Any other certified whitetail freaks?

[HornHoarder]

I'd have to say I'm a whitetail freak. I have stacks of magazines all over the house. I focus on finding the biggest bucks all year. Hunt every day of the season. Run multiple trail cameras. Pass up lots of legal bucks, hoping for a shot at the one. Spend countless time running bait, checking cams, hanging stands, looking for sheds, and love every second of it.

I just finished my late muzzy season, spent a minimum of 80 hours on stands, and did not fill my tag.  Theres always next year though.

Maybe I'll start a thread in the trail cam section, and show some bucks I was hunting for this year.

[Wacenturion]

Whitetails at the top of my list.....have been for years.  Nothing better. 

Saw your post in Top 5.. yeah.. you are a definitely a whitetail freak... haha

Freak....in my mind....not my son's.  One thing about it ...not many people have gone where I have.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

What I am really wondering is how many others on here see whitetail as your primary pastime...period... to the point where you love hunting all big game but when it really comes down to it hunting whitetail is going to win out every time. To the point where you would much rather shoot a 200 inch whitetail than a 400 inch bull elk or 230 inch Mule Deer..... where most people would say it's bordering on an obsession....where you have given up (or perhaps never had) a lot other "hobbies".... where you digest all information related to Whitetail you can get your hands on. etc.

I don't expect there to be many others if any that are to this level of certified craziness about whitetail in this part of the country (to date I have personally only met a few)...

When I read all that I knew you were describing me!  During the November rut, I pass up just about all other opportunities in order to give all I have to the pursuit of Whitetail bucks.  But I now do it with a camera instead of a gun. 

I have found Whitetail photography to be even more obsessive than hunting them was, because there are no regulations or seasons, and I can pursue them the way I want to year round. 

I've traveled across the country just for the opportunity to photograph them in different habitat.  In fact, I am already trying to decide where to spend next November . . . Montana, Minnesota, Virginia, New York, or Texas.  If I'm lucky, I may even get to make a 2nd trip next year and catch the late rut (Jan/Feb) down on the gulf coast of Florida - wouldn't that be a treat?!

Tom..Do you have a website with your whitetail photos or any posted on here?

I can understand the bonus of hunting them with the camera. There are times when I have G-I-A-N-T deer moving during daylight outside of the season. Of course by the time the season rolls round they are not coming in during daylight. I am sure it would be awesome to slip in there and get pictures of those big guys pre-season.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

200 inch whitetail than a 400 inch bull elk or 230 inch Mule Deer    Boy I wish I could think that way! Considering where I see the most harvesting is primarly white  The wife seems to enjoy it tho 

Awesome!

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I went through a phase when I was.  Mostly it helped to Live in Chewelah, but then they got beat out by moose, then I reverted back to mule deer.   Now I am just along for the ride.   Every once in awhile I run into one or find a shed that twinges the old nerve.

The moose population has definitely exploded and the whitetail population certainly seems lower in many areas than it was 15+years ago.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

Guilty!!
I like to hunt Big Deer. Have gotten lucky now and then.   

I will take luck any day of the week. I just wish luck was on my side a little more often. 

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I am close to that. I only hunt whitetails. I am addicted to the rut.....have been for about 20 years. The last time I killed a mulie or even hunted them was more then 20 years ago.

I don't know what happened......I don't hunt early because I'm afraid I'll kill something and miss out on hunting the rut. 

I am a poor lost soul.  but when November rolls around....I have found myself. I am hopelessly addicted to the rut and I need help....but I don't want help. See...it's December and I am lost again. 

  You could just go out early and just pass up on all those bucks you would see so you don't miss the rut.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

You mean like working a harvest day in August from 6:30am-9:30pm and then after work driving 7 hours round trip to check your cameras just to get back to work at 6:30am? Or maybe having a few of my cameras take several thousand pics each and going over each pic numerous times in case I missed something in the background? I may not be to your level, but I feel like im on my way. 

Yeah...you are definitely well on your way. 

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I'd have to say I'm a whitetail freak. I have stacks of magazines all over the house. I focus on finding the biggest bucks all year. Hunt every day of the season. Run multiple trail cameras. Pass up lots of legal bucks, hoping for a shot at the one. Spend countless time running bait, checking cams, hanging stands, looking for sheds, and love every second of it.

I just finished my late muzzy season, spent a minimum of 80 hours on stands, and did not fill my tag.  Theres always next year though.

Maybe I'll start a thread in the trail cam section, and show some bucks I was hunting for this year.

I hope you start that thread. I love looking at pics of those whitetail.

It's practically a year round affair around my household so I know exactly what you are talking about.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

Whitetails at the top of my list.....have been for years.  Nothing better. 

Saw your post in Top 5.. yeah.. you are a definitely a whitetail freak... haha

Freak....in my mind....not my son's.  One thing about it ...not many people have gone where I have.

You mean that you have low hunting pressure and not many people are after them in the place that you go?

[Wacenturion]

Whitetails at the top of my list.....have been for years.  Nothing better. 

Saw your post in Top 5.. yeah.. you are a definitely a whitetail freak... haha

Freak....in my mind....not my son's.  One thing about it ...not many people have gone where I have.

You mean that you have low hunting pressure and not many people are after them in the place that you go?

Gut hurts here....no....I meant not many people, if any, would have had that opportunity, let alone pass on it.  It was definitely an unique experience.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

Whitetails at the top of my list.....have been for years.  Nothing better. 

Saw your post in Top 5.. yeah.. you are a definitely a whitetail freak... haha

Freak....in my mind....not my son's.  One thing about it ...not many people have gone where I have.

You mean that you have low hunting pressure and not many people are after them in the place that you go?

Gut hurts here....no....I meant not many people, if any, would have had that opportunity, let alone pass on it.  It was definitely an unique experience.

  Yeah... I would never pass a 190 whitetail... unless there was a 200+ standing right next to him and I had a good clean shot on both of them at that moment....but if I had a good shot at the 190 and the 200 wasn't presenting a good shot in that particular moment then the 190 is going down.

[Doublelunger]

I picked up a bow 5 years ago, and whitetail have quickly become my passion.  It seems that every year that passion grows exponentially. Not sure if I'm a certified freak yet(my girlfriend would say i was though) but the late archery is what a look forward to all year long.  Today was my 20th day hunting the late season, and ill be out every day till the 15th or until I lay down one of my lunkers.  Last year during the late season I was in my stand over 30 days.  Ive passed up 150"-160" deer waiting for the big guys.  ill eat my tag this year too if it comes down to it.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I picked up a bow 5 years ago, and whitetail have quickly become my passion.  It seems that every year that passion grows exponentially. Not sure if I'm a certified freak yet(my girlfriend would say i was though) but the late archery is what a look forward to all year long.  Today was my 20th day hunting the late season, and ill be out every day till the 15th or until I lay down one of my lunkers.  Last year during the late season I was in my stand over 30 days.  Ive passed up 150"-160" deer waiting for the big guys.  ill eat my tag this year too if it comes down to it.

I have passed up one 150 inch buck when I was pursuing the 200...but certainly wouldn't do that today. I usually shoot a doe on the last evening of my hunt (unless I feel like the odds are good for seeing the big one)

[Doublelunger]

agreed...It would be tough to pass on something nice at this point...I passed a 150+ on the Nov 12th, if he came by today he would be dead.  I'll shoot a doe on the last minute of the last day.