What is hunting to you ?

[Short Track]

I'm watching the pursuit channel. FIOS 818. All hunting. They literally hunt over feeders, over corn piles. High fenced. Right on TV, 24x7. Gotta be Texas.

 

[peterk123]

Hunting had become a way of life for us. I hunt with my wife and son in law. In about five years my grandson will be tagging along (actually probably next year but we will be carrying him). The hunt starts with scouting, which happens all year long. And it ends at the dinner table. We enjoy every process in between. The suffering of hauling out the animal. Processing the meat, making jerky, sausage, etc. Cooking different meals. It's led to more time outside together, foraging and learning about medicinal plants. It's made us healthier and more aware of our surroundings. It's our favorite passtime and I'm thankful for the privilege.

 

[Poser]

Life experience and self expression.

 

[Short Track]

Last night, same thing. Channel 818 Pursuit channel. 2 guys hunting over corn, with bows in a blind. Deer comes in to the corn, and they guy sends an arrow. Then celebrates like it's an amazing feat.

I admit the tracking part is amazing through the nasty TX brush, but the hunt, not so much..

 

[bucksnbirds]

Just taking a rifle or bow and hunting. Not throwing out corn, feeders, protein in the growing months, naming animals, etc.

To me, hunting is simply just going hunting. Never knowing what's going to pop up, the moon, wind, or pictures doesn't dictate if I hunt or not, etc.

Just hunt to be a part of the natural world without expectations from anybody.

 

[Danny Hoey]

I make sure an animal sees me before I kill it.

 

[NorthIdahoDude]

IMHO, a lot of what gets bandied about in 'fair chase' discussions is by and for people who view hunting as a sport. I am militant about following whatever laws are on the books wherever I live, but a 'sport' is something I do for fun with the boys to pass the time (skiing, golf, tennis, etc). That is not at all what hunting is to me.

Hunting is what I do to feed me and mine, both because I believe venison is healthier/better than commercially produced meat, but also (and more importantly) to keep myself grounded and reminded of what it is to be an animal that eats other animals, so that I can never take for granted that another living thing died to make the continuation of my life and the lives of my loved ones possible. It is not a 'sport' in any way, shape, or form to me.

As I said at the start, I am happy to follow whatever laws are in place wherever I happen to hunt, as that protects my (and other people's) privilege to continue to hunt and feed themselves and their loved ones in the way God and nature intended it, and that's a beautiful thing I am happy to support. But damn, I can assure you, that I have strained my eye muscles many (many) times while rolling my eyes at the heated emotional debates about how it's 'baiting' if you dropped the apple, but it's not if you have an apple tree and hunt by it, or whether or not hunting over the water hole or just on the travel route to/from the water is more or less 'fair' to the animal, or if lighted nocks are an 'unfair advantage' during bow season, when I can literally use a sniper rifle with 1,000+ yard reach if I hunt on a different day.

I am going to kill the animal, using a gun or an arrow with razors on it. Unless it's a CNS shot with a rifle, it's going to hurt that animal, A LOT, when I do it. It's brutal, and cruel, and grotesquely violent from the animals point of view. I cannot imagine anything less 'fair' I could do to the animal. However, if that's what I'm going do, and I am going to do it (and celebrate like a boss when I get it done successfully!), then I have no qualms whatsoever in using any and every legal 'advantage' available to me to ensure I can make quick and clean work of it.

Now back to your regularly scheduled religious debate.

 

[roosiebull]

Murder therapy. Nothing else makes the voices go quiet as effectively.

I was going to say, in short, my sanity

 

[Short Track]

I'm still watching this pursuit channel every night. It's my new entertainment now that my tags are filled. They are fishing and chumming the waters. That's ok.
They are still hunting TX over corn piles thrown on the ground. So much corn, Racoons are at the bait site with the deer. That's a new one to me.
The hunter narrates every deer coming into the bait. which 1 he's passing on. and why. It's like he likes to hear himself talk. Certainly not challenging hunting like I'm used too.

 

[Auguts]

Church

 

[Rogue Bay]

To me, hunting brings an intimacy that can’t be achieved any other way. The predator/prey relationship is unlike any other and can’t be replicated during wildlife viewing or nature photography (though I do enjoy both in their own time). During a successful culmination of a hunt, for just a brief moment, I have a relationship with that animal that no other creature has or will ever have. It’s just the two of us. It’s raw and it’s pure.

Beyond that, it’s the places and the seasons. It’s the animals themselves, and the pursuit of something I dearly love and admire. It’s the process. And that can be something different to everyone. That’s the beauty of it. My hunting camp is not like the “camps” on so many of the hunting shows. I have a hard time relating to them, but that’s perfectly okay. I hunt the way I like, legally, and hope others do the same.

 

[NRA4LIFE]

Church

Funny. I have said for many years I pray in my deer stand way more than I ever prayed in church.

 

[KurtR]

I'm watching the pursuit channel. FIOS 818. All hunting. They literally hunt over feeders, over corn piles. High fenced. Right on TV, 24x7. Gotta be Texas.

Did you just get a tv it’s been on since I can remember

 

[Dpacman78]

Enjoying God's wonders and passing it on to the kids and their friends

 

[Rich M]

Im okay w bait and planted plots and fruit trees and whatever else as long as you follow the rules and dont mess w other people.

Poachers and trespassers are the crud.

 

[justinspicher]

Just another reason to be out in the woods with a rifle. I take my rifle for a lot of walks through out the year, but being able to use it is always rewarding.

I have started to enjoy hunting less every year as it’s the new hip thing to do. More and more folks are out and that makes it less tolerable and enjoyable.

 

[Kauaihunter]

Just being out there with good friends and enjoying the outdoors. Meat is a nice bonus and we always hunt pretty hard. We hunt year round here and just booked our Ferry ride for our Axis hunt coming up. Drew the last of 11 general rifle weekends. Four weeks of archery, a Youth weekend and a muzzleloader weekend precede us starting first week of February. Pretty much guaranteed to see asses and dust out there but still going. The challenge makes the win so much better. But there won’t be any regrets going home with an empty meat bag.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Sport my butt. Hunting is and has been most of my life, the core reason to live. Food for my family, reason for horses, a reason to get up every morning. There is still a lot of land to explore and I'm not dead yet.

 

[Tuf343]

Every hunter draws their own line, and it usually shifts over time.

Most guys I know start strict spot & stalk only, nothing else is fair chase then loosen up once they realize deer aren’t dumb and life’s short.

My personal line after 25 years

Food plots, natural funnels, apple trees, trails, water holes 100% fair game. You’re just hunting smart.
Corn piles, feeders, salt licks dropped for the season feels too easy, takes the edge off for me. I’ll pass.
High fence nope, unless it’s truly huge thousands of acres and low pressure.
Long range 400-500 max for me on big game; beyond that its target shooting with a tag.

Hunting over your own patterned deer or your buddy’s apples? That’s legit hard work paying off nothing to feel weird about.

End of the day do what keeps you excited to get in the woods and proud of the animal on the ground. Nobody else has to sign off on your line. You’ll figure it out after a few more seasons