Kentucky Outfitter Stage – What hunting stage are you at?
Kentucky deer hunting has many different levels of hunters. Most of us began at a young age. We either were shown how to hunt by our friends or our fathers. Over the course of our lifetime, hunters progress through various stages and skill levels within the sport of deer hunting.
Here are the 5 basic level:
The Shooter Stage – This is where all the focus is actually shooting a buck during a Kentucky deer hunt. You know you need a gun, a deer stand, maybe some bait and to control your scent a little bit. These hunters know very little about being patient. Often they are younger and over rely upon rattling techniques and grunting, essentially scaring away most deer in the area. Common talk would be, “Did you see any deer? Did you shoot one?” When you are new to the sport, as soon as you see a doe, you get all excited, quickly grab your gun and be waiting for that buck to come out right behind the doe.
Limiting Out Stage – As the title suggests, this type of hunter is focused on “filling tags”. Some might dismiss the fact there is skill involved in shooting a trophy whitetail deer. A lot of the old-timers are like this. She go out every year and make sure they shoot “their buck” to put in the freezer. The first sign of horns, it gets blasted! These people have a great time at deer camp and I don’t knock them one bit! This stage people only discuss how many points a deer has vs. how many inches in size the antlers reach.
Trophy Stage - This is where Kentucky deer hunting is taken to the next level. You aren’t quite to the point where you’re looking to purchase a hunt from a Kentucky hunting guide or outfitter. At this stage, most hunters don’t really even grasp the purpose of a paid Kentucky deer hunt. You may even chastise at the thought of people going to Kentucky hunting outfitters so shoot deer. It takes time for people to realize a lot of folks simply don’t have 2 weeks free time to sit in the woods and do nothing. Some people have important jobs or big families that doesn’t permit them to enjoy some of the things us middle class folks enjoy. This hunter spends time in the woods scouting and learning the deer. They have the trail cameras to locate a certain buck or a certain size buck and they will wait to shoot this buck or go without harvesting a deer during a Kentucky whitetail hunt.
Method Stage - This type of hunters has all the toys, all the equipment to manage food plots, etc. One of his primary hobbies is to manage the land for quality whitetails. He makes sure he has every cultipacker, tiller, disc, harrow, rake, spreader known to man. He spares no expense in making sure the deer herd is getting what they need in the way of minerals and winter food sources. Extra care to manicuring his land for proper bedding areas is also considered.
Sportsman Stage – This type of hunter comes with ages and experience. He’s progressed through the various stages, however this person didn’t necessarily need to go through the “method stage”. Having access to money, land and all the tools is not required on your journey to becoming a sportsman. This person appreciates and understands all the hunting stages people goes through and pats them all on the back for enjoying the outdoors. He enjoys his time in the wild and help others where he can. He is a model of doing the “right thing” when it comes to etiquette and being an great ambassador to the sport. He knows all the tricks of the trade, but yet doesn’t over due it any more because it is about relaxing with friends and family during the wonderful Kentucky deer hunting season.