Anyone shoot/own guns but not hunt?

[artherd]

I only hunt tyrants. Elusive little bastards.

 

[Dex Sinister]

I don't hunt, but only because I've consistently failed to get around to it. Oddly enough, I was just eating some lovely venison steak last night.

Dex

 

[outfieldjack]

My interest in guns is in their utility for self-defense, and my interest in mechanical things in general. I also like to maintain my ability to hit small objects at a distance.

Even if you are hunting deer, you are still aiming at a small target, and most times it is at a distance.

 

[45King]

Almost all my shooting is limited to plinking, practice, and competition these days. I don't hunt much anymore, but have no particular aversion to killing animals. The main reasons I don't hunt are: 1. lack of private land 2. lack of funds to buy into a good hunting club 3. fear of the public lands "Nimrods" whose hunting experience is little or none, and are likely to shoot at anything that moves

 

[Mulliga]

I'm not a hunter - no, I'm not opposed to killing animals, but it just seems like a lot of work.

 

[MuzzleBlast]

My wife is a one-person humane society, so hunting would play hell with domestic tranquility.

 

[Robert Hairless]

Anyone shoot/own guns but not hunt?
No offense to hunters, but I cant abide the killing of any animal. I know that sometimes there is a good purpose and I eat meat, I just could never do it and dont understand the "thrill" to killing something that is living. I own firearms because I enjoy to shoot them at targets and for self defense. I know that a lot of gun rags have to do with hunting and at least hint to it, I dont subscribe to those.

Anyone else like me?

And you dont need to convince me that hunting is necessary and okay to do. I know, I just dont want to do it.

Neither do I. I'm not a hunter. I am interested in guns and I own several, and I'm interested in shooting them as a hobby.

 

[71Commander]

I don't hunt.................animals

According to Buddists, you could be shooting a reciently departed loved one. On the other hand, they should have come back as a dog and not a angus steer.

 

[Robert J McElwain]

It sounds like some of the hunting organizations need to set up mentoring programs.

From some of the posts, it seems that a large number of people are non-hunters because they never had the opportunity to learn as a youth.

What if every small town had a group of well trained adult hunters who regularly invited one or two youths, from a list of applicants, to go with them on a quail, squirrel, rabbit or deer hunt?

Seems that if you don't get started as a teenager, you aren't likely to ever try it.

Bob

 

[Zach S]

I dont hunt, I'd rather go to Ingles (for those who dont know, its a grocery store--CCW friendly, I might add).

Bob, I'd have to agree. People I know that hunt had fathers that hunted, they had fathers who hunted, and so on.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

I'm with lwaldron and Steelbanger. I was raised helping butcher our chickens and rabbits since age 6 or so, but found cleaning the only quail I've shot to be a pain. That was my last hunt.

I sometimes think that I might want to hunt pig with a handgun for reasons of developing skills, but am not into mechanized travel and not into lugging a couple hundred pounds of pork out of the bush.

HOWEVER, my poor pappy loved fishing and almost never caught a thing. I like to think he was enjoying sitting and thinking and seeing nature as he was usually working his a** off. I would probably enjoy that part of hunting--as does Steelbanger--the most.

 

[Mixlesplick]

I learned to hunt when I was a teenager. Now I usually only hunt once every three or four years. I hunt when I get a hankering for venison. I still get a thrill when I see the deer and have to try to remain calm to take the shot. Exciting as that is, my best hunting experience was when a deer was walking towards me from upwind. I heard it first and raised my shotgun. When I saw it was a doe I kept stock still. I didn't have a doe permit but there was no reason to startle it. It passed within ten feet of my and didn't smell me until it was right next to me. It stamped its feet and snorted to try to get me to move but I remained still with my gun pointing forward and just listened and watched it from the corner of my eye. After a short time it moved on at an easy pace. I remained still until it was gone. That was a fantastic experience.

I can field dress a deer but have never butchered one. I can also clean small animals but it is definitely a chore. I mostly shoot handguns these days and carry for self defense. I keep telling myself my next handgun will be a .44 mag revolver that I can use to hunt deer but I always end up with another autoloader. Someday.

 

[benEzra]

From some of the posts, it seems that a large number of people are non-hunters because they never had the opportunity to learn as a youth.

I think you are precisely right. My father was never into hunting, and my other relatives (that do hunt) lived far enough away that I never went along.

When we lived in Northwest Florida, I tried now and then to find someone to go hunting with, but it never worked out (and it just wasn't all that important to me).

I am also concerned--perhaps based on media portrayals of hunters' attitudes--about snide remarks I might get if I showed up on my first deer hunt carrying a scoped AK-47 lookalike (with the 5-round hunting magazine), which is the only gun I own that I would really care to hunt with. Most hunters I actually know are gun enthusiasts and wouldn't mind, but I've heard stories . . .

 

[RocketMan]

Went pheasant hunting a time or two with my Dad when I was in my early teens, but haven't been since.
I don't see anything wrong with hunting, it's just something that never really interested me.
It's funny though, because of late I've been thinking about giving deer hunting a try.
Not sure why, other than one's interests change as time goes by.

