Why Do You Hunt???

[crappyice]

I hunt purely for antlers and inches as evident by the advertising on hunting gear and YouTube videos!!! …..nah!!!
Make meat, memories and my mental health!


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[Doc]

Thinking way back to a time before I was even old enough to hunt, I often recall the things that inspired me to even want to hunt. As a youngster there were some of the books that I read about the mountain men and the relied their their abilities to outwit critters and live off the land in ways defined their place in nature. At that age I was too small for those things to be a part of my daily life, but they all provided the goals for hunting and other outdoor activities. They all seemed like things that young men grew up to be a part of. And indeed back in those days, I was not alone in those feelings. Our entire culture in that small farm area was about outdoor activities and our place in nature.

The trapline that I ran at the age of 11 taught me even more about how to become involved in nature, to study it and become a part of it. I also grew up wandering the hills and valleys of the Finger Lakes where huge forested lands were a constant part of my life.

All this was a part of my life for as long as I can remember even before I was of hunting age. How could I have not become a hunter? 

[Moho81]

I have no idea why. My dad doesn’t hunt. My uncle got me into it. He taught me things along the way but a lot of it was sit here and don’t move. He wasn’t the type of mentor I read about some of you guys having growing up.

It takes up all of my free time from September to damn near Christmas. A lot of nights of 4-5 hours of sleep and as I get older it gets harder to function off that.

It’s a lot of work. God willing I take a deer then it’s even more work. Gutting, dragging, hanging butchering.

To read that back out loud it seems crazy that I hunt. Yet here I am 15 feet up a tree on a beautiful Saturday morning typing out a few words then scanning for deer.

I might not know why I hunt but I do know I have a NEED to hunt. Something internal tells me I NEED to to go out and hunt. It controls me more than I control it.


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[Doc]

21 hours ago, Moho81 said:

I have no idea why. My dad doesn’t hunt. My uncle got me into it. He taught me things along the way but a lot of it was sit here and don’t move. He wasn’t the type of mentor I read about some of you guys having growing up.

It takes up all of my free time from September to damn near Christmas. A lot of nights of 4-5 hours of sleep and as I get older it gets harder to function off that.

It’s a lot of work. God willing I take a deer then it’s even more work. Gutting, dragging, hanging butchering.

To read that back out loud it seems crazy that I hunt. Yet here I am 15 feet up a tree on a beautiful Saturday morning typing out a few words then scanning for deer.

I might not know why I hunt but I do know I have a NEED to hunt. Something internal tells me I NEED to to go out and hunt. It controls me more than I control it.
 

Could it be that humans feel a need to respond to ancient predatory DNA. Perhaps responding to a time when hunting to survive was a way of life for our species? Ha-ha-ha.....Now that is an interesting theory.

[Gobbler Chaser]

On 9/30/2021 at 11:20 PM, suburbanfarmer said:

Way cheaper than the super market

I think my venison works out to 160$ a pound

[BizCT]

I think my venison works out to 160$ a pound

Exactly and time is money.


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[rob-c]

Probably number one reason is I / we just love  venison , it’s such a healthy meat too. I also love being  in the woods watching all  the wildlife. I get as much enjoyment watching birds as I do deer etc. I very much enjoy listing to my son and wife tell me their stories of what they had seen and hearing the excitement in  their voices. And of course seeing how excited they are when they connect on a animal . 

[suburbanfarmer]

11 hours ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

Exactly and time is money.


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Hunting is a lifestyle, if you calculate hrs spent hunting then its no longer fun.

[G-Man]

hunt

 verb

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\ ˈhənt  \

hunted; hunting; hunts

Definition of hunt

 (Entry 1 of 5)

transitive verb

1a: to pursue for food or in sporthunt buffalo

b: to manage in the search for gamehunts a pack of dogs

2a: to pursue with intent to capturehunted the escapees

b: to search out : SEEK

3: to drive or chase especially by harryingmembers … were hunted from their homes— J. T. Adams

4: to traverse in search of preyhunts the woods

intransitive verb

1: to take part in a hunt

2: to attempt to find something

3: to oscillate alternately to each side (as of a neutral point) or to run alternately faster and slower —used especially of a device or machine

hunt

 noun

Definition of hunt (Entry 2 of 5)

1: the act, the practice, or an instance of hunting

2: a group of mounted hunters and their hunting dogs

 

I have come to enjoy the hunt ( pursuit) more than the kill , the capturing of game on camera , the placing of stands , mean much more to me than the kill..   the enjoyment of out thinking your game is the draw for me at this point in my life... 

