EVERYONE PLEASE READ!
 

As I'm sure every hunter has or will be asked this question by someone eventually...why do you hunt? I'm asked this question by my wife at least once a year and I have'nt been able to give her that special answer that makes her understand.(she's not anti-hunting) Anyway there seems to be alot of great writers here (whether you realize it or not) and I'd like everyone to answer this question the best way you know how as if your trying to make a non-hunter understand. Here's the kicker! After we have a ton to choose from , I want to do a poll to pick the best one. When we pick our favorite , I'm going to send it in to Wisconsin Outdoor News to be published (They will publish it , just ask Tazman) so I'd like you to start it the way I did by stateing that your trying to answer the age old question asked by non-hunters(why we hunt?) And if you wouldn't mind haveing it published , put your name at the bottom with permission to publish.
Oh yeah , I'll probably use the best one when I answer my wife this year<img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

&quot;Nocked,cocked & ready to rock&quot;

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I hunt cause I was born a predator and cant help it.I started when I was 7 ,cause I lived on a farm and it fed us.Your wife hunts and dont even realize it.When she goes to the grocery store she is a predator seeking meat for the nourishment of her family. That aint no different then what you do.My mouth is watering right now just thinking about sinking my teeth into a piece of venison.E-mail Tazman and ask him to send you the letter he just sent to his newspaper about hunting.That will help you.Im to crude to give a answer with flowers.

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The letter Tazman wrote will be published in Wisconsin Outdoor News , March 1st issue.

&quot;Nocked,cocked & ready to rock&quot;

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I realized a while back that if I catch myself answering the question &quot;Why do you hunt?&quot; then I am in a defensive posture and I think the very fact that I am in that posture is unwarranted. I didn't ask the other party why they choose NOT to hunt. I didn't ask them why they drive a Ford pick-up when I know good and well Dodge pick-ups are better! I didn't tell them to put their damn cigarette out cause it's gonna kill them....etc., etc.

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I didn't intend this to turn into a &quot;why do we hunt?&quot; thread to be answered defensively. My intentions were to enlighten those non-hunters to why we hunt in a way that they would completely understand what we get out of it. Include every heart thumping , adrenaline rushing aspect of the hunt that keeps you a hunter. Some will understand enough to keep them from joining the anti-hunters , others may be so intrigued that they decide to try it themselves. The publication I plan to send it to has just as many non-hunter subscribers as hunters.

&quot;Nocked,cocked & ready to rock&quot;

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cardeer is exactly right!

Man is, by nature, a preditor and a carnivore. That's the way God made us and personally, I'm real happy about that! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

Yes.... I enjoy time spent in the great outdoors. Yes.......I enjoy watching wildlife in its own element. Yes....I even enjoy (a LOT) just plain shooting. But most of all.....I enjoy the killing of game - the satisfaction of exercising our God given command to &quot;rule over the beasts of the field&quot; and the satisfaction of feeding my family with this bounty from the Lord's provision.

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I hunt because I like to. And I'm fortunate to live in a country that allows it. Have you seen that commercial where the guy is sneeking out of bed and his wife hear's him and says &quot;Hunting again&quot;. When my wife saw that, she said &quot;Yes stupid, and he will go again tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. Get used to it.&quot; Good Luck. Capt Brad.

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I hunt because it is a family tradition. My father and his father and so forth grew up hunting, so it has been passed down through generations. We enjoy the opportunity to go out and spend time with each other without the hassles of daily living. The minute we step in the woods, we leave all the worlds troubles behind.
It enables me to use the knowledge God and my dad have given me to be able to go out and provide fresh table fare for my family, without the worries of &quot;chemicals and additives&quot; used in the processing of meats you find in the stores.


AllenC

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My wife was raised properly by a father who hunted. So I have no trouble from her.

But for anyone else that would ask the answer is simple: I get hungry! <img src=icon_smile_big.gif border=0 align=middle>

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Oh Lord...... BOWFANATIC you have done it now. Man I could write a book on it, but I know I am way to wordy. Give me a few days and I will see what I can come up with.

The Tazman

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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 &quot;King&quot;. 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 &quot;Tucker&quot;. 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.

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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.

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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

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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

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

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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.

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<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;

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

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I hunt because it is one of the most if not the most relaxing things that I have ever done. I love the putdoors and I love the fellowship with the others in my club. I think god everyday for giving us the game to hunt and and for letting me live in a place that allows us to hunt it.

