Why?

[W.Seay]

Why do you deer hunt?
I love the anticipation that deer hunting gives me coupled with the sound of crunching leaves on a frosty morning. The blessing of spending time in the deer woods with family and a good friend or two. I am a "horn hunter" so I love trying to figure out "the pieces of the puzzle" to kill a big buck.

 

[280longshot]

I hunt cause I love getting out in the outdoors, love being in the woods, watching game and if I kill something that's a bonus.
One of my most memorable hunts was one morning watching it snow, wondering if the deer were going to move.
All of a sudden I was starting to pick up movement I normally wouldn't see, the white snow and the brown deer, nothing better than hunting in the snow.
I didn't kill a deer that day but it was the best to me.

 

[tailchaser]

I've asked myself that many times, mostly while sitting in a tree freezing half ta death.still haven't figured it out.maybe it just runs in our blood?

 

[Tennessee Lead]

Born into it. Don't know nothing else. Never found anything (besides turkey hunting) that compares to it. If I ain't hunting I am thinking about hunting. I enjoy being alone in the woods

 

[MObowman]

Like above it is something that is in the blood. I like to be challenged and alone one on one with trying to beat the nose of the beast. I think for me it boils down to bring a part of something that is a basic need of my ancestors, it is the primal need for food. If the shister ever hit the fan I could still provide while others cannibalize after the looting is done.

 

[DocT]

pretty much all has been said so far but the main reason for me is venison tastes good

 

[Bone Collector]

I have no idea other than I like being out there and when I'm not hunting I am thinking about it or doing something to prepare for season.

It has to be something in my DNA or blood, because my dad didn't hunt, and my grandfather mostly told me stories, and took me once, and I was already "BB gun hunting" before that and hooked.

 

[stik]

somebody fed me some once and the only way to get more was to shoot one

 

[mike243]

The only reason that has been stated that doesn't fit me is the challenge to kill A big buck.nothing against it just has never been the drive to get me in the woods. It was squirrels & rabbits & doves way before I had a chance to deer hunt . If deer hunting stopped tomorrow id still be in the woods with a 22 rifle lol

 

[volunteer1]

Not in any specific order�

� Nature
� Not knowing what could walk out next
� Peace and quiet
� Work and preparation
� Always something different and exciting
� Finding new places to see and hunt
� Weapons and shooting
� Camaraderie with friends and family
� Strategy
� New gadgets to try
� food

 

[deerhunter10]

Love being out doors mainly but the cat and mouse game the constant chess match with mature deer gets me out there I love the thrill and I love the sport and all the challenges

 

[HDUKE1986]

I really cant pin it down, but I know im addicted to it. No one in my family hunts but every Saturday morning id be up like its Christmas morning watching hunting and fishing shows. I always told my parents when I turn 16 my truck will be all over the place hunting and sure enough I was gone all over. I can remember a buddy and me went hunting and finally got a deer we thought it was huge but looking back it was the smallest deer ive ever seen lol and then the real fun of ok who has the sharpest knife which both were like a plastic knife and I still laugh when i think about how the deer looked when we got done gutting for the first time . I think a lawnmower ran over it would've been better

 

[Scioto]

Many facets to hunting and many areas of speciality that you can devote yourself to. The experience of hunting could be everything from shooting squirrels in your backyard with a pellet gun to travelling to the ends of the earth to hunt a sheep that lives in extreme terrain. Hunting can be camping. Hunting can be backpacking. Hunting can be hiking. Hunting can be observing. Being a hunter could mean being a chef -a specialized chef at that. It could also mean being a marksman, a primitive specialist, a traditionalist, an expert tracker, farmer, river rat, survivalist, photographer, teacher/instructor/ guide, athlete, workhorse, meditationist, adventurer.... the list goes on. Though many people tend to focus on one or just a handful of aspects of hunting, the experience can be infinite if you open your mind to the possibilities.

People who appear to be unhappy with their hunting are the ones who tend to restrict their definition of hunting to very limited perimeters and, through means of control, or lack thereof, make themselves miserable by seeking a singular definition of hunting through attempting to control all circumstances related to this definition.

Example: The self described trophy hunter who blames everyone and everything on his shortcomings as a self described trophy hunter. Certain circumstances are out of his control (property size & neighbors, for example).Though he could always hunt somewhere else where the circumstances may be much improved to meet his singular desires, he would rather list a sheet of complaints that are preventing him from controlling his destiny. Examples might include wolves, poachers, non trophy hunters, rabbit hunters, neighbors, bigger/better bait piles, too much public land, not enough public land, bowhunters, rifle hunters and no trespassing signs.

In other words, the people who aren't getting satisfaction from their hunting tend to have a too narrow of a definition of hunting. If you live in the Lower Peninsula of MI and your definition of "hunting" is narrowly defined as "sitting in a treestand waiting to kill a trophy buck" and you are focused on all of the factors that are preventing you from doing so rather than focusing on the factors of achieving those ends, well, then, you deserve to be miserable in your hunting experience.

Poser

Very well said and well written. One of my favorite-ever posts. Thank you.

 

[W.Seay]

Great posts! I have enjoyed reading them all.

