dkeener

I think you have summed it up pretty well atlasman in terms of how I feel. I love the thrill of the hunt, the planning, the being outdoors, the completion of the kill. I love the challenge that hunting brings, and the freezer of meat that I am rewarded with. But I also feel quite sad when I am standing over that dead deer, and it is not until I begin gutting him/her that my sorrow leaves. However, the respect that I have for the animal remains.
Thought I might be one of those "one and done" types too initially. Glad I wasn't. Can't wait to get out tomorrow - only 16 days left in the season to get that big ole buck!

dkeener

from atlasman

Guess I never answered the question. No I don't. It is the only part of the hunt that I dislike.

dukemichaels

I believe that the hunter becomes attached a great deal to his prey. The hunter becomes aware of the animals functions as well as anyone he/she will ever meet. Respect will soon follow suit.. followed by love. This love is unconditional, and will go to great lenghts to see it survive. Whether through winters cold, or a car hits misery.. deer become tradition.. family.. almost friend.

WWW.HUNT-BLOG.COM

atlasman

If I was anywhere near the same situation as that caveman I could relate to that more..........but somehow getting into my 4X4 and driving back to my heated home and throwing in a DVD keeps me from relating to cavemen.

I do believe that the urges to hunt are in our DNA.........some people just choose to ignore them.

C-WOODS-SHOOT

Game animals were put on this earth to hunt and eat. Providing a meal was the most important part of the hunt in the beginning. Now all you have to do is go to the grocery store or fast food place to get a meal. I think most people kill animals now for the thrill of the hunt. The food it provides is just a bonus. IMO this is just a natural part of being human. I would feel terrible if I ran over a dog or cat but I feel no sadness when standing over a deer I have killed. This is what we were created to do. The people who are against it have never had to worry about there next meal, and neither have most of us hunters, so they don't understand why we would 'murder' a defenseless animal. So if someone asks me if I enjoy killing deer I tell them no, I enjoy hunting and killing just happens to be a part of it.

Antler Eater

So many good replies already that it almost seems like a waste of cyberspace to add to this being that I don't believe I can say it any better than has already been said.


No....I love to hunt.

I don't.....I love to hunt.

The thrill of hunting like so many things in life, is in the chase, the journey, not the destination (kill). That would include but not be limited to:

An attempt to put pieces of a puzzle together correctly. A puzzle that requires at least some understanding of natures vague clues. A crisp track, a faint trail, a tuft of hair blowing in the wind on a barbed wire fence, a sapling with missing bark, a broken branch above some freshly scraped soil, or even a bloody antler laying on the thawing earth. All tell a story, and add to the experience, your journey.

To be a consistently successful hunter, it requires some familiarity with prey that survives and thrives by instincts and senses that would make even the infamous "Spiderman" envious. Time and logic mean nothing to this quarry. Those are qualities that apply to "our" world and usually hinder us on our journey.

Hunting is interacting with nature in such an intense way that you fear the beating of your heart will betray your position, yet your presence is no more noticed than the morning mist fading with the advancing sun light. Hunting is competing in an arena where you are always the visiting team, a huge underdog, and there are no time outs. It is the thrill of a few victories and the memories (not all bad) of many defeats. Though the game is played for keeps it is all part of a magnificent journey, in the end, for all the competitors.

The kill is really anticlamactic. It is the part of the hunt that is the least "enjoyed". We don't have a catch and release option when we speak of controlling numbers in the herd. Killing is a necessary evil for lack of a better word. But if you think about it, there can be no sustaining life unless something dies. That is the law of the land. Death is a foe we must all face. It is part of the "circle of life". Being that we are at the top of the food chain we play a significant role in that circle and not just with wild animals.

Fieldmouse

I love to hunt and watch the deer. Hunting is mostly about watching the wildlife. That is what I say when asked. I don't say I enjoy killing deer though. Truth be known, I do enjoy the kill as much as the hunt. I choose not to 99.9% of the time because I don't usually feel like dealing with the kill afterwards.

zak123

I am always getting picked on because I am a vet and I hunt. I do not "enjoy" the kill. I enjoy the fact that I have accomplished an extremely tough task. I also like helping the animals out. If hunting had no good side, (it keeps the population balanced so all of the deer have food) I wouldn't hunt. There is no reason to kill for the fun of it. If this were the case, I would still "hunt". I would jump out of the bushes and see how close I come to grabbing a deers tail! That's hunting isn't it?[8D]

kao yssom

Im the type of person ,that swerves to miss a rabbit in the road,or a squirrel.I love see deer in the woods they are mistic. But when the time come to kill one , it all comes together,and i Know why im in the woods . its about the trill of the hunt friends, the woods and meat you can't get from my local butcher..A clean kill and a good meal. Thanks to God for such a beautiful Animal.

WVCritter

ORIGINAL: kao yssom
My feelings exactly.