Why do you hunt deer?
 

I' ve been rifle hunting since the beginning. It was a way for me to jump into the sport, kill deer with less work, and gain interest quickly. That reason which brought me into the sport is the same one that is shying me away from the rifle season.

I hunt for the sport. Even though my family eats around 5 deer per year, it is not the main reason I hunt. It would be easy enough to get 5 deer per year without myself even hunting(from buddies etc.) Since I hunt mainly for the sport, Satisfaction is the main reason I hunt. And rifle hunting is not giving me that satisfaction anymore, besides the satisfaction I get everytime from just being in the woods.

Just in the past 5-6 years, the amount of rifle hunters vs. bowhunters has turned very lopsided in my area. Places to bowhunt are abundant but places to rifle hunt are now skittish. The vast majority of rifle hunters around here drive deer, mainly because that is almost the only way to hunt, unless you' re hunting on your own ground, or have sole permission. On opening week, the same piece of land will commonly get drove 4-5 times easily. And one of those days, mabey a hunter will get lucky enough to have a big buck move into the area, and get a shot. This kind of hunting to me at one time was, but nowdoesn' t give me a lot of satisfaction. To me it' s kind of like cheating on a test and getting an A and studying hard on a test and still getting an A. Both have the same outcome, but one has more satisfaction.

I really don' t like the trend of the riflehunting these days. A lot of the time bowhunting and rifle hunting involves a lot of luck. But I believe bowhunting takes a lot more skill to successfully kill a big buck.It' s getting them few extra feet closer, getting a shot at that deer, without it being spooked, is what makes a bowhunter have to be more skilled that riflehunters. And that is why I feel amount of bowhunters vs. deerhunters are becoming more and more lopsided everyday. Because hunters often get satisfaction after the rack, rather than before it. And would rather take the easy way to get there.

I' m not trying to put down any rifle hunters because I' ll still do it, to help manage a herd or for meat, and am not saying rifle season is always easy. I just want to know why you hunt and what gives you satisfaction?

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

kshunter...I' ve never gun hunted deer in my life and entered the sport of deer hunting with a bow in my hand and will never look back. I never did and never will understand any thrill associated with gun hunting deer. I understand its necessity for herd management and ease of use for meat hunting but I' ll never understand how anyone could consider a buck killed with a gun as a trophy and to go so far as to mount it. Some guys will say, " well, the animal is the trophy in itself and it doesn' t matter how it was killed" but then you don' t see these same ole boys snagging up road kills on the interstate and having them mounted though now do you...no. Now the most unbelievable thing is the guy who will actually pay an outfitter and a guide and a trophy fee to kill a buck with a friggin' gun...must have money to burn with fire but have no fire existing in their heart. [:' (]

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

To answer the question of the topic. I hunt for the thrill that at any moment anything can happen. You can hunt for a month and not see a deer, but in any given instant, a deer can appear out of any given spot. Thats what I like how they just show up!

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

First off, I hate to hear anybody criticize any legal form of hunting---bow, rifle, baiting, dogs, etc. We get enough of that from antis. We don' t need it among ourselves.
I rifle hunt and love it. I hunt in very steep, brushy country and tend to be pretty successful most of the time, but believe me, it' s not easy! On the other hand, my husband bow hunts, and I absolutely love going with him too. Getting that close to animals is amazing---especially elk. He has a very bad back though, and I don' t know how much longer bowhunting will be an option for him. I know it' ll be a sad day for him when he has to switch to a rifle.
Besides putting meat in the freezer, I love to hunt just to be up in the mountains and enjoying all that God created. Having raised six kids, the solitude alone is incredible!:)

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

I got into hunting a little late in life, I was about 23 and I' m 34 now. I started out bowhunting around the house. Then I decided to try muzzleloading and last year I took up rifle hunting for the first time and killed my first 2 bucks with a rifle last year and am hooked. I' ve been using open sites and just got my scope yesterday for my .30.30. But I still have that bowhunting mentality and think a deer has to be right on top of me before I shoot and both rifle kills were about 10 yards away. So for me, bowhunting is easier than rifle hunting. You don' t want to know how many clean misses I went through with a rifle and muzzleoader before those first 2 fell! LOL

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

wolfen68,

Thats a pretty good soapbox you have there. Maybe it was just too much caffiene today. Are you trying to say that getting close to the deer is part of the thrill for you? Being able to see their whiskers move and nose twitch is pretty cool but you can observe that with a gun in your hands too. I really get off on being way inside a deers comfort zone and yet they have no idea. The average shot distance on deer with my gun is 42 yds (13 deer). The average shot distance on deer with my bow is 23 yds (9 deer), including several real chipshots. That makes an overall average of 34 yds. Is that close enough to show that I have fire in my heart?

