Hunting.... Its not wrong, but enjoy it?
- Thread starter Jarod
- Start date
Thanks for sharing.
W
WinterBorn
Guest
Ok, let me see if I can help you understand.
First of all, no hunters I know do it because they want to kill something. The actual death of the animal is not what draws them.
I can only speak of my own hunting experiences, but I will try to explain what the appeal is.
The first part is the exploring for new and better areas to hunt. I will hike all over an area, looking for signs, for food sources, for game trails, and for likely spots to bed down. I hike slowly and spend more time looking at the details and the entire picture. I have to know my prey. I have to know what they look for, what they eat, where they will go when the hunting pressure of the season picks up.
The second part is getting the equipment ready. The right camo, placement of a stand or blind (if I am using one), sighting in and practicing with whatever weapon I will use, finding cover scents that fit with the particular environment, all play a part.
Then the hunt actually happens. Being in the woods when dawn finally breaks is almost a spiritual experience. Men rarely speak of such things, but ifthe topic comes up they nod in agreement. Being out at daybreak, trying not to move at all, while listening and watching the woods around you is an experience that transcends the ages. It is easy to imagine men doing so back to the beginning of time. It is an age-old practice that never fails to stir my soul. I hear every rustle of a leaf. I see every movement. I feel every tiny breeze and am aware of its direction. I cannot count the number of times I have gripped my rifle or started to ease my bow up, only to see that it is a squirrel hopping in leaves, not a deer or hog.
Then you see game. Your heartbeat starts racing. Your chest tightens. Your hands shake. Even if its not a big animal, the effect is the same. You almost never see the animal move into your range. It never ceases to amaze me how a 150 to 200 lb animal with spread antlers can move like a ghost in thick brush. With coyote it is even more surprising, because they have a knack for coming into range in an unexpected direction. But one moment you are alone in the woods, and the next you have your prey in sight. But I have never spotted one initially in a shooting position. So you have to quell your excitement, bring your rifle, handgun, or bow up, and wait until you have a clear shot.
Wild animals are unpredictable. Sometimes they step a few steps then test the air, look all around, and wait. Other times they will bolt for no obvious reason. Other times they will wait for companions to come behind them. All of which adds to the challenge of when to shoot. Will he take another few steps and be in a better spot? Will she turn and go into the deeper thicket? Is there a buck following the doe? Is there a bigger doe behind her?
You have to wait until the animal looks away to bring your weapon up. You have to freeze when it looks your way. All the while planning where it needs to be when you shoot. With a bow this is compounded by the close proximity of the animal. 50 yards is a long shot. Youhave to be absolutely silent when you move. I have had deer bolt when my shoulder popped.
When you have your weapon up, you look for the perfect shot. No hunter wants to wound an animal. So you try and remember all the times you practiced, while still watching the animal and the woods around you. Its easy to get tunnel vision and miss something that will spook your prey.
If I am bow hunting, I may have drawn several minutes ago. My arm is starting to shake,but I have to remain absolutely still. Only when the animal is close enough and in a clear spot do I release the arrow. Now is when you have tunnel vision. The path of the arrow is the focus of your entire being. The hit or miss, and where the animal fell.
If I am hunting with a rifle, I have to control my breathing despite the racing heart and excitement. When I slowly squeeze the trigger, the shot is almost a surprise. But I have to recover and sight again to see whether or not I hit the animal and the result of my shot.
I have hunted for several decades. I have had many, many days without a shot. I loved each every minute of those days too. It is not specifically the kill that has me getting up at 3am, dressing in camo, spraying deer urine on my boots and sneaking thru the woods by the muted light of a lantern or flashlight, then sitting still or stalking very slowly in freezing weather or stiffling heat. It is the thrill of hunting a wild animal. It is the challenge of pitting myself against something with far greater senses.
The kill is part of the hunt. But it is not what holds the greatest appeal. To make a clean kill on a wild animal requires developing many skills. The only reason the kill thrills me is to know I made a clean kill on the animal. To know that my skills brought it down with the absolute minimum of suffering, and the quickest death. For animals in the wild, death is always near and suffering part of life. For the time I am hunting, I am not a spectator in the wilds. I am part of the circle of life.
