Hey Ya'll I know I don't come to this part of the forum much because it doesn't talk about coins and I have some strong thoughts about some of the topics that go on here but I don't want to make everyone mad at me I thought I would post a topic that I don't think has been posted here before.. Does anybody on here hunt?...and if so what and why? I hunt Deer and Turkey...mostly for the enjoyment of being outside (maybe one day I'll be a Fish and Wildlife Officer) and also for the meat...its great clean meat... I have hunted deer with gun for the last 2 years but this year I'm going to start with Bow... the season has already started but I have allergies and that will keep me in for the next 1-2 weeks... My last deer was shot at 212 yards with a 243. sniper rifle... I hunt with a detective and he is a great guy! I don't like to fish...I have tried it in the pass but didn't care for it. We have Elk starting to get back here in KY and many other critters that aren't here mostly...bobcats..bears..mountain lions have been seen more than once... Other than that we have just about anything... I hunt with my buddy on 2,200 acres part of the time and the rest on small farms My turkey was taken with a 12 gaug pump shotgun! I guess you could call this a hobby but its not really a hobby to us hunters...its a way of life...it feeds us great food and teaches us how to "work" for our food...that turkey wasn't easy to get... Speedy
I like to hunt ruffed grouse here in Minnesota. They are challenging and are very good to eat. Most of the land in the northern half of the state is 'tax forfeit' land, meaning it belongs to the state and is open to the public. These days I only hunt grouse 'cause I like to eat 'em. I don't much care for the taste of pheasants or ducks or geese. Venison tastes okay, but I'd much rather eat beef. Never tried wild turkey. Getting out into the woods is good for the soul. I don't hunt with dogs either.
My grandpa was a big bird hunter...I hear he never liked deer hunters...said that he didn't see how it was hard to hit something the size of a cow!!! I've never hunted any kind of bird but I might like it...my grandpa also raised dogs for hunting but I've never hunted with dogs.... If you ever get to try wild turkey....try it...its great!!! Speedy
I hunt a little. I even have a valid deer tag. However, California refuses to manage its deer herds, so numbers continue to decline year after year. One one hand, we have lost a lot of habitat to housing, but there is still a lot of deer habitat. Since everything done around here must be politically correct, they have not had a doe hunt since the 1950s. Consequently, we have a deer population dominated by elderly does, which do not reproduce. Secondly, we protect Mountain Lions in California, and there are a fair number of them. They subsist largely on deer, turkeys, and house cats. The main reason I don't hunt much is because I make wine, and the "wine season" coincides with the deer season. Grapes have to be picked, and fermentation has to be watched closely for a couple of weeks. The end result is that I am very busy between late August and late October. As far as Grandpa, deer are easy to hit if you see them up close and they stand still. In the West, we use high-powered rifles because of significant distances and open space. In many parts of the East, they use shotguns because there are lots of deer and even more people. In the West, we track deer and hike a lot. In the East, I believe they hid in tree perches and wait around for an unsuspecting deer to stagger by the ambush. I don't hunt birds because they are not worth cleaning. Chicken is cheap. Finally, I prefer ocean and Sacramento River delta fishing, although I catch and release when fishing in the streams of the Sierra Nevada. Again, trout are hardly worth killing and cleaning.
I used to be an avid Pheasant and Quail hunter until I had to put down my hunting partner and then I just lost interest after that. I do still support Quail Unlimited and their habitat programs. I also ran a charter fishing boat on Lake Michigan for 12 years and that was GREAT fun. I sold my boat a couple of years ago but still just love to haul in those big 'ol trout and salmon whenever I get the chance.
I'm originally from Vermont, and did a whole lot of hunting up there. I progressed from rifle to black powder and ended up handgun hunting, in the interest of a more sporting experience. Bow never appealed to me and I'm too small to be comfortable with a shotgun. I don't hunt here in New Jersey. Bow, powder and shotgun only, and you have to jump through hoops just in order to own a weapon. When you come from a culture which believes that gun control means always keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, a regulated and litigious atmosphere like the one in which I live takes all the positivity out of the shooting sports. I miss the woods.