What a great question. Being close to nature, being part of it, part of the natural food chain is what I really love. Seeing many, many sunrises and sunsets while pursueing a very stealthy animal on their home turf. Bringing home the tasty meat and memories to share with my family and friends. Knowing, that in this super high tech, luxury filled, wanted that yesterday world that we live in that if it all went away tomorrow, my family would still eat very well. I was raised a deer hunter by my father and grandfathers and couldn' t imagine not hunting. My sons love it too and when I bring home a deer they have the same excitement in their eyes that I always have. Wow, it sounds like Ted Nugent is really getting to me.

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

I hunt for sport, for solitude, and for meat. I really don' t care what weapon anyone uses. That is their business. I really prefer bowhunting. It fits in well with solitude. I used to drive corners too. Never cared much for it. I feel that any deer taken with a sting and stick is a trophy. I prefer to take a doe or a young buck for meat. Come on, you all know that meat is better! I still enjoy rifle hunting from time to time. Like some of you, I like to be very close to the game. I used to hunt woodchucks with long range rifles a lot in my youth. I killed one with a 25-06 at over 700 yards on one occasion. These days, I prefer to hunt chucks with a 22 rimfire and look them in the eye. Every person has their own idea of what sport is. It varies as we age. We each decide our own behavior. I just do what satisfies me, and let the other guy do the same.

Clint

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

I hunt, because I can. And at age 70 that may be near the time that I can' t. Rifle hunt and the smoke pole. Shoulder surgery caused me to put up the bow and caused me to miss one whole year with the gun. First year since ' 82 that I didn' t have venison in the freezer. The wife was sure glad when that shoulder got better the next year, said I was like a grizzly with a burr on it' s tail. My hearing is mostly gone, aids in both ears, and very near sighted. But with good glasses and a scope on the rifle, I guess I can still stumble on a stupid deer once in a while. I get busted quite a bit, but 50 years of chasing Whitetails has taught me some tricks.
Can' t wait for 11/22.

Russ

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

Good for you Russ. You sound like my kind of guy. I ain' t that far behind you! The best of luck in your hunting.

again, Clint

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

i m 17 and i deer hunt for the rush. i ride mountain bikes, drive a fast car, ride a Racing ATV, play football, drive a waverunner, drive a boat, scuba dived, and have parasailed, and a whole lotta other stuff, but there is no greater rush than staring at a buck at full draw while he is standing 45 feet away staring a hole through you. this year i have hunted from a ground blind, and that was even better than a treestand. i also LOVE deer drives, because they are high-success rate way of shooting big bucks with my slug gun. it is also nice to be out in the woods to have the warm sun land on your cheek and watch life go by. woods time is ten times slower than our daily life that we live in today. everything is one-hour this and 65 mph that. i have hunted probably 70 hours this year and it is only november. it has felt like a lifetime. i wouldnt trade time in the woods for anything.

plus venison is SOOOOOOO good!!!!!!!!

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

I quit gun hunting 5 years ago, now I just bowhunt. I prefer the challenge of bowhunting, to me gun hunting seems easy. Here in ND I hear guys talking about shooting deer at 200-300 yards. Now what is really hard about that. As long as someone hunts legally, I have no problem. But to me the yearling doe I bagged this fall with my bow is a bigger trophy than a big 10 point shot at 200 yards. My family all gun hunts, and I love shooting my guns, so don' t think I' m anti-gun. When it comes to big game hunting, for me it' s bow all the way.

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

Simple said I hunt because I enjoy it . I also enjoy the way I hunt or I wouldn' t do it ,be it with a bow , rifle or a slingshot . What others think I don' t much care . :D

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

For the meat, but mostly for the piece of mind I get when I come in from a hunt it is total relaxation to watch the wild life and to watch mother nature come to life and enjoy what the good lord has offered me for the day....:)

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

it' s fun! I rifle hunt (I want to start bow) and no matter what your always going to get a little thrill when that nice 12 pointer is walking out of the willows about 75 yards away and then looks straight at you. Or have you ever been standing up in your little tree you see one about 100 yards away and the sucker snorts? Then it feels like you failed your drivers license test. So you start throwing ammo all over the field and then on the last shot and you hit it dead on. Now theirs a nice story to tell all your buds.[:-]

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

I hunt for the sport and the meat. I love rifle hunting, I have a 30-06 with scope, plus 2 muzzleloaders inline and flint. I don' t shoot deer 200-300 yards away, most shots are between 50 and 70 yards. The thrill of the hunt plus the kill, wow want an feeling. I enjoy going to the range, sitting down and sighting in the rifles each year.

That is why I hunt for the pure enjoyement of being in the woods and the thrill.

Tomster

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

I hunt for meat and so i can spend time with family and freinds. That and I think that i may go insane if i didnt have the opurtunity to escape from my job once in awhile and slip throught the feilds and forest

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

I hunt to get away from my wife. What other excuse can I use for literally 5 months of the year??;)


Seriously though, I hunt because I am good at it and find it enjoyable. Being alone in the woods, pitting yourself against a worthy opponent, finding solace in the fact that you are away from the troubles of your daily life. What more could one ask for?

