hunting aint hunting no more

Ive been reading and talking to people about the reports of hunters on this website for sometime now and i get the same answer. What happened to the enjoyment of hunting just being in the woods being able to hunt with friends and family.
My father taught me years ago to respect my elders respect the land and respect the animals mother nature offers u to hunt and kill every now and then. not to slaughter or take more than you actually need. People on this site (not everyone) dont know nothing about that all their worried about is how many deer they killed or how many turkeys or ducks etc they killed,or look what my gun will do to a deer or turkey. Who Cares!!
Its not a law that u have to kill every deer or turkey or just any animal you see. You know if you sit back and watch that 2 1/2 or 3 year old buck or a doe with 2 fawns at her side you might learn something that will make u a better hunter and woodsman. The same goes for turkeys and other game species also. You learn from what you hunt.
Hunting is about enjoyment people not about numbers and if you think differently then your greed will catch up with you sooner or later and you want have anything to hunt.
That why hunting aint hunting no more!

Very true, if it was about feeding the family it would be cheaper to buy a cow for the year.

Stating the obvious: Hunting has become a rich man's game. Sad to say, but it's not about tradition anymore.

Amen Rooster!!!!

its about how much money people can get for there land and half the time they don't even want you to shoot anything. it is all about moneeeeeeey. its a rat race and the rats are winning!!!!!!!!

You are exactly right. To alot of people it is a money game.

its feels good knowing atleast some people still feel this way.Thank you for giving me some hope.I may be young(25)but i am still very much stuck in the old school,my grandpa and dad taught me those very things you just said and they have stuck.I now teach my daughter the imortance of these things and no matter what you see other people doin stick to what you KNOW is right.Some people may not of been taught these things but there comes a point when you should be old enough to know the difference between right and wrong,and disrespcting other people and mothernature(especially these animals you "love" so much)is more then just wrong.Keep it real and like rooster said pay close attention to mothernature you just may learn something.thanx rooster

whats up mr cro . how was your year?

Hunted all year in the reserves. Didn't kill a thing. If you are thinking that I didn't hunt hard you are wrong, just ask my wife. Hunted with bow, rifle, and muzzleloader. I wish hunting season wasn't over for this year, not so I can kill something but just because I absolutely love being in the woods. I don't go hunting to kill, I go to enjoy my day, get away from everything and think about.... well pretty much life. I think people worry about killing instead of just going out with friends and family and having a good time. I can remember hunting with my dad and grandfather and all his old friends and how much fun it was. The old men would cook on the tailgate of the truck on a old coleman stove and I'm sure have a drink when we weren't looking. Man I miss those days. Now everyone is spending 1000's of dollars to show their kids a good time and we use to go for free and have the time of our lives.

Although being in the woods is my sanctuary, my place to find a little peace from the normal stress from daily life, I hunt primarily for the meat. I love wild game whether it be deer duck rabbit etc. My great grandfather taught me years ago never to kill what I dont intend to eat. I have to this day followed that rule. No coyotes, bobcats, beavers, etc. Between my wife and I we have been blessed enough to kill 4 deer and many ducks and I can promise you that by next hunting season my freezer will be empty. You cant buy that in any store. I had and still have chance to kill more deer but its enough for the year. Im gonna end the season with a few more ducks hopefully (my favorite) and be ready to start putting some filets in the freezer. Its my reason like or not...doesnt really matter to me.I hope all have been blessed enough to have a good season whether you have killed or not.

When I was younger it was to get that first deer. After the first one, it was a numbers game. We had some awesome places to hunt, places that I can't afford to hunt nowadays. Love being in the woods, love the adventure of gettin' there and gettin' back, truly appreciate the fact that it is how I escape this ratrace life I have in the city, love the comraderie, the stories, kids (and some adults) killin' their first deer, drinkin' a cup of coffe in the duckblind as wings tickle the back of your neck, cold rainy days when I decide to stay in the camp, campfires, and the sound of hounds hot on a deer or rabbit.
Hate to see that huntin' has become an "industry" and the haves takin' away from the don't have as much. Maybe with the economy teetering, the bubble will burst and some sort of sanity restored.
My uncle taught me that before you become a good hunter, you must first become a good woodsman. I'm still workin' on it.

its nice to know that there is other hunters out there that can enjoy the outdoors without trying to just put blood on the ground... People that like to sit around a camp fire wit hank playin as you gaze at all the stars, stars that you cant even see from the city, its not all about the kill its the stories of the past kills and the hope of a great story to share with your other hunting buddies.. i dont know about yall but most of my kills i was more excited to share the story, rather it be ducks, deer, pigs.ect i look foward to shareing those stories with future generations in hope that it may insprie someone to go try and experince it for themsevles ...

i hunt for the meat i would rather eat wild game through out the year vs. store bought meat. yeah mabey I could buy meat cheaper at the grocery store but it is not the same experience walking through the store vs. walking through the woods. woods and the water thats the place for me shooting and catching what i eat and enjoying the time i have out there.

