What Hunting is to me
08-24-2005, 09:30 AM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Almost Heaven. Boone Co. WV
Posts: 1,003
What Hunting is to me
Metro posted something on another thread that inspired me if you will. I see alot of talk about how much a deer scores, shoot or not to shoot, loet him go so he can grow etc, etc, ect, That is fine for those who hunt for these reasons, but I hunt for a different reason and list below are what I enjoy most about my hunting experiences.
The preparation through the summer in anticipation of that fist crisp day when the leaves start to show shades of orange and red.
The butterflies in my gut as the season approaches.
The drive to my "camp" where my brother, my dad and I all have met every fall for the past 20 years. The camp the we built, maintain and a place where I became best friends with my dad.
The old gate that keeps the road untraveled for most of the year and the big deep breath I take when I get out of my truck to unlock it. Peace? Therapy? Call it whatever you want, but it is a necessity in my life.
The camp sets behing some twenty twenty year old pines that we drove over when we laid the first block and drove the first nail. Those same pinse hide the camp and there branches now allow us to hang our deer in them.
The creek of the old front door and the familiar smell as I enter. On the wall are our stories, our bets won and our bets lost. There shadows cast a texture to the living room floos and walls. They are like old friends that remind us of days past and days to come.
The hum of the old cast iron wood burner. The crackle and poping as the woodbegins to provide warmth to my heart and to the camp.
The conversation and stories that are shared. The catching up that is done inside the camp walls and the building of family friendships and love and respect.
The long restless night prior to opening day and the awakening of the the old wind up clock and the smell of morning coffee.
The cool morning air and the sunrise that greets me and the woods. The shadows that play tricks on my eyes every year as the sun hits the trees and the branches.
The hunt is almost secondary and if an animal is taken.....it's a bonus. Hunting means so much more to me than just the size of the horns. Money and a 150 class buck will not compromise what I enjoy......
Just basic thought from a basic "hunter".....................
The preparation through the summer in anticipation of that fist crisp day when the leaves start to show shades of orange and red.
The butterflies in my gut as the season approaches.
The drive to my "camp" where my brother, my dad and I all have met every fall for the past 20 years. The camp the we built, maintain and a place where I became best friends with my dad.
The old gate that keeps the road untraveled for most of the year and the big deep breath I take when I get out of my truck to unlock it. Peace? Therapy? Call it whatever you want, but it is a necessity in my life.
The camp sets behing some twenty twenty year old pines that we drove over when we laid the first block and drove the first nail. Those same pinse hide the camp and there branches now allow us to hang our deer in them.
The creek of the old front door and the familiar smell as I enter. On the wall are our stories, our bets won and our bets lost. There shadows cast a texture to the living room floos and walls. They are like old friends that remind us of days past and days to come.
The hum of the old cast iron wood burner. The crackle and poping as the woodbegins to provide warmth to my heart and to the camp.
The conversation and stories that are shared. The catching up that is done inside the camp walls and the building of family friendships and love and respect.
The long restless night prior to opening day and the awakening of the the old wind up clock and the smell of morning coffee.
The cool morning air and the sunrise that greets me and the woods. The shadows that play tricks on my eyes every year as the sun hits the trees and the branches.
The hunt is almost secondary and if an animal is taken.....it's a bonus. Hunting means so much more to me than just the size of the horns. Money and a 150 class buck will not compromise what I enjoy......
Just basic thought from a basic "hunter".....................
08-24-2005, 09:51 AM
#2
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: PA
Posts: 8,167
RE: What Hunting is to me
Huntingus Your story tells alot about you and your family ,You are a lucky man.
On 6/1/05 My brother was killed he was 48.When he was 13 he shot his first deer,I was 11 at the time ,to young to hunt in PA .But thru the stories and hunts we had togather now thirty five years laterI can walk you to the very spot that deer fell.Sadly some will never know the love hunting can bring to a family.
On 6/1/05 My brother was killed he was 48.When he was 13 he shot his first deer,I was 11 at the time ,to young to hunt in PA .But thru the stories and hunts we had togather now thirty five years laterI can walk you to the very spot that deer fell.Sadly some will never know the love hunting can bring to a family.
