Why do we do it?

[Doc]

What is it that drives you to go out in this crap weather and sit there with the rain dripping from your nose waiting to kill a critter? Is it the meat? Is it the challenge of man vs. animal? Is it just to get away from the old-lady? What is your personal reason for hunting?

[airedale]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

What is it that drives you to go out in this crap weather and sit there with the rain dripping from your nose waiting to kill a critter? Is it the meat? Is it the challenge of man vs. animal?

Them days are gone for me, I have done just about everything I wanted when it comes to hunting and fishing. I do take a few game animals to eat but nothing like I did in my younger days. From here on out I just want to enjoy myself being in the woods and give a lot of free passes when it comes to taking game. Most hunting now  is more about using and testing new rifles and ammo to see exactly how they perform or training a young hunting dog.

Al

[GreenDrake]

I simply don’t go out in the crap weather anymore. My entire way of hunting has changed since purchasing my own land. I have 200 acres in the northern zone surrounded by big woods and Ag that does not get hunted. My wife loves to accompany me…so we go out on dryer days and sit together in one of our several box blinds and enjoy our purchase and immense amount of hard work we put in all spring and summer maintaining the woods…fields…plots…and planning our next project.  It’s less and less about killing a deer, though I am blessed to connect with a good buck every year. We sat last evening and had 17 deer feeding in our plots, not a shooter among them. It’s a pleasure to watch them interacting. Had about 20 bluebirds feeding around us as well. Once the southern season ends I will focus on crows and pigeons. I won’t shoot up the farms while guys are still out trying to fill a tag.  If I get decent snow next weekend I will still hunt a bit if I haven’t killed one yet. 

[Four Seasons]

For me it’s the challenge anymore. I have to find one or two of the biggest in my area and hunt just them one on one until someone wins. He beat me all thru the archery season and almost 2 weeks of gun before he made his fatal mistake. Makes for a sense of accomplishment taking the best of the best in an area. Even knowing I got beat by the best has a great feeling to it. 

[wolc123]

Don’t do it, get yourself a good blind with nice overhangs to catch the rain:

 

I do it for the meat.  I like the taste of free range venison better than beef and it’s way more fun than raising livestock or shopping.  

Edited Friday at 12:18 AM by wolc123

[First-light]

7 hours ago, airedale said:

Them days are gone for me, I have done just about everything I wanted when it comes to hunting and fishing. I do take a few game animals to eat but nothing like I did in my younger days. From here on out I just want to enjoy myself being in the woods and give a lot of free passes when it comes to taking game. Most hunting now  is more about using and testing new rifles and ammo to see exactly how they perform or training a young hunting dog.

Al

Wow couldn't say it better. 

[Four Seasons]

2 hours ago, wolc123 said:

Don’t do it, get yourself a good blind with nice overhangs to catch the rain:

 

I do it for the meat.  I like the taste of free range venison better than beef and it’s way more fun than raising livestock or shopping.  

Would rather be in the elements with deer and harvesting deer then sitting in a blind that most any deer over 6months old knows all about and avoids. Blinds are almost like a crutch in many places. 

[First-light]

10 hours ago, Four Seasons said:

Would rather be in the elements with deer and harvesting deer then sitting in a blind that most any deer over 6months old knows all about and avoids. Blinds are almost like a crutch in many places. 

You think thats true? I built a big blind this year and put it in my favorite spot. I did not see any big bucks during daylight hours this year in that area. Now the trail camera picked up plenty of big ones at night and a lot of doe during daylight hours by it. 

[wolc123]

1 hour ago, First-light said:

You think thats true? I built a big blind this year and put it in my favorite spot. I did not see any big bucks during daylight hours this year in that area. Now the trail camera picked up plenty of big ones at night and a lot of doe during daylight hours by it. 

I’ve taken at least 3, 3.5 yr plus bucks from large blinds, including one from the upper deck of each of my two-story truck cap blinds, and one from an 8 ft elevated 4’x4’ platform with 3rd barnwood walls on 3 sides.  
 

Those were all during the peak two weeks of the rut when they are not thinking clearly or at the top of their wits.  The largest bodied one charged in shortly after I cleared about a foot deep of leaves that had accumulated in the upper section.  There was a fresh scrape nearby and I think he thought that noise was another deer visiting the scrape.  

Certainly they are tougher to fool outside of those two weeks.  

[Four Seasons]

3 hours ago, First-light said:

You think thats true? I built a big blind this year and put it in my favorite spot. I did not see any big bucks during daylight hours this year in that area. Now the trail camera picked up plenty of big ones at night and a lot of doe during daylight hours by it. 

100%. I myself won’t shoot anything but mature bucks and they just don’t make a lot of them in Ny state. Let alone a number of them on one property. I have like 14 Spypoint’s keeping track of their daily activities the best I can and it’s a rare occasion that they show up in the same place to many times. Now to just shoot a deer….any deer I’m sure it would be fine. I also think in states like say Illinois or Ohio kinda states where there are many more mature bucks because the states care about their herds a guy would get away with using blinds. But then again guys like Don Higgins has them all over his property 

[Doc]

I have asked myself this question so many times, and still come away with no one single answer. Yes, there is the challenge of man against animal. Actually back in my trapping days I experienced that challenge thing the most. But even with hunting I have my best times during bow season where the odds are clearly stacked in the deer's favor. I do love to stand there eyeball to eyeball with a deer or even a squirrel. It's a contest between me and them.

There are other reasons though. I have always had a feeling that hunting was a link back to the natural predatory nature of humans. There is something primal about the chase. The plotting and planning that are involved and the feeling of conquest when it all comes together in success is the reinforcing motivation to get out there year after year.

Then there is the fact that there are those days of calm and sunlight and changing colors of the foliage, and the peace and quiet that makes the hunting woods the place that makes you feel like you would really not want to be anywhere else.

There is also the tradition and culture of days way before me when hunting was a way of independence and survival. Even though not much of our equipment comes close to resembling that which our forefathers were stuck with, there is still something about getting your own meat that provides satisfaction that relates back to our roots a bit.

Sitting down to a meal of wild game that you have gotten yourself is also a satisfaction that will drive you out into the woods and brush-lots year after year. Even if it is only squirrels or rabbits or game birds or venison.

There is also the fact that for our family it has always been a family tradition for generation after generation.

Yeah there are a lot of reasons why I get out there every year and get into the hunt, even at 80 years when the struggle to get up that killer hill gets harder every year.....I still do it. 

   

[Daveboone]

Hunting is my ...mental therapy. I dont think about anything except being out in the woods, what the critters, weather, whatever are doing....It is about the only time I can really clear my mind. I particularly love hunting the slop. I tend to shoot more deer during fronts, or when it is really nasty...short of a gail. I love being out in the force of nature....but then love even more getting back to the nice warm cabin to enjoy ..not being out in it! 

I sure as hell though am not very happy about the storm just hitting up north, where I want to be come sunday night after I get out of work!

[GreeneHunter]

To me just being out there is a success !