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I hunt because it is one of the most if not the most relaxing things that I have ever done. I love the putdoors and I love the fellowship with the others in my club. I think god everyday for giving us the game to hunt and and for letting me live in a place that allows us to hunt it.

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After regressing into my habit of lurking, I feel that I too, must jump in. All the responses so far have all been great. IMHO if you combine the responses of Fl. Huntress and Tazman, then really think about what hunting is, you also will realize that hunting is a primal instinct. It is a reprieve from our present day hectic world. It is a great sport. my $0.02

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I am a animal and I choose to be a part of nature instead of seperating myself from it. I always ask antihunters why it is ok for a wolf or cougar to hunt, kill, and eat an animal, but not people. No one has ever given me a real answer to that question.

I do enjoy just being out in the woods, but when I am not hunting, I find myself &quot;doing&quot; things. When I hunt, I am still both with my body and my mind and can truely relax both. It is during this time that I do most of my quality talking with my maker.

I also find myself respecting wildlife and its habitat more because I hunt. I don't know how anyone who hasn't taken a life can possibly know the elation/sorrow over a successful hunt. I can't explain why I feel that way, just as no one can explain the emotion of love. It is just something so basic to my heart that it just &quot;is&quot;.

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I don't know who said it but &quot;I hunt therefore I am&quot; it's a quote that I have always liked. I hunt because I beleive its a primordial instinct that some of us (the more fortunate ones) have not evolved away from, that and the fact of being raised around hunting my entire life. I started at probably age 10 and have been hooked on not only hunting but fishing as well so badly that I am now even a part time guide. Hunting is not only killing of animals but getting out in nature, enjoying and pointing out to our children the little things in life that most take for granted. Such as a squirrel collecting acorns, a ruffed grouse drumming or doe tending her fawns. And it's not all the animals hunting puts us in the woods at times when the leaves are changing colors and the mornings are brisk with a bit of frost on the ground, these are just some of the things that keep me coming back to the woods and the waters time and time again. If I were to list all the things I would run out of space and time to express them all. One more thing, hunting to me is not to make up for some shortcoming in my life or to seem macho, it's much more than that. Hunting serves to put me at peace with things that may be troubling me and at the same time put food on the table for my family. And with all that being said I don't think I can express it any better without wasting alot more space. May the wind always be at your back and the sun warm your face.

Todd Dunlap
Ashland, WI

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<center><u>Why Do I Hunt?</u></center>

Why do I hunt? A good question, a question which has forced me to sit and think about a sport I love. Why hunt when I can just go down to the supermarket and buy meat to feed my family? Why do I hunt in this age where others think it is their life’s mission to stop me? Why do I every year spend time in the forest waiting for something to walk by so I can shoot it? Why do I endure my wife’s complaints every year about going to the deer woods? The one little question conjures many more!

I am a hunter! Yet this is not enough to answer why I hunt. I hunt for many reasons some of which will be understood by all while others will not be understood by any except a hunter. I hunt because I enjoy it. Not only do I enjoy the harvesting of a deer but all that surrounds the act of hunting. I enjoy the time I spend in the woods sitting quietly waiting for that trophy deer. I enjoy the time spent with my son and daughter where we are alone with no others but the citizens of the forest. I enjoy the time I spend with individuals who are both friends and hunting partners. I enjoy observing nature in a way that no television can capture. I enjoy the smell of the campfire. I enjoy sitting before a camp fire on a chill night listening to a friend pick at his guitar envious that I do not posses that talent. I enjoy the smell and taste of camp food no matter how bad it looks. I enjoy hunting because it arouses feelings that only come alive during this time of the year.

I hunt with a rifle that belonged to my grandfather. I did not know my grandfather as he died before I was born. But I do know a little of him. He was born on a ranch in Idaho and did not know how old he was when he died. The rifle was bought by him when he was but a teenager and used like so many in those days to bring extra money, (from local shooting competitions), and meat, (from hunting), home. Since this rifle had been used for competition shooting it now has a trigger that is light to the pull. He prized this rifle all through his life and I know of relatives, (now gone), that have hunted with him while using this rife. I know that he would feel pride knowing that his grandson is still hunting with his rifle.

