Why do you hunt?

[westy39]

I hunt for meat. I went out several times this year. Once with a good friend and co-worker we spent the day in the trees and speaking of our lives (we are retired Police Officers, who worked together). I spent another day alone enjoying the wind in my face and the sun at my back, thinking about the blessings the Lord has given me. The best day was spent with my daughters hunting/teaching and learning from each other. I went out another time and spent it tracking and stalking. The last time out I got to about 125 yards of a nice 4 point mule deer (in Montana we only count one side of a rack) and took my shot. It was an adventure to get him loaded into my pickup, he was a bit bigger than I thought, then to I am getting older... But I hunt for food, companionship, quality family time, and to escape the chaotic life we tend to create for ourselves. One could say I hunt to remember the blessings of being an AMERICAN. Just my 2 cents worth from Montana, the Big Sky Country.... To all hunters may you too experience some wonders this hunting season... Damn, where is my Wolf tag ?????
Westy39

 

[303tom]

I love to hunt & I love to eat...........

 

[tazbigdog]

Why do I hunt? For the sheer pleasure of spending quality time outdoors. Most time I go out, I don't kill anything, but sure enjoy the walk and nature.

 

[Skyshot]

Howdy folks,
I am just curious if I am the only hunter here who does not care if they kill anything. I have been deer hunting for 12 years now. Still ain't killed one.
Seen some, had shots at some. Circumstanses just did not allow for me to take the shot. I am in my mid 40's now and really just don't want to kill a deer anymore. But tomorrow morning rest assured I will be in the woods.
I love the act of hunting. Getting my rifle sighted in. Developing a load. Imagining the shot and the kill. I love getting up earlly to get in woods. Walking trails I ain't walked on before. Sitting quietly in leaves waiting on the sun to rise and warm me up. Coming home tired from the trail. This is why I hunt.

It's all about the primal instinct that's embedded in all of us. Why does a well fed house cat start hunting when its let out side? And don't you feel sorry or those who try to suppress that instinct.

 

[ridgerunner1965]

its ocurred to me that i hunt because im kinda dumb.i love venison backstrap, round steaks, jerky and a dozen dishes i can make with deer burger. i really dont know any other way to get the ingredients.

 

[ritepath]

I hunt to take my son hunting...kind of passing the torch I suppose. Up until last year I hadn't hunted in a long time. I enjoy the time spent in the field with my son. He took a button buck this evening with his new 7mm08 and just watching him was more fun than any deer I've taken.

 

[tahunua001]

I hunt because to tell you the truth...I prefer the taste of game to domestic. I grew up on it..living on the reservation we were good friends with a native american family that hunted all year round. every time we got low on meat all we had to do was ask and within a few days we'd have a deer or antelope delivered to our garage for butchering... good times. I love the outdoors and any excuse that I can find to lose myself from family, work, town, life... that is why I hunt

 

[Ankeny]

I hunt because it is a way of life. Hard concept for a lot of folks.

 

[ronnie412]

tc encore 2506

shot 1st deer at 287yd wow i was impressed useing hornady 117 gr bullet

 

[plateshooter]

I hunt for meat and the adventure of getting it. Trophy antlers etc mean nothing to me.
These days, I take one hog a year and that feeds us until the next pork chop run.

 

[buck460XVR]

My reasons for hunting have changed greatly over the years. When I first started hunting it was because of tradition and because it was the only thing to do in rural America in the 60s. Anything that was legal was shot and ate if it was edible. As I grew older, it became more of a passion and more for horn/size/quantity than quality of the hunt. It became a competition between family, friends and peers for the largest and the most. As I grew older, I started to realize how blessed I was to be able to hunt and how fortunate I was to have the opportunities to hunt such beautiful areas. The kills became less important and the quality of the hunt and the family and friends I shared it with became the priority. Nowadays I hunt deer with handguns and let the kids shoot the birds over my dog as I watch. Years ago it was worth it to spend half a day draggin' out a deer from a mile in. In my younger years, it was worth the hours cleanin' birds/game/fish after a hard days hunt. Now I thank the Lord for another day in the field and prefer to just to watch 'em and let 'em go.

 

[CoRoMo]

I hunt for the meat and the sport of it. If I don't kill one (or several), I hate the fact that I failed to provide it for my household. Big antlers make me grin widely.

