I am asked this question just about every week. I live in Pittsburgh now and work with highly technical people who just never got into hunting or understand it. I am just curious what you all say when you are asked. Just dont say Why not?
What do you say when asked why do you Hunt?
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There are numerous reasons.....when out there all stress is lulled away, I feel a connection not only with nature, but also a connection with the past....thinking about hunters that may have hunted these spots before me, family and friends, friendships and having that special bond with my father and now with my sons.
It is probably the same reason they watch a sporting event or their favorite television show.
The best is PEACE.....there is nothing more enjoyable than sitting it the woods taking in mother nature......the actual hunt, actually taking game is just a bonus in my book
It is probably the same reason they watch a sporting event or their favorite television show.
The best is PEACE.....there is nothing more enjoyable than sitting it the woods taking in mother nature......the actual hunt, actually taking game is just a bonus in my book
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Family tradtion and get together with friends and family for good time in the great outdoors
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I just like getting away and enjoying things the way they were intended to be enjoyed. Nothing beats the silence you hear when a stream is babbling, leaves are shuddering in the breeze and a ruffed grouse is drumming off in the distance!
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Because I enjoy it, then I ask them why they don't hunt.
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I think I might have posted this one before, but here is some ammunition to use when you get into these types of discussions.
Mutt
Awhile ago, one of my friends asked me to try to put together my thoughts on why I hunt, so here goes. I don't believe anyone has spent more time trying to figure out why he hunts and what it is that draws him to it than I have, so ask away. It is sort of funny how I hate to see any animal suffer, including those I am working my darndest to kill. Go figure. Probably I am less afraid of death than anyone you know, but I abhor pain and suffering. Perhaps that is based upon experiences of those I have watched die slowly and painfully. Life is a terminal condition. Any animal should be able to leave it with a minimum of pain, including those raised for the table like cows, chickens, and pigs.
I suspect that hunting was the oldest and first "profession." I have written about this before. Societies seem to have organized with some men being hunters and providing food and others doing other things. Maybe it is in my genetic makeup to welcome the challenge of pitting my instincts and skill against those of prey?
Had I been born fifty thousand years ago, I might have become skilled in the use of the spear, atlatl, or even a bow and arrows. Hunters were also called upon at times to defend their village from incursions by other tribes, or make war on those whose land and possessions they coveted. Many of those who are our best soldiers were also raised to be hunters.
The eating of meat might possibly be what enabled ancient man to evolve from a gatherer and scavenger to his modern state. Herbivores and scavengers spend lots of time each day in search of food. Some herbivores spend up to twenty hours per day grazing and/or chewing the cud. It may have been possible for our ancient forebears to eat enough from one kill in a few minutes to last them for days, thus giving them time to think such creative thoughts as how to design a better arrowhead, what kind of wood made the best bows, etc. Of course the evidence of our design is there as well. We have all four types of dentition: incisors on both upper and lower jaws, canines, premolars, and also molars. Most herbivores lack canines. Our eyes are situated on the front of our heads, allowing us to focus on the chase, not on detecting and avoiding predators. Our ears don’t swivel to catch sound from all directions, but focus our hearing to the front at all times. Of course our lack of great offensive weapons such as the claws and fangs of the cat are negatives, but they are more than made up for by our ability to make and use weapons. It is this weapon thing that seems to have got us into the most trouble, but I digress.
A deer is a full-time deer. I am only a part-time hunter at best. I must go into territory that the deer knows as well as he knows anything. He knows every tree, shrub, food source, source of danger, and reads the wind like I read a newspaper. He has everything he needs in his world, and uses it only to survive. Us humans are destroyers of much that we see, including his environment. We don’t do it only to survive, but for many myriad other reasons, some much less compelling. In our quest to make life easier and more pleasurable, we have cut down forests, scarred the earth with our machines, and replaced vibrant ecosystems with parking lots, shopping malls, housing developments, and industrial plants. While the beaver has a small ability to change his environment, modern man with his chainsaws and bulldozers can do far more to change, and also to damage his. We have not always been good stewards of our domain, and we will end in paying for that.
