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Post by dougedwards on Mar 3, 2009 12:29:00 GMT -5
I saw this question asked on another message board with some really interesting replies. This question seems appropriate to ask after the discussion of healthy hobbies has been exhausted. "Why do you hunt??"
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Post by tar12 on Mar 3, 2009 12:38:14 GMT -5
I hunt for a variety of reasons.Most importantly it is super quality one on one time with my children.Secondly it is a time to recharge my batteries after months in the concrete jungles.I absolutley love nature and all of its intricate beauties.And of course I love shooting and all that it involves.Everything else is a big bonus!
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Post by Chris Champion on Mar 3, 2009 13:01:14 GMT -5
I hunt to enjoy the outdoors and to get away from it all. Its a great stress reliever for me. I also hunt to spend quality time with my dad and other family members and friends.
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Post by Buckrub on Mar 3, 2009 13:09:55 GMT -5
I could type my answer for an hour here.
I will give the answer that my late Father in Law, who taught me to deer hunt, gave his doctor years ago. My FIL needed surgery and the doc told him he couldn't wait, that it would have to be in the next two weeks. My FIL, a farmer, already had beans in the field that needed cut before end of November. But deer season opened in 1 week so he told the Doc the surgery would have to wait.
The Doc was flabbergasted, he said "This CAN'T wait, what is so important?".......and my FIL said "Deer season opens".
They went round and round a bit. Doc finally asked "How can you put hunting ahead of everything else? Why do you hunt?"........
My FIL said "Because I have to".
It's the same short answer I've always given to anyone that has asked me this question.
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Post by ozark on Mar 3, 2009 15:40:30 GMT -5
I hunt because it provides me something to look forward to doing, something I enjoy getting ready to do and a way to put myself closer to nature and natural things. I hunt because its tests skills that I have been developing for my lifetime. It feeds my ego, my stomach and provides food for familya and friends. It tells me if my ideas are correct or incorrect, if my shooting is dead on or needs work. But mainly it is a part of me. I started with a sling shot killing lizards, graduated to taking birds, tracked bunnies in the snow, took squirrel from treeing dogs and from watching them in their feeding mode. Then there was hunting for edible foods like mushrooms, roots to sell, pelts to stretch and sell, Why do I hunt? It is like taking a bath, using the comode or a good marriage. I have to to hunt to live a satisfying worthwhilej life. Ozark
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Post by youp50 on Mar 3, 2009 16:27:51 GMT -5
Fish ain't bitin'?
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Post by Hossdaniels on Mar 3, 2009 17:28:12 GMT -5
Quiet time! Hope to make it family time in a few years, my boy is only 7 months old, and his aim aint that good yet(aside from hitting daddy at diaper changin time).
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Post by petev on Mar 3, 2009 17:30:28 GMT -5
It's my thing I guess. That and canoeing, and outdoor work.
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Post by whyohe on Mar 3, 2009 17:48:52 GMT -5
it is a family tradition. we had to hunt to put food on the table. if we ran out of deer meat we ate bologna and some times just cheese sadwiches.
why do i do it now? I LOVE the outdoors. i love the chalange and the experience of calling in that turkey, watching that deer come close. if i get one its a bonus and less money i have to spend on beef, and it is heathier for me! i also do it to put food on families table. if they are in need, i feed.
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Post by pfw4666 on Mar 3, 2009 17:51:05 GMT -5
Twenty-some years ago I was cleaning squirrels when my Mom happened by as I was rinsing them in her kitchen sink. It was about 10AM on a Sunday morning and she said to me "Why is it that you can get up before dawn and go hunting or fishing, but you cannot get up to go to church?" My answer is the same now as it was then. I simply told her that I worked six days a week and Sunday was the only day that I had to myself. I then told her that when I was in the timber, I was closer to God than she will ever be in her Church. She had no reply and it was the last time we talked about it.....but she lets me know when she is out of deer burger and deer sausage.
Hunting, fishng and shooting are my hobbies and I enjoy them any time that I can.
