Why I'm not a hunter

[Offhand McFlan]

some people hunt and some people don’t and there is not a thing wrong with that at all.
I hunt because it is what I enjoy.
I don’t hunt to prove that I can take an animal and process it, and I believe that most hunters I know feel the same.
And, I believe that was not your intention to say that hunters need to prove something.
There are as many reasons to hunt, or not to hunt, as there are responses to this thread, and that is fine.
In some ways hunting defines me. It is a passion of mine, and it makes my life a bit better, whether I take an animal or not, because hunting is so much more than that to me.

I certainly know some hunters dont hunt to prove something. And I also know many of them do. They get way too excited and "human" about it. There really arent any logical reasons to hunt other than getting food, culling a herd or getting rid of predators.

 

[BJung]

I admire people who can hunt successfully. It takes time to develop the skill which I don't have. Taking the time takes the skill and the time to bag game limits me too. At best, I had a great hike off trails if I wanted to. At worse, that rifle or compound bow got pretty cumbersome. As far as shooting, hunting is the next logical step to master a firearm. I start with a good reload. If lead bullets were allowed her for hunting, it would start with a nice cast bullet. Then, I'd want to be able to shoot good groups at every position at the range and then the field. Finally, I want to hunt

 

[ParallelCode]

I had always wanted to hunt but knew literally nobody that hunted. It definitely is a bit intimidating to start without someone to guide you. It became clear to me that I would just have to venture out alone or just give up on the idea.

I started attending introductory hunting lectures put on by the state wildlife authorities, took the safety class, and finally got myself out there for a gameland coyote hunt. I saw absolutely nothing. It was peaceful though. So while not successful, I really enjoyed wandering around the woods.

This year I'm hoping to do a hog hunt. Even if I see nothing again, I know I will enjoy a little peace and quiet in the woods.

 

[Thomasss]

Hunting is good exercise. Game meat is the best meat you can eat It. Ask any doctor. You have all sorts of "friends" here in the forum. We will help you answer almost any question you might have. Go to the library and read hunting subjects and butchering and cooking. Are u NRA member? They have a hunting magazine. I've been hunting for over 50 years and I still find new information. If you are looking for something and can't find it, chances are Cabalas has it. But as W.C. Fields once said "Never give a sucker an even break." There is a lot of stuff you don't need or stuff that won't do you any good. Ask, The High Road can help. How do you know no one hunts. Have you ever asked? When I started, I knew nothing about hunting, but I found a book by Herters on butchering deer, rabbits and squirrels. A relative lived on a farm and showed me how to pluck a chicken and I figured out pheasants and ducks and fish (bull heads) were about the same. There is also lots to learn on U-tube.

 

[9x56MS]

First thing to learn about your quarry is what do they eat. Always follow the food and you will find the game. Books can tell you what game eats. Field guides can show you what the plants or trees look like. Then go find them and look for game trails. Sit where you can overlook the trails and wait. Game is most active at dawn and dusk so that’s when you want to be watching. Give it a try and let us know what you see. These tips work for any game. Good hunting.

 

[Rubone]

I have spent most of my life outdoors. As a kid I walked endlessly in the woods and on prairies. I worked jobs that were outdoors. I have ridden motorcycles for over 55 years, skied, rode and raced mountain bikes, played school sports and later men's league Hockey, backpacked, camped, and walk at least 4 miles daily. Because of my firearm interests hunting has always been an easy activity along with my lifestyle. Many years ago I realized I would never be a rich man by societies measure, but I would be a happy man by my own. Since money does not drive my life, nature does. And interacting with nature at all levels is a blessing to enjoy. I don't think a lot about hunting, when I am doing it my being is just there, where it belongs. It is pleasure, not work...

 

[stillquietvoice]

I certainly know some hunters dont hunt to prove something. And I also know many of them do. They get way too excited and "human" about it. There really arent any logical reasons to hunt other than getting food, culling a herd or getting rid of predators.

No logical reason??? My hunted the Eastern timber wolf to extinction, that species was the whitetail deer's natural predator. What has happened since is unlimited reproduction, look along any stretch of highway you'll see several dead deer. I hunt for many reasons, population control is one of them, a full freezer is another, but I also gain a skill that will keep the family fed during any number of catastrophic events.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

My hunted the Eastern timber wolf to extinction, that species was the whitetail deer's natural predator.

You act like that was a good thing. The Whitetail were doing fine with the wolves, bears, mountain lions, etc. They weren't doing fine after humans nearly hunted them to extinction. http://www.deerfriendly.com/decline...tails and mule deer are below historic levels.

 

[stillquietvoice]

You act like that was a good thing. The Whitetail were doing fine with the wolves, bears, mountain lions, etc. They weren't doing fine after humans nearly hunted them to extinction.

