ORIGINAL: mauser06

im with you......its not about the kill....if i never killed anything id get kinda bored....but i betcha id still get up and head to the woods just to be out there....theres so much to see and hear and even smell out there that most people never get to expirience. i couldnt imagine never listening to a spring sunrise, or sitting on stand on a crisp fall day, with the leaves in peak color and that all familiar smell of fall leaves. i love watching and taking pics of wildlife as well. nothing amazes me more then squirrels. them things are crazy and a blast to watch. i love listening to turkeys talk. i love watching deer mill around. i dont need a gun or bow in my hands to enjoy it all. i do it every year..i call it scouting...but i love to do it. i love scouting and the work that goes into hunting. theres alot more to hunting then the kill. if you dont enjoy it all then your not a hunter. i know guys that WONT wake up early...wont hunt in the rain or extreme cold etc and call me nuts because i do..and because i scout so hard. to me them guys arent in it for the long run.....they arent in it for much more then the kill and fellowship of doing deer drives. 95% of the time i already hunted BEFORE we start the deer drives. this year i slacked a few times due to college and such i couldnt make morning hunting but made drives..but when i got the time im out there regaurdless of time of day..temperature and weather etc..i just droped about 700$ and will drop another 200-300 more on bowhunting JUST to give myself more time in the woods. thats a decint chunk of change when your in college and barely working! to me hunting is worth it because i get so much enjoyment from it. it releives my stresses of juggling work and college and life. worrying about paying my insurance, phone bill, gas in the truck, worrying about exams and papers and homework etc. out there i can just forget it all and just unwind, kick back and relax. often times the only thing i kill is time. thats alright with me. killing game is just a great bonus. thats sweet success when you score and bag game. thats payday for all your hard work. sometimes it pays sometimes it doesnt...doesnt make a diffrence to me. i enjoy sitting on stand all day freezing my arse off in freezing rain! something many people never expirience. and i honestly do enjoy snow and ice storms. that makes the woods look awesome, and means OH DARN i have to hunt an hour or 2 longer to make sure they clean the roads before i head home! lol