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Mar 3, 2009 19:22:50 GMT -5
I hunt for the pure sport of it. I have since I was old enough to drag a .22 behind me..
Yes I eat everything except red squirrels, woodchucks and starlings. Feed those to others in need. Like maggots.
It's a craving to outwit an animal. It's a desire to master a weapon. What can I say....it's fun, and at its' roots....primal.
The social aspect of some forms....waterfowl and at times deer drives...is a plus and adds to the experience.
Over the years I have developed a respect for the game I pursue. It's because of them that I can enjoy all this. I try to leave a few deer...a few woodchucks...and a red squirrel or two to perpetuate these reasons. ;D ;D
Why do I hunt? Cause it's my favorite thing to do. Gives me a reason to hone a rifle or get good with my bow. A reason to be out there.
I bet Ted Nugent would give a more glamorous answer to this...which I would applaud...but that's the best I can do.
Everybody hunts...don't they?
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Post by ET on Mar 3, 2009 20:26:20 GMT -5
Hunting is a special time in my life to get outdoors away from just an everyday life of existence in a society created by man.
Here I enter the theater belonging to Mother Nature where only primal concerns of life and death struggles are focused on.
Here also I experience the serenity I often seek when living in the other daily world.
Here a person can almost feel their heartbeat as there are little distractions surrounding and inundating you.
Here a sense of belonging draws you onward on a quest to harvest game animals.
The meat quality is of natural design that is not treated with growth hormones or chemicals.
Here a special time is shared with other hunters as if belonging to a special family or fraternity. A true bonding can be experienced here.
It is not just about outright killing but ending an animal’s life quickly and humanely as possible. To play such a role requires practice time for proficiency with the weapon of choice to meet such an imposed mandate. Also a level of physical conditioning is required to stalk the animal of choice.
This is just a basic response that can be expanded descriptively more but not needed when another hunter reads this.
Ed
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Post by Harley on Mar 4, 2009 0:01:38 GMT -5
I don't really know anymore why I hunt. Each year I have more sympathy for the deer I kill, and always feel a little regret when I first walk up on one I've shot. Still, nothing could keep me out of the woods and out of my stand because nothing compares with that first moment a deer walks out into view. I no longer take close shots; I set up so that I have to shoot far and well. I really think what I'm after is a combination of solitude and excellence. I don't call what I do hunting - I sit in a likely place and hope something comes by.
Hunting is also the best excuse I have for spending money on guns, rifles, handguns and bows. I LOVE equipment.
Harley
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Post by dougedwards on Mar 4, 2009 9:16:01 GMT -5
This is a thought provoking question because what I do doesn't make rational sense. Getting up at 4:30 AM, leaving a warm wife in a warm bed to travel a great distance to sit up in a treestand, subjecting myself to all types of horrid weather, only in hopes of seeing a nice whitetail buck that I might want to harvest. Now does that make good sense???
On the surface it doesn't make good sense to me but as I think about it I believe that the answer lies somewhere deeper than I just enjoy being with nature. I love the outdoors but it is obvious that the love of nature isn't what prompts me to go the extents that I do for hunting. The following is my explaination that I posted in another message board in response to this question. What do you think?
"I hunt because thousands of years ago my ancestors packed mud on their bodies to mask their scent and slung spears at wild animals in hopes of survival. I believe, just as in the animal kingdom certain information is genetically transfered from generation to generation, that also humans have innate urges and tendencies that have their roots in their primeval ancestors
I absolutely have no desire to stand on the side of the road next to my truck with shotgun in hand listening for deer hounds that might chase a whitetail by me as is customarily done here in Virginia. I spend hours scouting the habits of my prey and try to give myself every advantage possible in scent inhibition and masking. I know my prey well and hunt as if my very survival was at stake. I test the limits of my senses including my intuition.
I never had a father that took me hunting as a kid and was first introduced to hunting in my mid twenties. However once I got a taste my ancestors called to me. Now forever more my wife and I will quarrel from October through the first week of January because I will be completely occupied during that period."
