Why do you do it?

[Doc]

Well, here is an old time-tested topic, but we have some new people here and also have had some more time for the rest of us to think about it.

 

Why do you hunt? When you step out the door all excited about getting a deer, a turkey, or a bunch of rabbits, squirrels, etc., etc., what is going through your mind. I am not talking about the things that usually come up in discussion with non-hunters where we go through the list of wildlife benefits of hunting. But what personally are you getting out of hunting.

[wheelieman]

Its who i am, Always has been and i dont see that changing anytime soon, Im driven to hunt, Ive gone through some of the stages and cant wait for the other stages to come, Its the challenge of getting that first deer, My heart pounding when i see the next one, The challenge of figuring out that one buck and the self control to let the others walk, The time spent with friends and family,The early mornings sitting there watching the world come to life, The sunrises and sunsets,The anxious feeling you get the night before the opener, Its me Its who i am,

[Doc]

There is so much to it all that Its hard to figure it all out. But it all has to do with what makes a hunter vs. what makes a non-hunter.

 

How much of it is the in-born predator lurking inside of us, put there my centuries of evolution where we are simply being what we really were meant to be ..... meat eating predators? How much of it is simply a test of our independence and self-reliance? How much of it is all tangled up with our history, culture and heritage? I think it all plays a part for me. I come from a rural upbringing at a time when hunting was simply an expected part of life. The appreciation of nature was simply built into every day, and hunting, trapping and fishing was all part of that. Those lifestyle impacts never really do leave you. As Wheelieman said, it becomes a part of you and has come to define what I really am.

 

 

[growalot]

Why?? ...all of the above 2 posts

[Uncle Nicky]

For me, it's my recreation, along with shooting & fishing. I don't care for watching sports on TV, and I can't get excited about golf...a man has to have SOME hobbies and outlets after a dreary week in an office cubicle.

 

When I was a little younger it was about gathering trophies on the wall, but that's burned itself out. I enjoy the meat and fish that I bring home, but if I really think it through, that's a by-product of the sport, it would be more cost-effective to get meat in a store. I don't consider it my "lifestyle" like I hear them talk about on TV either; It's a pastime that I truly enjoy, and have gotten quite proficient at.

[coonhunter]

Hunting, fishing, camping, streams, lakes, and campfires is just who I am. It was how I grew up in a family with not a lot of extra money. I never grew out of it, and it is the only way I can truly relax. I may not always be content with the end results, but out in nature, I feel at home.

[Nomad]

Because my wife doesn't .....

[ATbuckhunter]

Hunting and fishing is a part of who I am. I grew up hunting and I can't picture me not doing it. I love being outdoors and spending time with my father. I also like getting my own food and knowing where it comes from.

[Bowshotmuzzleloader]

I particularly like the unknown factor of never knowing what will transpire or happen ..

Also the personal challenge that goes along with hunting ,,

[GreeneHunter]

I just love being in the woods ... usually by myself !

[nyantler]

I don't know if I can put my finger on the real reason that I hunt... I'm sure it has something to do with the challenge... especially the 1 on 1 challenge with a mature buck on his turf... but I also enjoy the comradery of hunting with my buddies as well... I have always loved the outdoors and shooting too... I guess it's a combination of things that makes it so interesting and fun.

 

The serenity is a huge factor as well... time to think in peace... getting away from the daily grind and enjoying all the beauty that nature has for us... pretty cool really when you think about it.

[turkeyfeathers]

It's my happy place. What I bring home to the freezer is only a bonus

[Paula]

I will try to make this short. It's not a simple question.

My mother and Aunt were hunters and I thought that was so cool. Of course there were plenty of guys in the family who hunted but what is cool about that?

I never really hunted until I had too.

I was only successful at getting deer when I hunted with someone. Now that I hunt alone I am not so lucky at it.

I say I squirrel and rabbit hunt but seem to just walk and sit around.

I learn something every time I go out. I am also a calmer person.

A few years ago I noticed earth waking up and the sunrises, both are worth getting out of bed for.

[wolc123]

For me it is mainly the born-predator thing. I love fishing too, but not the "catch-and-release" type. To me, that is nothing but the senseless maiming of a fine food source. Some will say "keep them all and they will disappear, leaving none for future generations" That would only be true if the DEC took their hands off the ball and allowed folks to do whatever they wanted to.

I cant think of too many other states where the "free meat" situation, thru the legal harvest of fish and game, is in better shape than it is in NY. If the numbers of any popular fish or game gets too low or high, the state has always made the needed adjustments. Nobody on this earth is perfect, but I haven't seen any other state, take careof us "meat-hunters", better than they do in NY. Without question, there are other states with better "trophy" possibilities when it comes to whitetails, and some get that way using controversial methods such a Antler Restrictions.

