The Essence of Hunting

[PrairieShadow]

hunter480- Are you an inspirational writer?? If not you should be.
 
Great Post!!

[69Viking]

Amen 480, I can't think of anything more to say on the topic that you haven't already said in that single post!  DDH should pick up that paragraph and publish it in their next issue, very well put!

[hunter480]

It`s just about hunting and hunters. You all are good, decent, hard working people. You`re ethical, you`re warm, you`re more likely than most to stop on the road to help someone, more likely to offer a hand to a neighbor struggling. You`re certainly more likely than most to be involved in issues that affect the environment, read that to be habitat, and wildlife conservation. Not just game, but all wildlife. You`re more likely than most to be very self-reliant, not expecting a handout from anyone, but always eager to help someone else. You work hard, love your family, and your greatest joy, outside of faith and family, comes in the form of simply seeing deer. You`re genuine, honest, passionate, and forgiving. You`re an American Hunter.

[Patriot]

Well stated....I just about had a little tear come to my eyes.

[Robert Rowland]

Deer hunting is greater than the sum of its parts.  I love all of it right up to the point when the hunting ends and the killing begins. I don't exactly enjoy killing a deer, but I know it is necessary. Better for such a beautiful animal to die by natural means (I am a natural predator) than to be hit by a car.
If I had to rank the things we do it would be close to this:
 
#1 Just being outside and watching other creatures. (otters, cyotes, raccons, birds, squirrls, ect.. not just deer)
#2 Trail camera addiction. (whole family enjoys downloading pictures)
#3 Actually hunting  (best done with friends)
#4 Watching deer through spotting scope overlooking river bottoms.
#5 Going to the Deer Expo/Gun shows/Outdoor shows.
#6 Guns/Shooting  (best done with friends)
#7 Scouting and setting stands.
#8 Reading magazines and this website.
#9 Butchering (best done with friends)
#10 Killing/field dressing/dragging
 
This is hard to rank but the first three and last two are probably set in stone, the rest could all mix up.

[JPH]

ORIGINAL: Robert Rowland
...I love all of it right up to the point when the hunting ends and the killing begins. I don't exactly enjoy killing a deer...

You know I have to admit that I do enjoy the kill. I do not mean to come off as bloodthirsty. I am not in the least. But yes, I do get satisfaction from scratching my predatory itch.

I have learned to throttle that urge as I mature, and I imagine that it will continue to dwindle as I grow older. But I really hope that I continue to feel that mix of remorse and joy that comes from the kill. Killing is NOT the essence of the hunt, but it does lie within the heart of it. At least for me it does.

[Robert Rowland]

It's not like I hate to kill a deer. But when I kill one, it puts an end to things that are so much more enjoyable, like staying in the woods and continuing the hunt.  It bummed me out when I ended my buck hunt so early this year. When I found the meat to be bad, and could get another buck tag, it gave me new excitement. Then I filled that tag within 20 min of climbing the stand. (another bummer) I still have a doe tag, and will be in the woods in the morning.

[JPH]

ORIGINAL: Robert Rowland
It bummed me out when I ended my buck hunt so early this year. When I found the meat to be bad, and could get another buck tag, it gave me new excitement. Then I filled that tag within 20 min of climbing the stand. (another bummer) I still have a doe tag, and will be in the woods in the morning.

Yeah, I saw the bucks you killed. Poor guy. [:D][:D][:D]

No seriously, I get what you are saying. I totally understand.

[Goose]

Great posts by everyone, i gotta agree that 130 inch deer is a stud that you should be proud of and it is a shame that when you get a 2.5 you wonder whether you shouldve passed instead. When I was younger I thought i would never get a deer like that, now that Ive got a couple its a true blessing and we need to stay away from that "antler illness". I was thinking the other day while sitting in the stand that I betcha I had just as much fun  shooting those 1.5's when I was younger as I do now shooting 2.5's.
To me hunting is most special when I get to share it with friends and family. Either making that call when I get a shot or receiving that call when somebody else does and sharing the excitement with them. Either way its an indescribable feeling. I love it!
Its something deep down that is only understood by fellow hunters and to share it with them when your truly happy for them or their truly happy for you. Its great!
 
Patriot, that is a good book and so is their other one. Ive read them both and their both real world hardcore bow hunting books that don't sugarcoat anything.

[richtaber]

I have found that I get an even bigger thrill when I can somehow help a younger or inexperienced hunter to get a deer; somehow it's a warm feeling that just somehow, in some small way, that whatever knowledge of the woods and deer that I may have, it helped someone else along one of life's paths, that of being an  outdoorsperson.