Doug
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Post by ozark on Mar 4, 2009 9:29:59 GMT -5
After reading all these I am left with a possibility that hasn't been mentioned. Perhaps we hunt because we don't really understand this irriational activity. Perhaps we are out there hoping to discover why we are out there hoping to learn why we are doing it. If only we could know why we are doing it maybe we conld save our money, stay in a warm bed and not be pointed out in crowds as a wierdo and laughed at. Oh, how we long to be normal............
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Post by petev on Mar 4, 2009 10:21:43 GMT -5
I think dougedward's objective ancestor about genetics nails it down for me also. I don't think hunting is any better than playing a musical instrument or hiking, etc. To each his own. I hunt because I do. I am a firm believer in one's actions being consistent with their true interests and urges, of course as long as there is nothing "wrong" being done. If the majority outlaws hunting or gun ownership for the minority, then I would not be as fulfilled as my own person. Now, to justify the expense, and that of cross-country skiing and canoeing, etc. I call it my "heart medicine". Now, what's better- to spend medicine on blood pressure pills, or on exercise in the great outdoors?
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Post by Buckrub on Mar 4, 2009 11:45:55 GMT -5
This is great. I should have added "I hunt because I have every hope that the meat I eat will have lived a good and happy and free life until he succumbs to his rightful God-provided place in the food chain." This is why we don't hunt with cameras. You can't eat pictures. And you can't eradicate unneeded predators with a Canon, only a Cannon!  However, I have no doubt that a lot of people I know would be surprised to read this stuff. I'm sure they would have expected to see a lot of "I like big antlers" and "I love to see blood" and "I like killing things" and such. I have to admit, I do wonder how many more generations our 'group' will exist, though. The reasons we do it have to be the same reasons those behind us take it up too. |
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Post by petev on Mar 4, 2009 11:57:36 GMT -5
This is great. I should have added "I hunt because I have every hope that the meat I eat will have lived a good and happy and free life until he succumbs to his rightful God-provided place in the food chain." I have to admit, I do wonder how many more generations our 'group' will exist, though. The reasons we do it have to be the same reasons those behind us take it up too. Yes, this is great. Only a hunter with the experience to have such a well-balanced point of view could make such a statement! In two weeks I will be working out of town all week for the next year or so, and I will not have access to this site during the week probably. I will miss it. It has come a long way from being just a Savage ML fix-it site, for sure. |
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Post by wilmsmeyer on Mar 4, 2009 16:28:48 GMT -5
I also feel a little regret...sadness...when seeing a deer topple. Especially a doe that probably cost me more then beef bought in a store. Both taste good and sustain us with protein. Each had to die.
Why do some of us feel that way? Compassion for a lower rung of the step ladder? The deer did nothing to me but provide a thrill and a dinner. It would eat out of my hand if I trained it and lick my palm and never hurt ME.
Additionally we do this at a distance. Even if at 30 yds. If the animal came to us in the woods, would we wrestle it and slit its' throat? A very strange concept...but it's not always about the meat or supper. It can be but often it's not. Sometimes it's a "pack" mentality. You are on a hunt..or on stand...and you can shoot "him" and everyone will be so thrilled back at camp. Honestly.
However, the feeling of regret fades so fast next time on stand. Aw crap...I gotta stop thinking about this. I'm a hunter and if it all went away, I'd be nothing to myself anymore.
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Post by ozark on Mar 4, 2009 17:32:34 GMT -5
I think we all feel a degree of remose when we take game Wilms. Indians I am told gave thanks to their Gods for the bounty and accepted it as a gift. As humans we have compassion and feeligns for life. I respect that trait in us and although i have seen a few who didn't have this characterist and would do things cruel like putting an animals eyes out and laugh as it crashed into things. Not my kind of people and I have no respect for that type. On the other end are those who see an animal killed by a vehicle and it ruins their whole day.There has to be a happy medium on how far to take these things. I don't know if I have it right or if I should change but hunting means harvesting to me and harvesting means the same whether it is Tyson Chickenk, beef, pork, deer or another creature. It all goes with the package.
