Why do I hunt? I hunt because the best times of my life have been spent hunting with some of my family and friends who mean the most to me, and the memories are deeply treasured by me to this day. As a young boy, I was taken hunting by my 2 best friends at the time, my dad and my beagle "King". I would look so forward to going out rabbit hunting with dad and King. We shared our love of the outdoors together and it brought us closer together. As I was growing up, other kids around me were getting into drugs, and I got into hunting. I loved my dad dearly and grew to respect and honor him. As I grew into a man, I continued to share great times hunting with dad. Dad passed away some 15 yrs. ago and I truly miss our days together. The last photo I have of dad was taken when we were out deer hunting 2 weeks before he died. At that time, I had a 2 year old son named Chuckie. When Chuckie became a young boy, I took him rabbit hunting with me and my beagle "Tucker". Chuckie fell in love with hunting as I had as a young boy, and we have grown together. Chuckie is now 17 and is approaching manhood. We too share our love of the outdoors and our love of each other. We too look so forward to spending time hunting together. If I had to ask myself why do I hunt, I would pull out my photo album of past hunting trips and would look again at the photos. I would see some happy photos of a dad and his young boy growing up, and hunting together. As I went through the album I would see some happy photos of another dad and his young boy growing up, and hunting together. You see, in the early photos I am the young boy, and in the later photos, I am the dad. I treasure these times dearly. This is why I hunt.

I hunt because it was passed on from one generation to another and so on.
My father was raised on a farm with his 4 other brothers.They helped raise dairy as well as beef cattle.So they actually slaughtered cattle to sell and for food for themselves just as they did while hunting.So when someone goes into a grocery store and buys beef it is from an animal that was slaughtered.
In hunting of game the animal is harvested as quickly as possible.Not much difference then slaughtering a cow but maybe more humane.It helped myself and 2 brothers to connect with our father something I think we need more of today.
It also I think kept us away from drugs and alcohol being out in the wild with mother nature instead of hanging on a street corner with nothing but time on our hands.For these reasons I can see nothing wrong with hunting and have already passed it on to my son and hope he will also pass it on to his generation.

Why do we hunt? Watch a Lab as it goes afield to retrieve the waterfowl
and you'd understand a little bit better what goes on inside of all
hunters as they walk into the woods or onto the mud flats to set out
decoys, triggering in hunters irrepressible excitement and pleasure.
It's like quenching a thirst or scratching an itch.It seems to satisfy a deep human need.
Hunting is basic to our natures. As long as people have populated the earth
they have taken the lives of other species to feed themselves.
Hunting provides many pleasures including lifelong friendships.Every part of hunting has it's pleasures , from
the planning , to the scouting , the hunt itself.It's a time we can
reflect on our lives , a time when we can be one with the land,the animals,reflect on the day,and how great God truly is...whatever we want.We don't have to worry about phones ringing,paying bills,doing errands,or snarling traffic all around us.Walking into the woods lets you leave the real world behind and it opens a whole new world that never existed before hunting.
Most of y'all know that Huntnma(Casey)and I grew up with an anti father so we weren't introduced to it until I met my husband almost 7 years ago.HM and I are twins but we NEVER (NEVER!!)got along-24 years of hatred.It wasn't until we started to hunt that we became sisters and friends.
Hunting is in my soul and makes me the woman that I am today.
I'm proud to say that I'm a hunter.

Edited by - Fl.Huntress on 02/21/2002 08:19:43

IT HERIDITARY. <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

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shedmanpyro they have not run it yet, hopefully soon, if not I will call and find out when.

BOWFANATIC I thought it would take me awhile to put down why I hunt, but when you are writing from your heart it comes easily, here is why I hunt:

Why I hunt

Escape from the hustle and bustle of every day life. To walk, sit, or stalk through the woods and fields and not hear a radio, TV, car, human voice or any other man made sound is the escape I seek and find hunting. To be able to escape the sights and smells of the man made world and breath in the cool crisp air of the outdoors. To smell the stench of a skunk, the dank odor of a swamp, the aroma of freshly moved leaves exposing the soil that normally is always covered.

To regain what I feel many people have lost, the ability to be as one with nature. To simply sit in the woods and drink it all in. When I sit in the dark of the woods and slowly tune in to the world, my eyes see the outlines of trees, the brightness of the moon and the stars. I hear the breeze as it gently moves through the forest, the gurgle of a stream, sounds of an unseen animal as it moves through the woods. Slowly I tune in with my surroundings and become one with them.

Once I have become part of the natural order of things, I hear, smell, and see more than I did when I slammed the alarm clock at 4AM. In the east I see a change, I feel a slight shift in the wind and notice I hear far more activity than I did 5 minutes ago. I hear a rustling in the leaves to my left and can make out the form of a raccoon going of to his den. There is an ever so slight brightness in the eastern sky; in the distance I hear a doe bleat.

My senses awaken totally, with speed that is hard to believe unless you have seen it, the sun breaks free from the horizon and light enters the darkness. Behind me I hear a twig snap, then silence. Then I hear the honking of geese getting closer and louder, the honking eventually fills the woods and I see a flock of geese flying to an unseen pond in the distance, the honking grows weaker and eventually silence as they disappear in the distance.

