Let’s be honest, hunting is so much fun. I want an awesome rack to brag about. I want a full freezer. I want the adrenaline of an exciting stalk and kill. But when it comes down to it, there’s one big thing that is more important.

Responsible conservation.

As hunters, we should always operate conservation first. Unfortunately, the distractions of a good time, trophy hunting, an empty freezer, etc., seem to be the objective for the majority of today’s hunters.

If you read my 2018 Season Recap, you would have learned that the lands that have reaped success year after year failed me for the first time. This only made me more committed to filling my tags this year. I never excepted the pickings to be more scarce than the last.

Here’s the thing I really learned this year: Just because the tag is there and your fish and game department says “Go for it,” doesn’t mean you should.

That can be hard for people to hear.

As hunters, we trust our Fish & Game Departments to regulate and support our passion. However, it’s a job that could not be done without our help, and they can’t do it all. We must be encouraging other hunters to practice responsible conservation.

On the lands that used offer plenty of mature bucks, you’ll now have trouble finding anything legal. So why were there so many hunters all looking for that one legal buck? It’s not about the size of the buck, it’s now an issue of population management.

Should we be hunting when the deer population in this area has seen major declines? It’s a decision every ethical hunter needs to make.

While my freezer is looking pretty bare–Thank you, little brother, for the elk burger–supporting a future of thriving deer population is more valuable to me.