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Why do you hunt? Be honest…

When we grew up it was a way of life.(40's & 50's) There were no deer or turkeys in NE Humpherys Co. Just rabbit and squirrel and we hunted them pretty heavy. It was in 71 when we seen our first deer on the home place. Sure is different now....
 
I started hunting/fishing with my Dad and older brother. We had to back then to put food on the table. Always lived in the country and love getting out into the woods. I still get that adrenaline rush when deer show or I get a strike. Nothing else like it. And there is also the fellowship from my hunting buddies. I have a greater bond with them because of the shared interest than any other set of folks.
 
My dad's uncle Pat was my hero when I was a kid and had a lot to do with getting me pointed in the right direction as far as the outdoors go, he was born in 1900 and died in 1973. We'd go over there to visit and he lived in a clapboard house behind the stock market at Lafayette. Pat never married, never had a regular job that I know of, he just did this and that and trapped. We'd go around Christmas and he'd have coons, minks, possums, foxes, muskrats etc. all on stretching boards or wires hanging on the eaves of the house on the porch along with traps and stuff. I don't know if he ever owned anything more than what he could carry in his hands and pockets at the same time. He'd hunt and fish, mostly squirrels and rabbits cause there wasn't much else then. That guy was happy all the time it seemed, one thing I remember was he had this 3 blade stockman knife, it was an orange and white checkerboard Purina knife like a promotional deal. There's no telling how many critters he skinned with that thing.
 
TNTreeman said:
I love being outside . The smell of diesel and dirt planting things. I love the solitude, I hunt alone almost 100% of the time. I love the cold weather and being in a tree high enough almost nothing knows I'm there. I love watching the squirrels eat and play and the smallest sparrows gather food . It's part of who I am and I think I'll always have the desire to do it. The actual kill is way down the list for me.
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I can relate to this... I love the cool fall days with the leaves turning beautiful colors and falling off the trees and getting up there in that tree in my treestand, feeling that cool crisp air hitting my face. Being one with nature and nothing has a clue I am there. I love watching the woods and nature wake up when the sun rises. I love the comradery with my hunting buddies and the pure excitement getting to go tracking thru the woods following a blood trail, or sitting around the camp fire telling stories and making a game plan for the next hunting day. The anticipation when opening day of bow or gun season comes in, the anticipation of watching a fully mature buck grunting and snort wheezing coming full steam ahead down a trail chasing a doe right underneath me while he has no clue I exist. The love for bowhunting and getting to perfect my craft by constantly tweaking and tuning my bow and shooting out in the backyard and doing all the prep work to get ready for that one special moment. I love that feeling I get when I outsmart the oldest buck in that area and pay respect to him by taking care of the meat the best way I can by making delicious food for my family and me and the mount on my wall and the stories I can forever tell my kids and grand kids about. It makes me feel like its a big part of who I am and feel as though I need to honor my ancestors by carrying on a tradition of many generations in my family. I could go on and on about why I love to hunt but these are just a few of my favorites.
 
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DMD said:
There is something about seeing a big bodied, old, large racked warrior buck that stirs something inside me.
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You're not alone. Petroglyphs and cave art were the original social media and I bet you never saw a small scrub buck depicted in any of them. They're always drawn with giant antlers. That feeling you describe is as primal as stone age art.

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Modern life is so fast-paced, focused on immediacy and convenience. Everything about public land hunting is the antithesis of that. When I'm in the woods scouting/hunting I'm forced to slow down and take in my surroundings. There's nothing convenient about hunting with a bow on public besides the fact that I have OnX.

Connecting to nature and working for food/meals in a way that takes meticulous planning, consistent effort, and determination is something that many Americans could benefit from. God gave us everything we needed and dominion over everything he created. I've felt closer to God walking deep in a forest than in some churches I've visited.

Lastly, the memories. I remember every time I went camping with my Dad when I was in the Scouts. And I remember every time he decided to take off work on a Saturday to take me fishing. The video games or toys for Christmas don't mean nearly as much.
 
I have wondered that my whole life. My Dad introduced me to hunting when I was young. He enjoyed a group dove hunt and a group deer hunt but, quit both about the time I came along. I was honestly self taught and he didn't really encourage it so it must be in my blood.
It has consumed the majority of my thoughts and spending since I can remember and for over half my life how I've made a living. I'm self taught and love the preparation of the hunt from making bows and arrows, sharpening Broadheads to sighting a gun in.
I love scouting and trying to figure something out whether it's doves, ducks, geese, deer squirrels, hogs, turkeys, rabbits etc. etc. heck I consider picking black berries, mulberry's, and mushrooms hunting as well. Nothing beats sitting with or hunting with my son and watching him do the things I've taught him. My proudest moment hunting is when he told me that he'll teach his children to hunt like I've taught him.
 
wcw280 said:
This should get some good responses. Everyone has their reasons. Tradition, because your buddies do, the score of the deer, meat, what's your why? I'll start.

I started hunting at 8 with my dad in the hay day of west TN public land before clear cuts and leases. This will be my 25th season. Then it was what I grew up in. Couldn't wait to be big enough to go. Got the first deer out of the way and I couldn't get enough. Went through a few years of had to kill the numbers and fill every tag. Anything that had a horn was killed and we were proud of it and to be honest it was some of the funnest hunting I can ever remember doing. No cameras just finding feed sign and hunting it in continuous big timber tracts. After that era I've settled into the sport. Longbow, roundball muzzleloader, whatever new deer rifle I've worked on for the year at hand and most importantly spending the time I have with my old man in the woods. I've never put a tape on a deer. Wouldn't know how to score one without google. Just enjoy it now for what it is. All this new YouTube sensation and talking to new hunters it seems like it's all for likes and publicity. I hate to see the way it's headed. But then again everyone has their why I guess.
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My dog has a bowl full of food and yet she hunts. It's in my DNA. I don't know anything else.
 
I have no Idea, I am drawn to hunting and have been as long as I can remember, earliest memories are of shooting 22 and 410 at about 4-5 years of age, many a bird died, sweet 16 and beer bottles at about 6-7, I don't care what it is I would shoot it, have gotten smarter in my old age.
 
It's in my DNA…..Hunted something since I was old enough to keep up…Rabbits with beagles in the 50s and 60s….very few deer then…in the 70s seemed like more deer than rabbits and spent more time chasing dogs that were trailing deer so gave up on rabbits and started hunting deer….
 

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