Buck Poles

[alpinebeers]

I was reading the most recent Field and Stream and came across an article about a town in Michigan called Indian River that hosts a gathering on opening day of deer season at the Buck Pole. It sounds like this happens lots in small towns in the US and I was wondering if anything like this happens in Alberta or if it used to.

Basically there is an outdoors store in the town that hosts it. You shoot a buck, dress it out then bring it into town to be hung up on the buck poles. Each animal is weighed before hanging and the heaviest deer wins (would take to long to score each one). Everyone who brings in a deer wins a prize anywhere from a $25 gift card to a restaurant in town to some really nice rifles for the winners. They also have ugliest rack winners and things like that voted on by the people.

This seemed like a great idea to me and was surprised id never heard of it. It gets the community together to see some beautifully harvested animals as well as bring some exposure to the hunting community and potentially create some new hunters. The article stated people would drive 6-8 hours just to enter their harvest.

How great would an event like this be for a small town in Alberta and the small uptick to its economy?

[ghostguy6]

But there is also the media frenzy the anti's and animal rights groups would create. PETA would have a field day at an event like that. An event that is supposed to be fun would most likely turn into " mass genocide of the ungulate kind" the way the media would report it.
Although I don't mind mixing PETA with a large group of disgruntled hunters who may ( or may not) possess large caliber firearms

[alpinebeers]

Originally Posted by ghostguy6

But there is also the media frenzy the anti's and animal rights groups would create. PETA would have a field day at an event like that. An event that is supposed to be fun would most likely turn into " mass genocide of the ungulate kind" the way the media would report it.
Although I don't mind mixing PETA with a large group of disgruntled hunters who may ( or may not) possess large caliber firearms

I'm sure the Antis would be a bit of a pain in the butt but if its done on private property what can they do? The problem here is that as a group we rule out doing something like this because of the hassle this group may cause. Were losing the battle

[3blade]

I don't think it's about embarrassment or avoiding antis. The hunting culture is different here. We don't show off as much as the yanks. While I don't have a problem with them continuing a tradition, trying to copy it would likely be seen as very disrespectful to the animal by both hunters and non-hunters here.

I don't think we need hunting turned into a sausage measuring contest

Go out, enjoy your time, share meals, stories and pictures with family and friends..

[muzzy]

This type of thing is done in lots of towns in states and Peta and others as a rule dont bother them. Its a hugely different hunting culture in the states than Canada. Many places they close the schools on the opening day of deer hunting. You drive into many towns in Montana or Wyoming in the fall and you see "Welcome Hunters" on store signs all over even McDonalds I've seen them.

[starvin]

The problem wont be with the anti's as much as with our fellow "sportsman".
A little town by me tried this a decade or so ago and even with very modest prizes the result was a lot of bucks shot and left in the field. Manitoba has some big buck nights and the winners are almost always first nations, wanna open that can of worms?
I think hunting competitions have to be huge like provincial level or small and exclusive like a buck pool at work.

[alpinebeers]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by 3blade

I don't think it's about embarrassment or avoiding antis. The hunting culture is different here. We don't show off as much as the yanks. While I don't have a problem with them continuing a tradition, trying to copy it would likely be seen as very disrespectful to the animal by both hunters and non-hunters here.

I don't think we need hunting turned into a sausage measuring contest

Go out, enjoy your time, share meals, stories and pictures with family and friends..[/QUOTE]

This is the point of it though. It seems people would rather put a picture on facebook these days then get out and actually interact with their neighbors and other people from the community and share their stories, meals and pictures and maybe make a few new friends.


I'm not sure I see it as disrespectful at all. We should be proud that were hunters and showing off our harvest too one another is part of it.

Sure bragging rights are involved but isn't that part of hunting? You don't give your buddies a hard time when you come home with a bigger buck or they have a day in the field where they cant hit the broad side of a barn???

[Unregistered user]

Great idea, sounds like fun.

[charves]

Personally I prefer to just get the animal dressed, hung, skinned and halved ASAP. I would find it odd to stop that process to bring it into town as that would be a 20 minute 1 way drive.
However, I do like you're concept of sharing stories with the neighbors and meeting new people!

[TylerThomson]

We have a big buck night every year where anyone can enter a buck and have it scored. There is door prizes for entering and of course your usual categories like biggest typical biggest non typical etc.

[Unregistered user]

Originally Posted by 3blade

I don't think it's about embarrassment or avoiding antis. The hunting culture is different here. We don't show off as much as the yanks. While I don't have a problem with them continuing a tradition, trying to copy it would likely be seen as very disrespectful to the animal by both hunters and non-hunters here.

I don't think we need hunting turned into a sausage measuring contest

Go out, enjoy your time, share meals, stories and pictures with family and friends..

Sausage measuring contest? Pope and Young, Safari club, Boone and Crockett?

[3blade]

[QUOTE=alpinebeers;3656198]

This is the point of it though. It seems people would rather put a picture on facebook these days then get out and actually interact with their neighbors and other people from the community and share their stories, meals and pictures and maybe make a few new friends.

I'm not sure I see it as disrespectful at all. We should be proud that were hunters and showing off our harvest too one another is part of it.

