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 8 hours ago 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.