08-24-2005, 10:12 AM
#3
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Watkinsglen, NY
Posts: 266
RE: What Hunting is to me
Huntingus,,,,,, Thank you for reminding me ofthe very reasons I started hunting in the first place. The smells, The sounds, Just being out in the woods, watching and learning, the stories told over and over for many years,, The respect you gain for the Qurray you are in search of. The endless time shared with friends and family, And my Favorite, sitting there in your stand as the sun comes up and slowly starts to warm the day and at that moment, Everything just feels right. You can't get a (High) like from anything esle, It is the greatest feeling in the world. And yes getting a deer,,, Thats just a bonus..So to all my fellow Hunters,,, Lets never forget why we started....
08-24-2005, 10:17 AM
#4
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Omaha Nebraska USA
Posts: 530
RE: What Hunting is to me
Huntingus, you hit the nail on the head, especially with the sights, smells, andsounds. Especially the smells. I still smell the wood smoke, the pipe tobacco, the food, the mustiness... everything.
I hunt pretty much by myself now, for bow season anyway. I do travel back to PA for rifle season each year to hunt with my dad.He and I used to hunt at a camp very similar to the one you describe, even down to the pines that grew up over the years to hide the camp. But then my father's Uncle Tucker died. He owned the camp and it passed to his eldest son. Without getting into dirty laundry, we'll just say that his life style and ours were not very compatible, so we don't go there any longer, but the memories will live on forever of when Uncle Tucker ran the camp.
I now archery hunt on my small piece of property in Nebraska and on a friend's property 10 minutes away, so I no longer have the arrival to camp sequence that you describe and that I had as a kid at my Tucker's camp, but there is still something magical and different about that first morning of archery season that is completely different than the morning before. The hunt still matters to me, but not necessary bagging anything.
WVBowhunter has a signature line that reads, "It's cold. It's cramped. It's silent. Then from below comes the crackle of dry leaves. And suddenly nothing else matters." I love those words. I have started using them to try to explain to my wife and non-hunting friends why I go to all the trouble and expense 'just to hunt a deer'. At that first glimpse of movement, that first crackle of dry leaves, all of the work, sweat, and preparationis worth it. Doesn't matter if it's a doe, a small buck, or a trophy. Nothing else matters at that moment.
My dream is to one day build a camp where those sights,smells, and moments can become a part of my son's life, so thatone daywhen he is a 40 year oldfather sitting by the crackling fire the night before opening morning, he can tell his son for the hundreth time, "Yeah, I remember when me and your grandpa..."
I hunt pretty much by myself now, for bow season anyway. I do travel back to PA for rifle season each year to hunt with my dad.He and I used to hunt at a camp very similar to the one you describe, even down to the pines that grew up over the years to hide the camp. But then my father's Uncle Tucker died. He owned the camp and it passed to his eldest son. Without getting into dirty laundry, we'll just say that his life style and ours were not very compatible, so we don't go there any longer, but the memories will live on forever of when Uncle Tucker ran the camp.
I now archery hunt on my small piece of property in Nebraska and on a friend's property 10 minutes away, so I no longer have the arrival to camp sequence that you describe and that I had as a kid at my Tucker's camp, but there is still something magical and different about that first morning of archery season that is completely different than the morning before. The hunt still matters to me, but not necessary bagging anything.
WVBowhunter has a signature line that reads, "It's cold. It's cramped. It's silent. Then from below comes the crackle of dry leaves. And suddenly nothing else matters." I love those words. I have started using them to try to explain to my wife and non-hunting friends why I go to all the trouble and expense 'just to hunt a deer'. At that first glimpse of movement, that first crackle of dry leaves, all of the work, sweat, and preparationis worth it. Doesn't matter if it's a doe, a small buck, or a trophy. Nothing else matters at that moment.
My dream is to one day build a camp where those sights,smells, and moments can become a part of my son's life, so thatone daywhen he is a 40 year oldfather sitting by the crackling fire the night before opening morning, he can tell his son for the hundreth time, "Yeah, I remember when me and your grandpa..."
08-24-2005, 12:23 PM
#5
Fork Horn
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: N.W. Wisconsin
Posts: 308
RE: What Hunting is to me
ORIGINAL: HuntinGUS
Metro posted something on another thread that inspired me if you will. I see alot of talk about how much a deer scores, shoot or not to shoot, loet him go so he can grow etc, etc, ect, That is fine for those who hunt for these reasons, but I hunt for a different reason and list below are what I enjoy most about my hunting experiences.
The preparation through the summer in anticipation of that fist crisp day when the leaves start to show shades of orange and red.