First of all, no hunters I know do it because they want to kill something. The actual death of the animal is not what draws them.
I can only speak of my own hunting experiences, but I will try to explain what the appeal is.
The first part is the exploring for new and better areas to hunt. I will hike all over an area, looking for signs, for food sources, for game trails, and for likely spots to bed down. I hike slowly and spend more time looking at the details and the entire picture. I have to know my prey. I have to know what they look for, what they eat, where they will go when the hunting pressure of the season picks up.
The second part is getting the equipment ready. The right camo, placement of a stand or blind (if I am using one), sighting in and practicing with whatever weapon I will use, finding cover scents that fit with the particular environment, all play a part.
Then the hunt actually happens. Being in the woods when dawn finally breaks is almost a spiritual experience. Men rarely speak of such things, but ifthe topic comes up they nod in agreement. Being out at daybreak, trying not to move at all, while listening and watching the woods around you is an experience that transcends the ages. It is easy to imagine men doing so back to the beginning of time. It is an age-old practice that never fails to stir my soul. I hear every rustle of a leaf. I see every movement. I feel every tiny breeze and am aware of its direction. I cannot count the number of times I have gripped my rifle or started to ease my bow up, only to see that it is a squirrel hopping in leaves, not a deer or hog.
Then you see game. Your heartbeat starts racing. Your chest tightens. Your hands shake. Even if its not a big animal, the effect is the same. You almost never see the animal move into your range. It never ceases to amaze me how a 150 to 200 lb animal with spread antlers can move like a ghost in thick brush. With coyote it is even more surprising, because they have a knack for coming into range in an unexpected direction. But one moment you are alone in the woods, and the next you have your prey in sight. But I have never spotted one initially in a shooting position. So you have to quell your excitement, bring your rifle, handgun, or bow up, and wait until you have a clear shot.
Wild animals are unpredictable. Sometimes they step a few steps then test the air, look all around, and wait. Other times they will bolt for no obvious reason. Other times they will wait for companions to come behind them. All of which adds to the challenge of when to shoot. Will he take another few steps and be in a better spot? Will she turn and go into the deeper thicket? Is there a buck following the doe? Is there a bigger doe behind her?
You have to wait until the animal looks away to bring your weapon up. You have to freeze when it looks your way. All the while planning where it needs to be when you shoot. With a bow this is compounded by the close proximity of the animal. 50 yards is a long shot. Youhave to be absolutely silent when you move. I have had deer bolt when my shoulder popped.
When you have your weapon up, you look for the perfect shot. No hunter wants to wound an animal. So you try and remember all the times you practiced, while still watching the animal and the woods around you. Its easy to get tunnel vision and miss something that will spook your prey.
If I am bow hunting, I may have drawn several minutes ago. My arm is starting to shake,but I have to remain absolutely still. Only when the animal is close enough and in a clear spot do I release the arrow. Now is when you have tunnel vision. The path of the arrow is the focus of your entire being. The hit or miss, and where the animal fell.
If I am hunting with a rifle, I have to control my breathing despite the racing heart and excitement. When I slowly squeeze the trigger, the shot is almost a surprise. But I have to recover and sight again to see whether or not I hit the animal and the result of my shot.
I have hunted for several decades. I have had many, many days without a shot. I loved each every minute of those days too. It is not specifically the kill that has me getting up at 3am, dressing in camo, spraying deer urine on my boots and sneaking thru the woods by the muted light of a lantern or flashlight, then sitting still or stalking very slowly in freezing weather or stiffling heat. It is the thrill of hunting a wild animal. It is the challenge of pitting myself against something with far greater senses.
The kill is part of the hunt. But it is not what holds the greatest appeal. To make a clean kill on a wild animal requires developing many skills. The only reason the kill thrills me is to know I made a clean kill on the animal. To know that my skills brought it down with the absolute minimum of suffering, and the quickest death. For animals in the wild, death is always near and suffering part of life. For the time I am hunting, I am not a spectator in the wilds. I am part of the circle of life.
