Sitka Gear Turkey Tool Belt

why do you hunt

Europe

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I was recently approached by a group of anti hunters, when I exited a store and was asked why I hunt ? I told them I would tell them if they set down with me and let me, but I would not engage is a shouting match in the parking lot. Four of the women and one man set down and listened to me.

I told them that in the very beginning ( 1940's ), it was at least to some degree subsistence hunting. We always ate what we hunted and even used the hides to supplement our income.

I also explained that all our hunts were fair chase hunts that we never hunted a high wire type hunt and therefore the animals we hunted had a much better chance of not being harvested than the beef cattle that ended up on their dinner table.

But people, even in my own family hunt for different reasons. Trophy hunting, desire to hunt a specific animal, desire to hunt with a specific rifle, the challenge, the camaraderie, being in the mountains, plains, tundra, savannah and of course the meat, especially if it is Coues deer or Dall sheep lol

For me it was the "hunt itself" and being where the animal being hunted lived. I didn't even need to harvest the animal for it to be a successful hunt. To just name a very short few places that I am glad I hunted, the Mackenzie mountains in the Northwest Territories, dog sledding to our hunts in Nunavut , float plane to a lake north of Ft.Yukon, Alaska. Any sheep or goat hunt, North America, Europe, New Zealand, I was all in. Loved the camaraderie and friendships established throughout Europe and Africa was at least for me, very special and different than any other hunts, especially when hunting the dangerous game animals.

Regrets, you bet. I never got to hunt Tigers or Marco Polo, but wanted to. We researched Tigers in the 1960's but it was soon thereafter hunting them was banned and as close as we got was an elephant ride on a "tiger tour" in India. Marco Polo was in a part of the world my husband was never conformable taking me, so it never happened.

Your turn----Why do you hunt ? Trophy, meat, challenge, etc, etc , etc---or all the aforementioned including the etc's
 
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It started as simply "what you do in the fall". All the men I looked up to in my life, except my father, all hunted. So that's what I wanted to do.

Now, it has morphed into a life style that I can't live without. Part if it is feeling like I'm doing something that actually matters when I hunt, vs all the day-to-day stuff in our lives that never seems to amount to much, just busy work.

The food is certainly an aspect as well, like growing my own tomatoes, doing it myself simply feels better and in some ways more important than making another dollar at the 9 to 5.
 
Curious howd the antis take your opinion on it ? Glad we dont have them in the midwest .
 
I hunt because I like hunting. There are many aspects of hunting that contribute to my desire to hunt: food, comraderie, connection to nature, etc. I can no doubt find those things in other ways, but I have always liked hunting vs. the usual domesticated american activities.
 
Without hunting I would just look like a gun nut and I love eating mule deer and elk.
 
Hunting for me started as an extension of military brotherhood. I was stationed at Ft Lewis and had a Jeep. An Army buddy wanted to go scouting for deer ( Ihad no idea what that meant as I was a ghetto kid) in the training areas and asked if I would drive him around the trails. He walked me through sign, game trails and what deer did during different times of day. I saw what the different scat looked like and could see the movement patterns. We saw several deer and my interest was peaked. Any excuse to buy a gun is good so off I went and bought the cheapest 30-06 I could find ( Rem 710 combo...$279). We picked a few clear cuts to concentrate on and waited for the opener. We were in the process of building stands so on the opener I sat on a stump at the tree line for the evening hunt with the guidance to stay still at all costs and listen. As shooting light faded I heard something and froze. A few minutes later I caught movement and out walked a doe and fawn. Over the next 10 minute they fed no more than 15 feet from me having no idea I was there.....I was hooked. Saw tons of deer but no bucks that season.

Later, after deployments, the meaning of being in the woods and hunting has evolved. Now I go for the peace and truth of wilderness, the meat and the adventure of places yet unseen. However, my camps always involve other Vets or very close friends as it is where I get rejuvenated and feel "in my element". No other situation on earth makes me feel truly comfortable.
 