So getting meat for my family is my top reason, and it is a lot more fun doing it thru hunting and fishing than it is by raising livestock or going to the grocery store. Anybody ever try to keep cattle and sheep water from freezing in the winter, shoveled manure all day long, paying vet bills, rushed to get hay in before the rain, or killed animals who thought you were their friend? How about fought the crowds in the grocery store checkout lines, to buy meat products that is often downed dairy cattle (90% lean grind?), often which has been fed growth hormones or who knows what. What about paying the big bucks to get the "organic" stuff.

In this state, that is not necessary. It don't take a lot of effort for me alone to gather up with most of the protein our family needs without doing any of that unpleasant stuff. Not only is that protein a lot more fun to gather, do in part to scenery which again, tops that of just about any other state, but it is also healthier than that which the stores provide.

[Doc]

There is also some sort of rebuilding of sanity when I am just sitting there quietly waiting for a deer to come along. The mind just wanders everywhere when you are in such a serene setting with only your thoughts to keep you occupied. For example at one of my ground stands, there is an old abandoned pole-line road from way back in the early days of rural electrification that runs from the main road down in the valet straight up the hill to an old dirt road behind about a mile and 1/2 long. It's hard to make out anymore, but the deer seem to know its there. I get a lot of mental images of like back then in the 30's or 40's. I can almost see the buggies rolling along with the spools of wire. And then there are the barely perceptible changes in tree sizes from some old pasture lot or ag field. And the huge rock piles in the middle of the woods where farmers have worked to pull rocks out a field that is all mature woods. So the attraction of hunting is not always about hunting. Sometimes its just sitting there think about the local history of long gone farming, and the hunters of days gone by, and sometimes even a few thoughts of what the place actually looked like back in the days before settlement. Old broken plow shares and horse shoes in the middle of the woods kind of tell you that these hills used to look a whole lot different than they do today. I have even found an old horse-drawn walk-behind potato hiller in what you can barely tell was the edge of an old re-grown field. These are some of the thoughts and observations that hunting gives me a reason and opportunity to experience.

[philoshop]

Being outdoors is, and has always been for me, better than being indoors. Hunting gives me one more reason to be outside.

I saw this thread early this morning and had to think about it a bit, while I took care of various outdoor chores all day.

[Mr VJP]

Because I enjoy it, and I'm very good at it.  What more do you need to know?

 

[Pygmy]

Very simple...There is never anytime when I feel so FREE from life's everyday worries and woes than when I am hunting or fishing..

My mind is occupied with what I am doing, whether calling a turkey or finessing a smallmouth with a hair jig..

[Doc]

Because I enjoy it, and I'm very good at it.  What more do you need to know?

Yes, that is the center of the question actually .... Why do you enjoy it? We're all involved with hunting for a lot of different reasons, and I would guess it's obvious that we enjoy it or we wouldn't be doing it .... lol. But understanding why we enjoy it and what the fundamental attraction really is might just provide the key to successful hunter recruitment and perpetuating the sport off into the future.

[kpkot]

Hunting is an escape. It is one of the few thing's that can put me in the frame of complete happiness. Its about disconnecting with society, and finding who you are. I hunt because it is who I am, and what I love.

[mike rossi]

here is an article somebody wrote that plays into this topic...

 

http://www.humansandnature.org/hunting---jed-meunier-response-121.php

 

 

[nyantler]

Yes, that is the center of the question actually .... Why do you enjoy it? We're all involved with hunting for a lot of different reasons, and I would guess it's obvious that we enjoy it or we wouldn't be doing it .... lol. But understanding why we enjoy it and what the fundamental attraction really is might just provide the key to successful hunter recruitment and perpetuating the sport off into the future.

 

Here is how cockeyed my mind can get sometimes... I wonder if there exists a hunter that strictly meat hunts, who fills his freezer each season, but does not enjoy it at all and rather looks at it as an annual necessary quest to feed his family. My thought is probably not... but you never know.

[Paula]

Here is how cockeyed my mind can get sometimes... I wonder if there exists a hunter that strictly meat hunts, who fills his freezer each season, but does not enjoy it at all and rather looks at it as an annual necessary quest to feed his family. My thought is probably not... but you never know.[/quot

I am sure that years ago that would have the case but not so much now.

[NFA-ADK]

  For me personally their is nothing more wild and majestic than a whitetail buck.  As a kid I was always amazed at how deer survived our winters. 

 

  For me the goal is to enjoy life, reconnect with nature and enjoy the whitetail.  Food was never the reason for hunting but wow do they taste good!  Most of all my goal is to see and learn while viewing deer and enjoy the thrill they provide every time I see them.  I hope to actually fill a tag while TRYING to enjoy my mistakes and blunders while hunting.

 

 

[Borngeechee]

Me personally there is something that just seem so primal and natural. I love the idea of eating what I personally caught and brought to the table. It feels like what a man should be doing. I look at things today and too many things that men did as second nature are gone... like carrying a knife for daily use (not for protection), wearing a wrist watch, and being a part of the outdoors.