Shooting an animal is secondary to me in comparison to everything that leads up to it.

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

wolfen68
dont knock thae rifle hunting or the hunting with guides and outfitters, i dont have money to burn but i also dont have time to spend a week going outwest and wasting my time not knowing what i am doing. Hunting here in the south is alot different than outwest. Ive hunted kansas a couple of times and you are right all they do is walk the woods and shoot at deer running, not mt style, but i enjoy hunting with outfitters and if you ever went with a good one you would change your mind, no one says you have to pull the trigger either. If you dont see what you like dont shoot.

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

WOW, I like the outdoors, I like the things that go through your mind while your sitting there...no phones, people, the fast pace of today' s society....to bad more people dont take advantage of hunting. I think it' s reduces stress, (unless your not seeing anything) LOL....I' m not as a successful hunter as you and it seems that youv' e seen aand takin alot of nice deer...To say a rifle hunter or a bowhunter is better than the other is kinda funny...I think if your an ethical hunter, whatever you means of taking a deer is ok....Rifle hunting and inline hunting are my primary means of taking a deer, is cost effective for me and my family...I feel, I' m very successful hunter because I' m in the woods with my sons and enjoying my freedom, GOD BLESS THE USA.. Oh, like the pic' s on you site....

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

A hunter is a hunter is a hunter. No hunter needs to try and put himself or his ideas above that of any other hunter I hunt for the get together with old friends, for the meat, for the time in the outdoors and just because God created a hunter when he created me. Gun, Bow, Muzzle loader or spear, what difference does it make? If rifle hunting is not enough sport for someone let them chase it down and kill it with thier teeth as our friend the wolf does. He is one of the greatest hunters of all. I have hunted with all the normal means of hunting. I hunt because I am a HUNTER.

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

Relaxation, sport, fun, friendship, nature and the challenge are all many reasons I hunt. I also can' t forget it is my choice and I hunt all seasons not just one.

Wolf it is your choice to hunt with a Bow and I won' t hold anything against you for that choice, but your post was inappropriate IMHO and I hold that against you. This sport is all about the guy/gal holding the tag, not about how much more difficult it is to hunt this or that way, get off the pot. Each have their own challenges and rewards, it is all opinion on which is the best way. I have taken deer with all weapons and all have been trophy experiences!

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

Reallity is just that everyone has there own opinion on which is the best way to hunt, i love to hunt with a bow, BUT due to having tendonitious in my rght arm bow hunting becomes very uncomfortable after a while, so i mainly use a rifel, I hunt to eescape all of todays rat race, work etc. .. ilove just getting out and either roaming around a little looking, or just finding a nice spot to sit and wait, hopefully mr.buck will come out and present me with a shot. well and if he doesnt thats okay too. relaxation from just being out is enough. THE SHOOTING OF THE DEER IS JUST A BONUS.(srry for the bold print hit cap button)--and there again its just an opinion.. good luck to all, however its being done,enjoy!!!!!:)

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

I hunt because i love God' s great outdoors and the taste of deer meat ain' t bad either:D

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

hey i am a first time deer hunter but the reason i hunt deer is it is more of a challenge i started out hunting wild boar with a .22 it sounds like it cant be done i assure ya it can but i got a 12 guage and use that ive found stalkin deer is way more challengin and fun than stalkn boar i dont hunt or sport i hunt cause i love the outdoors and the taste of the meat i rather be a bowhunter though but cant afford one
yall have a good day and good huntin

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

Deer hunting is not what is use to be. Now days you have GPS finders, 4 wheelers, 5000 dollar rifles with Military scopes, night vision. What the hell are you trying to prove? That you spend the most money is what makes you feel better. I hunt with a rifle and a grunt and thats it. About 4 wheelers, lol what ever, if you are too lazy to walk to your stand then you dont' need to be hunting, if you are too weak to drag that deer 1.5 miles on foot than you dont' need to be hunting, if you can' t put your stand up without bring it all to the tree with a 4 wheeler than you don' t need to be hunting. Thats what I think. I think deer hunting has lost its touch, its cause all the rich ppl and all the ppl that buy the newest thing on the market turn it into a social thing liek duck hunting.........what a joke, you will never catch me in a duck blind. That has got to be the most silly ass thing to do, get all dressed up with your buddies that you work for or with to kiss their ass, go out in 20 degree weather just to sit inside a duck blind with a heater and a stove HHAHAHAAHAHA.

RE: Why do you hunt deer?
 

hey im like you and dont use a four wheeler or a gps for one they cost to much and the other thang is its not as fun with out it i havent got a deer yet but we carry em on our shoulders but you dont need to be rude to them cause they got nicer thangs then you do but all ii got is a grunt a gun and my jeans i use but i agree it is ridiculus to go out and buy a military scope and a high power long range rifle of some sort