Nothing against food plots, corn feeders, trail cameras, and such but does anyone just deer hunt? Simply grab bow or firearm, find natural food sources or travel routes, and just hunt?

Of course, shoot a small buck every year doing that, sometimes a larger one if it shows up first.

We party hunt one weekend a year. Drive em' and shoot em. No cameras and food plots and such used.

Sadly, very few can hunt that way anymore.
Nowadays, it's getting harder n harder to go 100 yards without being on someone else's property.

Yeah, that is how I do it and most do that here. Spot and stalk in the high country and pattern them and setup accordingly. I never bow hunted over a bait/food plot and don't ever plan too. It takes all the challenge out of it IMP. Not belittling any of them here that do it that way though. For each his own and what they believe is right for them.

The miles I put on foot each fall is crazy for spotting than the stalk. The hunt is very rewarding and well earned.

[video:youtube]https://youtu.be/eVS-_W-yii0?si=_Yqd8YWFY5tt3je2[/video]

There are a lot of different ideas on what hunting is.

yes
drive to my great aunts house Friday before opener , go pick out a few places to sit
rake a path in the leaves to get there quiet in the dark

grab gun and go sit before light , shoot the first deer worth butchering that makes it's self a target , sometimes the 2nd , and 3rd

Yep

… that’d be me

I like to hunt that way when I have time to scout. I don’t like not seeing deer so a lot of times I’ll just walk hours and never set up if I don’t find the sign I’m looking for. My private land parcels are small so I want to hunt the least intrusive and highest odds spots. I don’t mind planting food plots or running cameras on those. I can’t bring myself to bait deer by pouring corn out

Yeah, I hunt in the woods. I don't like those grain fed deer, they taste like beef. lol

I’ve been “just deer hunting” all my life. It’s rare that I don’t have enough deer meat in the freezer to last me until the next season. I don’t hunt antlers, I hunt deer.

I wish that was true. I'd shoot a lot more if it were.
I hunt deer many different ways and am happy with every harvest I make with no regards to how anyone else feels about it

That's me. I still hunt the big woods. Acorn feed deer. Got plenty of deer here around the place but prefer to go to Mark Twain Forest and hunt the timber.

Yes that's the only way I know. It's getting harder and harder can't climb or hike mountains all day like I used to.

I have given up on food plots for the most part as I have so many oaks on my property, they feed on acorns for the most part. I know their travel routes and now I just take the rifle for a walk when I need some meet in the freezer. A guy I know gave me a ladder tree stand ... I never used the thing and i use it to hang targets from on my shooting range. never hated out of a stand or blind in my life yet

That's how I grew up doing it but I got lazy and use a feeder and cameras now.

I dont feed deer. Thats the trees and the farmers job.

Well on my farm I plant things. This year I did just a touch less then 1/8 acre of oats. And we didn't hunt over ut once. But my youngest did shoot one that emwas in it from a stand 86 yards away facing the other direction and had been in that location years before I planted there.

Now we hunt several public land places in 2 states 20k acres + on some of them. We hunt from climbers or the ground depending on the situation also do small drives or more of a push and spot and stalk.
All depending on what the mood and situation dictates.

We don't just deer hunt a few weeks a year we deer hunt for months. The boys had killed 9 before gun season came in.

Now I like camaras to see what's in the area but this year was my first playing with them . Only put 2 out on public ground over scrapes for a week to see if any large bucks were there and it was worth hunting there or our time would be spent in other properties.

I like planting for wildlife. I plant a large variety of things for different animals and insects each year.

I also like feeding deer after seasion goes out( baiting is illegal here) but I like to see what survived and give the wore out bucks and pregnant doe all the help I can. Fron putting out corn to alfalfa hay when we get much snow.

Does anyone just fish? You know like weave their own nets and build traps and spear or catch them with their hands.