How they like to hunt

[JLF]

I'm trying to translate, because if I use the google translator it doesn't do it well.
I already started trying to learn your language.
Learning Spanish is not so difficult ... it is easier than learning Chinese or Cantonese ...

 

[fourfive8]

I understand about the language nuances through translators- I live with it every day as my household is mixed language. No problem, keep after it and we'll figure out the differences in meaning based on context.

I think in the US hunting from a blind or stand is easy to understand and is universal- pretty much the same idea in all countries. Very common for waterfowl hunting with decoys/calls. For big game- sometimes just overlooking runways or sometimes over bait or water. I've done it occasionally for big game but it is my least favorite way to hunt. I will sit many times in one place for up to an hour but only as a way to study all areas around, watch for moving animals and to decide a direction before starting to "still hunt" again.

In the open country, particularly in the US West, a method called "spot and stalk" is very common. That usually means getting to an elevated position and using binoculars or spotting scopes to find animals (spot) then figuring a way to get within shooting range (stalk). Can also apply to moving through open country or even valley bottoms and occasionally stopping to glass (spot) open areas for game.

Another common method that causes confusion, even amongst US hunters, is called "still hunting". Some think that it means sitting still and waiting in one place for an animal to come by. That is not what it means. Still hunting is an old term meaning to hunt very VERY slowly and quietly and spotting game at fairly close range before they spot you. Hunting much like a cat would hunt. I really enjoy that style hunting with a muzzleloader in heavy cover or thick timber.

Another method that can work is calling, particularly during the rut- sometimes very effective for moose and elk and of course turkeys in the spring. Usually it is either challenge calls by males or lovesick calls by females. Hah!

For predators, sometimes challenge calls can work to locate animals but more often sounds of injured prey are the most effective for calling into range.

My favorite method is tracking. Trying to track down a wandering old mule deer buck after fresh snow is a challenge and becomes a combination of tracking and still hunting particularly in featureless heavy timber. Tracking larger animals in Africa is a fine method. Getting on eland, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, etc. tracks and successfully taking one is very rewarding. Watching a good tracker in Africa is beyond description. And of course maybe multiply the distances by 10X or more compared to one of the antelope species if trying to catch up to elephant moving cross country.

 

[JLF]

@fourfive8
"I will sit many times in one place for up to an hour but only as a way to study all areas around, watch for moving animals and to decide a direction before starting to "still hunt" again."
That way I start hunting. With a comfortable armchair, binoculars, mate equipment and cigars, I sit in the shade of a good calden and study the movement of the wild boar. The next day I go into the forest to look for the wild boars.

 

[Kevin Peacocke]

I like the whole experience of the safari as much as the hunt itself, and the camaraderie is important. As to the hunt itself, spot and stalk is good and the usual. Following tracks is exciting, buff in particular, and to watch skilled trackers work is a real treat. When we shoot doves with air rifles there are normally two or three of us, we split up and head off with a dog and then regroup about an hour later for a cup of coffee. Then try a new area. The dogs are Labs, but trained exactly the opposite of a flush dog. They creep by your heel and only head out to retrieve on command.

 

[Longwalker]

I love to hunt animals by creeping around in their habitats, pretending I'm quiet and invisible. They usually know better, but some times I get lucky. Sneaking up on an unaware animal and making one perfect shot is near the top of my list.
I like the fellowship and excitement of driven game hunts. And the challenge of accurately shooting moving game.
I love calling game animals and birds into range. Something about actually speaking their language and having them respond is fascinating.
Baiting a very wary animal like hard hunted predators is fascinating. Sometimes my attention to detail and my patience level is also up to that challenge.
Simply waiting in a tree stand or by a trail has been very rewarding, both in game taken and in the many little things that one notices when sitting quietly with full attention to the surroundings.
My tracking skills are rudimentary, but I have spent many many days following animals in fresh snow, which is always rewarding whether the quarry is found at the end or not.
The partnership between me and my hunting dog is a major joy - and goes back to our origins as a species. I am only allowed to hunt birds and small furred game with the assistance of a dog locally, but blood tracking wounded game is something I aspire to do with my dogs.
I like the extreme effort involved with solo hunts in wilderness, an ultimate test of skill and endurance.
I like easy hunts in my backyard, with no more planning than a whim and an hour or two to spend.
I love the fast action and skill of shooting game birds on the wing, especially upland birds over a pointing dog and waterfowl over decoys.
I do not shoot at game farther away than my rifle is capable of without holdover or sight adjustments. If I would need to do that, I attempt to stalk closer.
I do not measure my "trophies" because they are personal and only mean something to me, and so the measurement is irrelevant.
I prefer to eat game meat as much as practical, and each local animal that I hunt is appreciated first as food, then as a memory and sometimes as a trophy.