Why people hunt?

[Jaga]

why people hunt? Anybody knows the answer

By the way, how many of you guys (and ladies) hunt?

[Jaga]

No any hunters there?

[bescheid]

I voted: Because it is a great sport and relax.

Bird hunting was my favourite sport for some years. It takes concentration, quick reflexes and powers of observation/recognition. Also, an eater of expensive shot gun ammunition. And as with fishing, it is an opportunity to become again with nature, the smells, opening up the senses to the natural world that surrounds a person. And it is fun.

No longer though, do I hunt. mainly because now, I do not like to kill animals and birds. Primarily because of the vast numbers of hunters in the field at season time, many property owners do not like their fences damaged by careless hunters.

The other reason on my non-hunting attitude at present is: the vast areas of development that has been expanding into formerly rural areas forcing hunting out of the area,or highly restricting only a chosen few to hunt on private land (for fee hunting,or by member ship only).

And yes, I have been peppered by bird shot from an over shot. Just keep your face down, lower your self to present a smaller target with your hands covered.

And yell like hell

Charles

[gardenmoma]

I marked "something other" as I've never liked the idea of hunting. But that is not the main reason I went with that choice.

I suspect that the reasons people hunt are as many as the people (both men and women) that do hunt. We need to beware of stereotypes

My son is not a hunter, but is an avid fisherman. His best friend is not as avid a fisherman (as far as I know) but is a bird hunter and trains his own dogs. Both work as professionals in the field of conservation and environment and have much contact with hunters of deer, bear, moose, etc.

My husband never hunted because he and his brother (who grew up on the upper edge of the great U.S. depression) had to be the "bird dogs" when their Dad hunted to put a little extra meat on the family table. My mother-in-law will not eat rabbit because this is the best and most her brothers could hunt and bring home for the family table.

I eat the fish, pat the dog, make bean soup and bake bread

[piwo]

I hunt because I enjoy the activity and love to eat wild game, which is infinitely better for you. There is really no comparison on the nutrition charts.

Your answers are too "cut and dry". I like to hunt for many reasons: because it's an enjoyable activity, it is outdoors, and it is thrilling: especially big game or turkey hunting. Perhaps the eluded to "instinct" comes into play, but I wouldn't know if it was instinct or desire. I do enjoy shooting the weapons, and the states regulate the number of hunters and animals killed because it is the means to regulate animal populations to healthy levels. In much of Europe, only the rich, or the "state" hunters can do it. Here, it is open to virtually all, within the laws of each state and their needs. I hunt the Missouri fields and woods, the mountains and foothills of Wyoming, and hopefully in December, the mountains in New Mexico. I've never had a head mounted, and never plan to. It's not why I do it. I've been doing it for 31 years now, and I too have been peppered with buckshot, and lived to hunt another day. Hunting on public lands is a little more scary, in the Midwest and east, but out west where it is so vast, well, it's not really a concern.

Maybe, the answer to your question is found in the answer to this question: Why do women love to shop? Is it a power thing for using money? Is it the thrill of the hunt, just like many hunters.

I theorized that people gamble so much today and it is so popular because not as many people hunt anymore since guns have been drilled into the last few generations of school kids as being "evil". It's the journey, not the outcome that so many do it, hoping to "score", even when the odds are against you. Well,obviously I didn't take theology in college!

BTW. we had grilled venison z Cranberry demi-glaze for dinner Sunday. My wife will even eat 2nd helpings of the venison if I make the demi-glaze. Both of my daughters love wild game and are shooters, but neither as ever gone hunting. I missed my opportunity to have them take their hunters Ed classes when they were a little younger, and interested.

Charles, you said you checked the enjoyable activity box, but must have changed your mind, or accidentally checked the box below it.

[bescheid]

piwo

Hmmm, yes! I must have checked the wrong box, darn, now the pole is upset, dang...

While on here, I did enjoy your reasons of hunting, makes good sense.. Also, I like the taste of wild game, but actually, enjoy eating pheasant and grouse the best. Some times depending upon the location of hunting, duck is good and better yet, goose. I just never had to good of luck getting within good firing range of the geese, always one of the look outs would spot me as we did not have a blind, just never liked to use a blind, some how to me, it just degrades the hunting.