I think one of the major reasons I hunt is to return to my roots. I love the solitude of being out there where man’s effect has been more limited. As I get older, I enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods even more than I did back when I was a youth. A few years ago, I spent several days working out how productive my hunting was, and how much money I saved in killing my own meat. In short, I don’t save anything. I spend much more going on one hunting trip than I do in a bunch of visits to the supermarket. The difference seems to be that I like getting my hands dirty. I do my own butchering. I make my own sausage, cut my own steaks and roasts, and enjoy them much more because of that. The meat I eat is not laced with hormones and antibiotics. It doesn’t come wrapped in plastic on a Styrofoam tray. It hasn’t been washed with Chlorox to make it look fresh. It isn’t in a can, unless I put it there. My doctor says it is much healthier for me than eating well marbled beef. My cholesterol is high enough without all that fat anyway.
I believe that hunting is something we as a species have been doing for quite a long time. Those who got their nature education from Disney films labor under a huge misconception. Natural systems are violent places and no matter how cute and cuddly an animal appears, death occurs. Man is inherently a predator. We don’t need to hunt in order to survive in today’s world, but we need to hunt because we are a hunting species. Hunters are not cruel. We try our best to make sure that a prey animal does not suffer. Some predators don’t have that kind streak. When wolves take down a moose or elk, it does not die quickly. Actually, I have watched this happen while I was in Alberta, and it is not pretty or clean. The moose suffered mightily. Lions and leopards are somewhat more efficient killers than are wolves, but again, it is a bloody mess they make and the animal dies eventually. Animals also die from diseases and accidents. We humans are a part of that natural system no matter how much we wish ourselves not to be.
I wrote an essay that is in my first book, THE LUCKIEST HUNTER ALIVE. I would like to quote a small part of it here because it sums up my thoughts on the subject. “I am a hunter because I am a part of nature, not apart from it. Those who believe that hunting is evil have a perverted view of the way nature works.”
A few years ago, a newspaper reporter by the name of Jason Ritter asked me a few questions about hunting, and this is part of what I told him. “As to whether or not those who are opposed to hunting would understand my feelings for nature and the sport of hunting, I doubt whether that is possible. At times, I suspect that those who believe hunting to be evil are not of our species. They try to deny our heritage and somehow put themselves above the fray, accepting a vegetarian lifestyle that is neither natural to us, nor normal. Our species evolved from animals that were scavengers and gatherers. It was when we mastered the use of tools that we rose above others with that lifestyle. Some of our first tools were those of the hunt. Admittedly, our tools are much more advanced now, but that doesn't stop us from being predators. There is no shame in killing another animal to eat it. There is shame in wanton slaughter for fun. My hunting is not of the latter type, regardless of how some might cast it.” I hope this helps you to understand why I am a hunter.
Mutt
Awhile ago, one of my friends asked me to try to put together my thoughts on why I hunt, so here goes. I don't believe anyone has spent more time trying to figure out why he hunts and what it is that draws him to it than I have, so ask away. It is sort of funny how I hate to see any animal suffer, including those I am working my darndest to kill. Go figure. Probably I am less afraid of death than anyone you know, but I abhor pain and suffering. Perhaps that is based upon experiences of those I have watched die slowly and painfully. Life is a terminal condition. Any animal should be able to leave it with a minimum of pain, including those raised for the table like cows, chickens, and pigs.
I suspect that hunting was the oldest and first "profession." I have written about this before. Societies seem to have organized with some men being hunters and providing food and others doing other things. Maybe it is in my genetic makeup to welcome the challenge of pitting my instincts and skill against those of prey?
Had I been born fifty thousand years ago, I might have become skilled in the use of the spear, atlatl, or even a bow and arrows. Hunters were also called upon at times to defend their village from incursions by other tribes, or make war on those whose land and possessions they coveted. Many of those who are our best soldiers were also raised to be hunters.
The eating of meat might possibly be what enabled ancient man to evolve from a gatherer and scavenger to his modern state. Herbivores and scavengers spend lots of time each day in search of food. Some herbivores spend up to twenty hours per day grazing and/or chewing the cud. It may have been possible for our ancient forebears to eat enough from one kill in a few minutes to last them for days, thus giving them time to think such creative thoughts as how to design a better arrowhead, what kind of wood made the best bows, etc. Of course the evidence of our design is there as well. We have all four types of dentition: incisors on both upper and lower jaws, canines, premolars, and also molars. Most herbivores lack canines. Our eyes are situated on the front of our heads, allowing us to focus on the chase, not on detecting and avoiding predators. Our ears don’t swivel to catch sound from all directions, but focus our hearing to the front at all times. Of course our lack of great offensive weapons such as the claws and fangs of the cat are negatives, but they are more than made up for by our ability to make and use weapons. It is this weapon thing that seems to have got us into the most trouble, but I digress.