I feel pride when I’m in the forest with my son or daughter. I know that I am passing on knowledge and family traditions. Both have observed wildlife going about their daily business of life and both have been excited about what they have seen. My daughter has expressed a desire to become a veterinarian. I don’t know if this is because of our trips together, but I would like to think so. My son has followed me many a time and he too has learned some of the ways of the forest. I too have seen wildlife while awaiting the buck. I will be forever grateful for those sights which I have been allowed to observe. I am proud that I have been able to pass these things along and that they will last for another generation.

I hunt for many reasons of which I have only expressed but a few. I can never fully explain why I hunt nor will I ever be able to satisfy every individual who asks this question. No one but a fellow hunter will ever fully understand why I hunt.

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I hunt for many reasons. I hunt because hunting is the only sport that I relax in. To me hunting is better than a 1000 prozac's. I hunt because of the huge high I get just being afield. Its bigger than any high u could get from drugs. I hunt to spend time with family and friends. But Most of all I hunt because I can. It's really that simple.

Save the sport. Take a kid hunting twice and hook them for life!!!

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Why I Hunt

The first time I went hunting at about age six I went with my dad. We were sitting in the tree stand when I heard my Dad say,&quot;Sit still here comes one!&quot; As she got closer we realized that it was a 1 1/2 year old doe. Dad knew he wasn't going to shoot it, and in a jokingly voice dad whispered,&quot;Do you want to shoot it?&quot; and my reply was,&quot;No, I will let it grow!&quot; And the doe ended up walking right underneath our stand. Every since that day I have been hooked. I will never forget the feeling I had when I saw that deer heading or way, I got the shakes all over.

When people ask me why I go hunting I tell them, &quot;I hunt so that wild game can thrive, so I can see animals in their natural habitat, and simply because I cannot get enough of it. There is something that keeps me wanting more whether its the thrill of the kill, seeing squirrels play, getting to relax in a deer stand, or its just getting out and spending some quality time with my dad.

If man didn't hunt their would be severe overpopulation of game. Farmers crops would constantly be damaged, cars and trucks would constantly be hitting game, and game would suffer because they would have nothing to eat because of overgrazing.
An ethical hunter never wastes game, they will properly dress the game, and eat it. If they don't like the meat they will give it away to a needy family, a Hunters Feeding the Hungary program, or a friend that will enjoy the meat.
Ever since that first day it just runs in my blood, and those listed above are some of the reason I hunt.



Edited by - huntinfool14 on 02/21/2002 18:01:11

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Why do I hunt? I hunt as others have said, because man is a natural predator!
My best reasons for hunting are, that I do love venison meat! Not for the economics, because most hunting costs more than going to the grocery store and buying beef. To me the taste of venison is far superior to beef and it is healthier too!
I also love the outdoors, being close to nature is almost a spiritual experience to me, even when I don't come home with game.
I also love to see wild game, especially the Whitetail deer! I respect the Whitetail, and there is a great challenge to pit a hunters skills against the well honed instincts of a deer!
With this being said, the non-hunter may well ask how I could kill a beautiful animal that I &quot;claim&quot; to love and respect so much?
This is a fair question, and to this my answer would be that I know that God has put animals here for our use. He has given us &quot;dominion&quot; over them. There are many biblical references that confirm our mastery over the animal kingdom, and that also condone hunting.
Lastly, the reason I can and do hunt, is that I can take an animal that I respect so much, and without remorse, is that I have not taken a life in anger! As a conservationist, I know that the animal I take, actually helps the species. Without hunting, the animal population would grow out of control, and the animals we love so much would meet with a death far more inhumane than a hunters arrow or bullet!
The statistics also clearly show that almost without exception, that the game animal populations have been restored to record levels, compared to near exstiction in the early 1900's! Through hunters efforts at conservation and our hunting dollars, non-game as well as game animals have benifited from the &quot;Hunter!&quot; Of who's fellowship I am proud to be counted! Yes, I am a hunter, and am not ashamed! Frank

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I HUNT TO SUPPLY MEAT FOR MY FAMILY WHEN I WAS GROWING UP. MY BROTHERS AND I WOULD HUNT SO THAT WE HAD ENOUGH MEAT TO LAST THROUGH THE WINTER BECUASE SOMETIMES THE ROADS WOULD GET DRIFTED SHUT AND YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GO TO TOWN FOR FOOD, FOR A WHILE.