Sure bragging rights are involved but isn't that part of hunting? You don't give your buddies a hard time when you come home with a bigger buck or they have a day in the field where they cant hit the broad side of a barn???

There's a limit, and hanging corpses in public for the purpose of competition is over it. There is no message about respect for the game, conservation, wild food or anything positive that will be conveyed. "look I dun got me a biggun!!" with blood dripping in the street will not endear you to non-hunters, and will probably make a few anti's out of people who were neutral.

I don't hide my love of hunting, wipe up blood or sew in tongues for field pics, or anything like that. Death is part of it. But if someone doesn't want to see it, they can easily avoid it. Putting it up in the center of town kinda forces it on everyone, and that does not win hearts and minds.

Don't critique others hunting practices unless they ask for advice. It's a lifestyle and we all live it differently. Never been part of the bro-down crowd. You want a buck pole in your backyard for you and your buddies, have at it. You want to celebrate hunting, create a sense of community, and give non-hunters something positive, that's commendable. Have a BBQ.

[58thecat]

Originally Posted by Unregistered user

Sausage measuring contest? Pope and Young, Safari club, Boone and Crockett?

Yup,

I think it is a great way to have the outdoor world proudly show and promote the sport...push the anti's aside and show them that no matter how hard they try we will persevere.

On top of this if the individual wants they there can donate the meat to food shelters etc....there are so many great things that would come out at an event like this.

[Unregistered user]

[QUOTE=3blade;3656868]

Originally Posted by alpinebeers

There's a limit, and hanging corpses in public for the purpose of competition is over it. There is no message about respect for the game, conservation, wild food or anything positive that will be conveyed. "look I dun got me a biggun!!" with blood dripping in the street will not endear you to non-hunters, and will probably make a few anti's out of people who were neutral.

I don't hide my love of hunting, wipe up blood or sew in tongues for field pics, or anything like that. Death is part of it. But if someone doesn't want to see it, they can easily avoid it. Putting it up in the center of town kinda forces it on everyone, and that does not win hearts and minds.

Don't critique others hunting practices unless they ask for advice. It's a lifestyle and we all live it differently. Never been part of the bro-down crowd. You want a buck pole in your backyard for you and your buddies, have at it. You want to celebrate hunting, create a sense of community, and give non-hunters something positive, that's commendable. Have a BBQ.

So much contradiction in one post.

[catnthehat]

Originally Posted by alpinebeers

I was reading the most recent Field and Stream and came across an article about a town in Michigan called Indian River that hosts a gathering on opening day of deer season at the Buck Pole. It sounds like this happens lots in small towns in the US and I was wondering if anything like this happens in Alberta or if it used to.

Basically there is an outdoors store in the town that hosts it. You shoot a buck, dress it out then bring it into town to be hung up on the buck poles. Each animal is weighed before hanging and the heaviest deer wins (would take to long to score each one). Everyone who brings in a deer wins a prize anywhere from a $25 gift card to a restaurant in town to some really nice rifles for the winners. They also have ugliest rack winners and things like that voted on by the people.

This seemed like a great idea to me and was surprised id never heard of it. It gets the community together to see some beautifully harvested animals as well as bring some exposure to the hunting community and potentially create some new hunters. The article stated people would drive 6-8 hours just to enter their harvest.

How great would an event like this be for a small town in Alberta and the small uptick to its economy?

This isn't something new in Michigan or many other Eastern States, quite the opposite actually , it's been going on for longer than many of us have been alive
Cat

[alpinebeers]

.

[alpinebeers]

Originally Posted by 3blade

There's a limit, and hanging corpses in public for the purpose of competition is over it. There is no message about respect for the game, conservation, wild food or anything positive that will be conveyed. "look I dun got me a biggun!!" with blood dripping in the street will not endear you to non-hunters, and will probably make a few anti's out of people who were neutral.

I don't hide my love of hunting, wipe up blood or sew in tongues for field pics, or anything like that. Death is part of it. But if someone doesn't want to see it, they can easily avoid it. Putting it up in the center of town kinda forces it on everyone, and that does not win hearts and minds.

Don't critique others hunting practices unless they ask for advice. It's a lifestyle and we all live it differently. Never been part of the bro-down crowd. You want a buck pole in your backyard for you and your buddies, have at it. You want to celebrate hunting, create a sense of community, and give non-hunters something positive, that's commendable. Have a BBQ.

Nobody said there would be carcasses hanging in the town square??? This could be held anywhere. In a warehouse, parking lot or on a farm. You make it sound like no one in the hunting community has ever judged an animal they have harvested.

I'm not sure I understand your comment about critiquing other people hunting practices?? And no one asked you to be part of a bro down crowd what ever that might be. Clearly an event like this isn't up your alley. fair enough

[catnthehat]

I remember many years ago watching Michigan Outdoors and they had a segment on a check station where there was a buck pole hanging.
hunters would come through , hang their deer and the CO's would do their stuff for the stats, check tags, pics taken, an annual big event.
Cat

[3blade]

Originally Posted by Unregistered user

So much contradiction in one post.

Life ain't always black and white.

My opinion is that it would do more harm than good. I get what hunters see in it, and I also work around enough non-hunters to make a decent educated guess as to what they would see. We can disagree on the subject of hypothetical buck poles. It's all good