[Steve D]

I hunt because I love the outdoors and the challenge of trying to match wits with the smart animals we pursue. Every time in the woods is a learning experience in some way and each outing is different.

 It is a wonderful way to witness the change of seasons as we transition from one season to another. Not being a fan of hot weather, I appreciate it more with the cooling temperatures and less bugs.

 Time and time again they show us how dumb we really are and can make us feel very humble on their turf.

For me a harvest is a bonus. I can truly have a great day of "hunting" and never see or harvest a thing.

[coonhunter]

I'm in the same boat with G man. I like the setting up and moving around, trying to get a target buck in range without spooking him, or stinking up a set up. I enjoy helping others to succeed a lot more than myself, whether it be with bow or rifle.

There is a good chance that I let walk the biggest buck I will see this year on Friday morning. It was the right choice for me because I am trying to get a kid from long island a shot at this buck. His father and the rest of the guys have been more than generous letting me bowhunt this farm that they lease for the very low cost of scouting and setting up a few stands for them. It is the least I can do as far as I'm concerned.

[heavuser]

access to cheap and organic meat

[ApexerER]

I think my reasons for hunting have changed over the years. When i was a kid and my Dad was packing to go too camp. I couldn't wait to go. He would come back on Wednesday and then after Thanksgiving Dinner he and my Grandfather would leave and head back to camp. When i was old enough to go (unfortunately my grandfather had passed) i just wanted to kill a deer, any deer. But I miss those camp days, stories, cards, drinking etc. When is started hunting with the guys i hunt with now (20 years ago) i had never killed a buck. I also learned that what i did at camp wasn't really hunting. Heading into the woods at 7:30 or 8am, Sitting on a stump, never looking for sign or anything. I killed a few doe those years but it had to of been mostly luck. Back at 11 for lunch, leave at 1ish and back at 4 for drinks and cards. My Dad never taught me about sign or anything. Hunting for him was being at camp.  The guys i hunt with were serious hunters. In the stand before light. I got to watch the woods wake up for the first time. That is the best part of hunting! Spend all day in the stand, etc. Eventually I killed my first 8 pt and it is on my wall. Then i became antler obsessed and wanted more. Got into bow hunting which opened up a whole new world. I don't look forward to opening day of gun anymore. I have been lucky enough to kill some beautiful ( to me ) bucks the last 10 or so years. Now i just enjoy being in the woods. Watching them wake up. Watching deer and other wildlife that have no idea you are there. The time with my hunting buddies etc. If i get one great! If I don't, i still enjoy being out there....

[GreeneHunter]

[mike103]

I love the outdoors and I love firearms. 

That’s why archery does not appeal to me much. I like guns.

I grew up with cowboy movies, Guns and Ammo, Outdoor Life, and other Magazines.

Walking with a rifle or shotgun in my hand is Thrilling to me. 

And I love the kill. It’s in my DNA, it’s visceral it’s who I am. 

Edited to add:

I don’t hunt for meat. I can afford to buy meat. I think saying I hunt only for the meat is the new virtue signaling among deer hunters. I eat what I shoot but I also shoot for horns.  
 

 
 

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by mike103

[heavuser]

5 hours ago, mike103 said:

I don’t hunt for meat. I can afford to buy meat. I think saying I hunt only for the meat is the new virtue signaling among deer hunters. I eat what I shoot but I also shoot for horns.  
 

No need to try to justify your reason by trying to make others look less than your own. 

[DirtTime]

6 hours ago, mike103 said:

And I love the kill. It’s in my DNA, it’s visceral it’s who I am. 

Edited to add:

I don’t hunt for meat. I can afford to buy meat. I think saying I hunt only for the meat is the new virtue signaling among deer hunters. I eat what I shoot but I also shoot for horns.  
 

 
 

 

For most of us it isn't about the kill, that's over in a split second. Its the hunt.

 

That edit you added is just ridiculous. Hunting for food was why people hunted, there's nothing new about that. If anything, hunting just for the size of the rack is the new(er) virtue. If our forefathers didn't hunt for food you wouldn't be here to be able to hunt for that big rack, because they would have all starved to death.

[WNYTRPR]

20 minutes ago, DirtTime said:

For most of us it isn't about the kill, that's over in a split second. Its the hunt.

