Is modern hunting actually easier?

[janesy]

A comment posted early today, really made me think. Has hunting ACTUALLY gotten easier?
To clarify, compared to dragging clubs into the woods, obviously yes. Compared to jamming a musket ball into a rudimentary steel tube, obviously. But those options can be drawn directly back to the advent of the metallic cartridge. Not what I'm getting at.

What made me think was, has all of this scent products actually made hunting easier? Do the faster and faster bow actually make hunting easier? Camo? Ask Jimbo sitting on a long with a cigarette, a longbow and a flannel shirt in 1975. Whats changed? He still got his deer

Its an interesting though when you really stop and think about it. In Ontario, where we are only granted, for the better part, 1 deer seal. People still get skunked. What about the old boys in the room, who have been able to take 4-6 deer per year for ever. Seems they are still taking the same number, but now we have full camo and blazing fast gear that doesn't smell. If it where easier, you'd be tagged out on opening day.

All of this product pushed in our faces every year, it may make us more comfortable, which makes us able to stay out longer. All this gear and accessories to make us deadly accurate, super silent, apex predators. But is the kill, actually easier now? I don't think it is.

Let's discuss while the temps cool off shall we. I'm interested, what gear do you own that absolutely makes your successful hunt easier.

[wildcatter]

I think it makes hunting for me harder, unfortunately there are many that think 50 or 60 fps makes hunting easier, and along with those incorrect thoughts comes hundreds of new archers who don't know anything about hunting and runs everything out of the area before even they even have a chance to hunt, but hey they got 400fps,,,,,

gear smells, scent lock is worthless if you don't use your senses and hunt the wind,,, camo is great but most use to dark a pattern and turn into a dark blob,, once it moves any deer will see it, these are all things that get abused and people think they don't have to hunt anymore,, nothing could be farther from the truth.

SPEED does not kill, and for most it is the last thing they should be concerned with, archery hunting will always involve ARCH,, it is an up close and personal situation. In that sense it will always require the ability to get close to your quarry, and proper equipment arrows, broadheads, and range to any target, and shot placement is far more important than how fast a bow shoots if you want to ever be efficient at it.

[xcaliber]

This is a double edged sword really. I would say that on one hand it has gotten easier because there is good literature available to to new hunters that did not hunt growing up. The resources are out there now for newbie, first generation folks. Also, optics, Inline Muzzle Loaders, and range finders has made things easier. Climbing treestands for the smart, mobile hunter that moves around with changing conditions like pressure on public land, field harvesting, and new food sources that come available as the seasons change. Clothing / boots, etc. has really improved over the years with different materials, etc. One last thing on this side, the populations in many areas has blow up making the opportunities better than what they were in over hunted areas, and no management of public lands.
Now, the part that has changed in favor of the deer. People are lazier on the whole. Many folks head out after watching hours of hunting shows, and commercials thinking it is going to be a cake walk, and come home very discouraged when they figure out that the deer don't follow the script. I think deer have evolved too, they now look into the trees coming off the fields for hunters, they have wised up. I aslo think many hunters carry too much stuff into the field because of over commercialization and make a ton of noise driving the deer out. And lastly, I think that there are more hunters now than say 25 years ago because of all the shows out there, and pressure from friends, etc. And the public lands that used to have good hunting spots where you rarely seen another hunter are hard to find, and public media posting when a biggun is taken makes folks flock to these spots nowadays. I seen this about 6 years ago when we hunted this swampy spot that nobody would go into. A buddy's nephew posted a picture of my buds deer on social media, including where he got it, the next fall it was crazy packed with hammerheads.

[sproulman]

deleted

[sproulman]

deleted

[sproulman]

For archery the crossbow made a big difference ....
Good hiking shoes today are my biggest improvement ....
Summit seat like 180 max is big improvement for me on my climber at age 63

Today hunting is just TERRIBLE on publicland in pa

[sproulman]

deleted

[sproulman]

deleted

[sproulman]

deleted

[sproulman]

Deleted

[sproulman]

deleted

[ihunt]

One thing that hasn't change is field dressing a deer you still gotta clean them out
All kidding aside one thing has change is the so such hype on miracle products is just a 'you gotta have' luxury products to make you spend, spend, spend, period. Yes things has changed is it better I'm not sure?

[ihunt]

deleted

deleted

deleted

The heat is not just affecting the deer too just kidding

[wabi]

If we're talking deer only, I'd have to say definitely YES.
Not that I believe all the scent control, camo patterns, bow speed, etc. makes much difference, but there are just more deer to hunt. (At least around here.)
I still hunt in jeans and a dark brown fleece shirt (or camo T-shirt in hot weather), don't use any commercial scent cover products, even smoke a cigar when I want one - but I do pay attention to wind direction and try to use it to my advantage when possible.

[Patcon]

I am a first generation hunter, so I don't know if deer have always been this way. I make videos on my game cameras and keep my buck videos from previous years. I have logged my videos from year to year and I find all the big bucks really only move Sun, Mon, Tues., sometimes Wed. They really don't move at all on the weekend. That is with very low hunting pressure in my small hunting area. In my area they have learned when to stay low and they also know my original stand location. The smart does check my stand every time they come near the feeder. Then they carry on business as usual...
I hunt in my backyard in a southern suburban area so they are use to dog smells and people smells...
I wouldn't say it's easy, although we have a good healthy deer population in my area.
If you aren't selective you could kill quite a few deer...
Getting a big mature buck in your sights can be a challenge. Many of the biggest I get on camera are all 2, 3 and 4 AM. I suspect they are mostly nocturnal except for the rut and you would have to catch him headed back to bed. Also there are a number of small land parcels near me that lack selective hunters.
I was reading the other day about deer in North America and in the 50's and early 60's the deer populations weren't near as large as they are now. If active hunter numbers drop the deer populations will grow which will be good for the remaining hunters for a little while until some illness gets into the herd