Does anyone else consider themselves strictly a meat hunter?

[Jason_W]

If I have learned anything on THR, it is that ethics are regional. Baiting deer comes to mind. Talk about fish in a barrel

If baiting is legal and approved by state wildlife biologists, why not? Granted, it's not hunting in the same way that tracking an animal for miles is hunting, but it is harvesting free range meat, and there is value in that in and of itself.

Some people hunt for the challenge. they want to prove that they are capable of outwitting a game animal on its own turf. That's great. Others, really just want wild meat in the freezer and are hunting for the fulfillment that comes with obtaining food directly, without any middle men involved. That's great too.

Among hunters and anglers, there is an irritating subset of people who label as unethical any hunting or fishing method they view as easier or "less holy" than their own preferred method. Some fly fishermen look down their noses at anyone who takes to the water with a spinning setup, and some bow hunters dismiss firearms hunters with disgust. Such elitists aren't doing anything good for the future of hunting and angling.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Jason points out a true problem. Folks who say "that's not hunting" when it differs from their aesthetics, even when you point out staking out a cornfield, climbing a tree, or putting down salt or staking out the salt spring are documented back to the flintlock era to hunters who didn't have the choice, if they wanted meat they shot it.

I am not a "meat" hunter, nor am I a "trophy" hunter. I shoot what comes in front of me. A mature fat doe, or a mature buck, doesn't matter. Usually this is a mature doe. I have passed on a large, mature buck with a nice rack, because he kept his numerous ladies in the area that I hunt, so he increased my chances at venison of one sex or the other. I took a nice four point trying to sneak into the mature buck's "harem" one morning, so leaving the big buck be was advantageous to my hunting.

LD

 

[rromeo]

I hunt deer because they are delicious. I'd shoot a 140lb doe before I shot a 140lb buck.
I'm not going to pay $500 to get a deer head mounted, but I might do an antler mount if he is something special.

 

[MCgunner]

So, you only shoot at running deer?

Like I said, I'm out there to enjoy the outdoors and hopefully bring in some meat. Not show everyone how great I am at shooting down flying objects.

Apples and oranges, though I have shot running deer. Most sportsmen hunt birds for sport. If you wanna eat quail, you can buy quail, pen raised. SHOOTING quail is done on the wing after the point from a good dog.

That said, I don't consider ground swatting a bird "unelthical" if it's legal where you are, just kinda stupid and a waste of a shotgun shell. I ain't out to impress you with my wing shooting skills, I ain't even out to impress myself. I'm out there for the fun of it. It's just more fun to wing shoot and it gives my dog a decent retrieve to boot. The bird hunting meat hunter would probably shoot and eat the dog... I mean, if it's MEAT you want, there's more meat on the dog, right?

And, BTW, I have a nice mallard on the wall I had mounted in 1988. I didn't eat that one. I'd still like to mount a good bull sprig next one I shoot. I killed a cinnamon teal once and froze it to have it mounted, but never got the money up to do it. Only cinnamon teal I've ever shot. It was pretty. Duck hunting is about the experience, the deeks, the calling, as much as it is the shooting. I enjoy all aspects of duck hunting. It ain't about the meat. The meat ain't all that good on a duck anyway. I've acquired a taste for it, but the wife won't eat 'em.

 

[Jason_W]

My primary ethic beyond hunting safely is to never shoot something I don't like to eat, excepting cases of pest control. I'll never take another shot at a woodcock or gray squirrel for this reason. I could really care less about method of take as long as it's safe and legal.

 

[MCgunner]

My primary ethic beyond hunting safely is to never shoot something I don't like to eat, excepting cases of pest control. I'll never take another shot at a woodcock or gray squirrel for this reason.

Squirrel is delicious! I never ate woodcock, but should be light meat, I'd think.

 

[Jason_W]

Woodcock are worm eaters. They taste like strong liver. Not my thing.

