Why do you hunt?

[Doc]

Perhaps I am not understanding the question, 'why do you hunt?'

Why the &^$% wouldn't I?

There's nothing to understand about the question. We all spend a lot of time, money, effort and interest on hunting. The question is simply, why do we do it? No more complicated than that.

[Doc]

to me its being outdoors and taking in the sights and sounds that nature has to offer. Spending that time with friends and family. There so much more to the hunt then just taking an animal. i love to just have "ME" time and really just enjoy being out in nature.

the thrill of getting in the woods and seeing these animals out in nature really strikes a cord for me... and also the camaraderie of the camp.

all factors that makes me love this sport..

I agree with everything you've said, but those are reasons to be out enjoying nature, not necessarily things that only hunting can provide. Hikers or wildlife photographers could say the same things, and have nothing to do with hunting at all. Certainly there are other more basic things that make you want to do these things while carrying a bow or rifle.

I almost think that most of us have a hard time understanding exactly what it is that makes us hunters. Either that or we know it but can't explain it. It's funny how we can fanatically do something all our lives and then struggle so much with the question of "why". I sure don't have it all figured out. I have a bunch of theories, but have never seen anyone actually discuss or define what the driving force behind hunting really is.

Doc

[HVOprostaff_1]

Why I Hunt......? I guess my earliest memory of hunting was when I was very young watching my father unload a nice buck that he had taken off the hill. Seeing the pride in his eyes as he grinned grunted and heaved to get it to the hoist. My uncles and some of his friends coming over after dark to come see his kill, the jokes laughter and his story of how the hunt went down. That started the fire burning deep with in me that to this day I still cant control. The night before Season I am like a kid on christmas eve, cant sleep just waiting for the time to get up and get at it. The sound of being in the woods the primal instinct that drives you to sit through a blizzard or ford through a swamp and to scale a mountain. The first time I heard a gobbler cut loose at day break,  the first buck I watched break into the field I was sitting on are feelings sights and sounds I will never forget. Along with the first time I got busted by a doe and the first grouse that nearly made me soil my camo as I was creeping through the brush. The closeness you feel with nature while you are sitting and observing, is a feeling that some regretably will never experience. The way your heart skips a beat when that buck youve been watching is on his way to you. The anticipation of the crunching branches and leaves until you see your prey break the tree line. Then the kill the rush, My first deer I was fine and under control through the shot and the field dressing I thought,  that is until I got in to the truck I noticed I was shaking so bad I as I sat in the back seat of my dads truck. Seeing the pride in my fathers face the ear to ear grin I had in the pictures of me holding the does head high.  That is the reason I hunt.

[Paulie]

Cause nothing else gets my heart pumpin like a deer in range!I always joke with co-workers that 1. I'm working on lowering their insurance premiums and 2. If armagedom happened tomorrow, I could feed my family....I think it is all just getting back to basics and what made us who we are as humans, today!

[TH41]

When I was too young to hunt my father,grandfather,and uncles took me along. My attraction to the outdoors came from many outings and seeing wild life up close and undisturbed. The past two seasons,I have began taking a camera to capture animals that weren't targets . Deer ,turkeys,basically anything in the wild that would catch my eye. I also grew up having wild animals here and there injured or orphaned. The reason why I hunt is for conservation of the game species and the food they provide. I believe for every license I buy and every animal I take it is helping the ecosystem as a whole. And I wouldn't say the tradition of hunting was passed down.I'd say its more the tradition of enjoying wildlife on their home turf. The pursuit is a lot of fun. But learning something new just about every year, about  each species I hunt  is pretty memorable also. I hope it is never taken away from me. It is pretty big part of my life.

[gundeck]

I, too, was among those who have had hunting molded into my being since I was small.  As a young kid, I hunted in PA with my family (and, when I say family, I mean uncles and cousins and all).  It was always a weeks long event.  Sort of a late year family reunion.

Beyond that, I love spending time in nature.  I have done other things to get out (hiking, rock climbing, etc.), but Doc is right, there is something more to it.

I think it is not unlike the guy who (despite the availability of speed boats) spends months or years working on a hand-crafted sailboat.  It is about (in this day of television and electronics) reverting to skills which most have thrown aside for the convenience of modern day.  I, on the other hand, want to prove to myself that I can still perform (if not master) the skills that my forefathers relied upon.  I could use a rifle or shotgun, but I prefer to use a bow.  It requires at least some skill on my part.

Besides, I LOVE venison!

[Paulie]

I get asked this question too often....well i have a new answer!! I met up with guy on Saturday who I met on the old forum. Neither one of us like to hunt alone....as it goes, we went out to one of his spots. All I can say is what a day it was!!! And I didn't even come close to having a shot at a deer!!! In 18 years of hunting I have seen a lot of things but I will be the first to admit that there is always more to see. I started off the day listening to a dog barking as soon as we got in stand. That was followed by yotes howling. After 20 min in the stand I heard a ruckus and saw what i thought was a turkey. Wouldn't you know it her come three black things...a mama bear and 2 cubs!! THAT WAS A FIRST FOR ME! About and hour and a few deer passed ( ar off) before I saw two yotes (in 18 years I have only seen 4 in the woods before this day). So I see a few more deer and then all of a sudden i hear something and look to my right. There is a Bobcat....Wow, I have never seen one of those!! Well, I saw Mama and 3 or 4 kittens...I lost track as I was trying to take pictures. THAT WAS ANOTHER FIRST! Wouldn't you know it, just after playing with the bobcats and right before I was about to climb down I see the chest of a deer! One step later, there are the horns 65 yards away and walking away from me! I threw everything but the kitchen sink at this deer and he just kept movin away and up the ridge....at that point it really didn't matter to me as I felt like I had just visited "Wild Kingdom"! That was a hunt that I will remember forever!! And I am sure that a very small percentage of people have shared the same experience......that IS WHY I HUNT..It was freakin AWESOME!!!

[Bleitten04]

^ quite an eventful day!!!

[SteveMcD]

Well... I love eating wild game. But I would say my main reason is about getting close to nature and experiencing the outdoors. I also love the chase and the overall experience of the hunt. And for as long as arthritis let me.. because I still can!