The butterflies in my gut as the season approaches.
The drive to my "camp" where my brother, my dad and I all have met every fall for the past 20 years. The camp the we built, maintain and a place where I became best friends with my dad.
The old gate that keeps the road untraveled for most of the year and the big deep breath I take when I get out of my truck to unlock it. Peace? Therapy? Call it whatever you want, but it is a necessity in my life.
The camp sets behing some twenty twenty year old pines that we drove over when we laid the first block and drove the first nail. Those same pinse hide the camp and there branches now allow us to hang our deer in them.
The creek of the old front door and the familiar smell as I enter. On the wall are our stories, our bets won and our bets lost. There shadows cast a texture to the living room floos and walls. They are like old friends that remind us of days past and days to come.
The hum of the old cast iron wood burner. The crackle and poping as the woodbegins to provide warmth to my heart and to the camp.
The conversation and stories that are shared. The catching up that is done inside the camp walls and the building of family friendships and love and respect.
The long restless night prior to opening day and the awakening of the the old wind up clock and the smell of morning coffee.
The cool morning air and the sunrise that greets me and the woods. The shadows that play tricks on my eyes every year as the sun hits the trees and the branches.
The hunt is almost secondary and if an animal is taken.....it's a bonus. Hunting means so much more to me than just the size of the horns. Money and a 150 class buck will not compromise what I enjoy......
Just basic thought from a basic "hunter".....................
Metro posted something on another thread that inspired me if you will. I see alot of talk about how much a deer scores, shoot or not to shoot, loet him go so he can grow etc, etc, ect, That is fine for those who hunt for these reasons, but I hunt for a different reason and list below are what I enjoy most about my hunting experiences.
The preparation through the summer in anticipation of that fist crisp day when the leaves start to show shades of orange and red.
The butterflies in my gut as the season approaches.
The drive to my "camp" where my brother, my dad and I all have met every fall for the past 20 years. The camp the we built, maintain and a place where I became best friends with my dad.
The old gate that keeps the road untraveled for most of the year and the big deep breath I take when I get out of my truck to unlock it. Peace? Therapy? Call it whatever you want, but it is a necessity in my life.
The camp sets behing some twenty twenty year old pines that we drove over when we laid the first block and drove the first nail. Those same pinse hide the camp and there branches now allow us to hang our deer in them.
The creek of the old front door and the familiar smell as I enter. On the wall are our stories, our bets won and our bets lost. There shadows cast a texture to the living room floos and walls. They are like old friends that remind us of days past and days to come.
The hum of the old cast iron wood burner. The crackle and poping as the woodbegins to provide warmth to my heart and to the camp.
The conversation and stories that are shared. The catching up that is done inside the camp walls and the building of family friendships and love and respect.
The long restless night prior to opening day and the awakening of the the old wind up clock and the smell of morning coffee.
The cool morning air and the sunrise that greets me and the woods. The shadows that play tricks on my eyes every year as the sun hits the trees and the branches.
The hunt is almost secondary and if an animal is taken.....it's a bonus. Hunting means so much more to me than just the size of the horns. Money and a 150 class buck will not compromise what I enjoy......
Just basic thought from a basic "hunter".....................
Seriously dude, have you been following me around?
This basically describes my camp and my feelings exactly!
I just wanted to add ...... there is no better feeling, than the excitement in the air as you walk into deer camp for the night before the opener. The wood fire burning, the familiar mustiness of the cabin, the laughs and shouts bouncing off the walls. The retelling of old stories for the 20th year in a row. The polaroid camera flashing, as we take the annual opening night pictures. The way that cigerette & cigar smoke actually smells good, compared to bars. And then as midnight passes, the slow trickle of hunters shuffling off to bed for a fitfull and unrewarding nights sleep. (Gawd!, I am so pumped ALREADY!!!!!)
on a side note:
My step-father introduced me to hunting and my hunting group, back in 1982. At the time, I was the youngest hunter in camp by many years. I took a lot of ribbing because I was a precocious little city kid, who was always wanting to learn, and always asking questions.
Over the years, I have grown into a good hunter, and I now enjoy helping the younger hunters learn. My step-dad was never a good or interested deer hunter, BIRDS were his game, but he loved the hunting camp, and so he would always deer hunt, even if it meant coming in early each day to be the camp cook.
