Why do you hunt?

[njbowhunter]

It seems there is so many trophy hunters these days just wondering why do you hunt?

[skmag357]

for meat and for horns!

[massbaster]

you should have an all the above....I def can fit into all the category's..... :confused:

[ACEarcher]

Yeah I agree with massbaster. I really could tell you one reason why I hunt. Their are many reasons. Some appear in the choices, but I can't just say that that is the only reason. Hunting is just something so much for to me than one reason.

[njbowhunter]

I know all of the above but what is your number one reason. Are you only hunting to kill a rack. Do you shoot the firt deer you see for meat. Are you only hunting to be with friends and you could care less if you kill anything. what is the number one reason.

[WardMan]

Where does " to be out in the woods and enjoying everything " fit in to this. I voted for friends and family, but only because it kind of put me out hunting.....

Just standing the in field tonight with the creek below me and wildlife around is a big part of why I hunt.

Wardman

[onthehunt]

I enjoy venison, so "meat". Once I get a few for the freezer, "horns". And when it's all said and done, I like to share my experiences with all my friends and family. I just like to hunt:) And it is getting to be that time, so i'll report if I stick anything:fight:

[Pagrizz]

I like the meat and I have a couple nice racks on the wall , but there is something inside me that has me go into the woods I can sit in rain or snow or below zero temps .If I see game it's a plus .My wife just can not understand when I come home freezing not seen a thing ,but telling her I had a great time.None of my family hunts so I do not know where I got the itch to hunt, but for reasons I will never know I'm gald I do.

[wreckless]

Getting a rack is great, and so is the meat. I get allot smoked and jerky made. I hunt alone or with my daughter and if I nothing eitherway I still love being out there. :)

[Mathews Man]

I don't think many poeple have just one reason. I voted family because they got me into it. But now I hunt so I can get away from everything else in the world. When I am in the woods I could care less about everything that is going on in my life. It's the only place i have to get out and relax. If I get a deer that's great, if not I'm not worried about it. And then there is the addiction. That feeling I get when I have a deer headed for my kill zone, the heart ready to blow through my chest, the shortness of breath and after the shot the legs feeling like jelly to the point that I have to sit down. That in my mind is the most addiction part. Knowing that all the time I put in the back yard everyday and archery shoots finally paid off is an awesome feeling. So when I kill a deer I have all these thoughts running through my mind at one time, the peace and getting away, the practice, and the fact that I was able to take out the most aware animals I have ever hunted, I am addicted to that feeling.

[boatliftman]

i think for me its instinct, sometimes i ask myself, why do you do this to youself,,,,earlt cold mornings, late nights tracking a hit deer, chiggers etc... i just feel like i am not doing my job when not hunting,, and its not so much the kill i guess its the chase:)

[mudmarlin70]

All of the above...but the "kill" itself for antlers or meat would be the last priority.

If your asking what dictates the "kill", then it also depends on the circumstances. I wouldnt call it a priority. I'll take a doe for meat without a doubt while hunting in an area with a population issue. If I will shoot a buck at this point, it's gonna be an exceptional buck by my standards. I wont shoot a buck just for the sake of taking an animal or to fill a tag. Dont know if that makes me a "trophy" hunter or not, like I said, I enjoy the venison and will definitely take deer for that purpose, It just wont be a youg buck. Hope that makes sense....

[Nanuk]

Like so many said before many diferent reasons , if I had to base the reason why on sucess then I would have quit years ago !!!!:eek: The main reason is to cherish those memories with me and my dad and now with me and my two boys and their "POPPY" in the field doing what generations have done before , handing down to their children the love and respect of this great earth . I love hunting camp , the anticiapation of opening morning , the way the air smells after a long hike to the top of a mountain , to see the sun greet us as only we as hunters know it , to here sounds as if you have bionic hearing , all of your senses acute , all of these things go together and one day if your lucky you'll actually see a deer . You see you can't measure your sucess by what you drag out , but by how much you give back . Take someone you know out to see what we experience as sportsmen ands share a lifetime of memories. ;) :)

[ACEarcher]

For me it is a all of the above answer. When I was in college all we ate was venison. I can onestly say I think of the years I spent in college I think I only spent about $30 total on beef. We would have "deer and beer" parties at my house. My roomates (all hunters) and I would cook venison in various different ways and get a barrel or 2 and eat, drink, and be marry. Our first "deer and beer" we polished off about 4 whole deer.

My father taught me how to hunt. Only because I wanted to get into it. He hunted for years and stopped about 2-3 years before I was 12. I always saw all his gear and his guns. He taught me about firearm safty and use. I am very proud of the early teachings I had because I believe it made me the kind of man I am today. My father took me out religiously from 12-15. Now a days my father rarely hunts with me. I have to beg and plead him to come. He dosen't bowhunt anymore, neither does my brother. Nine times out of ten I'm by myself. I really don't like always being by myself. It was great in college. You could always find someone who wanted to come. Sometimes we had enough people to put on drives. It was so much fun. And I really miss those days. I have one friend here at home that hunts. Whenever both our scheduals allow it we hunt together. I love during bear season. Not really caue we're bear hunting, but we're in a large hunting party. We all work together. When one of us gets a bear we all feel like we got a bear. It is the true deffinition of team work.

I get very into the deer. I've made it my profession, my course of study, and my passion. I love finding what monsters are on a property and targeting them. Learning their routes, habits, bedding areas, and feeding areas. I want to know what makes them well them. Why do they do what they do. I think about deer, hunting and past hunting situations all year long. I can never get enough of it.

When I was young I had a health issue. It was something that I could not see, feel, or know when it was happening. Young children associate pain with something wrong, but when you don't feel pain you don't think anything is wrong. Being that young you tell yourself that nothing is wrong and you deny the problem. For a while I was told I couldn't hunt, I couldn't be out in the woods, for fear the worst could happen. Wildlife, nature, and hunting was my only release from this issue. After a while I became very angry because of this. A flame that dwelled so deep and bright in me was restricted and held back. Years passed and new technology developed. Now I don't have this problem anymore. I have no more restrictions.

I don't have one reason why I hunt. I love the companionship between you, family and friends, the passion of the pursuit, the care and stewardship of the land, getting in touch with your wildside, the great tasting nurturment, all the preperation, the comfort, peace, silence, and beauty of nature, my release. I could go on.

[RUSS0079]

I hunt because my great great grandfather was a hunter. I hunt because I live in the woods. I hunt because I'm alive in the woods. I hunt because the world is soo screwed up, paying to much attention to crap that doesn't matter. Think about it! I hunt because I know it makes me a better man. I hunt because, my wife likes to spend time with me in the woods. I hunt because, I owe it to my children, to show them that hunting is needed, to make you a true person. Hell I hunt for a ton of reasons. BUT THE MAIN REASON I HUNT IS BECAUSE I'M A HUNTER. THAT'S WHO I AM!:cool:

[blackpowder]

WHY I hunt. I hunt for the experience of nature, to spend time with family and friends. I also don't enjoy shooting small deer let them go, so they can grow. If I had a shot at a small buck and a doe I shoot the doe. I have already killed my doe for this year so I will not shoot another unless we run out of meat. Now there is a specific buck I am looking for.