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Over the course of generations, and the rigors of modern
industrialization, man
has lost his &quot;peace&quot;. We live in a world that is filled with fast food, fast
cars, crooked politicians, overpopulation, corporations filled with avarice and greed,
gangs, drive by's, workplace politics, workplace favoritisms, snarling
cashiers, global socialism, deception and all of the other ills that come about due the power
struggles for domination in the marketplace, personal finance and ego stroking.

Hunting, or simply being in the woods brings about a balance. Some people drink,
some people cry, some give up. Hunting affords a rare opportunity to not only
be semi-reclusive, it offers the thrill of the chase without all of the politically
correct strings attached. It offers the opportunity to be self sustaining, or at
least a glimpse at it. It offers a sense of accomplishment. You, the cubical
bound, dark circled eyed tyro to the self proclaimed magnates of your life, are
capable of outwitting a wild animal. And in the process of breaking away from
the shackles of modern life, have provided some darn tasty meat for the family.

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Why do i hunt. I hunt because i love the great outdoors and the memorys that come with it. I love hearing the gobble of a wild turkey and i love the sound of a deer running threw the woods. And i love the rush of taking a Deer or a turkey&gt;&gt;&gt;

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I didn't climb to the top of the food chain to become a vegetarian.
Seriously I hunt because i was taught by my father and grandfather and the days we spent in the woods together are the most precious gifts they ever gave me.I don't have kids to pass on the tradition to yet but i will have one day and i hope all the anti-hunters haven't destroyed the sport by then.

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Hunters are conservationist with out our money who knows what the woods would be like.

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WOW! This is going to be one tough task to try and pick a favorite. There are so many great ones already. Keep em coming guys and gals. BTW I have already shown my wife CharlieNY's reply and I think it may have really hit home with her. I have four children and my oldest son is 10 years old , so you can see why charlies reply had an effect on her. Our biggest fear is losing our kids to &quot;streetlife&quot; , drugs , gangs , etc.

&quot;Nocked,cocked & ready to rock&quot;

RE: EVERYONE PLEASE READ!
 

Why do I hunt? You would think that having been asked this question many times over the years I could come up with an easy answer. Not that its a hard question. Its just hard to find the words to describe the deep down love and passion that I feel for hunting. There's something invigorating, and yet relaxing about being in the pre-dawn woods watching the day come to life with song birds whistling their good morning tunes. The distant gobble of an old tom keeping tabs on the local hens. Squirrels scampering about, collecting nuts for the winter stopping now and then to sample his findings. Watching a whitetail doe moving throuh the trees all most undetectable, stopping often to nibble on browse or to test the wind.

You see there's much more to hunting than the killing of game. So why do you hunt you ask? Why not just sit in the woods and enjoy nature without the killing? Because I understand the need for the balance of nature and how important it is to keep wildlife populations in check. If left unchecked it wouldn't be long before the natural beauty, of not just the wildlife. but also the habitat that they live in would be destroyed. When God created all that is, he did so for man. He gave man power over the animals and birds. I feel that its our responsability to God and to the wildlife to keep them healthy and provide a healthy habitat for them.

In this ever expanding civilized world we live in, we continue to destroy the habitat in which they need so desperately to survive. As habitat decreases the wildlife populations need to be reduced and kept in balance with what the habitat can support. If this dosen't happen, then it won't be long before there won't be any wildlife for anyone to enjoy, hunters and non-hunters alike. They will die of desease and starvation and become extinct. Thats why I hunt .


I Pete Neff hereby give permission to publish this piece if you so choose.

God Bless & Good Hunting
LM/NAHC
Member NRA
Member P&Y CLUB
Member QDMA
Member Ducks Unlimited

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RE: EVERYONE PLEASE READ!
 

1st and foremost,I hunt because I enjoy the peace and tranquility of the outdoors.The smells,sight,sounds on a still calm morning.
The anticipation of sunrise and what it will bring.Watching all forms of wildlife interact in &quot;their&quot; environment in the quest for,food,a mate,play,or simple survival.I very often become lost,forgetting that I came to take game.

Lastly - I am the highest form of predator.I enjoy the preperation,anticipation of the hunt,and pursuit of game.All the game I harvest,I consume and share with others close to me.

Thats about as simple as I can put it without getting all Wishy Washy.

Later - AL