You're the kind of person that would most likely starve without a grocery store nearby....
Killing the game or catching the fish is the easy part of the hunt, the reality of being a hunter starts after the kill.
W
WinterBorn
Guest
You are absolutely wrong on this one. The reality of being a hunter ends after the kill. After that you are just a packmule and a butcher.
The reality of being a hunter starts long before the kill. Any idiot can buy the equipment. Anyone with extra money can find a place to hunt. None of those make you a hunter.
Well, thats your opinion....
I think any idiot can buy a gun, sit in a tree and shoot an animal or hook a worm in a line an throw it into the water.....after that the idiot would be sitting with his thumb up his ass if he didn't know or couldn't do what comes next...
and what comes next is what separates those that just shoot game from the hunter....
And thats my opinion.
So we'll agree to disagree.
W
WinterBorn
Guest
Ok, we can agree to disagree. But what the hunter does on the hunt matters most, imho.
Granted, leaving a carcass in the woods after chopping off the trophy is a despicable.
Another he-man thread~
I have a girlfriend who married into a family of hunters- His brothers, father, uncles, granfather's, cousins and in some cases the women- are hunters too ...meat is rarely ever bought in a store.
She hardly knew what she was getting into as a young naive 20 year old. She went out on her first hunt (deer season) and shot her first buck on her first try-problem was it was not a kill shot-she had to administer that one up close. She never went hunting again. Instead she busied herself with learning how to prepare game...and in some cases she'll help her husband dress it-but she'll never participate in killing again.
The family she maried into are hunters-always have been always will be; she could either learn to live with it and like it or be miserable. Their son is now grown and off to college studying to be a software engineer-but he still packs up and goes off with the men in his family to hunt various game in season- Being a hunter, I think she'd say, is just what you are- like being a farmer; it does not mean you don't have another occupation or interest, just that being a hunter is something you can't undo from yourself. You never stop or start once it's in your blood- It doesn't matter if it's hunting season or not...you're just a hunter.
I have a girlfriend who married into a family of hunters- His brothers, father, uncles, granfather's, cousins and in some cases the women- are hunters too ...meat is rarely ever bought in a store.
She hardly knew what she was getting into as a young naive 20 year old. She went out on her first hunt (deer season) and shot her first buck on her first try-problem was it was not a kill shot-she had to administer that one up close. She never went hunting again. Instead she busied herself with learning how to prepare game...and in some cases she'll help her husband dress it-but she'll never participate in killing again.
The family she maried into are hunters-always have been always will be; she could either learn to live with it and like it or be miserable. Their son is now grown and off to college studying to be a software engineer-but he still packs up and goes off with the men in his family to hunt various game in season- Being a hunter, I think she'd say, is just what you are- like being a farmer; it does not mean you don't have another occupation or interest, just that being a hunter is something you can't undo from yourself. You never stop or start once it's in your blood- It doesn't matter if it's hunting season or not...you're just a hunter.
W
WinterBorn
Guest
Not sure its a "he-man" thread. Granted, most hunters are male. But my daughter hunts, while my sons never cared for it. I know several female hunters. But yeah,its mostly men.
I do agree with the last part of your post. Its who you are.
This is probably from the Palin thing.
Hunting goes back...like WAY back. Stories about hunts among our ancestors are incredibly interesting; some would hold ceremonies paying homage to the animal in question prior to the hunt, and thanking them in advance for what they were about to do for the tribe. It was a really mystical experience.
I agree w/ others here that animal cruelty isn't even in the equation; at our very core, we're hunters (well, some are, and some are gatherers). But give me a good old fashioned hunt to some sort of meat-processing plant where respect for the hunted doesn't even exist...
Hunting goes back...like WAY back. Stories about hunts among our ancestors are incredibly interesting; some would hold ceremonies paying homage to the animal in question prior to the hunt, and thanking them in advance for what they were about to do for the tribe. It was a really mystical experience.