No I don't believe it was a good thing NY'ers did that, but as a result we, hunters, need to try and maintain nature's balance, not that we can do that better than Nature.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Funny thing about Nature. It will find its own balance. That is what Nature does. It is the humans that think they need to balance it.

 

[Dale Alan]

Funny thing about Nature. It will find its own balance. That is what Nature does. It is the humans that think they need to balance it.

And then there are humans that think they can preach to others. Nice try.

 

[9x56MS]

Humans destroy natural ecosystems all in the name of progress. We will eventually be the cause of our species extinction. It is amazing to me that the native Americans lived here for thousands of years in harmony with nature. Now look what we have done in less than 400. Eventually nature will find a new balance without human kind and we will go the way of the dinosauers. Until then I will continue to enjoy my time in the woods.

 

[.308 Norma]

It is amazing to me that the native Americans lived here for thousands of years in harmony with nature. Now look what we have done in less than 400.

I don't think there were over 50 million "native Americans" in all of the Americas when the first Europeans arrived here. Now there are some 330 million people in the US alone.

 

[9x56MS]

White tails aren’t the only species overpopulating their habitat!

 

[Dale Alan]

I don't think there were over 50 million "native Americans" in all of the Americas when the first Europeans arrived here. Now there are some 330 million people in the US alone.

That's a great point . No spin there, just common sense .

 

[Offhand McFlan]

No logical reason??? My hunted the Eastern timber wolf to extinction, that species was the whitetail deer's natural predator. What has happened since is unlimited reproduction, look along any stretch of highway you'll see several dead deer. I hunt for many reasons, population control is one of them, a full freezer is another, but I also gain a skill that will keep the family fed during any number of catastrophic events.

When I said culling a herd, that wasnt limited to domesticated animals. I suppose a borderline logical reason could also be to make money to survive, as trappers did. But that also can become detrimental when people get greedy. To simplify what I said, there is no logical reason other than survival.

 

[Howland937]

First thing to learn about your quarry is what do they eat. Always follow the food and you will find the game. Books can tell you what game eats. Field guides can show you what the plants or trees look like. Then go find them and look for game trails. Sit where you can overlook the trails and wait. Game is most active at dawn and dusk so that’s when you want to be watching. Give it a try and let us know what you see. These tips work for any game. Good hunting.

You forgot one thing. For situations like turkey hunting when only Toms can be harvested...find the hens. Or does for rutting bucks. During peak breeding seasons, food isn't the top priority for some animals. In general, finding the food is a good place to start for sure. Water sources can be too.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Interesting thread.

My interest in hunting has always been "that would be cool to do someday".

My only encounters with Game Wardens, however, was poor (the first time) and down right awful the second time (i'm not even a hunter...).

That's a huge turnoff for me. I see these guys setting up check points and basically harassing anyone who comes by whether they are hunters or not. Seems like they take having a hunting license as an invitation to make your life a little extra difficult.

 

[stillquietvoice]

When I said culling a herd, that wasnt limited to domesticated animals. I suppose a borderline logical reason could also be to make money to survive, as trappers did. But that also can become detrimental when people get greedy. To simplify what I said, there is no logical reason other than survival.

I take culling to mean the sick, injured, or have a genetic type of defect, weak, old or sick. That's nature's selective process, not all hunters ate that way.

 

[Sniper66]

I've been a hunter for about 65 years. I'll be 75 in August and just returned from a 2 day praIrie dog shoot (no cleaning or eating). I still hunt doves, squirrels, deer, turkeys, coyotes, and prairie dogs. I eat everything except the varmints. The OP"s reasons for not hunting are typical. The one I hear most often is, "I would like to hunt, but have no place to go." Life without hunting would be a sad life indeed for me. I've lost the ability to manage long walks through heavy cover for quail and pheasants. And large decoy spreads for water fowl is just too much work. I do what I can. But, the desire to hunt everything is almost as strong as it has ever been. Had to turn down deer hunting last year because I still had venison from the year before and no one to give it to. And yeah, buying the stuff you need for hunting can run into a bit of money, but how many times to you need to buy a deer rifle? A shotgun for doves or pheasants? Nobody really needs 5 squirrel rifles like I have, but you don't have to spend a ton of dough. I hunted squirrels all during my 6 years in college with a $10 single shot 22 that I bought in a pawn shop. And when you do not have places to go, find some. I spend aa much time looking for new places to go as I do hunting. I never stop. I just got invited to shoot p-dogs on a new place from a guy I met while having dinner with my host this past weekend. Networking, Networking, Networking!!! I do it because I love hunting and shooting!!!

 

[Double Naught Spy]

And then there are humans that think they can preach to others. Nice try.

Just making a statement of fact. Nature was doing just fine for millions of years before humans came along and thought they needed to manage it. Nature will continue after humans are gone.

What humans need to do is manage humans, but we suck at that and we aren't doing too good of a job managing nature, either.