RE: Hunting vs Killing
 

Unfortunately, hunters are their own worst enemies. It's a shame that many out there that call themselves "hunters" seem to be interested only in the KILL and killing as many as they can. :([:'(]

I hunt because I truly love the entire experience, from the scouting, the practicing, the land and habitat managment (QDM) , it's the entire process and the blood, sweat and tears poured into the "sport" that I'm addicted to. We all hunt for our own reasons. I will add though that I'm NOT going out there just to smell the flowers.... ultimately I indeed want to KILL a deer, a mature representitive of his species and also enough antlerless animals to balance sex ratios and continue to improve herd health and improve everyones hunting in the area.

Best of luck to all of ya this season. I hope ya'all have a successful season, however you define it. :)

RE: Hunting vs Killing
 

Very good post atlasman. I do understand what you are saying. I will always hunt and kill but I love hunting so much that I hunt with a camera every month of the year. I get as much satisfaction with my camera without killing as I do with my bow and arrows.

RE: Hunting vs Killing
 

I love the hunt and the kill equally; it alls goes together as one. Of course you hunt way more then you kill or they would call it ''killing'' instead of ''hunting.'' Same as why they call it''fishing'' instead of ''catching.'' I have to admit though that somedays I have to just kill something with my bow; even if it is a sparrow under the feeder while I shoot off of my 2nd floor sundeck. Yea, I am hardcore. HCH

RE: Hunting vs Killing
 

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

RE: Hunting vs Killing
 

Not to me.........if it were, then every time I didn't kill something I would feel disappointed as if the hunt was a failure. Hunting is SOOOOOO much more then just killing something for me. There have been a few times (everyone's had them) when I barely sat down and I looked up to see a deer headed my way.........10 seconds later it was dead and I was done hunting. I can say without exception those "hunts" rank pretty low on my best memories list.

Yes..........the point is to kill..........and if given the chance I will do so without hesitation. It is just such an unbelievably tiny part of hunting that it doesn't make sense to think that is my sole reason for being there. I always describe the kill as "part of the deal"..........I'm not out there to make friends or take pictures......it's as serious as it gets and it's not always pretty. That's life. I do things that people who don't understand think I am crazy for just to provide the quickest, most humane kill possible and I feel a full range of emotion when I end a life............I also do not kill something unless I am going to eat it.

I don't know how to properly convey those thoughts to some people though..............they think I am out just hoping I can kill something.......just for the sake of killing it........so I can smear my face with blood and howl at the moon or something.

It's hard to show excitement without it being mistaken for bloodlust I guess.




Yes..........some of my most memorable times on stand did not result in a kill.......many I didn't even get a shot. If I based my getting out of bed on the actual odds of me killing a deer that day I doubt I would ever get up I don't hunt places crawling with deer..........more times then not I don't even SEE a deer.........let alone kill one.


I don't "enjoy" killing something.............I know what you are saying but I would never word it that way personally.



I sure do..........and you are 100% correct.........That is all a non hunter would take from that if it was a conversation.

RE: Hunting vs Killing
 

Couldn't have said it better.





I just wish they could elaborate on what they are excited about........because when they are acting like Pete Weber or Mike Ioconelli(sp?).........they are doing it right after a kill. To an outsider this looks like some wild eyed sicko getting all worked up over killing something........the fact that a lot of these animals are not exactly fair chase makes it even worse because now people see a wild eyed whacko celebrating killing an animal in a cage that comes running to a feeder like a family dog.

It's also pretty dumb to complain that people feel this way when all they see on hunting shows is 30 minutes of as many kill shots as possible.

RE: Hunting vs Killing
 

I didn't mean for this to be about hunting shows...........they are just a glaring example of how people get the wrong message. Then I get frustrated trying to undo all that when someone asks me why I get off on killing things...........gets old really fast.





I don't understand why a screaming idiot makes for better TV because I have NEVER seen anyone act like that in real life.........and I have seen many people so worked up they can barely talk.




Yea..........she is great........very supportive of me and everything I do.......but definately not afraid to speak up if she something wrong.

RE: Hunting vs Killing
 

Im glad my wife supports my hunting as well. Its nice to have a supporting woman. Mine even comes with me when Im turkey hunting from time to time...

RE: Hunting vs Killing
 

Yup.


This is one of the things that confuses me.........all the good things that hunters do and yet some people can't get past the fact that we kill what we hunt..........even though they know someone is killing the food they eat every day too............that is somehow OK but when their neighbor does it himself he is a weirdo.............strange logic.

RE: Hunting vs Killing
 

I have no problem with someone killing "as many as they can".......as long as they have legal tags for them.........I would however find it disturbing if they only did it to kill them and just left them laying there. Anyone who kills an animal legally and takes proper care of the meat until it hits the dinner table is OK in my book..........provided there is a legal tag on it.


Ditto.