Why do you hunt?

njc110381

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I realised just now that I've fired a dozen or so firearm related questions at you all but I know little about the people who patiently answer my questions. You seem like a well educated group of people. So, what makes you want to hunt?

Different people hunt for different reasons. Some shoot for trophies, some shoot for food. Others shoot just because that's what they do - I think that's where I stand. I have no interest in killing to put a head on my wall. I eat some of what I shoot but not all of it. I think my enjoyment comes from watching the animals, seeing how they're doing in their natural environment and stepping in to make adjustments where needed.

My most memorable hunt was on a very wet and windy day. I'd been out rough shooting (walking around with no clear intended target to see what turns up) and I stumbled across a female deer walking towards me. I slowly moved to her as she moved to me, totally oblivious to my presence. In the end we got close enough that she sniffed the muzzle of my gun before running away. I didn't fire a shot that day but it's the one that matters most. For me at least it's not all about the killing, it's about being out there with them and blending in with their environment.

My main interest in Africa is buffalo. I would of course like to shoot one, but I don't really want to just walk in, shoot and leave. How do these hunts usually take place? Is there much time for watching? When I shoot my buff I want it selected because it's a good cull animal, not because it'll make a good trophy. I don't really know how these hunts work!
 
.......... You seem like a well educated group of people. So, what makes you want to hunt? ............

Mutually exclusive groups?
 
Primarily, I hunt for the table but that is only a part of it, as being on the hill is probably just as important to restore life balance. The sheer pleasure of enjoying our country while carrying a rifle and looking for game is something that simply can not be quantified in its importance during the outing. Away to enjoy it again tomorrow for a couple of days.
 
I hunt for several reasons. I enjoy providing my family with the bounty that God had provided us. I don’t have to worry about where my meat came from or how it was handled because it came from a truly wild animal. Free range, organic, direct from the supplier. I also hunt as an escape. When I’m out hunting it is me and nature, and me and nature alone. No work, no wife, no kids, no bills, no stressors. There’s a time and place for all of that, and I do share hunting with the wife and kids on occasion, but hunting is my time to experience the beauty of the world that God has given us.
 
Hunting takes me back to a point in time where life was much simpler. It enables me to forget about the fast paced dog eat dog world we live in. Time away from the rat race allows me rationalize about what is important in my life. Yes it puts food on the table, if not mine someone else's but for me that aspect is the icing not the cake.
 
I have given this a fair bit of thought.

I could list a bunch of things about hunting that I enjoy...but in the final analysis, I have to say that I hunt because I am a hunter.

I love guns, shooting, handloading, planning trips, listening to the natural world wake up just prior to first light.

I could enjoy all of those things without hunting.

I still hunt, because I am a hunter at heart.

My father never hunted a day in his life. None of my brothers hunted until I got one of them started, and he got the other started (but both have long ago given it up).

I like to ask people how long humans have been farming vs hunting. :)

I think hunting is just natural to many of us, and we refuse to deny its expression in our lives.
 
Because I can..:D
 
Mutually exclusive groups?

What I was meaning by that is that it's nice to be in a place where the people understand what we do to such a high level. I can hold my own in most shooting related subjects but here I'm completely outclassed. I've learned as much reading here in the last month as I have in the last five years elsewhere. I'm really enjoying it.

I suppose it's because I've found a new and exciting area of the hunting world. One that I've never approached until now?
 
Because I enjoy it.
 
Like making a fire, hunting is one of the few natural things we still do. Driving a car, typing, golf etc. are inane diversions. Diversions that we designed to fit us. Everything about us is geared toward hunting, and being hunted. Designed by nature, or the creator, maybe both. Clambering up a tree when danger threatens, quieting yourself in the woods, getting low when discovering game, all instinctive. Those in touch with nature get more from it, by feeding your body AND soul. What’s the difference between a hiker and a hunter? One is a tourist visiting, the other integral participating.
 
The reasons I hunt are like making stew. One part food, one part challenge and a large portion of interacting with wild things in wild places. Cook slowly over an open fire for years then simmer as you age. The taste can be savored for a lifetime.
 
Man by nature is a hunter. Why, it is because of the location of their eyes. All hunters like big cats, bear, owls etc. have eyes facing forward. All hunted animals have eyes facing to the side. I never thought about hunting in those terms till I saw it in print.
 
Man by nature is a hunter. Why, it is because of the location of their eyes. All hunters like big cats, bear, owls etc. have eyes facing forward. All hunted animals have eyes facing to the side. I never thought about hunting in those terms till I saw it in print.

It gives us a better ability to judge distance, which is essential for catching prey. Prey animals need good all round vision to avoid being eaten more than the ability to focus in detail. I've not really thought about it that way either, but it's true!
 
Because it gives me a good feeling.....was the answer of Ernest Hemingway.

I did not find a better answer...


HWL
 
I think their are lots of reasons to substantiate why we hunt. But in the end its because we / I enjoy it! And always have even as a small one with a sling shot.
Regards
Pat
 
Hunting takes me back to a point in time where life was much simpler. It enables me to forget about the fast paced dog eat dog world we live in. Time away from the rat race allows me rationalize about what is important in my life. Yes it puts food on the table, if not mine someone else's but for me that aspect is the icing not the cake.
+1
 
I agree with the sentiments expressed by many above - specifically the simple pleasure of exploring the land with a rifle and looking for game. But there is more than that. One of the fundamental human problems that every culture has tried to address is that life must consume life. Anyone who denies this is put at odds with their nature and is fighting their own existence. However, being present at the point where life meets death and owning that responsibility is a very profound - and I would even say religious - experience. I have more reverence for life and more balance because I hunt.
 
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