HuntingNet.com Forums - Why do we Hunt? Please Read.

Well the bow season here in Illinois has officially ended. I saw more big bucks this year then any other year to date, but at the same time I've started the process of questioning myself as to why it is that I hunt. I would like to tell you guys my story in hopes that as hunters we don't forget why it is that we hunt and so that once again we can experience the JOY of hunting!

This year I had close chances at two Pope and young bucks, perhaps one being boone and crockett. To keep a long story short, it ended up that I didn't get them due to a few mishaps. As a result I became so frustrated with myself. This frustration had been building on 4 previous seasons of not killing a buck. Well after missing these two bucks this year I became so frustrated at this job I now call deer hunting.

Now looking back, thats what it was to me. It was a job that I participated in to satisfy my own desires. If I didn't kill a big buck I considered that year a failure. I became so caught up in this game of deer hunting that I forgot the real reason as to why I picked up deer hunting in the first place. For me deer hunting had become a means to satisfying my own ambitions and ego. I could no longer see the joy of being present in the moment. I could no longer appreciate the opportunity to escape my hectic school/work life.

My goal now for the 2011 season will be to become reacquainted with nature. To re-discover living in the present and enjoying every second in Gods wilderness. That is why this coming season I will not be taking a bow or gun into the woods, but rather a camera so I may capture the Joy of living!

We all entered this hobby not to kill deer, but rather to enjoy our time in the woods away from the demands of our bosses and everyday life. So I'm asking each and everyone of you to evaluate why it is that you deer hunt. Are you still able to experience the joy of nature, or has your own deer hunting ambitions gotten in the way of that?