It is evident more than ever that todays outdoor generation can scout on the internet to by- pass the process of learning the outdoors. With that said it is obvious that the kill is more important than the process or the experience. The whole process is great even as you get older it gets better. If you try to take the short cut in the outdoors you don't understand the big picture and are in it for the wrong reasons.

I agree with everything you guys said. I am no religous zealot or fanatic but when me or my son kill a deer, a short prayer is in order. Thanksgiving if you will.. Maybe I have some Indian blood in me. Hunting to me is kinda' a Spiritual journey....It's not about "wack-em and stack-em, that's what we do with FIREWOOD.... (My original post has been edited because I upset some people)....I will sit in the "time-out corner" for 1 hour...

I have been hunting for almost 40 years. I have hunted just about every species of game animals, including alligators. I prefer ducks, because of the opportunity for the skill of shooting and personally, I love duck gumbo. I have a lot of fond memories at Red River WMA for hunting squirrel and deer and Pearl River for deer and hogs. I have hunted deer (with dogs) in the swamps of Sorrento, La. Each & every hunting event was memorable. You start off learning and paying your dues, but as you get older, you begin to focus on the hunting that gives you the greatest enjoyment. Yes, I enjoy the outdoors, watching the sun break with a multitude of colors. Would I continue to hunt without the opportunity of success. No! If you just wanted to see and observe nature in it's glory, then leave the guns at home and take a camera. For some people, a picture of a duck with feet outstretched, touching the water, would be their greatest trophy. Every person is different. So if someone wants success in their hunt, with "wack and stack em" and they ethically hunt and follow the rules, why would you criticize them, for their personality. Remember, that every person cannot express themselves in a manner that is 100% acceptable to everyone else. Why would you come to this forum and be asked to post pictures, if you did not want to show off your success. Anti-hunters would consider any pictures to be unethical as well as the killing of those animals. I am a hunter and have taken pictures to remind me of my success and great hunts. Milton

Thanks for your opinion Sir. I did not mean to criticize or offend anyone, merely 'stating my opinion'. And yes I will keep my entire limit of trout. (some may think that is excessive)

I lot of sportsmen forget that the harvest is not the reason we love to get in the woods or fish. It is the communion of ones self and nature as a whole, and some of us just have to do it. Being able to get groceries from the wild is the thrill for most of us. Watching the game and listening to them is a thrill most nonhunters do'nt know the sound of decoying greys or the drumming of a gobblier at 10 feet that is what I cherish the memories.
The post with all the the pictures of harvested game is way over rated. Personaly I don't need pictures to boast my self image. I think the pictures actually demminish the accoplishment. I too am offinded by someone hanging a hat or putting a cig in the mouth of a mounted game animal. We need to get back to the basics.
Most of the time after the harvest I feel a kind of remorse.
I wish i could breath life back into the game so I could watch it or hunt it or catch it again.

But it all comes down to different strokes for different folks.

If thats what some hunters need to do then so be it. when we argue among our selves the ANTIS HUNTERS WIN.

KEEP ON RUNNIN AN GUNNIN

Great post. You and I share the same philosophy.

Many clubs fall apart because of what you point out. They lose the joy of hunting and it becomes a stressed out search for the master buck. Anyone or anything that isnt on that game plan is ridiculed and dismissed as not a real hunter. These people are generally unhappy and insecure people who dont have much of a life. They can pollute a club as much as a slob hunter or chitstirrer can.

Everyone just needs to relax, enjoy the woods and help each other learn sportsmanship and improve their hunting, not act like some stressed out scorekeeper who wont share anything and looks for ways to put others down.

I am in a club like this. Except its not about the biggest deer killed its how many they kill. The people in my club are not deer hunters they are deer killers. They cant just watch a deer walk and enjoy its beauty. Some weekends well say no does are to be killed and they will throw a fit. I have never seen such greedy people in all of my life. Our club has 35 members and we killed 27 deer. 15 spikes 7 does and 5 deer above 4 pts. I have been in this club for 15 years and now its getting to where I dont even want to go to the camp anymore when the year is coming close to the end. I let a doe and a spike walk during a dog hunt and I got cursed up and down the porch to where I almost got into a fist fight.

I once participated actively in a couple of the hunting forums. For the past few months, I only surf around and read some of the threads but usually go to the next before getting through only a couple of posts. I very rarely comment or post anything anymore since it is usually futile with the audience involved. This thread has renewed my hope that there really are still some good people who call themselves hunters. Thank you for that.

This topic has been broached here before and the only thing that comes out of it is how divided we are and we will remain so until hunting/fishing is finished. I say hunt and fish the way you want to. The reason I bring a gun, bow, or fishing rod and reel with me when I hunt and fish is because I want to kill (I refuse to use the word harvest because that is not what we are doing, were killing and need to come to terms with it) or catch and kill as opposed to catch and release something, clean it and eat it.