For me, I think I hunt for the sheer excitement of seeing wildlife on its terms. From an early age I was obsessed with wildlife. I always wanted to hunt but that took more work than anyone I knew was willing to put into helping me. I watched Marty Stouffer's "Wild America" every day on PBS. I read field guides for fun ever since I could read. A field guide was a sure bet for anyone buying me a Christmas gift. Every time my family hiked or went camping, I'd be catching insects and reptiles. I wanted to be a herpetologist. When I was 10, my grandpa took me fishing for the first time (in PA). I was instantly obsessed. Fishing was all I ever wanted to do in my free time. When my parents (not outdoors-people) would go shopping, I'd have them drop me off at a pond (Huck Finn Pond in Laramie) to fish until they were done, even if it was snowing. Some guys in my church would let me tag along on their fishing trips around SE WY. When I got my driver's license, I went fishing every chance I got. As I got older, practicality kept me from fishing as much. Then I had kids and resolved to put in the time to get the hang of hunting so they'd grow up with the opportunity. I met some folks, including G&F employees who put in the time to get me hunting. Now I hunt every chance I get, even if I'm not the one with a tag. I LOVE seeing wildlife. I think that's WHY I hunt. Despite growing up in WY and being an avid fisherman, I didn't see a lot of wildlife. Before I took up hunting, I had seen an elk just once in my life. And that was just a fleeting glimpse of a cow. Now I see them all the time thanks to hunting. Before I took up hunting, I had seen a grouse only once. Now I see them all the time and even occasionally drive to view the sage grouse leks in the spring. When I'm hunting, I feel like my 6-year-old self experiencing his favorite TV show. Hunting or fishing is the only time I'm really in the moment and focused on the now. When I'm not hunting, I'm always thinking about something other than the task at hand.
 
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I started because I had always wanted to try it, though my family never really extended me the opportunity to start the way they did for my brothers. But wildlife and wild places were always something I felt drawn to...enough that I made it my career before I ever carried a weapon afield.

I continue because I like being out, seeing the sights, watching the critters, learning new things. I like going solo because it is reassuring in a way to know that I’m plenty capable of taking care of things on my own. I like the physical work required, and the unique mental challenges you can find in the experience. I like the resulting full freezer, and being able to share the bounty with friends and family. And as I get older, I feel like witnessing the intimacy of the death somehow makes me more aware and appreciative of being alive, if that makes any sense. Watching that spark fade from the eye, the thought always goes through my head that someday that will happen to me. But not yet, so I will keep going.
 
If I'm being honest I think I started hunting as a right of passage. Every man I respected hunted and it seemed that the ones I thought the most of were the best at hunting. Maybe just circumstance, maybe not. I think that desire to hunt has morphed into wanting to explore and enjoy nature on it's terms. That has lead me to hunt in other places and hunt different species. That same desire has lead me into these same pursuits with my kids. As I've gotten older less and less of those same men from my childhood still hunt and sadly many are no longer with us. So much of my drive now, has come to preserve much of my childhood for my kids.
 
I'm a Hunter Gatherer. That's just what I am. At no point in my life did I make the choice to be a hunter. As far back as I can recall I was catching frogs, catching fish, throwing rocks at birds, you name it. All my family is the same. My kids as well. I've learned from others as I've grown, but the instincts and desire were already there. No adult taught me to throw rocks at birds, trap fish in the creek, catch frogs and grass hoppers. I was born to do it.

Asking me not to hunt cause we have grocery stores would be like asking the house cat not to chase mice cause it has a bowl of food in the house.

Really I don't know how to articulate why I hunt. The easy answer is "food", and that's a very big part of it. Most of my meat intake comes from game and fish I catch, and lots of the greens come from my garden, berries I pick, mushrooms, eggs from our chickens and meat from animals we raise and butcher.

But honestly, I started hunting well before I was old enough to think of bringing home food and in those early days didn't only hunt what I intended to eat. I also used to trap, and will again if I move to a state that allows. Not because I need the money, but because I enjoy it.

But why do I enjoy it?

I'd say, because I'm a Hunter Gatherer. Its the way I'm programmed. But I wouldn't expect a non-hunter, or a casual hunter to understand that.
 
Food, fitness goals, hanging out with buds, and challenges. I am a hunter gatherer by nature. My urge to be in the outdoors looking for berries, mushrooms, ramps, fin and feather is strong.
 
What wonderful, thoughtful, and honest replies.

I am going to print these out and carry them with me as you fellows and hunting wife have given answers that the anti's have never even considered. Truly heartfelt an honest replies and I thank you for them

isu22andy---this happen in Europe and as bad as it is in the States, believe it or not it is even worse in Europe. In all fairness however two of the women said it will certainly make them think about the meat they buy in stores and how it got there. However the ones who set with me I think also partially did so out of respect for my age. On the other hand one young man yelled "she is just a stupid old woman, what does she know, dont waste your time". But I ignored him and spoke to the ones who were willing to listen. I feel we have to try
 
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I hunt because I enjoy the challenge of entering into an ecosystem where if I am not skilled or if am unlucky then I go home without meat. In some ecosystems, I am not even the apex predator so may be hunted by bear or wolf or mountain lion as I hunt. Some hunts place me in areas criminals transit. An injury could result in serious risk of life on some of my hunts as am far from a trailhead. Weather can be a serious risk.