 

That edit you added is just ridiculous. Hunting for food was why people hunted, there's nothing new about that. If anything, hunting just for the size of the rack is the new(er) virtue. If our forefathers didn't hunt for food you wouldn't be here to be able to hunt for that big rack, because they would have all starved to death.

At least he’s honest .We all pay for our tags to do what we choose.I’m sure many here pass up spikes and 4 pointers ,essentially we are all hunting for antlers as well .I’m partially guilty .

 

Edited December 2, 2021 by WNYTRPR

[Grouse]

I hunt to test my skill sets.  I've been honing them for over 50 years now.  I love being good at hunting.  Every part of it takes skill.  It takes a lot of knowledge about firearms or bows, woods lore and the prey animal, to be successful.  I love being a good game shot and do get a thrill in placing the perfect one shot kill on a game animal.  It means I did it right and the animal did not suffer more than necessary.  I like knowing I'm good at it and enjoy every aspect of it.  I think if I sucked at hunting, I would've quit hunting years ago.  Success is what keeps me coming back for more.

Like any athlete that has perfected his game, you want to keep doing it as long as you have the ability to be good at it.  Plus you want to be better at it every time you do it.

As far as the meat goes, nothing is as healthy as wild game.  Venison is low fat and high protein, as is much game meat.  It's not loaded with hormones or chemicals or anything else you don't want to put into your body.  It's good for you and you can't buy it.  If you want it, you have to hunt for it.  I like it, so I like to hunt for it.

I also hunt, because if I didn't, I would be one really depressed individual every fall and winter.

P.S. Nothing wrong with hunting for antlers.  Nothing there to apologize for as long as the animal isn't wasted after the kill.  If that's what gets you up and out hunting, that's good.

Edited December 2, 2021 by Grouse

[DirtTime]

6 minutes ago, WNYTRPR said:

At least he’s honest .We all pay for our tags to do what we choose.I’m sure many here pass up spikes and 4 pointers ,essentially we are are hunting for antlers as well .I’m partially guilty .

Have you met button buck wolc? LOL

If everyone is only hunting for the antlers then why do so many bother to get DMP's? There are many who still have to hunt to put food on the table, they could use those DMP's more then someone just out for a big buck.

Edited December 2, 2021 by DirtTime
spelling

[Grouse]

The more people out hunting for antlers, the more deer for those who need them for food.  I don't see a problem with trophy whitetail hunting.  Not everyone is doing it, but there's nothing wrong with it.

[WNYTRPR]

1 minute ago, DirtTime said:

Have you men button buck wolc? LOL

If everyone is only hunting for the antlers then why do so many bother to get DMP's? There are many who still have to hunt to put food on the table, they could use those DMP's more then someone just out for a big buck.

I’m happy for anyone who takes what makes them happy ,big or small .I’m willing to bet ,most who hunt ain’t going hungry anytime soon if they don’t harvest a deer .I could be wrong but correct me if i am .If they spend any money like I do for this ,there’s better meat deals for them in the grocery store lol.

[DirtTime]

I didn't say there was anything wrong with trophy hunting @Grouse. I asked a very legitimate question, why bother getting a DMP if you're only after a big buck. If you have no plans to use the DMP then let it go for someone else who might actually need it and more DMP's may be available in areas that never have leftovers.

[WNYTRPR]

2 minutes ago, DirtTime said:

I didn't say there was anything wrong with trophy hunting @Grouse. I asked a very legitimate question, why bother getting a DMP if you're only after a big buck. If you have no plans to use the DMP then let it go for someone else who might actually need it and more DMP's may be available in areas that never have leftovers.

I’m not grouse but ....I use dmp for the meat ,while trying to hold out for a mature buck instead of taking the first immature buck that strolls through ,just for meat .

[DirtTime]

3 minutes ago, WNYTRPR said:

I’m happy for anyone who takes what makes them happy ,big or small .I’m willing to bet ,most who hunt ain’t going hungry anytime soon if they don’t harvest a deer .I could be wrong but correct me if i am .If they spend any money like I do for this ,there’s better meat deals for them in the grocery store lol.

You do realize there are a lot more people out there hunting then the members on here right? Yes, there are some people who still hunt to put food on the table, and in some cases they have too. Those type of people probably don't have internet as they probably can't afford it, so they aren't on web forums worrying about rack size. To them the only rack that counts are of the brestesus kind.