[carver]

I am another one that doesn't like the professional Deer Hunting shows on TV. IMHO, these guys are only hunting antlers, and do not represent the vast majority of hunters. Tom Gresham once told a caller on his show that the 7.62X39 was totally inadequate for deer hunting. The pros are not all they are cracked up to be. Some of them are considered Pros because of who they are, and because they have killed animals all over the world. In my opinion they simply do not live, or hunt the way most of us do. I am also another hunter that likes to eat what I shoot. A young doe, or spike buck is what I want to shoot. If a big 10 pointer walked out on me, I would probably shoot it. Couldn't afford to have it mounted, unless I used one of those do it yourself kits. I have eaten the meat from an old buck, and don't like it nearly as much as the meat from a young tender deer, but it is meat. When you see these guys hunting on TV they are on land that is fenced, and managed by the owner to produce huge bucks. They are paid by the company putting on the show, and most probably get to hunt for free, so the ranch, or guide service, can get free advertisement. These Ranches spend thousands of dollars each year planting the food crops, and supplements, that will insure the maximum growth of both the deer, and it's antlers. The average men, and women, who hunt on these properties pay big money for the chance to take a once in a life time buck (antlers). I looked around a little and the cheapest weekend hunt I could find in TX was $750 for an opportunity to hunt that particular ranch. If I should shoot a deer, the price goes way up, both for packaging the deer for shipment, and for getting the once in a life time buck (antlers) mounted. I could hunt deer for 50 years on what one of these trips would cost me. These shows do not represent the reality of deer hunting as most of us know it to be.