hunting case studies.

[tahunua001]

hello all,
right now I am in the process of collecting data for a college research project related to hunting. my latest source requirement is a case study. if any of you feel like contributing(you may be directly quoted) please feel free to chime in. if you would like to contribute but don't want the info on open domain feel free to send a private message instead, no need for real names if you would rather keep anonymity intact.

topics in particular which I am looking for are:
1. when did you begin hunting?
2. what motivates you to hunt(food, trophies, etc)?
3. have you ever been in a situation where you've had to justify your reasons for hunting to another person?
4. what do you hunt and what is your prefered quarry
5. prefered method(bow, rifle, muzzle loader, ETC)?
6. general area(state is specific enough if you do not feel comfortable giving specific locations.

 

[cat_IT_guy]

1. started hunting about at about 16 years old.
2. motivation? fun & camaraderie - always seemed to get along well with guys/gals that hunt and grew up in an "outdoorsy" family.
3. not really. If I was, I'd justify it as a pastime I enjoy and state I need no further justification, no different than a car guy working on and racing cars, a golfer golfing, etc.
4. lately i've been focusing on duck hunting, mostly because its what I have easy access to hunt at the moment. In the past (and future, hopefully) I've hunted deer, small game, pheasant, dove, and turkey.
5. Hard to pin down a preferred method. My quarry, season, and location dictates the weapon I use.
6. Central IL, a bit North of Peoria.

Let me know if you need anything else - Im happy to help.

 

[mnhntr]

1. 1979 8 yrs old
2. Food and challenge
3. I have had the same arguements as most hunters with the uneducated, anti hunters.
4. Deer, turkey, and waterfowl are the top 3 for me
5. I prefer bow hunting for deer and turkeys and obviously shotgun for waterfowl
6. I hunt Minnesota and North Dakota

 

[Patocazador]

22 yrs. (1965)
Challenge
Yes but told them to "shove it".
Deer & ducks
Changes from decade to decade. Currently muzzleloaders.
Swamps in Fla.

 

[WayBeau]

1. when did you begin hunting? When I was 7 years old.
2. what motivates you to hunt(food, trophies, etc)? Food and the enjoyment of being outside.
3. have you ever been in a situation where you've had to justify your reasons for hunting to another person? Yes. Usually am asked if I really enjoy killing things. Response is ALWAYS, "I enjoy preserving wildlife through proper conservation techniques and herd control."
4. what do you hunt and what is your prefered quarry? Deer and Waterfowl, in that order. Though they used to be reversed.
5. prefered method(bow, rifle, muzzle loader, ETC)? Bow & rifle for deer, shotgun for waterfowl.
6. general area(state is specific enough if you do not feel comfortable giving specific locations. Central Virginia, outside of Charlottesville.

 

[MCgunner]

1. when did you begin hunting?

Age 7

2. what motivates you to hunt(food, trophies, etc)?

It's what I do. It's what I enjoy. It's a way of life. It's how I live. It's a fulfillment of an inner need, a primal urge, man's calling in the wild. I'm top predator around here...at the risk of sounding like the Nuge.

3. have you ever been in a situation where you've had to justify your reasons for hunting to another person?

No. If another doesn't like the fact that I hunt, they can kiss where I can't, then go play Parcheesi or whatever turns 'em on. There are things the vast majority like that I don't...stick and ball sports, football, etc, for instance.

4. what do you hunt and what is your prefered quarry

Prefer duck or goose hunting, but mostly hunt deer and small game since I live in the woods now. There was a time when waterfowl dominated my hunting life, but as I get older, it gets easier to sit in my box blind than wade through the marsh on a cold morning.

5. prefered method(bow, rifle, muzzle loader, ETC)?

Rifle, pistol, muzzleloader for big or small game, shotguns for wing shooting, of course. I bow hunted this season for only the second time in my life. I now have the set up to do that, but I really prefer firearms, rifles or handguns, black or smokeless powder. I'm hunting with a muzzleloader this evening, a scoped, inline 209 primed muzzleloader loaded with full bore minie ball and 777 powder.

6. general area(state is specific enough if you do not feel comfortable giving specific locations.

Colorado county Texas...aka paradise.

 

[MCgunner]

BTW, just wondering what's your major and what school, if I might ask? I was a Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences major at Texas A&M a long time ago, but I notice you're in Idaho. My wife was a tenured professor of computer science at Lewis and Clark in Lewiston, now retired. She was born and raised in the Texas oil patch. Her dad was a wildcatter, so she came home in retirement. Besides, it gets cold up there.

 

[fragout]

1. 7yrs old

2. My clan have always hunted, so I grew up around it. Hunting for me and mine includes more than simply filling a tag, but processing the meat ourselves, and all the way to the freezer. I gives satisfaction as well as a feeling of self reliance.