I also enjoy the prep leading up to applying for draws and then the prep when draw a tag.

I do not cherish the killing as a hunter, though, have pride when am able to get close and make a deadly shot with the first shot of the hunt.

I enjoy eating wild game I have harvested and sharing the organic and free-range meat with family and friends.

I also hunt because my ancestors have for generations and for centuries. I have canines and front-facing eyes. I continue the legacy.
 
What a wonderful thread with thoughtful reply's. For me it was my way to learn about what was hidden in the water, trees and our farm/ranch. I was the only kid in my class the first 3 years I went to a one room country school, so after school it was do chores and then look, listen, smell and then dream about what I had seen. I spent several months in the hospital and home in bead and the ability to dream about what I could find kept me motivated to go on, putting one foot in front of the next. In 1982 I had a spinal injury that required 90 days in the hospital and 2 years learning to walk again. A friend that helped me say to my self why not kept me going and talked me into putting in for my first sheep tag, here in Wyoming. He had me out fishing and when we got home he had a rejection notice on his app for 1984 and so when I got home I found out I had been successful. I started walking more and more and by September I could walk 6 miles or more with a 50lb pack. I killed a good ram after 20+ days of hunting and have continued to push myself. What it taught me is with family and friends hunting and fishing becomes a way to overcome roadblocks and share life's joys.
 
I started hunting because that's what my dad did. I have yet to find the words to articulate what it means to me now.
 
I have been asked that question by nonhunters who were curious and anti hunters who just wanted to argue. I’ve talked about the desire for meat that can’t be bought in a store. The of unmatched feeling of oneness with the natural world that can only come from being in the wild. I try to describe the satisfaction that comes from honing the skills required to hunt and the pride that comes from success. Not to mention the pleasure that comes from bragging a little and the enjoyment of listening to the bragging of friends. l talk about the happiness and laughter that comes from sharing stories with like minded B.Sers. Then I tell them about the love of the animals I encounter and the animals I kill. This is where I tend to loose them as many of them find that to be a bit to counter intuitive, which is understandable. I sure can’t explain it in any way that will satisfy them. So I tell them that the real and basic reason I love to hunt is something very deep and very personal that could never be explained but rather it has to be experienced to be understood.
 
I started hunting because that's what my dad did. I have yet to find the words to articulate what it means to me now.

^ This.

Hunting or fishing is the only time I'm really in the moment and focused on the now. When I'm not hunting, I'm always thinking about something other than the task at hand.

^ But this is getting close. When I hunt I feel like I belong to something eternal. I’m not just a watcher but a participant in the dance of all of my ancestors. I understand that’s corny as hell, but hunting makes me feel truly alive and in the moment. Like it’s important. I spend an illogical amount of time thinking about it.

Also, Europe, you seem like a really neat person who’s lived a giant life. I’m glad you’re on the forum.
 
For the same reason I like to till, plant seeds and then rip them out of the ground. It satisfies my need to feel the earth and blood between my fingers, feeding my own flesh's need for sustenance and fuels my soul through fulfillment of being part of something start to finish vs passing it on to another entity. It's hard, there's failure and a sense of purpose that can't be quantified in monetary value. But the respect and value for the plant and animal flesh that enters my mouth and vacates my bowels had a purchase price that was not calculated by someone else. It was a transaction of toil, blisters and pain.

More realistically though, it's the 7/8ths Swedish genetics.
 
Growing up as the city kid i was, I had an uncle who was my best buddy. He took me camping, fishing, horse back riding and taught me how to appreciate everything that had to do with the outdoors. I was always excited to see what he would bring home after a hunting trip and enjoyed the stories that he had to share. I unfortunately never had the pleasure of joining him on any of his hunting trips, but the seed was sown. I have always loved the outdoors, fishing, camping, hiking and later in life hunting. After I got married to my wife, my father in law noticed that I loved the outdoors. He asked me if I had ever been hunting? I told him I had not, but had always wanted to. He invited me to join him on a family hunt and the hook was set. I spent the following year prepairing, studying and learning as much as I could. The biggest thing I learned in that year was one of the main reasons I hunt today. I hunt for the love of the land. I hunt for my environment and the health of our game. I am not a successful hunter by any means, but if I can spend some time out in nature with a breath of fresh air, peace, quiet and some great scenery it is well worth it to me. I'm not out for a trophy. I'm out for a piece of mind, everything else is just a bonus.
 

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