When he suddenly died, nearly a decade ago, I took it upon myself to really try and spend as much time with my little brother hunting as possible. Taught him all I knew, gave him hunting books and D & DH subscriptions, and provided transport to and from the hunting camp for years. Today my brother is of course a better hunter than me, with more and bigger bucks to his credit.
Also, following my step-dad's death, I realized even more how important my hunting camp and my hunting buddies were to me. They are my family, we laugh, we yell, we fight, and sometimes when talking about the members that have passed on, we cry.
I am never as happy as I am during the gun season up at camp with the whole crew together.
So a shout of thanks to my late step-dad Tom "the Tramp", I can't imagine a better gift, than awakening in me the love of the hunt.
08-24-2005, 02:07 PM
#8
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Almost Heaven. Boone Co. WV
Posts: 1,003
RE: What Hunting is to me
Thanks for the kind words gentlemen! It's refreshing to know that otheres get amped up for the same reasons as you!
With the shows and mag's only focusing on the size of the deer and what it scores rather than the experience (which is whatI feel is got us all involved in Hunting to begin with) it's tough to sometime stay focused on the good stuff!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
With the shows and mag's only focusing on the size of the deer and what it scores rather than the experience (which is whatI feel is got us all involved in Hunting to begin with) it's tough to sometime stay focused on the good stuff!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
08-24-2005, 03:24 PM
#9
Typical Buck
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Weatherford, TX
Posts: 557
RE: What Hunting is to me
Great post..... Me, the wife and three children and My Mom and Dad all hunt together now, life is great.. and the land has been rewarding, memories are made every time we are out in the woods together, memories of a lifetime..Some people go to church, I go to church everytime I hit the woods, thats heaven to me..
Being able to hunt with my wife and three children really does it for me.... For the longest time I would make the trips by myself and hunt with friends for all the same reason as you had posted. Now its kinda like a mini vaction . But now there is this deep welling in me to help other hunters and get more people involved in the sport. I want to see the face on a new hunter as they make there first harvest , no matter what they harvest.
I was lucky enough to get to attend a Youth rifle hunt on the Famous King Ranch in South Texas with 12 new youth hunters, What I saw on those faces of those children and parents as each made harvest made me think alot in the days after that.. After that time, I have now decided that my time spent with new hunter was better than anytime spent by myself in the woods..
Being able to hunt with my wife and three children really does it for me.... For the longest time I would make the trips by myself and hunt with friends for all the same reason as you had posted. Now its kinda like a mini vaction . But now there is this deep welling in me to help other hunters and get more people involved in the sport. I want to see the face on a new hunter as they make there first harvest , no matter what they harvest.
I was lucky enough to get to attend a Youth rifle hunt on the Famous King Ranch in South Texas with 12 new youth hunters, What I saw on those faces of those children and parents as each made harvest made me think alot in the days after that.. After that time, I have now decided that my time spent with new hunter was better than anytime spent by myself in the woods..
08-24-2005, 04:01 PM
#10
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Michigan
Posts: 735
RE: What Hunting is to me
Man you guys all steal the words right from my mouth.
Baggin a big buck is only a bonus for me. I love the drive up north spending quality time with with my dad and friends. I love gettin up north and smellin the good ol cabin that has been there since I was a little kid. I love waking up to the smell of my father making bacon and eggs at 5am. I love raggin on the new hunters but in the end heping them with any question they may have. I love the silence when you shut your truck off when you reach your spot to head in the woods. I love sitting in my stand listening to the birds and all of gods wonderful creatures waking up in the morning. I love watching the sunrise and sunset. I love the peace and quiet, trust me it is needed when you live in a noisy town, its great to escape from all of that. All these things give me the chills, and I love it!!
Corey
Icedragon
Baggin a big buck is only a bonus for me. I love the drive up north spending quality time with with my dad and friends. I love gettin up north and smellin the good ol cabin that has been there since I was a little kid. I love waking up to the smell of my father making bacon and eggs at 5am. I love raggin on the new hunters but in the end heping them with any question they may have. I love the silence when you shut your truck off when you reach your spot to head in the woods. I love sitting in my stand listening to the birds and all of gods wonderful creatures waking up in the morning. I love watching the sunrise and sunset. I love the peace and quiet, trust me it is needed when you live in a noisy town, its great to escape from all of that. All these things give me the chills, and I love it!!
Corey
Icedragon