A deer is a full-time deer. I am only a part-time hunter at best. I must go into territory that the deer knows as well as he knows anything. He knows every tree, shrub, food source, source of danger, and reads the wind like I read a newspaper. He has everything he needs in his world, and uses it only to survive. Us humans are destroyers of much that we see, including his environment. We don’t do it only to survive, but for many myriad other reasons, some much less compelling. In our quest to make life easier and more pleasurable, we have cut down forests, scarred the earth with our machines, and replaced vibrant ecosystems with parking lots, shopping malls, housing developments, and industrial plants. While the beaver has a small ability to change his environment, modern man with his chainsaws and bulldozers can do far more to change, and also to damage his. We have not always been good stewards of our domain, and we will end in paying for that.
I think one of the major reasons I hunt is to return to my roots. I love the solitude of being out there where man’s effect has been more limited. As I get older, I enjoy the peace and quiet of the woods even more than I did back when I was a youth. A few years ago, I spent several days working out how productive my hunting was, and how much money I saved in killing my own meat. In short, I don’t save anything. I spend much more going on one hunting trip than I do in a bunch of visits to the supermarket. The difference seems to be that I like getting my hands dirty. I do my own butchering. I make my own sausage, cut my own steaks and roasts, and enjoy them much more because of that. The meat I eat is not laced with hormones and antibiotics. It doesn’t come wrapped in plastic on a Styrofoam tray. It hasn’t been washed with Chlorox to make it look fresh. It isn’t in a can, unless I put it there. My doctor says it is much healthier for me than eating well marbled beef. My cholesterol is high enough without all that fat anyway.
I believe that hunting is something we as a species have been doing for quite a long time. Those who got their nature education from Disney films labor under a huge misconception. Natural systems are violent places and no matter how cute and cuddly an animal appears, death occurs. Man is inherently a predator. We don’t need to hunt in order to survive in today’s world, but we need to hunt because we are a hunting species. Hunters are not cruel. We try our best to make sure that a prey animal does not suffer. Some predators don’t have that kind streak. When wolves take down a moose or elk, it does not die quickly. Actually, I have watched this happen while I was in Alberta, and it is not pretty or clean. The moose suffered mightily. Lions and leopards are somewhat more efficient killers than are wolves, but again, it is a bloody mess they make and the animal dies eventually. Animals also die from diseases and accidents. We humans are a part of that natural system no matter how much we wish ourselves not to be.
I wrote an essay that is in my first book, THE LUCKIEST HUNTER ALIVE. I would like to quote a small part of it here because it sums up my thoughts on the subject. “I am a hunter because I am a part of nature, not apart from it. Those who believe that hunting is evil have a perverted view of the way nature works.”
A few years ago, a newspaper reporter by the name of Jason Ritter asked me a few questions about hunting, and this is part of what I told him. “As to whether or not those who are opposed to hunting would understand my feelings for nature and the sport of hunting, I doubt whether that is possible. At times, I suspect that those who believe hunting to be evil are not of our species. They try to deny our heritage and somehow put themselves above the fray, accepting a vegetarian lifestyle that is neither natural to us, nor normal. Our species evolved from animals that were scavengers and gatherers. It was when we mastered the use of tools that we rose above others with that lifestyle. Some of our first tools were those of the hunt. Admittedly, our tools are much more advanced now, but that doesn't stop us from being predators. There is no shame in killing another animal to eat it. There is shame in wanton slaughter for fun. My hunting is not of the latter type, regardless of how some might cast it.” I hope this helps you to understand why I am a hunter.
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i am usually an in-depth kinda person when it comes to explaining things such as this because i have so much passion for it. however, goldfingers response makes more sense and is more pleasing to read then about anything i've heard.Goldfinger said:
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Ditto on what muttley said
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I love nature and it soothes my soul. Simple as that. It's not about killing for me, but icing on the cake that is wonderful already.
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I agree with Nuge. IMHO there is nothing more calming than being in the woods. That high I get when I have a nice buck come through kind of negates this explanation though...
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When you work with liberal college professors, you not only get the "YOU HUNT ? 