My mind now tunes in on the snapping twig I heard behind me before the geese, again I hear the doe bleat, it is closer than before and in front of me. I slowly scan the woods looking for that movement, or the whiteness that screams deer. The doe bleats again and behind me I hear a grunt, then several purposeful steps in my direction. I wet a finger, hold it up and reassure myself that the wind is still blowing left to right. Suddenly I hear scratching and limbs being shaken, my eyes pick up a squirrel as it starts on its way to eat breakfast.

My ears strain for the slightest sound behind me as I scan the woods, I can tell my heart is beating a little faster and my breathing seems to be so loud I am sure it can be heard 30-40 feet away, I know it can't, but it sounds like it. I hear slow purposeful steps behind me moving my way. I am amazed how quietly an animal can move through dry leaves. Movement, in front of me I see a small white patch moving my way through the laurels, slowly I am able to make out the form of the doe through the limbs and can see her legs below the thick stuff. She straightens her neck and bleats again, a grunt behind me and to the right!

The buck is coming to her from my right, I check the wind and realize I will have one chance to outsmart this old boy. I slowly turn to my right; scanning the whole area I still do not see him. I feel he is within 20-30 yards of me, but I see nothing. The doe continues slowly moving to my left, so I know that the buck will be coming right by me to greet her. She bleats again.

I hear him break into a trot and spot him about 30 yards out to my right coming my way. I also know that eventually he will wind me, my heart pounds in my chest when I see how massive his rack is. I know my only chance is for him to enter my shooting lane before he winds me. I am kicking myself mentally for assuming he would come in from my left, even though all my scouting had said he should.

He is almost into my shooting lane, as his head disappears behind a tree I come to a full draw, my heart pounds in my ear, I can see his antlers right behind a bush as he gets ready to step into the shooting lane. He stops and throws his head high, blows, then he turns and bounds off in the direction he came from, he caught my wind. My heart is racing as I let off the fully drawn bow and watch his white flag waving to me as he crashes through the brush.

I turn my attention to the doe, my knees are shaking and I can see her nervously trying to catch a whiff of what the buck had alerted on. Except for her head she is motionless, glued to the spot she is standing in the laurels. After what seems like an eternity she decides all is not right and turns and trots off the way she came, her tail raised, but not panicked, just nervous.

As my nerves calm, I sit again; there is still the feeling of warmth in me as the adrenaline surging through my veins is slowly burnt off, the shaking in my knees slows and finally stops. The woods are dead quiet; a crow caws nearby, probably asking the buck &quot;What's up?&quot;. I scan the woods and seeing nor hearing anything I reach into my pack and grab my coffee thermos. Unbelievable, my hands still are shaking a bit as I pour myself a cup of hot java.

I am suddenly aware that the sun has risen fully and the woods are illuminated with the full beauty of sunlight. The squirrels begin to move again and the trees become alive with small birds. The rest of the day passes peacefully, I rest and reminisce of hunts gone by, of the joy of taking that big buck in 74, the pleasure of watching three doe feed in a field right in front of me for over an hour, sometimes coming within 15 foot of where I was seated on the ground.

The shadows grow long and then they disappear, the woods are growing dark, I hear movement coming in my direction, leaves rustling, finally I see the source of the sound, my friend the raccoon is heading back out for another evening of feast. The day is done, the cycle is complete for those of us who are of the day, it is time for the creatures of the night to take over. I put my thermos away, lower my pack and bow and climb down for the stand.

I begin the walk back to the truck, the stars are starting to become visible and as I mossy down the path nearing the field I hear an explosion in the brush less than 20 feet off to my left and can see a group of white flags waving at me going through the brush. I wave, smile and whisper under my breath &quot;Tomorrow&quot;. This is why I hunt, not for the kill, I hunt for the connection of myself with nature, for the memories, to introduce my children to the love I have for the outdoors. I hunt to live.


The Tazman

wow taz, thats all i can say, wow.
really good bit of writing there.

If this question was asked a hundred years ago, the answer would be simply to supply table fare. As a means of providing food, something that everyone did because they had no other alternatives. Today that has changed because any supermarket packs their shelves with all sorts of available food items that would seem to eliminate the necessity to hunt for our food. My point here is that I do not hunt strictly to provide food for my family. Hunting to me is a rite of autumn, something that has been instilled in my blood. I won't be coy and say that I hunt to be closer with nature, to hear the sounds of birds, or to see the forest awake at the beginning of a new dawn. I certainly experience all those things, but I hunt for the chance to go one on one with the animal in the woods and under his terms. The game plan has been set. I am told where I must hunt, when I must hunt, what I can and cannot shoot, what I must wear while hunting and what type of weapon I can and cannot use. All this has been regulated by my state in the efforts to ensure a safe and fair hunt and to ensure all that matters are in the best interest of the hunted. I must make that important and pesonal decision when the opportunity arises whether to take that animal's life or not. My decisions always are made at that precise moment, and me and only me, at that moment in time, will determine if that animal will live to see another day. If yes, wonderful, if no, wonderful, for I have served my purpose. I do not kill for the sake of killing, but I understand that will be the end result if the decision is made to end the hunt successfully. I have much understanding and respect for the animal that I hunt and consider it a special moment in my life when I have the priviledge to finally see him in his own environment. Whether he wins or I, it really doesn't matter, for the chase was fair.

<font color=red><font size=6>The woods are the only place that I feel entirely at peace at!!!</font id=size6></font id=red>

Good Luck This Season: Buck Magnet
&quot;Hunting is not a sport, it is a passion, it is a WAY OF LIFE&quot;

Tazman, once again I am very impressed. You are truely blessed in putting things into words.