Why do you hunt?

[TigerBob]

This has probably been asked before, but why do you hunt...really? I can think of a couple main reasons, but some require a little bit of inward reflection.

1. I mainly hunt due to some deep-rooted primal feeling I have. I believe this feeling is shared in many hunters and the feeling right before a kill is something you can't feel anywhere else. That adrenaline rush, heart about to beat out of your chest, there's just nothing like it. I seek that out every year and look forward to it like nothing else. This probably dates waaaay back in our lineage somewhere, but that feeling is there.

2. The 2nd reason I hunt is the comaradarie. It really is a fun time sitting around the fire, away from the hustle and bustle of the "real" world we left behind to share a cold beverage with friends while busting each others' chops. That comaradarie is different than most. Not sure how, but it is different - perhaps because we all share that feeling listed above.

Anyway, I always read stuff about high fence v. low fence or hunting over feeders or how big the trophy is, but for me, none of that really matters. I'm out there to satisfy something that only hunters understand, and it cannot be explained to people that don't have it...hunters vs. gatherers type of thing I guess. And I never try to explain it to those that don't have it.

That's my 2 cents. I guess I just felt introspective today.

[M16]

I hunt cause I like to kill stuff.

[Texasgamehunter]

I hunt to be in the middle of nature away from everything and everybody. And i like the way wild game tastes

[flywise]

Because there's something in my soul that can't be denied
I couldn't stop if I wanted too

[bphillips]

I hunt cause I like to kill stuff.

This


Plus I like the mounts and rugs… I'm a collector of sorts

[Codie]

feeling my heart beat in my head is what I hunt for. Not sure if that whole adrenaline rush thing prior to taking the shot releases some kind of addicting endorphines or what but I am dang sure addicted to it!

[WhitneyLakerat]

I love watching the world come alive in the morning, the rush I still get when I see horns coming through the brush, the drives to the lease with my dad, the times I got to spend with my grandpa, I could go on for a while.

[nursejenn]

This has probably been asked before, but why do you hunt...really? I can think of a couple main reasons, but some require a little bit of inward reflection.

1. I mainly hunt due to some deep-rooted primal feeling I have. I believe this feeling is shared in many hunters and the feeling right before a kill is something you can't feel anywhere else. That adrenaline rush, heart about to beat out of your chest, there's just nothing like it. I seek that out every year and look forward to it like nothing else. This probably dates waaaay back in our lineage somewhere, but that feeling is there.

2. The 2nd reason I hunt is the comaradarie. It really is a fun time sitting around the fire, away from the hustle and bustle of the "real" world we left behind to share a cold beverage with friends while busting each others' chops. That comaradarie is different than most. Not sure how, but it is different - perhaps because we all share that feeling listed above.

Anyway, I always read stuff about high fence v. low fence or hunting over feeders or how big the trophy is, but for me, none of that really matters. I'm out there to satisfy something that only hunters understand, and it cannot be explained to people that don't have it...hunters vs. gatherers type of thing I guess. And I never try to explain it to those that don't have it.

That's my 2 cents. I guess I just felt introspective today.

Ditto! I believe you summed it up quite well but I'll add to it a bit. There was a time when I actually got a bored with hunting before I started bowhunting. It got to a point where Shane and I would have to get creative to keep it fun by challenging each other, etc.

Then I started bowhunting. The difference, for me, is indescribable. I may get a little frustrated when I don't see any deer for a while but when I do get one (or more) that comes in bow range, even if it's not a shooter, it makes up for it. There's no describing the feeling of being in a treestand and having an animal(s) in front of you that close who don't know you're there. Or being in the woods before daylight and watching the world wake up. Or that magical moment when your heart skips a beat when an animal steps out.

It's not only about the killing (I like that too). Hunting is relaxing for me. It's how I get away from work, school, daily pressures. My kids can run around outside and be kids for the weekend and the stress that I carry around can be put aside for a couple of days. There's almost never a Friday, when I know I'm heading to the lease at the end of the day, that there isn't a smile on my face almost the whole day.

[Jtrage]

The being in and being apart of nature.

The meat.

And now with bowhunting, the skill.

[Jäger]

I hunt cause I like to kill stuff.

this

[panhandlehunter]

I hunt cause I like to kill stuff.

X2

[ArcheryAddict]

Because HEB doen't carry venison and it really TICKS off PETA.

Honestly, because it is a way of life. It is the way I was brought up, the way I am raising my son, and as corny as this may sound, it is like the shirts people have seen...

It is not something I do, It is who I am.

[catslayer]

Cause I love ALL parts of it,

the prep/practice, taking care of the land, the planning, the hunting, the excitement, the kill, the shaking like a leaf hear go 8247654 miles an hour after I see a good hit, watching the non shooters run around and goof off, goofing off the with the guys I hunt with....

I love it ALL, I may whine at the cold, but I like to be able to complain about something.

[ArcheryAddict]

The only rules I gave my bride whe we started dating were these:

1. Don't cheat on me, I won't on you
2. Do not plan anything during hunting season, I will not attend (most likely)
3. Do not make weekend plans out of hunting season for me without discussing first, I may have already planned to go fishing.
4. You break any of these and we are done.

Thank God she enjoys the same things I do. Before she or I plan a weekend event, on the rare occasion our son is not playing a tournament, we discuss what needs to be done, what has to be done, and then how much time is left over and what can we do with it.

[Dakota7493]

From the time I can first remember I was watching my dad and grand dad hunt, then it was me when I was old enough. We eat everything we shoot....deer, rabbit, squirrel, turkey, duck, goose, dove. When I was a kid and it was me and my two bro's at home we had enough deer in the freezer that we didn't ever have to buy beef.

The two main reasons for me now that I'm older

1. Hanging with friends that enjoy hunting as much as me. We have kids the same age who are starting to tag along on hunts, doesn't get any better than that.

2. I'm not by any means a religious person. Go to church on holidays is about it. But sitting in that stand/blind is my church. It gets me away from the rush and worry of the world and lets me slow down and just flat out be at peace with myself and the world. Watching the sun come up is all the proof of a god that I need, and watching the stars on a clear night as I sit by the campfire reaffirms that all is right in the world.