Hunters: Why do you hunt?

Heya

Well, I have never hunted (have fished..love fishing). I always wondered what it would be like to kill a mammal.

I am a bit of an animal lover. I have dogs, have had cats, hell, even look after 2 birds (not mine..I don't like caged birds, it seems unnatural to me).

I fish because I love fish...The fish is too damn expensive in stores, and ultimately I feel no kinship towards fish, which makes me see their value in life equal to a tasty insect. I guess for my consideration, they need to at least breath air.

I am also a carnivore, I love meat on everything...if they could make bacon ice cream, I would be all over it, so don't take this as some vegan saying we need to simply all eat dead leaves...

I can go to a supermarket and get plenty of meat. I can feast until my belly pops.
I know no hunters whom hunt out of necessity, be it for food, or clothing. All hunters I know do it for "the sport". I often wonder what sort of sport it is sneaking up on a deer with a sniper rifle and ending its life for fun...this to me sounds a bit twisted.
Now, I do see value in knowing how to do this should the day come when it is necessary, however...the whole sport confuses me...what do you get out of it? Is it an enjoyable experience seeing a prey species die by your hand because you thought it was fun? What is the rush you get?

And would you ever hunt dogs and cats? Why (or why not?)

reply to post by SaturnFX


I hunt for meat, to remember the old ways, honor the lives of the ancestors and to ensure that if the time ever came that we needed to hunt in order to survive, that some of us would have the skills and knowledge to keep the community alive.

I have never taken an animal for sport and I have always preserved the hides for use and ensured that very little was wasted.

Killing is killing, Fish or Deer alike.

If you disagree. well you're just lying to yourself

Whats that African saying?

Meat is meat?

So long as the "Hunt" is humane & the meat is eaten then I have no issues but those that kill for fun deserve no respect or empathy.
Canned hunting & trapping is for weak little bastards with no morals ...
But eh I do support the A.L.F.....

reply to post by SaturnFX



To hunt for food is a very natural instinct. Perhaps your question should read 'Hunters: Why do you enjoy hunting?''

Also, just to nick-pick, if you enjoy ice-cream then you must eat other foods than just meat, therefore, you are a omnivore.


Peace

If a person is truly hunting for the survival then that's good - for sport (can't see the sport in killing a beautiful buck just to say you took him down with a gun). I fish but throw them back when I am able to catch one, I really just like sitting on the river bank or lake and taking in the scenery. I shot a rabbit once, my first and last kill a long time ago. Someone said go get your rabbit - I walked up and saw the beautiful white bunny with blood all over him, dead, and cried like a baby. Have never hurt or killed an animal since - I don't understand doing it for sport and I dislike being around people that are joyous about killing them for sport.

I applaude how you broken it down in your op so you answered all the trolling questions lol

i have not hunted , but i could imagine the thrill in doing it .

putting on the gear....

going on the hunt ...

pumping adrenaline


the paitence , the steady hands , the quiet feet , the good precision ,

the bam the final shot !

sounds like good times to me,

im a meat eater , we eat the animals kill them anyway

we got to top of food chain by being greedy sons of ....@#$@# 's

so i see no differnce in shooting them hunting them putting them to sleep w/e you wanna sugar coat it as ... I guess when # hits the fan you gotta get your hunting skills on lol or else u'll be hunted... hunted by what? by w/e is killing all these animals

I do it for the meat. Right now I have a half of a freezer full of dear meat. Have you seen the prices on hamburger nowadays? Deer meat is used in my everyday meals from chili, deer stew with all the veggies, deer roast, deer BBQ, and deer burgers. Oh and don't forget the deer Steak.
I've always ate what I've killed whether it is squirrel, rabbit or deer. And yes, it is like an adventure hunting them, but even more satisfying eating them to me...

ETA: Hunting cuts my grocery bill in half or more and that is good with food skyrocketing in price and the upcoming food shortage. As long as their are animals in the woods, the food shortage will not have a big impact on me.

I used to hunt rabbits, squirrel, geese and ducks.
Whats it like? I don't shoot rabbits any more. I don't like the flavor. To me, squirrels are just rats with fluffy tails. But I don't shoot them unless they become a nuisance. Geese taste very good, but they mate for life and it made me sad once when I shot one and it's mate flew over head several times. I'll not do that again unless I'm starving. Ducks, turkey, pheasant and quail are delicious. I have no problem eating them. Geese, no.
Oops, I left out pigs(boar). The ones that are from 100 to about 180 pounds are excellent!
No deer, they taste too gamy.

i hunt so i can feel like a man, i like nature to know its place (below me).
lol i actually used to go hunting as a child (with an air rifle, but hey its still huntin). i used to to shoot rabbits and crows without a thought, for no other reason than they were there and i had a gun. i tried it again in my early 20's but i just couldnt do it, i'd miss on purpose .
i gues theres a small part of the human brain that has an urge to hunt, some still have it some dont.