? ?, but you get the quasi-sincere "I hear you are an avid hunter?", or the argumentative "How can you call that a sport?"
I've learned that their liberal point of view is extremely narrow, therefore I simply respond with "Would you ask me is I was an avid homosexual or if I performed sex with another man today? NO, you wouldn't because in your mind that is a lifestyle. Hunting is a lifestyle. It's my lifestyle. Quit harrassing my lifestyle" I also respond to the sport question as "NO, football, baseball, basketball etc are sports. You keep score, there is a winner, a looser, sometimes a tie, but in the end everyone shakes hands or high five's and goes home. I'm trying to take a precious life when I'm out there. It hardly qualifies as a sport. Something isn't going home today if I do it right."
Shuts them up every time.
? ?, but you get the quasi-sincere "I hear you are an avid hunter?", or the argumentative "How can you call that a sport?" I've learned that their liberal point of view is extremely narrow, therefore I simply respond with "Would you ask me is I was an avid homosexual or if I performed sex with another man today? NO, you wouldn't because in your mind that is a lifestyle. Hunting is a lifestyle. It's my lifestyle. Quit harrassing my lifestyle" I also respond to the sport question as "NO, football, baseball, basketball etc are sports. You keep score, there is a winner, a looser, sometimes a tie, but in the end everyone shakes hands or high five's and goes home. I'm trying to take a precious life when I'm out there. It hardly qualifies as a sport. Something isn't going home today if I do it right."
Shuts them up every time.
I've been asked this question a few times but not many. I find it hard to put into words every time. I enjoy being in the woods, the solitude, "The Hunt". At least for me, I spend as much time as I can hunting and when it's successful and the animal is down I feel remorse and a little sadness. The rush, the chase, the table fare, the outdoors, nature. That's why I do it. When I get into a discussion with a person that chooses not to hunt I tell them that that's their choice. I make my choice and they make theirs. Neither is wrong. It's about beliefs, heritage, and is very personal.
in the woods and on the lake is where i am most at peace. life reflection is a major thought while i am out there.
the excitement when the game approaches or just appears can not be equaled.
my wife loves the venison and fresh fish-so the feeling of accomplishment and providing for the family is a great second.
i have talked a lot of people into trying out hunting-not one has given it up once they get out there.
the excitement when the game approaches or just appears can not be equaled.
my wife loves the venison and fresh fish-so the feeling of accomplishment and providing for the family is a great second.
i have talked a lot of people into trying out hunting-not one has given it up once they get out there.
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PEACE OF MIND NO HASSLES NO PHONE NO WIFE DOESNT MATTER WHAT IN I AM IN THE WOODS
Most if not all nonhunters seem to only focus on the killing. As we hunters and fishermen know, that is not what it is all about. How long does it take to pull the trigger or release or to set the hook? How many hours are put in to get to that point? Its more about the feeling you get when you see a sunrise or sunset from the treestand, lake or stream. Or witness something that only happens in nature.
To teach a child to enjoy the outdoors is one of the greatist gifts we can give. If happiness for an individual is enjoying some of these things, then, happiness will be more easily acheved going thru life. At least personaly! How many of us feel sorry for the people that do not get to enjoy the satisfaction of a succesful day in the outdoors?
To teach a child to enjoy the outdoors is one of the greatist gifts we can give. If happiness for an individual is enjoying some of these things, then, happiness will be more easily acheved going thru life. At least personaly! How many of us feel sorry for the people that do not get to enjoy the satisfaction of a succesful day in the outdoors?
I love being out in the woods its one of the most peaceful things there is to do its nice to just get away from all the stress and relax out in the wild and have some time to think and it can also be a huge adrenaline rush to and i enjoy getting out and spending time with family and friends in the outdoors hunting is just part of who i am
I find it difficult to explain to non hunters. I can understand why people find it hard to believe you can love nature and animals and yet hunt them, but most hunters, at least the ones I still hunt with, feel this way.
I read a great article years ago in Fur Fish and Game which did a great job of putting it into words. I wish I had saved it.
The basic premise was that too many people don't understand that unlike humans, animals have to be managed around what is best for the species, not the individual animal.
I read a great article years ago in Fur Fish and Game which did a great job of putting it into words. I wish I had saved it.
The basic premise was that too many people don't understand that unlike humans, animals have to be managed around what is best for the species, not the individual animal.
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