How many of you guys are just sitting your hunt?

[APTOutdoors]

I've sat and waited, and it's something in my repertoire. I'm a whitetail guy originally from the northeast so it's easy for me to pick terrain pinch points a d want to sit. I've done it to some level of success while mule deer hunting here in Colorado but the elk density in my unit of choice lends me to walking around more than sitting. I'll definitely sit in the golden hour and glass, and maybe do something similar in the morning for a little bit, but mid day I'm generally walking.

Most all of my encounters during rifle season have been walking, cow call in my mouth prepared to cover my bumbling and stumbling with a call. In bad weather if it's getting to crunch time I'll walk through bedding areas as slow as I can with the wind in my face or across it, that's been pretty successful as well.

 

[nwcomechanic]

Not us, this year in Idaho my son and I covered 148 miles in 15 days. Resulting in our dead bulls, and two guys that could keep up also shot bulls. setting and waiting is not hunting..

I tend to fully agree with you, this is hoping and wishing at best, even if animals are known to be in the area. Thats not to say people don't kill animals this way, but its not hunting in the true sense of the word.

 

[intunegp]

I tend to fully agree with you, this is hoping and wishing at best, even if animals are known to be in the area. Thats not to say people don't kill animals this way, but its not hunting in the true sense of the word.

Hiking around seems to be hoping and wishing you're going to see an animal just as much as sitting and waiting for one in an area that they are likely to be.

 

[5MilesBack]

Hiking around seems to be hoping and wishing you're going to see an animal just as much as sitting and waiting for one in an area that they are likely to be.

If you're just hiking around aimlessly, then yes.....probably all hoping and wishing. But September is pre-rut and rut hunting, you have to take advantage of that. Otherwise you might as well just be hunting the rifle seasons with your bow.

 

[nwcomechanic]

Hiking around seems to be hoping and wishing you're going to see an animal just as much as sitting and waiting for one in an area that they are likely to be.

Someone's feelings got hurt, not trying to hurt feelings or call anyone out, but this is not a debate, there is a simple definition, and although like i said that it can be successful in killing animals, this is fundamentally NOT hunting lol.

 

[hereinaz]

I tend to fully agree with you, this is hoping and wishing at best, even if animals are known to be in the area. Thats not to say people don't kill animals this way, but its not hunting in the true sense of the word.

I do understand how you define the term “true hunting” and I can see/feel what you mean in my own experiences. I don’t have a problem with an opinion like that. The idea made me chew on it a little bit and ponder, cause I kinda felt the difference between chasing and sitting on my elk hunt. I totally loved hiking/hunting.

There were some very cool feelings when I took my first archery bull this year while chasing him. I could say it was like I “truly hunted” and killed. It was thrilling and exciting being the “hunter” chasing bugles. It takes a lot of work which can be satisfying as well at the end. It was satisfying for me to succeed on my feet after only 40 total miles in a week or so of hunting.

On the other hand, I did sit water most nights, snd yes it’s boring. Yet, the animal kingdom is filled with ambush hunters. And, it takes some work and lots of knowledge to set yourself in a position to ambush hunt successfully. That is hard in many different ways too.

I sat water, and would have been thrilled with a spike if it had come in, which had been coming into water regularly. I was happy and ready to take a spike off water the second to last day. I didn’t, and got to take a mature bull the next morning.

It is different style of hunting to sit. My preference is to get out and hunt on my feet, but sitting is just as much hunting.

When rifle hunting especially, I often sit in a glassing knob. I am sitting here thinking how different is that? It could be said to be even less than ambush hunting because of the advantage of glass. I know some that say it’s boring and don’t do it. They would rather walk a trail and push boulders and shoot the deer. I don’t like that at all…

IMO, when the moment of truth comes, whether sitting or walking, it’s just as exciting.

Same as with bow vs. rifle. It’s exciting either way for me. But, some people say only bow hunting is true hunting, and long range rifle isn’t. But then you have the trad bow guys who can say compound bows aren’t really hunting.

For me, I think as long as it is “fair chase” it is “true hunting”. There are more exciting ways within fair chase for sure. And, I like them the most. But, I will sit if that is the best tactic for me in that moment of time.

Sitting is a great tactic, if that gets the job done. But, different strokes for different folks.

 

[KHNC]

Shot a cow this year one evening. We were watching a meadow with a lot of sign around it. 2 days later we killed a nice 5pt by moving in on bugles and aggressive calling. Usually do a mix of both on our hunts.