 

[mp40]

Have not hunted since I was twenty, but to each his own. (would not hesitate to down a coyote if possible) Shoot nothing but paper now. But I must say, i sure do miss popping those cottonmouths when I was a kid!!

 

[DragonRider]

I've only hunted for biological research, my professor was next to me and gave me the option of doing it or him. Otherwise I have never felt a need. Doesn't mean I dont know where to shoot a deer or how to dress it. And I do like venison I do support it.

John

 

[2nd Amendment]

"If it walks, crawls or flies I've killed it..." Wasn't that a line from an Eastwood movie?

Anyway, I hunt for food. Never understood either trophy hunting or people who will eat meat but won't actually kill it. No offense intended, I just can't rationalize either one myself.

 

[Beav]

Never been hunting and it's not something I intend to do. I'm not against hunting for food though.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

Okay, now you guys and gals have gotten me nostalgic. One of my father's friends used to hunt deer and occasionally (where is spellchecker in this thing?) blessed our table with venison. That was (OMIGOD) on the order of 50 years ago and the two servings of venison I've had since were at restaurants in Taos and one other place.

Maybe...

 

[Combat-wombat]

I do not hunt, I am pretty much like you.

However, I have thought about hunting. It could be a very useful skill in a survival situation, and I might want to go hunting sometime. I probably couldn't bring myself to kill a deer, though. I eat meat, but I just don't see the thrill in killing another living thing especially a majestic and beautiful animal like a deer. (Except for pests like rats and birds)

 

[rammy]

My wife is a one-person humane society, so hunting would play hell with domestic tranquility.

My wife is the same way. But when it cam to hunting it was part of me, and the life I grew up in. Their ways to reach a compromise like the wife and I did.

1. No talking about deer hunting with her
2. No deer heads in the living room (antlers ok in the garage)
3. Cannot in any way hunt a deer with a rifle SHE purchased for me (its ok I love to add to my collection!!)

She is a very serious "Bambe" type person but realizes the importance that hunting is to me as a father-son activity (my father and me or me and my son when he is older) and the enjoyment I get from it. She didn’t live in a family that hunted and I had to explain to her in a way that she could understand. If a person loves you they will not want to take-away things that make you…you “it is a part of me and my heritageâ€

HEHE...most times I come home with bigger stories than anything else!!

 

[Diggler]

I hunt, but rarely use a gun.

I've been archery hunting for years, and love it. It's a lot more challenging to get within 15-20 yards of a deer. Also, I trophy hunt. If it won't go on the wall, I won't shoot it. That's because my wife doesn't like venison. I might go 2 or 3 years before harvesting a deer, and with the exception of a few steaks for me and the boy, the rest gets turned into jerky and bologna, which the wife WILL eat. I think it's better than steak anyways! I've found that the self-imposed restrictions on trophy size allow me to have enough time between harvests that we can finish off the jerky from the last one in plenty of time. Plus I do all my own butchering, so anytime I let an arrow fly it better darn well be something worth the time!

I do hunt with a firearm for turkey and bear. Wild turkey is excellent, better than anything you could buy. Plus I get to go out and take naps in the warm spring sun all morning... Call a few times, doze off for a half hour, call again... Now that's a Saturday morning! I usually go with my cousin and videotape the hunt, but I have a shotgun with me too.

Bears are just about virtually impossible to get even with a gun during PA's 3 day season, with no baiting, dogs, etc, and usually no snow, so I do take a firearm when I decide to go.

My 10 year old son went on his first hunt this spring, wild hog in FL. He used a .44 mag handgun, and had 2 perfect shots, one running, at 25 yards. He's hooked. I didn't hunt hogs, but if I do next time, it will probably be with a knife. As long as I get to do it all myself, and the hog's not being held down by the guides...

Yeah, I might get slashed, but that's one of the few scars I think would REALLY be something to talk about.

The best thing in the world is being able to pass this all on to my boys.

 

[SLCDave]

OutfieldJack said...
"When we all talk about SHTF stuff..... I would hope that everyone at least tries hunting.... alot of people say they have never been. God forbid that if that time comes, and we really do need to hunt, that those of you who have never been hunting do try it at least once..... I cannot imagine having never been hunting before and THEN having to hunt for the first time and having my family's survival depending on it."

I am like a lot of people that have posted here. I have no problem with hunting or the people that hunt. I have never gone hunting, but as Jack said, I have been thinking that I really should do it, if, for no other reason than I may NEED to someday. Hunting has no appeal to me at all, but it's probably something I should learn to do in case the need arises. I can find no joy in taking life, no matter what the life is, so it's not something I think I would do often, but I think it's something I need to experience and learn from.

 

[fletcher]

I only target shoot. I just have no interest in hunting, just doesn't appeal to me.

 

[walker37]

I own and shoot firearms, well only one right now but I hope that changes soon. However, I do not hunt. I have nothing against hunting, and I have tried it, it's just not how I choose to spend my time.
If the SHTF though, I would sure be gald to have a few experienced hunters on my side.