3. Yes. I don't have a blanket answer, as it would depend on the conversation.

4. Small, medium, and large North American game, but not much into bird hunting other than turkey.

5. 22long rifle (Ruger 10-22) for small game, and 308Winchester (M14S/M1A-A1) for everything else but turkey. 12ga. (Bennelli)

6. 8 different states other than my home state.

 

[okiewita40]

Here are my answers for you.

1: age 10
2: Food
3: No
4: Deer, rabbit and squirrel
5: rifle for deer, shotgun for others
6: N.E. Oklahoma

 

[gonefishin1]

1 I was 9
2 food
3 no I refuse to. If you don't like it then I don't care I do it anyway.
4 deer, small game, hopefully duck too this year
5 rifle, shotgun
6 south east texas

 

[Jason_W]

1. when did you begin hunting? Age 10. I'm now 33.
2. what motivates you to hunt(food, trophies, etc)? I'm a meat hunter, but it's not currently practical to obtain all of my meat through hunting. I meat hunt for the same reason I garden: to feel just a tiny bit more food independent than a guy who gets all his food from the store.
3. have you ever been in a situation where you've had to justify your reasons for hunting to another person? Probably but I don't remember specifics. I'm finally at a point in life where I feel no need to justify my lifestyle to others.
4. what do you hunt and what is your prefered quarry. Currently, ruffed grouse, rabbit, and deer. I hate deer hunting, but love venison. I think I'd really like waterfowl and turkey hunting if I could afford to get into them. The spot and stalk hunting they do out west looks a lot more fun than freezing on a deer stand all day
5. prefered method(bow, rifle, muzzle loader, ETC)? Firearms only right now. I want to try crossbow hunting in order to hunt the high deer population in-town areas where firearms are prohibited. Also, crossbows are just plain badass.
6. general area(state is specific enough if you do not feel comfortable giving specific locations. I grew up hunting in Northern Vermont and now live in Downeast Maine. Available game, population levels, and terrain are nearly identical in both places.

 

[Rush_Fan]

1. when did you begin hunting? My step-Dad introduced me to deer hunting when I was about 19 or 20.

2. what motivates you to hunt(food, trophies, etc)? I enjoy bonding with family at my brother-in-law's hunting property. Hunting is part of it; so are watching college football games on Saturday afternoons and sitting around the campfire having a few beers. I hunt for meat, but whether I am successful or not, I enjoy the time spent in the woods, watching nature, a few peaceful hours of solitude, peace and quiet. It is peaceful sitting still and quiet in a tree stand for a few hours, watching the sunrise or sunset, alone with one's thoughts, seeing squirrels, wild turkeys, and other birds going about their lives.

3. have you ever been in a situation where you've had to justify your reasons for hunting to another person? Not defended, but informed a few co-workers who never hunted but weren't opposed to it.

4. what do you hunt and what is your prefered quarry? Deer and turkey. Someday I will try squirrel once I convince myself I will eat a rodent (other than rabbit, which I enjoyed when I tried it).

5. prefered method(bow, rifle, muzzle loader, ETC)? Rifle for deer. Shotgun for turkey (never shot one though).

6. general area(state is specific enough if you do not feel comfortable giving specific locations. Northeast Georgia near South Carolina.

 

[Centurian22]

1. when did you begin hunting? 2010 Age 25

2. what motivates you to hunt(food, trophies, etc)? Mostly food, I would mount and display a trophy if I harvested one, I enjoy the sport of it but would not kill anything I could not make use of, or that does not serve a purpose (predator control such as coyote).

3. have you ever been in a situation where you've had to justify your reasons for hunting to another person? Only in discussions with my wife about coyote hunting on property that is not our own (but that I have permission to hunt). She only sees a need to dispatch of coyote that are a direct threat to our family and pets, I feel I can help others if I participate in the population control as they have been becoming more and more problematic in our area.

4. what do you hunt and what is your prefered quarry? I hunt mostly Deer as of now, ocasionally upland bird, and will varmint hunt when I have my own land to do such on.

5. prefered method(bow, rifle, muzzle loader, ETC)? Rifle and shotgun, though I would like to try bow in the future as well.

6. general area(state is specific enough if you do not feel comfortable giving specific locations. Maine.

What will be done with the data collected? Any form of graphs / presentation? I would be interested in your results.

 

[wankerjake]

1. I started hunting quail with my pellet gun at age 8 or so. Killed my first deer at age 12.

2. Food, challenge and fun.

3. When I lived in Tucson, several coworkers would bug me a little about how could I shoot cute animals that tasted bad. At first I ignored it, but finally I couldn't take it. When I pointed out that their sole argument was that cattle are dumber than deer, which I don't believe they are, and brought in meat for them to try which they loved, I at least got them to stop arguing with me. In general though, I don't waste my time. People who are so out of touch with reality that they think hunting/preparing one's own meat is wrong, but buying meat from the store is acceptable, can't even follow a logical conversation. I have no use for them.

4. I prefer elk and deer hunting, but will hunt most anything.

5. Rifle and shotguns mainly, muzzleloading may be in my future. I've dabbled in archery but prefer rifle hunting.

5.I've hunted all over Arizona.