 

[sixgunner455]

As someone else said, because it makes me happy.

 

[mljdeckard]

A few reasons come to mind.

Hunting is a tradition going through multiple generations in my family. I feel that there is a lack of passion growing about hunting, because fewer people are in traditional 9-5 jobs than when my grandfather took my dad out. It requires more effort to make time and use the money and resources and get out. I owe it to the tradition to make sure I continue it.

I also think that part of the effort to ban guns is to demonize hunting. To make outsiders think that we are all loud, Bud Light drinking buffoons who have no regard for any life. If they convince the public at large that hunters do more harm than good, they will be that much closer to restrictions.

It's good to have a reason to get out and do something. My dad had the deer hunt, firewood gathering, and fishing as the primary reasons to get out. For me, it is more hunting coyotes, geocaching, and camping. I am trying to make my activities options that are available year-round. I don't feel as passionate about the deer hunt as my dad did, he lived and died for the fall to be able to hunt. But I'm still trying to make time to do it.

 

[Davek1977]

I hunt, because, at this point, i don't know how NOT to, if that makes any sense at all (but I think, to a true hunter, it will). I grew up hunting....from ten yrs old on, its been one of my biggest passions. While I enjoy small game hunting, varmint hunting, and upland game, deer hunting is something I enjoy more than anything other. I took a 24 in. wide 5x5 mulie on my first morning ever deer hunting at age 12, and thats all it took...I was hooked for life, no amount of rehab would ever "fix" me!!! Just before the season opener this year, I was inspired to try to put the emotions I feel that time of year on paper, and this is what i came up with....



Up before dawn
I stumble out of bed and yawn
But I've been awake all night stewing
well before the coffee was brewing

For today is THE day
the one I wait for all year
For today is the day,
I finally get to hunt some deer

Better than my birthday and Christmas
All rolled into one
A fall morning so beautiful
A morning spent with special people
and of course, my gun

Plans are made before the sun slowly rises
but are quickly abandoned
as the hunt is full of surprises
Even before we leave the house
deer are moving, north, west east and south

Bucks and does
mulies and whitetails
pursuing them is all today entails

AS the gear is loaded and the tanks are filled
we reminiscence about the deer we've killed
about big racks and following tracks
We talk about the deer on the wall
and about the big one that escaped just last fall


As the morning becomes crisp and bright
the world has never felt just so right
shots in the distance
maybe someone's tag is filled
With a trophy, I hope someone is thrilled

I ponder life as I patiently wait
while I hope for “my” buck to test his fate
A movement in the brush
My heartbeat begins to rush

Suddenly.... he appears
A majestic beast
with antlers stretching far beyond his ears
I aim my rifle, and slowly squeeze......

Boom!
And the silence is broken
as I approach, not a word is spoken

After twenty two seasons
the excitement and the sadness is still there
As I admire my trophy
in the cool fall air

As the work begins and I start field dressing
I can't help, but feel hunting is my blessing
So many emotions, all wrapped into one
I can't believe another season is already done

These are the days I live for
I hope they never go away
For I always hope to see
another opening day

^ THAT is why I hunt.....nature, friends, family, challenges and rewards

 

[gilgsn]

I am not a hunter. My Grandfather was. He used to take me with him when I was a child. I loved to be out in the fields, but for a 10yo, it was a lot of walking! When I reached 16, I got my hunting license. Never liked the shotgun.. There wasn't much money to buy shells for practice.. I missed everything I shot at. At 16, I didn't have much patience..
Today, I am thinking of hunting again (45yo). Because I consider hunting a skill every man should have. I would not kill an animal for the sport, only to eat it. I want to learn how to hunt, field dress the animal and preserve the meat.. It's not about hunting only.. Of course, just being out there is the main purpose..

 

[Sako Shooter]

My grandfather was a "great depression" hunter when the meat was necessary to feed the family. He was hard core to say the least. I was raised by hunters and have been doing it for over 40 years. I remember going hunting before school when I was a teenager. It's in my blood and once it is in you it is difficult, if not impossible, to get out.

There is actually a school district in Louisiana where the day before squirrel season is a holiday. It's just that way in the South.

 

[horsemen61]

hunt

I hunt because I like to eat what I kill not some horomome induced animal