Sometimes this includes having an animal or fish mounted and most often includes pictures. While I enjoy watching and viewing wildlife while in the field regardless whether I'm actually hunting or fishing, if I didn't want to kill or catch something from time to time, then I would go hiking, animal/bird watching or boat riding and scuba diving. I don't find the pictures a desecration as I do not view anything as Holy or Sacred other than God, Jesus and/or the Holy Spirit but that is just the way I raised. Desecration is defined as a validation of something sacred, sacred is defined as being Holy, I do not share the view that animals are holy, while some might that is theirs to deal with. That being said I do view all game and fish as a blessing from God which I should be thankful for.

The problem from the way I see it is that we can't respect others view points and their choice, method or style of hunting/fishing. We can't get on the same page because we can't get over our opinions of what me, myself and I feel is important and this is just a byproduct of the larger problems plaguing our society as we gravitate more towards secular humanism and move further away from Christianity.

We should make no apologies about being hunters and fisherman the anti's HATE us no matter what, we can use the word harvest, we can manage the land, we can pour billions of dollars into conservation, we can stop posting pictures, we can shut down this website and all like it, we can shorten our season, lower our limits, restrict the methods and means by which we pursue our heritage and traditions but nothing is acceptable to them other than a complete cessation of our activities and then some form of repentance for what they view is our sins of harming the creatures of the precious mother earth.

Just because you (the poster) don't feel that hunting now does not meet your opinion of what hunting is or should be does not mean that hunting isn't hunting any more. Remeber there are always going to be people are who don't share your view regardless of the activity or topic. Yes things are changing but that is just the nature of everything in the ever changing world we live in. Don't let what you percieve as a few bad apples spoil your bunch.

There are still plenty of people who enjoy hunting the way you describe and there are now plenty of people who enjoy hunting as they enjoy it. Many people in fact still enjoy all the things about hunting that you wrote about but let’s not be ashamed or embarrassed to admit it many of us still enjoying killing and/or catching and killing something in addition to the other things you mentioned.

The whole keeping score thing is kind of hardwired into us as males were competitive by nature as I understand it that is the way God made us just as he made the whitetail buck and other species. Some anecdotal evidence of this I can demand, order and downright plead or threaten my 4 year old little boy to go finish his breakfast and no deal, but no matter how full he is let me say I'll race you to see who cleans their plate first and it’s on. That’s just the way it is.

Hunting and fishing did not just overnight become a rich man’s pursuit it has been that way for some time now as I am now 39 years old and as long I can remember we have been in a hunting club, had trailers, 3 wheelers, 4 wheelers, gun, scopes, bags of gear, rods/reels, tackle boxes, boats, etc. All of this stuff cost money as does all the time away from work for travel and for time in the field and the gas to get there. The cost of these things is just more now as is the cost of everything else which unless you and I continue to make more money starts to eat into what we can spend on hunting and fishing. Again that’s just the way it is. That part is not going to change ever so the only thing we can do is make more money and try to vote in politicians that will cut our taxes but that is another post.

Well, I see by this post and the comments made there are still a lot of us guys who don't gauge the success of a hunting or fishing trip by the number of birds killed or fish caught or the size of the rack on the deer killed. We are living in a changing society where competition and commercialism are ruining the sport and the real reason to enjoy the outdoors. It's all about the money now. The biggest and most expensive bay boat, the best and too expensive gun needed to shoot ducks, the number of electronic gadgets you have to have to kill or catch more, ETC. Watch the TV hunting and fishing shows or some of the hunting DVD's. There are all selling something. If you went by Bass Pro or Cabella's during the holidays you can see the effect. People are buying alot of garbage they don't need to enjoy the outdoors. For me it's not about the kill or the catch, that's just icing on the cake. I have hunted and fished all my life and I will continue because I enjoy the time away from the crazyness that goes on all around us and I need the solitude that gives me time to reflect and recharge. When I retire next year I will have plenty of time to pass this tradition on to my grandkids.

You didn't upset me I said that I don't view animals as Holy if some do that is theirs to deal with. Do what you want man but don't be pissed when someone else does their own thing as well that was my whole post. So if you haven't taken yourself out of time out, please remove yourself from the time out corner.

Duly noted, you may now return to the "respectable" mud slinging on that other fellow you are currently engaged in.

I could not have said it better... I agree with your comment Super Rooster.
We need to preserve nature, so our children and grandchildren will be able to hunt as we do.
We need to remind ourselves that hunting is a priveledge.

Good stuff...Guess it's his do as I say not as I do attitude that makes him sooo special.

GREAT POST, i think all of us are sad when the hunting season is over and can't wait for to open again. it's not about killin, it's about being at the camp with family and friends and making memories. once you pull the trigger, the work starts.
there is to many people that wants hunting to end forever. there is a balance between "whackup and stackum" and more conservative ideas. hunters must watch each others back. if not for us, then certainly for our kids.

...direction and self-control equals more for tomorrow..."come out the woods only what you went in for" and ignore the rest of the animals...
...but,there are still a few "hunters" in high-chairs with sticky fingers,toothless smiles and a mess of pabulum all over 'em !!!...cheers