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Post by huntingmike on Mar 4, 2009 18:51:51 GMT -5
I don't have enough time to explain why I hunt.
It is cheaper to buy beef, or any other food. It is easier to go the the super market where someone else has done the work of preparing it for consumption.
I will say that fresh back straps on a grill are hard to beat and the best chili has to be with venison.
That being said," I have to DEER HUNT period !!!!!!"
When it stops being exciting I will quit. My guess is, it will be after my death.
A new season is almost as good as breathing even though hunting is a lot harder now as I get older. It is funny how those mountains have gotten taller over the years.
I give my time to the Lord, my family, and my occupation but when I hunt it is for me and when I am alone in the woods I am never alone.
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Post by minst7877 on Mar 4, 2009 20:09:08 GMT -5
Good one I'm still laughing over this answer. |
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Post by huntingmike on Mar 5, 2009 15:53:57 GMT -5
Somehow my wife did not find it as humorous.
Go figure.............
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Post by dans on Mar 5, 2009 22:04:15 GMT -5
I have trouble putting into words what it is that drives me to hunt. I am either hunting or thinking about hunting. Deep in the fiber of my being is something that draws me into the field pursuing game. It may be the elemental contest between predator and prey, I'm not sure. Its not quality time with friends and family, its not for a trophy to put on the wall, it's not for food on the table, or to enjoy nature and the outdoors. All those things can be had without hunting. If I had no one to hunt with I would hunt alone. If I wanted to enjoy nature I would go for a walk. Food on the table? Although I think that wild game is the best meat there is I could eat steak everyday with the dollars I spend on hunting. Someone asked me the other day. "How many deer have you killed?" I replied, "I have no idea." It is not about numbers for me. I can tell you about many, many, deer kills I have made. How I set up, how I watched the deer approach, how I shot, how they reacted, all kinds of details. Why I remember this stuff is a mystery to me but I do. I read with interest the story of the father in law postponing surgery until after the deer season. I did the same thing this year with a torn up rotator cuff. I had to use shooting sticks to hold up my savage because my right arm just wouldn't work right. Why do I have to hunt? I guess the father in law's answer,"Because I have to." is as close to solving the mystery as any other.
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Post by mike3132 on Mar 5, 2009 22:20:39 GMT -5
I just love to be in the woods and tune into mother nature. What better place can a man be? Ive spent hundreds and hundreds of hours hunting and being in the woods and hope to spent hundreds more. Mike
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Post by chuck41 on Mar 5, 2009 22:47:10 GMT -5
I hunt for the sheer joy of hunting. The woods are quiet and no one out there tells me how many chores are left to be done. To commune with nature is the most pleasant of experiences and my deer stand is the best prayer booth I have ever found.
I take far more pictures than I kill deer by a hundred times over, but if I didn't at least occasionally bring home some meat my wife would likely think I was out chasing women. Besides its cheaper than sitting in a bar buying drinks or going golfing three times a week and we are not even going to think about how expensive chasing women is. I caught one of those many years ago and I am still payin'.
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Post by 12ptdroptine on Mar 6, 2009 20:21:49 GMT -5
As an old statement I read year's ago said... "If I have to explain you wouldnt understand". Drop
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Post by fowlplay on Mar 7, 2009 7:59:53 GMT -5
How often people experience a sunrise or sunset in the concrete jungle we live in today? Be able to hear the woods come alive at first light. Sitting in a duck blind and hearing whistling wings above. Calling to nature and nature calling back. I feel sorry for the people that don't hunt, fish, or just don't experience the great outdoors.
This is why I hunt. For myself it is just not about the kill, it is the whole package. Priceless!
Steve
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Post by tcmech on Mar 7, 2009 22:31:56 GMT -5
My wife can't climb trees
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Post by huntingmike on Mar 8, 2009 22:40:15 GMT -5
Good one! ;D ;D ;D
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