 

[nwcomechanic]

I do understand how you define the term “true hunting” and I can see/feel what you mean in my own experiences. I don’t have a problem with an opinion like that. The idea made me chew on it a little bit and ponder, cause I kinda felt the difference between chasing and sitting on my elk hunt. I totally loved hiking/hunting.

There were some very cool feelings when I took my first archery bull this year while chasing him. I could say it was like I “truly hunted” and killed. It was thrilling and exciting being the “hunter” chasing bugles. It takes a lot of work which can be satisfying as well at the end. It was satisfying for me to succeed on my feet after only 40 total miles in a week or so of hunting.

On the other hand, I did sit water most nights, snd yes it’s boring. Yet, the animal kingdom is filled with ambush hunters. And, it takes some work and lots of knowledge to set yourself in a position to ambush hunt successfully. That is hard in many different ways too.

I sat water, and would have been thrilled with a spike if it had come in, which had been coming into water regularly. I was happy and ready to take a spike off water the second to last day. I didn’t, and got to take a mature bull the next morning.

It is different style of hunting to sit. My preference is to get out and hunt on my feet, but sitting is just as much hunting.

When rifle hunting especially, I often sit in a glassing knob. I am sitting here thinking how different is that? It could be said to be even less than ambush hunting because of the advantage of glass. I know some that say it’s boring and don’t do it. They would rather walk a trail and push boulders and shoot the deer. I don’t like that at all…

IMO, when the moment of truth comes, whether sitting or walking, it’s just as exciting.

Same as with bow vs. rifle. It’s exciting either way for me. But, some people say only bow hunting is true hunting, and long range rifle isn’t. But then you have the trad bow guys who can say compound bows aren’t really hunting.

For me, I think as long as it is “fair chase” it is “true hunting”. There are more exciting ways within fair chase for sure. And, I like them the most. But, I will sit if that is the best tactic for me in that moment of time.

Sitting is a great tactic, if that gets the job done. But, different strokes for different folks.

Yeah, this is just a fundamental difference in opinion, WHICH IS OKAY LOL, we don't have to agree.

I end up doing what sounds like a similar mix of sitting for 30-60 minutes and then moving then sitting then moving and having a combination of the two.

Also to say "Fair Chase" is "True Hunting" is ridiculous, fair chase in 2024 comes down to laws, not ethics.

How can sitting over a bait pile be fair chase?

And on that note, how can sitting in a tree stand where you've cleared shooting lanes in 360 degrees, cut branches out of your lines of sight and planted the best alfalfa grass etc in these lanes really be considered "Fair Chase"??

It comes down to laws, and often times comes down to the difference between the "haves" who have private land access or ownership and the ability to invest time and money into creating these "killing fields/lanes" near their tree stands or blinds. And the "Have Nots" who are stuck rubbing elbows with other have nots on public lands that are way over crowded and lack the density of game.

 

[intunegp]

Someone's feelings got hurt, not trying to hurt feelings or call anyone out, but this is not a debate, there is a simple definition, and although like i said that it can be successful in killing animals, this is fundamentally NOT hunting lol.

My feelings are fine, just calling out silliness where I see it. The definition of hunting is:

the activity of hunting wild animals or game, especially for food or sport

The verb hunt is defined as:

pursue and kill (a wild animal) for sport or food

Neither of those seem to dictate whether you need to be spotting and stalking versus sitting and waiting, so the distinction that one is real hunting and one is not seems to be some made up hierarchy for some guys to feel like they're doing it better than others.

You say it's fundamentally not hunting...so a guy who drives across the country to a western state, spends hundreds or thousands on equipment, licenses, and other preparations for their trip, locates an area that is likely to hold animals, sets up there, and successfully harvests an animal hasn't fundamentally hunted to you?

Help me understand...the distinction seems to only exist in your feelings that real hunters put in miles.

Do guys in a tree stand hunting deer all season not fundamentally hunt? How about people that lean against the base of a tree and call in a turkey? Predator guys that setup in a funnel with distress calls?

 

[nwcomechanic]

My feelings are fine, just calling out silliness where I see it. The definition of hunting is:

the activity of hunting wild animals or game, especially for food or sport

The verb hunt is defined as:

pursue and kill (a wild animal) for sport or food

Neither of those seem to dictate whether you need to be spotting and stalking versus sitting and waiting, so the distinction that one is real hunting and one is not seems to be some made up hierarchy for some guys to feel like they're doing it better than others.

