Werner-i generally agree with most of your posts.
I guess we do not have to agree on everything.:)
Few things ,just on the side the luck "theory"
Moose hunt-one can have as many point as possible can-and can apply to the hardest seeming WMU,to benefit from the reat many points he have-Yet has zero control over how many other hunters with the same points will apply. No one will know that-ever.
Plus the MNRF may /will change points needed for certain WMU due of high interest by a drop of a hat.
Blasted Saber made a very good rundown on this.
About the luck: one can be dedicated as much as one can afford to be, and have all the opportunity he wants-if the buck of a lifetime was just shot by the neighbour. Or was ran over by the fire truck.
Here is a story about how much luck is needed to do very well:
I have a buddy-local guy,accomplished deer hunter.Has many kills-mostly archery.He harvested i would say anywhere of 6 nice bucks, somewhere 140-160 point .Many ,well over 100 points.......
He does not care much about those things,so i can not tell You all the scores....
He did not get skunked ever since i know him(over 26 years)
His work makes him work with many farmers, from Toronto east-Windsor west ,plus he has many farmer work colleagues.
Thus he has acess to acres and acres of deer habitat-with zero dedication/preparation and opportunity.Just a little chat....
He gets 2-3 prime spots ,and gets on them exclusive hunting opportunity (he is buddy with the owners one way or another).He got this ,since none of them ladnowners hunt, and has families with zero interest in hunting. Luck...?
Exclusive right from coworker on prime land-how much work ,dedication and preparation is involved, other then asking for permission.
He gets them prime spots selected- where is lack of food(more bush then fields)and then he simply BAITS.
With free bait from his farmer buddies-he owns a city dwelling.Luck to get unlimited free bait..?
Then ,depending on the day-he sits in one of the 3 stands he has,and watches the bait.
Then goes out 3-5 times before he harvest a bucks. Many times that buck was a nice one.
He could wait for that super nice one-as much as he wants.
We can discuss this as long as we want-but other then him being a good hunter(he knows his stuff ,and proved many times on bear and moose as well)good shot ,what else did he have to do to be so successful?
To get lucky with his profession-which opened the door for all the other stream of luck.
If we want to go back to the "once in a life time buck harvested every 1-2 years"-we lack of description what that may mean (and it will mean whole lot of different thing in
Pay for use Public land in Southern Ontario - exclusive farms-big forest of the great North, or farmland heavily hunted yearly by driving deer.)Heck,even the geographical location will make a difference in the buck antler size.
Unless we settle on some score -like 180 typical,or some solid measurable like that,to each hunter that term will mean something else.
I read a lot of them books, and watched a lot of really big names in deer hunting on Youtube or on Videos,, and while many harvested many great bucks,yet the once in lifetime deer is still elusive for most of them. Especially elusive every 1-2 years,regardelss how much they "prepare and take the opportunity."
Unless they hunt those very exclusive properties and/or gamefarms,where access is greatly limited,and the deer is groomed to grow big antlers.
If we call harvesting a great buck on them properties a great thig-yes, but if we want to make harvest scores from there to be a hunting success benchamark-hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
At the end-i do absolutely agree with:work hard,get dedicated,spend a lot of time,show love for the sport.Then ,maybe then-succes will follow.
With some consistency.