I actually think it is thrilling and is something different and I enjoy doing it, but in the end the meat is the best part. Pheasant and deer are my favorite.

I hunt elk for meat.
Coyote because they decimate the the elk herds and run rampant on the cattle where I live.

I used to hunt but found it to be just as costly anymore to just go buy some Beef at the store unless you do the processing yourself. Like $35 for a deer tag and $75 to $80 to get it butchered. That`s $100 of beef or 100 plus in Double Cheeseburgers at Mcdonalds.

Deer season when I lived in Ohio was during the winter so freezing up in a tree stand.

Had some very good times though. Like the time the squirrel decided to jump on my foot. Or the time when the Hawk was seen across the gully so I stuck my fingers out the camo glove and wiggled them. Only to watch the hawk fly away. Then come land on the branch right by my head from behind me. All I can think is glade I wasn`t still wiggling my fingers. Yep fun being one with nature.

Didn`t really consider it a sport though. Now Nascar there is a sport.

I am a full time outdoor recreation type. I always carry survival hunting gear with me but have never hunted. I see no sport in it, no challenge. I see plenty of wildlife every time I go out and I have no problem getting into a position that would make killing an animal with any weapon that leaves the hand extremely simple. What I do find challenging and very rewarding is being able to get within a few feet of an animal so that I can sit quietly and observe them, or track them or even sometimes have them accept me into their comfort area. I just cant see the challenge in going up against an animal with significantly lower intellect (sometimes) and equipped with high powered optics attached to a high powered rifle.

I have no appreciation for seeing a majestic, peaceful, living animal dead instead, especially by my hand. I don't have to possess something and have it eerily staring at me while it hangs from my wall in order to appreciate it.

Given this, I fear that the reason people hunt for sport is that it gives them an easily acquired sense of superiority, a sense of power and control. I know this will offend many but I honestly have no other idea of what it could be.

What we have never developed an answer for is at what point, what animal's brain size or intellect level does it justify placing no value on the animal or its dependents well being. What level of intellect does a creature have to have before it is immoral to take its life or cause it suffering or remove it from its family or from its natural course? Until I am satisfied with an answer I will not hunt unless it is me or them. Even then it will be a difficult process.

Originally posted by SaturnFX

I can go to a supermarket and get plenty of meat. I can feast until my belly pops.
I know no hunters whom hunt out of necessity, be it for food, or clothing. All hunters I know do it for "the sport". I often wonder what sort of sport it is sneaking up on a deer with a sniper rifle and ending its life for fun...this to me sounds a bit twisted.

Taking an animal that has been born in captivity and likely separated from its mother immediately or shortly after birth. Pumped full of antibiotics to keep it alive in the filthy, crowded conditions its often raised in. Tossed in a feed lot with 100's or 1000's of others. Often times wandering around in its own poop. Sometimes abused by the workers that are supposed to care for it. Many times fed things it wouldn't normally eat so it can grow at accelerated rate. Then finally loaded up in terror and panic and up the ramp into the slaughterhouse. Watching those it grew up with killed one by one until its turn comes. Then getting chopped, diced, processed, often chemically treated and sold in nice little packages.....

On the other hand - take an animal that was born in the wild. Spent the time it is supposed to with its mother. Grew up able to roam and run and jump as it wanted. Ate what nature intended for it to eat. In short, a animal that likely lived for several years a natural, healthy life. Then one day killed quickly and humanely by a single shot. From there, going from woods to table quite likely all by the same hands that fired that shot.

Honestly Saturn - to me the first one of those sounds the most twisted.

Are you sure you really want to know why people hunt? Your wording in the part I quoted leads me to believe your mind may already be made up.

I recently went hunting for the first time around Thanksgiving of last year.

Naturally, different people have different boundaries and I don't think you will ever come to a consesus amongst hunters on what they are or are not willing to kill.

I have adopted a policy to only kill what I am willing to eat, and also to use as many remaining parts possible. After I kill an animal, I typically say a quick prayer for both the animal and nature for providing the gift. I currently only hunt birds, and don't see a deviation from that in the near future. I enjoy the taste of bird meat, and if I was not out hunting my own dinner, I would be purchasing it from a grocery store where the animal was grown for slaughter and killed with little respect.

I think people in general (and probably by design) have detached the meat they buy at the store from the animal the meat came from. Purchasing the meat at the grocery store and not killing the animal directly does not make you any better than any hunter killing an animal and eating the food.