 

[WayBeau]

I am this year. The wife has given me the green light to fill the coffin freezer (the freezer in our basement that I could my 6'4" self inside of). That doesn't mean I won't shoot a buck should the opportunity present itself. I'm also thinking of trying to do something with the hides.

Any suggestions?

 

[MCgunner]

Woodcock are worm eaters. They taste like strong liver. Not my thing.

You probably don't like waterfowl, either, right? It has that liver taste, not worms that cause it, the dark meat. There are ways I like it, though.

 

[LT.Diver]

Yep.

 

[WayBeau]

The meat ain't all that good on a duck anyway.

I respectfully disagree. I LOVE wild duck. Cooked properly, it can be out of this world good. A nice fat Canvasback is some of the best eating on the planet, problem is getting one to slow down long enough to shoot it. Those suckers are quick.

 

[Jason_W]

You probably don't like waterfowl, either, right? It has that liver taste, not worms that cause it, the dark meat. There are ways I like it, though.

I've never had the opportunity to try wild waterfowl. I know I like ruffed grouse, snowshoe hare, and venison. The available game species here in NNE is pretty limited.

We have ducks and geese, of course, but I haven't had a chance to try hunting them as getting set up looks like it could get expensive in a hurry.

On the subject of dark meat, I saw a TV show once that documented people hunting puffins in Iceland. That was some of the darkest meat I've seen. It was purplish-black in color. I can only imagine how strong that stuff was.

 

[swampcrawler]

I've killed 16 deer so far. Only 4 were bucks. I shoot the first legal meat excepting does with spotted fawns.

I also love to shoot me some under 100 lb hogs. And squirrels. And best of all.. rabbits. Yum.

 

[ultratec1]

Meat hunter.....yes

Trophy hunter.....yes.


In Iowa you are allowed to buy as many antlerless tags for the county you live as long as the quota is not filled in that county. I will shoot 2-3 does a year to fill the freezer and hold off on the anysex tag for the buck that I want.

 

[VTGD7940]

I go either or. I mean, my main priority in hunting is meat. I like deer meat (and squirrel, rabbit, quail, etc.). It's free, and doesn't have any of the extra stuff (preservatives, colors, hormones, antibiotics) that meat found at the grocery store seems to carry. However, if a nice buck comes my way, I won't pass it up. This being said, I've yet to actually kill a deer (this season will change that), but just in terms of mindset relating to hunting, I'm more about the meat.

 

[Loyalist Dave]

My primary ethic beyond hunting safely is to never shoot something I don't like to eat, excepting cases of pest control. I'll never take another shot at a woodcock or gray squirrel for this reason.

I respect that, and follow that as well.., which is why I will shoot the gray squirrels and the woodcock..., yum yum yummy!

LD

 

[Arkansas Paul]

If I have learned anything on THR, it is that ethics are regional. Baiting deer comes to mind. Talk about fish in a barrel. A running rooster is a harder target than a deer buried to its ears in a bucket of corn.

On the contrary, if an animal has its ears in my corn pile, it is standing still, thus increasing my chances of putting a quick kill shot on it. Seems like the quicker the kill, the more ethical to me. But hey, don't let me stand in the way of your chest thumping macho self image. I'm sure you only shoot deer that are armed at least as well as you are. You know, so its ethical and all.

 

[rromeo]

I agree. I don't bait deer, but I don't think it makes me a better hunter. It's illegal to shoot over bait here, but feed plots are legal and I won't chase a deer away from the pear tree just to make an ethical shot.
From what I think I know, some states require bait for bear hunting because they don't want bad shots and a wounded bear running around.
Is it unethical to use rattle antlers or other calls to lure a buck in?

Don't call me a wise old sage. I have exactly one deer kill to my name, and it was a doe that was standing in the middle of the trail as I was on my way to the blind. No bait, no calls, just a guy and a gun.

