter.com. He wrote for Top Outdoor Magazine and was awarded the National “Pinnacle Award” for Outdoor Writing in 2015, 2018 and 2023.