My last thought is that I do hunt for the "sport" of it as well. The comradery, the excitement, and adventure.

To your last question. No to dogs and cats. Not socially acceptable, have never had the meat and am in no way curious to try it, and from childhood I have viewed each of those animals as a pet (fell right into your trap? conditioning?).

SlyF

I hunt because i enjoy the hunt,i generally shoot feral and introduced animals that are causing huge problems for Australian native animals,foxes pigs rabbits camels donkeys etc,would i hunt dogs and cats? yes i have ,feral dogs and cats are a huge problem in this country attacking and maiming (not always eating thou) native critters and farm stock as well as attacking people,remember meat is not made in a factory it comes from animals that were once alive,so to eat meat and condemn hunters is the height of hypocrisy in my book ,fishing is killing something and killing it slowly,dragged through the water with a large hook through your lip then left to suffocate in a bucket,sounds like a hoot,but if thinking fish don't feel pain or have feelings helps you sleep at night good for you matey,I go out hunting and i kill , you go fishing and you kill, different approaches but if either of us are successful death for a creature is the end result plain and simple,

if you can't hunt its because you have been brainwashed into thinking animals are people.

if you look at an animal as food then its easy to pull the trigger and mouth-watering waiting for the turkey to be deep fried or the pheasant to be barbequed.

hunting for sport is a different matter. stalking grizzly and finding a trophy that is the most massive and king of his territory and taking him down is a high that can't be beat.

you'll solidify your status as the top of the food chain and the most dominant living creature on the planet.

taking anything less than the top, top predator of an area is kind of a cheap thrill.

you shouldn't also have to justify why you hunt and make excuses like it's cheaper than buying at the grocery.

hunting is noble and pure and has been part of mankinds heritage since the beginning of history. it is a gift from God to witness and experience the beauty of His creation, the power and awe in nature and the creatures that inhabit it.

more people should take advantage of this gift, it will help you get closer to God and know what it is to be man.

Originally posted by SaturnFX
Heya

Well, I have never hunted (have fished..love fishing). I always wondered what it would be like to kill a mammal.

First - I have to say any legitimate hunter today follows all the rules and pays for a license.

The fees for hunting and fishing are (I believe) the main source of revenue for Wildlife Conservation. I would like all the animal lovers out there putting money where their mouths are.

You can not hunt endangered animals legally.

You can only hunt animals during specific time periods - - not during mating season.

The habitat for wild game is diminishing - - - some times hunts are intentional to thin the herd. Don't you think its a better plan to let legal hunters - - who pay for licenses - - which in-turn supports wild life conservation - - have their sport - - - instead of shooting and killing from a helicopter?

A "real" hunter will make sure the meat goes to someone - if not themself. I know hunters who donate the meat to charity food kitchens or shelters.

A "true" hunter Hunts - - - its not about the kill. In other words you choose a prey and stalk it in its territory. Humans are animals - but we don't have to kill for food. So its about the hunt. About sitting for hours in a cold wet duck blind before dawn - - - just waiting for the prey to become vulnerable. Just like an animal in the wild would do.

Now I know there are hunters that go to game preserves. It really depends on the preserve. Some are more ethical then others.

So why hunt? I don't really hunt - just know some hunters. I have gone quail hunting. It is a whole lot of work - for so little meat. I do enjoy the trained dogs.

Personally - I am one who loves the taste of natural wild game. Its so rare these days.

reply to post by dainoyfb

I just cant see the challenge in going up against an animal with significantly lower intellect (sometimes) and equipped with high powered optics attached to a high powered rifle.

How do you justify the actions of all preditors that use their competitive advantage to kill?

When you "get within a few feet of the animals" do you pay any attention to the vegetation you kill in the process?

(i think i see your point on this, but would like some clarification)

SlyF

For those who say they hunt to cut down on their food bill and eat the meat: Okay that will work if you already have the gear, the gun and the gas to get you where you want to go to hunt. For those who look at it as sport and eating as well, it can be just like any other sport - expensive. Let's say I was going to be a hunter - I have to buy the clothes, boots are expensive, gun is expensive, ammo and I need the right vehicle to get it home and then there is the gas and at the end of the line - a not very impressed woman who has to help cut this stuff up and get it in the freezer, that is unless you take it to the butcher and that's another expense. Can't imagine it being economical in this day and age.

Hope I haven't offended anyone - but its either Sport or Feeding the Family. The Old Timers and Native Americans already have the gun or bow and arrows and they don't need the expensive equipment - depends on how you go about it whether you can call it sport or hunting for food to feed your family.

Just my 2 cents!