 

[Jason_W]

A reasonable argument against baiting that I've heard is that it can potentially facilitate the spread of communicable diseases such as CWD. I have not read any peer reviewed studies backing that up, however.

 

[wyohome]

But hey, don't let me stand in the way of your chest thumping macho self image.

Don't let reading comprehension get in the way of yours.

 

[Jason_W]

It's also important to acknowledge that North America is a huge continent with varying environments, terrain, and species.

West of the Mississippi, it seems hunters engage in a lot of spot and stalk hunting. That looks really fun and exciting, but it's not possible in much of the east where visibility in the woods is often limited to 50 yards or less.

Methods such as baiting and deer drives likely wouldn't even work in a lot of more open and vast regions. They are used, where legal, in the east, to increase a hunters chance's of success from pretty much zero to a split hair more than zero.

Similarly, shooting birds on the ground may be unnecessary when shooting pheasants in a corn field (and unsafe when hunting with dogs) but if you're hunting ruffed grouse dogless in Boreal northern forest where you can barely see your hand in front of your face, you'll maybe hit 1/100 birds that get in the air, regardless of how good you are at the sporting clays range.

I guess the point is not to judge a man's hunting methods until you've endured a mile in his hunting grounds.

 

[Jason_W]

which is why I will shoot the gray squirrels and the woodcock..., yum yum yummy!

More power to you. To me, woodcock taste like a dry chicken liver. I find gray squirrel unpleasant and red squirrel repugnant.

I cut my teeth hunting at age 10 on red squirrel. My parents held me to a strict, you kill it, you eat it standard. I stopped shooting red squirrel shortly thereafter, excepting the ones that got into the walls of the house and started tearing up the insulation.

ah, growing up rural . . .

 

[DM~]

The only think i've found those little red squirrels good for, is bait!! AND that's exactly what i use them for!!



DM

 

[MCgunner]

On the subject of dark meat, I saw a TV show once that documented people hunting puffins in Iceland. That was some of the darkest meat I've seen. It was purplish-black in color. I can only imagine how strong that stuff was.

Generally, birds that migrate have dark meat and it can have that strong taste to it. The BEST I've eaten is sandhill crane. WOW, that's a BIG bird with some tasty, mild dark meat! The drum sticks are a might tough. When I get another, I might try crock potting it with the drum sticks on.

Light meat birds tend to be the flushers, ground dwellers and tend to have the milder meat. They're two different types of muscle. The dark muscle has endurance, the light muscle has quick speed, but not so much endurance.

So, your grouse, your pheasant, your quail, your chicken tend to be the best eating. Eating waterfowl or other such dark meated bird is often an acquired taste. Yes, there are ways of cooking it. My wife LOVES kabobed doves off the grill wrapped in bacon. I kinda like 'em with a piece of jalapeno wrapped in the bacon with the breast meat. I've let her try other dove recipes I like and she turns her nose up at it.

Hey, I like brussel sprouts and she don't. She likes sweet taters and I can't stand 'em. Different strokes....

 

[AKElroy]

This is my 6yr on this particular lease, and the feral pigs are out of control. Since checking their numbers is a priority, we shoot everyone we can and only occasionally do we eat one. Over the years, we've occasionally roasted one of the little footballs for camp food, but I've never had one processed until now.

My son shot his first, a good 180lb sow. I cleaned & gutted her, and ran her down to a processor. She was cleanly shot by my 12 year old, and I just couldn't drag his first to the boneyard. For $85, I got the hams and shoulders whole, slabbed the ribs, and had chops made from the loins.

We slow crocked the ribs in a heavy base of Stubbs BBQ sauce, and OH MY GOODNESS. The bones just fell out, and they were, without a doubt, the most awesome ribs ever.

Tonight we went all Betty Crocker on the pork chops, using good ol' shake n bake, and they were, again, the best chops I've ever tasted. I love the venison, but for flavor, I never expected these pigs to be this good. The boneyard will be seeing far fewer of them from now on. I can see one a month making it home!