 

[Nealmeally]

I really think it's a desire that is born in you.. Several older family members, well way back in general, on both sides of the family are hunters. All of em grew up in the woods and working farms and I was born into it.. My Dad was a great quail hunter, and that was the thing going at the time I was born. I was always fascinated by deer and antlers from as far back as I can remember also.. The older I got, the quail started getting hard to find, so I started deer hunting, or wanting to go. So Dad started deer hunting, and he could hunt anything and be successful.. Then I took flight chasing and killing deer and haven't let up. I'm 35 now and have accomplished a lot as a deer hunter, and I'm proud of that and what I've come from.. I feel it's something I'm supposed to do. And I love every second of it.

As far as the little things,,, probably the thing that gets me is the feeling you have when you walk up on your kill, especially a big buck.. It's like a shudder goes on inside of me and it's addictive.

I also get tore up when I hear heavy steps just before it gets full light, cause it's that time when he'll walk by. I shake like a leaf And takes me a while to get back right.. I think it's born in you..

 

[Shed Hunter]

Hunting is actually a small piece of the puzzle for me. I have became obsessed with the whole experience associated with deer hunting. I almost do not care what I kill. I thoroughly enjoy watching them grow up over the years with trail cameras or even seeing the random buck that just passed through for one picture. Scouting is the backbone of it all. Walking up on a ridge with cedars shredded to pieces will always get my heart pumping. Finding those big rubs gets you fired up, but even when you fail to kill the buck that made them, searching for their shed antlers makes the one that got away something to be happy about. Killing a deer is just a way to capitalize on the time and work put into the other parts.

 

[Lost Lake]

Most of what has been said summarizes my feelings. I do enjoy hunting alone but successful hunts with good friends are special.

The changing leaves and cool air stir something in me that is difficult to put into words. October and November are the best two months to be alive.

 

[catman529]

-the anticipation
-the smell and sounds of autumn (and little debbie pumpkin delights) and being outdoors in general
-the adrenaline rush
-the challenge of trying to outsmart a wild animal that has keen survival instincts
-the thought that maybe a big buck could walk by the stand some day
-deer meat, it's pretty darn good
-nostalgia - when the weather cools off, the memories of last season come back and get me fired up even more for deer season.
-hunting with friends although I more often hunt alone

that's all I can think of right now

 

[Bow Hunter]

Here is my list of why I deer hunt.

1. My Dad.

 

[bassinbrian]

Being in the woods and trying to find that "Perfect" tree, time to be alone and walk in Gods country. The anticipation of watching a well used deer trail. Running my trail cameras is always a high light of the season. Realizing how Blessed I am to be able to do this (Thank you Vets and Service Members, without you this wouldnt be possable!!) Watching the sunrise then set. The list goes on and on..... Oh yea, sometimes I get a shot at a deer!!

 

[BSK]

I deer hunt because I am genetically designed and programmed to do so. I am a member of a hunting and gathering species that has been fined-tuned over thousands of generations to want, need, and enjoy the pursuit of animals. Nature/God has designed us so that those things that make us more successful, and perpetuate the species, are highly pleasurable at a level so deep it's virtually impossible to describe in words. Hunting is one of those things. I do it because I enjoy it at a level I cannot adequately express. Nothing else I have ever done (other than reproduce) has felt so deeply "right."

 

[woodsman87]

I deer hunt because it isn't turkey season, haha.

But I really hunt in general because I love it.
I like eating wild game, I like the challenge it takes shooting them, I love being in the woods during the fall and spring.

I can't describe all of it. So many reasons.

 

[Hunter 257W]

I hunt cause I love getting out in the outdoors, love being in the woods, watching game and if I kill something that's a bonus.
One of my most memorable hunts was one morning watching it snow, wondering if the deer were going to move.
All of a sudden I was starting to pick up movement I normally wouldn't see, the white snow and the brown deer, nothing better than hunting in the snow.
I didn't kill a deer that day but it was the best to me.

Nothing beats hunting in the snow. The total silence with the air full of white snow flakes floating to the ground has to be experienced to be understood. I absolutely love it.

Deer hunting in general can be summed up with one word. Anticipation. Each new day brings untold promise and possibility as the light slowly filters in from the East.

 

[Winchester]

Its the whole package for me. I LOVE the woods and outdoors, love spending time with family and friends, and love the challenge of trying to figure out how to get close enough to an old buck and slip an arrow in him without him ever knowing im there! I like everything about a good hunt!

 

[W.Seay]

I hunt cause I love getting out in the outdoors, love being in the woods, watching game and if I kill something that's a bonus.
One of my most memorable hunts was one morning watching it snow, wondering if the deer were going to move.
All of a sudden I was starting to pick up movement I normally wouldn't see, the white snow and the brown deer, nothing better than hunting in the snow.
I didn't kill a deer that day but it was the best to me.

Nothing beats hunting in the snow. The total silence with the air full of white
snow flakes floating to the ground has to be experienced to be understood. I absolutely love it.

Deer hunting in general can be summed up with one word. Anticipation. Each new day brings untold promise and possibility as the light slowly filters in from the East.

X2! It's the anticipation that I love!

 

[plinker22]

I just love being out in the woods.

 

[Mike Belt]

If I had to describe the feeling I get from deer hunting that drives me to hunt in one word it would be "anticipation". Everything from food sources and cover to buck sign and available does and the timing of the season...the snap of a twig, the thump of a pounding hoof, the distant crashing sounds of a nearing chase; there is nothing else in the world I can think of that really stirs my soul like the anticipation of what may be.

 

[W.Seay]

I hope I get to help you drag a big one out this year Mike!