You say it's fundamentally not hunting...so a guy who drives across the country to a western state, spends hundreds or thousands on equipment, licenses, and other preparations for their trip, locates an area that is likely to hold animals, sets up there, and successfully harvests an animal hasn't fundamentally hunted to you?

Help me understand...the distinction seems to only exist in your feelings that real hunters put in miles.

Do guys in a tree stand hunting deer all season not fundamentally hunt? How about people that lean against the base of a tree and call in a turkey? Predator guys that setup in a funnel with distress calls?

Did you look up the definition of pursue?

Spending money, E-scouting, driving hundreds or thousands of miles is not hunting.

Once your start pursuing you have begun hunting. Hunting = pursuing in a literal sense.

That’s all I’m saying, what you should call it when you take a stroll to your tree stand and then hang up there all day with your fingers crossed, I don’t know, but to call it hunting is misleading and not accurate that’s all.


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[Gerbdog]

i end up doing a combination of both in a hunting season. Usually its a day or two of hunting hard in steep hell holes chasing bugles and then im usually beat up enough i sit on a wallow for a day .... unless im hearing bugles.... its always chasing when there are bugles

Midday im gonna be sitting on a well used game trail and taking a nap and eating some lunch.

 

[intunegp]

Did you look up the definition of pursue?

Spending money, E-scouting, driving hundreds or thousands of miles is not hunting.

Once your start pursuing you have begun hunting. Hunting = pursuing in a literal sense.

That’s all I’m saying, what you should call it when you take a stroll to your tree stand and then hang up there all day with your fingers crossed, I don’t know, but to call it hunting is misleading and not accurate that’s all.


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The definition of pursue is:

follow (someone or something) in order to catch or attack them

OR

seek to attain or accomplish (a goal) over a long period

I guess I'd probably call it whatever you call it when you take a stroll around the mountains and stare through a spotting scope all day with your fingers crossed. Sounds like it's not hunting by your definition. If the hunting begins when you see an animal you want to kill then not many people spend very much time hunting.

We don't seem to be making any progress here and I don't really think this back and forth is in the spirit of the original discussion so I'll just yield to you as the decider of what hunting is.

 

[PredatoronthePrairie]

Someone's feelings got hurt, not trying to hurt feelings or call anyone out, but this is not a debate, there is a simple definition, and although like i said that it can be successful in killing animals, this is fundamentally NOT hunting lol.

You've been hunting less than 10 years. And want to tell people what the meaning of hunting is?

 

[FAAFO]

Rockslide Randy’s will fight about anything. 148 miles? Bruh what was your elevation gains? That’s what make it a hunt. Tell us it wss DIY and how heavy your pack was bruh.

 

[BRTreedogs]

Someone should tell all the White tail hunters in the Midwest that’s not hunting.

 

[TheHammer]

Someone should tell all the White tail hunters in the Midwest that’s not hunting.

If you hunt white tails that way…

 

[BRTreedogs]

I tried looking up Ambush Not Hunting, ambush pursuit, Etc

But it just comes back as Ambush hunting, but we’ve been informed that’s not hunting.

 

[BRTreedogs]

I only think it’s hunting if you chop down a willow, peel and dry it, pilgrimage to the obsidian grounds on foot, hand chop an obsidian point and lash it onto the dried willow with hand braided rope. Then run thru the woods like last of the Mohicans and spear an animal.

If you ain’t doing that well then idk what you are doing.

But it is NOT hunting.

 

[Gerbdog]

I only think it’s hunting if you chop down a willow, peel and dry it, pilgrimage to the obsidian grounds on foot, hand chop an obsidian point and lash it onto the dried willow with hand braided rope. Then run thru the woods like last of the Mohicans and spear an animal.

If you ain’t doing that well then idk what you are doing.

But it is NOT hunting.

Rookie hunting story ... true story i have a hunting buddy who... is admittedly good at hunting... but got ahead of his ski's one year because he decided to sit on a branch over a game trail with a knife and wait for a deer to walk under it...

Well deer walked under it.... he jumped out of that tree.... and broke 3 ribs while the deer went unscathed

 

[intunegp]

Rookie hunting story ... true story i have a hunting buddy who... is admittedly good at hunting... but got ahead of his ski's one year because he decided to sit on a branch over a game trail with a knife and wait for a deer to walk under it...

Well deer walked under it.... he jumped out of that tree.... and broke 3 ribs while the deer went unscathed

Crazy how every hunter knows a guy that did this. Mine was a high school friend's dad. Does it ever really happen or just some story that passes from person to person as somebody who wants to sound cool takes the torch and repeats it?