Charles

[piwo]

I have never eaten duck. I am told that you cannot (or at least should not) eat ducks that eat fish: they are supposed to be very bad tasting. 20 years ago, the populations of Canadian and Snow geese were predictable, but moderate. They are now such a nuisance that there are not enough hunters on the planet to keep heir numbers down. In the spring when it rains, our parking lot is a fecal soup with all the goose crap from the year round beggars that refuse to leave. Maybe they should need the visa requirement, and not the Poles.......

Gardenmama - a very well done post on the subject. You were clearly quicker on the draw with yours and more eloquent. We both had the same general idea; there are lots of reasons!

[bescheid]

piwo

Yes on the fish eating ducks, they taste of the food they eat, ugly...... For duck and geese, it is a good idea, if available in the area, to hunt them in farming areas that grow rice, beans or what ever grain crops are in season. This is their food they eat I used either a 410 or 12 gage shot gun in those times. The 410 was excellent as a grouse gun, it was single shot, but was easy to maneuver and aim.

In the area I used to hunt, was in the mountains, and it was for blue grouse. Their (grouse) food was huckle berries with what ever grouse eat. Boy, they were good eating. Pheasants were in the sage areas, again in the mountains. A person had to be careful because of rattle snakes that would be laying in the partials of grass or sage brush. Those buggers were aggressive so it was always a good idea to wear heavy boots. I was never bit by one, but did send a few to see their maker.

Charles

[hanna]

My grandad used to hunt moose when he was still in shape. Moose meat is good.

[Jaga]

hanna said:

My grandad used to hunt moose when he was still in shape. Moose meat is good.

Hanna,

so you grandad hunt for food?

Piwo, Charles,

what was the biggest animal you ever killed in hunting?

[bescheid]

Jaga

The largest animal I ever killed, well let me think. I am not sure... Two deer were large for deer (mule deer) one bear was a two year old and about the same size I would suppose.

Actually, I really did not care if I got a game animal or not, I loved to hunt, it was a challenge between the game and my self. Most of the time, the animals had the upper hand, they knew the area, I did not. That was part of the challenge.

Bear was my favorite hunting animal. They are smart buggers and will double back on you, and then follow you. On one occasion, I had a brown bear double back on me twice. I found this out by back tracking my trail and found his prints over my prints that were originally over his prints... Neat, a smart bear!

I lost him while through a series of river wash outs and he went in through a herd of cows and they trampled out his foot prints. I think he was a big one, as his prints were close in size to mine, and his scratch marks on a pine tree were higher then I could reach.

A bear foot print found in the dust, is only a partial portion of his foot, they walk some what on their front paws leaving perhaps just 2/3 of their actual foot print. This brown bear had gone through a barbed wire fence leaving large hair patches on the fence, that is how I knew he was a brown bear. I never seen him through out that hunt. Actually, after hunting him for so long, most likely I would not have shot him, it would have been a shame to kill such a magnificent beast such as him.

My rifle of choice then (only one I had) was a converted model 91 mauser 7.65 cal. The ammunition for it was manufactured in Sweden as Norma.

Charles

[bescheid]

Hanna

Do you have many moose in your area? Those things are big! And can be very unpredictable. One moment they will be standing knee high in the water of a beaver dam,muching like a milk cow, then for no seemingly reason, charge at a person, and they are very fast!

There were just a few in our area not far from the Canadian border. If they were in the area I was to hunt, I would go some where else, safer that way..

I have only eaten some moose meat once, and that was one a friend of mine had hunted in Canada. And you are sure correct, it is good! Very lean and tasty.

Charles

[piwo]

The largest animal I harvested was a mule deer back in 1998. It was in the height of the rut, and his chest was quite swollen. I like mule deer better: I don't know if there is actually any difference in the taste between whitetail and mule deer, but I always believed the mule deer tasted better.
I am hunting for cow elk in New Mexico this December (if drawn for permit), so if successful, that will be the largest. But size is not what makes a hunt enjoyable: hunting wild turkey in the spring season: trying to lure a large gobbler to you with a call is quite thrilling, especially when you consider that you are enticing him against the laws of nature: hens go to the gobblers, not the other way around! When you hear a gobbler "gobble" to your call, your heart beats so hart it smacks into you ribs and you swear you cannot breath..... It is a rush of adrenaline that is hard to describe!

As for commonly hunted large game meat, I rank them in this order: Moose, elk, mule deer, white tail deer, caribou. Moose is the "creme De la creme" for wild game... Man, do I envy Kaima in Alaska, where there are good opportunities to harvest one!!!

[kaima]