 

[travisd]

1. when did you begin hunting?
14

2. what motivates you to hunt(food, trophies, etc)?
It's the best food you can eat and getting it yourself is a lot of fun.

3. have you ever been in a situation where you've had to justify your reasons for hunting to another person?
Not yet. I don't waste my time with stupid people who just like to argue so if I do I plan on having two words for them.

4. what do you hunt and what is your prefered quarry
Deer, pheasant, small game and waterfowl. Deer is by far my favorite.

5. prefered method(bow, rifle, muzzle loader, ETC)?
Bow for everything without feathers.

6. general area(state is specific enough if you do not feel comfortable giving specific locations.
Eastern South Dakota.

 

[Andrew Leigh]

I am from South Africa so probably the statistic will not count;

1. when did you begin hunting? 6-16yrs then long break resumed at 50yrs
2. what motivates you to hunt(food, trophies, etc)? Challenge and right of passage in a hunting household.
3. have you ever been in a situation where you've had to justify your reasons for hunting to another person? Yes
4. what do you hunt and what is your prefered quarry? Antelope starting with birds.
5. prefered method(bow, rifle, muzzle loader, ETC)? Rifle
6. general area(state is specific enough if you do not feel comfortable giving specific locations.

 

[Mike1234567]

1. when did you begin hunting?

I don't hunt 'cause I'm a wuss.

2. what motivates you to hunt(food, trophies, etc)?

If I ever do hunt it'll be for food or predator and varmint control.

3. have you ever been in a situation where you've had to justify your reasons for hunting to another person?

No but if I do then I'll calmly explain the facts of life to ignorant people.

4. what do you hunt and what is your prefered quarry?

See answer #2 but here... probably hogs, squirrels and deer in that order.

5. prefered method(bow, rifle, muzzle loader, ETC)?

Centerfire rifle for deer/hogs and pellet gun or SS .22LR for squirrels.

6. general area(state is specific enough if you do not feel comfortable giving specific locations.

South Texas.

 

[hipoint]

1. 5 or 6 years old

2. Food and protection of farm from varmints.

3. owning an organic teaching farm, we are often scolded for hunting by the folks who come here for classes. After they are shown the damage issues caused by living in a non-hunting community they usually calm down. My favorite response when local folks scold me about our methods is to offer them the chance to solve our deer issues, to date no one has taken me up on that offer.

4. Deer and squirrel are our favorite wild meat, but it happens to be that deer and groundhogs are the animals that we have issues with right now.

5. Rifle is our preferred method, we try to use the smallest (quietest) caliber possible to not disturb the neighbors anymore than possible. For us, now hunting is a utility, as a child hunting was a passtime and a sport.

6. Western North Carolina...

 

[Ranger Roberts]

1. I started when I was around 10 or 11 (I'm now 35). Before I actually started hunting I would go with my father and his brothers. My father stopped hunting when I was around 13 but by that time I had friends to go with. I stopped for a few years when I was in the service but as soon as I found a permanent home I picked it up again. Once I got out of the service and I picked it back up like I never stopped in the first place.

2. Food is my main reason. The other is varmint control. I live in an area with a pretty good population of coyotes. I also like the solitude of hunting. Lastly it's competition. A lot of my friends and family hunt and I like to compare trophies with them.

3. I try to avoid having to justify my reasons for hunting. If you hate hunting, I'm probably not going to be able to change your mind, so I don't want to waste my time trying to convince you. The same way the haters aren't going to change my mind about enjoying it.

4. I hunt deer and small game (mostly rabbit), but Turkey is my favorite "food" to hunt. Coyote and groundhogs are a lot of fun as well. My all around favorite? I guess I would have to go with coyote... no, turkey... no, coyote. Does anyone have a coin I can flip?

5. Bow, rifle, shotgun, muzzle loader, handgun. In no particular order.

6. I'm in central Pennsylvania but I've hunted up and down the east coast and a little in Colorado, Texas and Arizona. I really want to make my way to Alaska one of these days.

 

[Art Eatman]

1. when did you begin hunting?

Around age 7. My grandfather handed me his .22 rifle and some Shorts and pointed at the woods. With the instruction, "Don't shoot a cow," he thus got me out from under his feet so he could get some work done.

2. what motivates you to hunt(food, trophies, etc)?

It's been part of "What I do". Hunt, fish, drive race cars, play chess, read books, etc.

3. have you ever been in a situation where you've had to justify your reasons for hunting to another person?

Not really justify. I've been willing to explain my reasons for hunting, but negative opinions are a problem for others and are of no interest to me.

4. what do you hunt and what is your prefered quarry

Mostly whitetail deer and mule deer. Some varmint hunting; calling coyotes.

5. prefered method(bow, rifle, muzzle loader, ETC)?

Rifle and shotgun.

6. general area(state is specific enough if you do not feel comfortable giving specific locations.

Central Texas for whitetail. West Texas for mule deer.