Keeping your numbers secret

[coyotenightmare]

Ok. So no one wants to give away their hunting spots...but should we keep our harvest numbers a secret? I had to laugh at the sports show when I asked Dave Kaprochi (spelling might be wrong) how many fox he got. Thats ok not to share...just wondered if I should be more secretive. I don't post many pics or say when I shoot many predators on here but I did run a  post on  what I caught bobcat trapping along with a couple pics. My neighbors will overcall 'my' spots if I tell them what I shoot. Now everyone wants the coyotes shot...but when I say what I shoot...word gets around and everyone offers to go along which usually ends in disaster. It also gives my neighbors the incentive to get out there and do some educating. Right now they are all wondering where the coyotes got to. Hmmmm...maybe I should let my gun barrel cool off.   I don't shoot 100 fox a year...but if I hunted more than 5 times and traveled more than 5 miles to hunt them that might change. Unfortunately for me,  I am to young to put in the time to shoot 100 fox, because I have a family and hate to walk out the door at night to hunt. Doing so makes my little daddy's boy cry like it breaks his heart not to be able to play with me. So there is advantages in keeping quiet to your neighbors what you are shooting...but what about on here?...I didn't enter the district 4 hunt. Why? I was afraid of giving myself away to 'quote friendly' neighbors. Sorry to make you read so much...just my blabbering...

[shadowchaser]

90% of my spots are public and get hunted quite hard early on.  So I usually wait until the last few weeks and start going out.  I usually see alot(and miss), but they are well educated and usually bust me.  This gives me satisfaction in knowing that if I hunted virgin property I would likely be successful.  The grey I posted was during the Coyote hunt and talking to the land owner the next day  folks were running dogs and even his son had called the night before,  So the fact that I came and shot one made me feel even better.

I look at it like this...the more you share,the more interested people become, then they try it and some get hooked.  As long as people are doing it then it will never become a dead style of hunting.  I used to do it back when I was younger with a tape player and had good success with calling in coon, but since getting back into it 3 years ago I haven't had much success.  Personally I think everyone that predator hunts at night during the winter should pat themselves on the back and say "D#mn I'm a tough SOB". 

Remeber for every 1 person that is secretive there are 3 that will gladly share info with you.

[Leglifter]

Numbers?
I feel that as long as you're enjoying yourself, you're doing great.
Worry about numbers if you're in a contest

[uncle buck]

Predator hunting is taking off in leaps and bounds!  Last two years I saw hunters hunting in my areas that I hunt. If I said on here that I killed a coyote or missed a coyote. 999 hunters would end up calling in that area. As you know I will tell people how to kill coyotes but by blabbing your doing there scouting for them.
I doubt if anyone could kill 100 red fox by calling in one season. Trapping yes 100 would be possible.
See not all men are created equal. Some are nice and some are bad. Some will take your hunting lands and some will not.
Take shrooming. I have to spend many hours in the woods looking for Chanterelle mushrooms. If I told people where I get chanterelle there wouldn't be any there when I checked again.
Back to fox hunting. If your good you really don't have to tell anybody how much you harvested for the year!
Fox hunting! Your going to call in fox! Some will  be killed. Some will be missed. That's why they call it hunting. Lose lips sink ships. Best to keep your kills and misses to yourself for all kinds of reasons.

[uncle buck]

I think Mr. Kopecki probably felt like he was being judged by kills and not his fox calling abilities and techniques. When you ask someone how many predators you killed many feel like your judging them.

[coyotenightmare]

[quote Lose lips sink ships. Best to keep your kills and misses to yourself for all kinds of reasons.][/quote]

I like that uncle buck. Never heard that phrase before....I am learning that lesson....but I am still young and some things I just have to learn the hard way sometimes....like where I trapped my bobcat; people are calling the landowner and wanting to trap and hunt there because of my 'loose lips'. I 'think' I am starting to learn the value (wisdom) of keeping quiet. A picture now and then might not hurt...but some things need to be kept low key.