Nice looking fish there!!! Steve Sorry to hear about your buddy...I've only had a mut once but that once was enough! AJ--if you learn how to shoot...you would still need to know more to hunt....hunting ans shooting are 2 things...find a buddy that hunts and ask if you can go along once and see it done...also make sure you help gut a deer Dave...I agree with you about Gun Control.... Speedy
Yes Speedy, we have had our turn at hunting and fishing. Around here the two activities are thought of more as sports, rather than hobbies however. I guess location has a great deal to do with how much anyone gets involved in hunting and fishing, but when they are right in your back yard, so to speak, a person spends a great deal of time in both activities. As a youngster, I was taken along on bird hunts to help carry what ever was being hunted that day. We hunt pheasant, sage chickens (grouse), chuckers, turkey, ducks and geese as they head back south in the fall. As I grew older, and after careful training with a firearm, I was allowed to go along on the weekend hunts for antelope, deer and rabbits (cotton tail). As an adult, I along with my son and father have gone and spent as much as a month in hunting camp, looking for and filling our tickets on such critters as deer, elk, moose, and mountain goat. You learn a lot about someone when you go and spend that much time away from the everyday hustle and bustle of everyday living. The fishing has mainly consisted of trout and walleye angling in streams and lakes. I prefer mountain stream fishing for cutthroat trout. A real good fighter. Any more its come to be a matter of catch and release, as I wouldn’t give you two cents for eating any of them. I have never hunted wolves as they were all shot out by the time I was old enough to carry a rifle. Now that the Feds have replanted them up around here, I may get my chance to knock off a few before I hang up my trusty old Winchester. I’ve never hunted Buffalo either, but I have shot more than I can remember or keep record of. You see, we raise them and it is the same as collecting a beef, with about as much skill needed and absolutely no luck involved in “hunting” a Buffalo. (IMO sorry Terry) Anymore when I hunt, I put a couple of shells in my pocket, and very seldom place them in the chamber of the rifle. I have got to the point where it is a lot more enjoyable for me, just to “hunt” and not to “kill”. That is when the work begins and the fun is over. There you are all the way from being the caddy to just riding along. That is life, isn’t it?
Hey OldDan I knew you liked to fish but didn't know you hunted too!!!...I never have hunted Elk...moose...or goat but wouldn't mind trying... As for the Buffalo...I have eaten some...and man was it good!...I wouldn't mind having some more right now!!! Here in KY the Fed's have lots of Laws in hunting but so far none of them are too bad...I'm sure that it will get that way soon but for now I enjoy hunting and being out doors! Speedy
I hunt deer mostly, along with squirel, pheasant and quail. We might go turkey hunting this year, but not sure because i dont liek the tatse of wild turkey all that much - migh tbe good jerky however... hmmm ...
Wow Elf. Where do you get a tag for that! No, sorry I know you ment elk. (Thanks....I didn't see that mess up... ) I hunt deer, goose, duck, dove and tried turkey once. (BTW speedy that’s a nice tom) Tutkey wasn't for me. Well at least not spring turkey. I couldn't stand to sit still for hours on end. I do a lot of deer hunting every year and I really enjoy goose, but I'm not much on duck, don't like the meat. For those that may not know Canadian goose breasts tastes as close to steak as you can get without the cow. Dove is really good too. As for upland game I have always wanted to hunt it but I have rarely had the chance.
What does squirle taste like. I have always wanted to try but my hunting buddy just looks at me like I am crazy and says "Squirel, what do you want to eat that greezy c**p for." Funny thing is he once admitted to me that he's never tried it either.
Thanks---it was my first!...I mounted the tail myself and now it hangs to the left of me....as for sitting for hours...you didn't hunt like I hunt..we don't sit that long.. Its alot more walking and calling then sitting...we sit just a small part of a hunting day for turkey...now with Deer...we sit almost all day. Speedy
I just have to be careful driving at dawn or dusk, never mind the night around here. So far I just missed a panther, a bob cat, a family of wild pigs, a couple of gators, dozens of turtles and sorry but the frogs tend to jump into the headlights. As for deer around here, they so tiny I could nail one dead with a rock to the head if I shined a flashlight on one to freeze it. But I don't hunt, have been on treks in the past but not for a long long time and I am not really that old yet. Maybe I'll go bird hunting on a friends family's farm one day, always invited but never took up the offer. I could see myself spraying herons and wood storks as soon as the they took flight from the brush and that might not be the thing to do.
Squirrel is a bit more moist compared to some of the other games meat, but it really does taste like chicken =P Bony little buggers.... trying to shoot a squirrel with a 12 guage and NOT ruin the entire kill is hard --- you just need to aim for the little heads. I do admit, whenever i eat squirel or rabbit, i do get squirmish - going out, shooting, cleaning, cooking and eating all in that order and on the same day always makes me squirm. If i have to take it out of thje freezer and thaw whatever it is i am OK
That's interesting...If you don't manage the herds in the midwest, you get overpopulation not declining numbers. I've hit a couple of deer with the car but never went out lookin' for em. They seem to find me just fine. Nice fishys! I always found fishing in California a waste of time. The only thing that I ever caught was a DNR ticket for using two poles. Interestingly enough, I only brought one pole. I never made it out to the ocean but the locals in Pacifica that fished off the pier used to pull all kinds of nice salmon in regularly.
I gave up deer hunting years ago. Too much like work and I'm not real fond of the meat. I still like to hunt hogs. I run them with my dogs and it takes a lot of the work out of it. I used to hunt coons in Missouri with dogs, but since I returned to Florida I stick with the pigs and fishing. I still hunt turkeys now and then. I do it the lazy way, sit by the lake, call them and sip Jack Daniels until they drop by for a visit. The best thing about bow season is it starts early. Around here and in Missouri the hunters will school their deer for weeks before the season. The only way to get around them is bow season.
I hope to start hunting deer with bow here in about 2 weeks....season has been going on now for sometime but I haven't been...I know where the Bucks are so that should help--so far I have only gotten Doe's when I've hunted. Speedy
