There are many reasons why I love to hunt, trap or shedhunt. Always a lot to see and experience as I just like being outdoors. Unlike a lot of things, there is no one best way of doing it, nor do you have to always hunt solo or do you have to with others. It is an individaul choice with many ways of hunting, different animals and different areas. You can make it easy or hard. You are always learning about nature.
Bowhunting is my favorite. I like the solitude and being one one one with the deer. I can stillhunt the few shelterbelts, cornfields and abandoned farmsteads we have in this area in wet weather. Stalking deer is fun in crp or in late winter. Stand hunt from tree or ground with using the terrain as a natural blind when hunting on the ground. 90% of my bowhunting is on the ground. This fall might be different though as my 11 year old son is planning on bowhunting. Looking forward to that and we will hunt close enough together so I can keep an eye on him. Probably set up in the trees for the most part as it is easier to kill a deer in a tree stand then ground hunting but will also do some ground hunting as he had a blast last year tagging along with me. You should have seen how big his eyes got when we watch a 2.5 year 4pt (WC) rub on the branches of a downed tree. Now that not unusual but the downed tree was what we were using for our natural blind and the buck was rubbing 10 feet from him on the other side of the tree. The boy was pumped up to say the least after that but I was very proud as he didn' t move a muscle while the buck put the hurt to the tree. I finally had to move as the buck was coming around to Tyler' s side and I was about 20 yards from Tyler and getting a little nervous. Did I say I love hunting.
Rifle is fun and a change of pace from bowhunting. I like hunting solo, but also like walking on drives of 2-5 people that have hunted with us for years. Great time to get together as we don' t see a couple of them much during the year otherwise since they don' t live near here. Otherwise I stillhunt. stalk. tracking and always have a blast, great experiences and learn a few things. I have used what I learned from rifle hunting to bowhunt and visa-versa.
Shedhunting is a big time blast for my son and I. Great way to scout areas that are new or for checking out the old as all the sign is still there until green-up in the spring. Nice to know what bucks made it though the season by finding their sheds. The most important thing is being able to spend good quality time with my son and not only talk, teach and show him the ways of deer but also to just talk with him and teach him my values as life can get pretty hectic and you just don' t get the quality time with him that needs to be spent.
Trapping has taught me alot about animal sign and how to use it for figuring out an area for placing a trap for other critters. Although you can' t trap deer, taking what I have learned from reading sign of other animals and applying it to deer, it is a big help for hunting. You learn to pay attention to detail and scent control as both are a must for trapping or deer hunting.
Sorry this got a little winded but you asked the question.
Tim