[Jake]

We, have allot of great people on this site, and I think that is what makes it a good site, I always thought of the bond of the PPHA, My own thought is if some one on here says the got two or five yotes in one night, Great!!!   I don't mind to let people on here know where I hunt, I have even invited a few, I like the fellowship of the hunt, even if they get a kill and I don't. The thing is This is a great Site and most will give info. I guess I am Naive and didn't think people would Abuse it on this Site.... Sorry if it happen to anyone..
Like I said, I love the fellowship of the Hunt and People who I talk to on the Site is welcome if they run out of places to hunt, PPHA is my Site and all of you made it that way.

[Bulldog]

I don't  mind given up numbers not that i kill a lot but i also don't get as much as i would like. Like you i am young an have a family an my little girls miss me when I'm hunting i hope to take them out one day. Anyway numbers don't  bother me but location does I'm not saying i wouldn't  take someone to my spots but they got to have respect for me. An i have no luck on public land in my area

[bigben]

the numbers game.  numbers are all subject to opinion.  depending on the person their great year might have been a dismal year in the eyes of another.  but honestly what is the point of trying to satisfy others goals?  I always set goals at the start of the season.  at the end of the year depending on how well I satisfyed my goals depends on how good a year I had.  I hunt for myself and don't really care what someone thinks of how many I kill.  and even asking another how many they killed in some of the old timers eyes is disrespectful.  I always ask how well their season went if they did good or if it was a rough season.  I don't bully them into throwing a number out there.  this sport is supposed to be fun but some alpha dogs that want to prove something to others will play the numbers game.  not all do this however.  Myself I hunt towards my goals and don't care what others think.  JMO.

set goals at the start of each season and strive to hit them goals. 

[Buckwheat]

I hunt to hunt. However I like to get something wile hunting. If I have a good time and get a few wile hunting I  am happy. But I set personal goals each night I hunt. Like how far or how close a shot. I do keep a record of how many hours I hunt and how many I kill per hour hunting. This lets me know how the season is going. Some years I my hunt a lot of nights and some years I hardly get to go. With this type of record keeping it all boiles down how many per hour. Some times I kill more an hour then others. This has helped me to figure out a whole lot of things about hunting. Try it and you will become a better hunter. As far as numbers go per season it boiles down to predator numbers were you hunt and how hard you work at it and how many times you go. Example if you go every night and kill one a night and hunt the whole season you would have killed over 100 by then end  of the season. So see why I like the per hour method, it tells me how I really am doing and what made some nights better then others. That helps me improve and no what type of nights I like to hunt the best.

[Seeking_Coyotes]

I have no idea how many deer I have killed and don't keep track of fox either...means nothing to me.  I do know how many turkey' coyote and fox I have killed....none!   

[Buckwheat]

Lol
See you are keeping track. 0 is a good number, it is the easyest number to improve on. One that lets a lot of good options to pick as a goal. :-)

[zekedogg]

Numbers?
I feel that as long as you're enjoying yourself, you're doing great.
Worry about numbers if you're in a contest

Leglifter I agree with you on this one! I've had some great hunts with you that resulted in no kills but a good time was had.

[coyotenightmare]

Yeah I agree that numbers don't matter nor do they reveal the skill of any given hunter. I like Buckwheats plan of keeping track of how many kills per hour. That is something I plan to do next year. Also Bigbens comment about being disrespectful sure puts me on the spot. Thanks bigben for the reminder. I am guilty of asking 'how many' instead of how good a year, etc.  I am pretty well done hunting this year unless I go out for coyotes if someone calls me and says they have been hearing or seeing them. I will say this, I received a handsome wad of cash for my first batch of furs including what I caught trapping and have another batch of furs to sell that I collected since my first cash in. These will definitely help out with my bills but I tend to get to intense when I am out there knowing that if I miss or goof up I just lost another 20-40 bucks. Its not about the kill but about the fun of the hunt....I need to constantly remind myself that

[Buckwheat]

Cototenightmare
I use to be real intense on what I killed when I was younger and had a two young kids to provide for.  My fur catch and kill purchased a lot of christmas presents at a time when every penny was needed. Also the $50 for each red fox went a lot farther back then.