I agree w/ others here that animal cruelty isn't even in the equation; at our very core, we're hunters (well, some are, and some are gatherers). But give me a good old fashioned hunt to some sort of meat-processing plant where respect for the hunted doesn't even exist...
Its who you are? Its in your blood?
Thats just stereotyping at its finest...
I started hunting at 12 years old....loved the hike, the fresh air, the comradeship of the group and just tramping in the woods with Dad.....
Got tired shooting rabbits, it was just too easy and ceased being a challenge....
same with pheasant and other small game.....
hunted strictly grouse for the last 5 years or so of my hunting career...you had to be fast, alert and on you toes....hard to hit and real good eating....
Shot one deer and found that about as easy as shooting yourself in the foot....don't even care for the meat....so I quit altogether....and took up dry fly fishing...
So it was fun while it lasted but I don't miss it for a second.
Thats just stereotyping at its finest...
I started hunting at 12 years old....loved the hike, the fresh air, the comradeship of the group and just tramping in the woods with Dad.....
Got tired shooting rabbits, it was just too easy and ceased being a challenge....
same with pheasant and other small game.....
hunted strictly grouse for the last 5 years or so of my hunting career...you had to be fast, alert and on you toes....hard to hit and real good eating....
Shot one deer and found that about as easy as shooting yourself in the foot....don't even care for the meat....so I quit altogether....and took up dry fly fishing...
So it was fun while it lasted but I don't miss it for a second.
Dixie - In Memoriam
New member
I know people who are like that, and they are in my family. In fact, my Aunt (who is now dearly departed) had much the same story about her experience as a hunter, and though she didn't hunt, she took care of all the trappings.
My first 'hunting' experience was at 8-years old, I had gotten a Daisy SureShot BB gun for my birthday, and shot a momma red-breasted robin. I had to listen to her babies chirp as they starved to death, and eventually became food for other prey. It was a traumatic experience for me. Later, when I was 13, I would go rabbit and squirrel hunting, because burning ants with a magnifying glass would get boring to a 13-year-old after a while. I enjoyed doing that, but it never was something I truly "loved" doing, enough to be obsessed with it or anything. I had rather fish, any day. Okay...jump ahead to my early 20s, and I am trying to impress my girlfriend's father... he is an avid deer hunter, and he is taking me on a 'hunt' ...it's only the second time I've ever hunted deer. This man was downright sadistic to me, drug me through frozen swamps and what I call "briar-swamps" at 4:45 am... like freaking Delta Force! We never saw a deer! After that, I decided, I am not a hunter. I have guns, love to shoot at targets, just don't care about hunting anymore.
Disturbing.
I understand your enjoyment that is reasonable to me.... Would you not enjoy it as much with a camera? Is the kill part of the enjoyment or would the thrill of it be lost without the kill.
I am a great fisherman, but unless its a species that I really like to eat I am strictly catch and release.
Id rather get it from store but the cost makes it hard to give up the fish once its in the boat.
SmarterthanYou
rebel
I hunted as a young kid and teenager. I grew up in the rural midwest so it was the thing to do. I haven't hunted since I was 17, not something I really care to do because of my love of all animals. I have the skills though and could do it again if needed, so there's an upside.
Minister of Truth
Practically Perfect
I'm not a fan of hunting, but Jarod's just being a douche.
Please try to honor the 3-day moratorium on namecalling for the Christmas holiday.
USFREEDOM911
MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN
You have put into words, better then anyone I've ever read.
"Being in the woods when dawn finally breaks is almost a spiritual experience."
As a kid, when we lived on the farm, I used to love going out, no matter what the season, and seeing how many animals I could find and how close could I get; but winter was so different.
Every step brings that crunch sound of the snow packing down.
Everything was so quiet, it was like being in the worlds biggest church and yet, every sound was amplified.
You could hear the claws of a squirrel on the tree bark, tree branches cracking were as loud as gun shots, and it seemed like you could hear your breath crystalizing.