Hunting: I don't get it

[karl]

This may be a bit of an ignorant post, since I'm not a hunter, have never been hunting, and have never talked about hunting, therefore I know nothing about it except my own perceptions (mostly from TV and Gander Mountain displays), but I have some questions.

When I think of the word "hunting", I imagine a predator, creeping through the shadows, following the unsuspecting creature, waiting for the opportune moment and then pouncing on its prey. Hunting from deer blinds doesn't really seem like hunting to me. Seems like sitting in a box, seeing a deer and shooting it. Is all deer "hunting" done like this? Why is it so popular?

Again, these questions are my observations, please don't take it personally. I'd like to know what is so exciting about this sport.

[Beiruty]

There are 2 kind of hunting.

Wild deer hunting, on public lands, where there is no feed plots, no feed/corn distributors, not even blinds. This is the real hunting and you get pretty chance that if you miss the first weekend of the season, you pretty sure you might not be successful in your hunt. This is year, I went like 3-4 weekend and saw 0 bucks. None, nil, nada. This is the only way I hunt.

The other TV hunting (as seen on outdoor channel), is what we call, managed wildlife harvesting, mincing the herd. Why this kind is so popular?, because it is easy hunting. You lease a land, or buy a hunting day or weekend trip and you are guaranteed a buck. You are charged handsomely. from few hundreds to few thousands. The land owner would have fed, and led the deer to the feeding spot, deers will learn and get used to the feeding spot. Each morning they come to the same spot to eat as they used too the whole summer. The nice dandy hunter will arrive shortly before the sunrise, slip into his blind perched some 20 feet high, wait couple hours and as usual, the deers would show up on time to feed. The hunter will select the deer he wants, gets permission to take out said deer, and voila a nice deer head to be plastered in the hunter's foyer.

[G.A. Heath]

there are many different ways to hunt, some not quite as staged as what you see on TV. Stalking deer is quite popular in some areas. now other animals are a different story. I blame no one for legally killing feral hogs any way they can come up with. This ranges from spotlighting to using night vision or thermal gear. Coyotes are a special animal to hunt. We normally kill any coyote we legally can, but dedicated coyote hunters will go out, find a good location and attempt to call in their prey. I even know one guy who uses an inflatable coyote along with bottled urine to lure them in. A good hunter knows his prey, what it wants, how it does its thing, and why it wants/does something and then proceeds to take the animal using that knowledge. Getting up on a stand and taking an animal that comes up to eat food from a feeder that has been setup in advance is not sporting but climbing up in a tree (or even a stand) and waiting for an animal to come in and eat/drink from a natural source is. The difference is that the someone created the conditions to bring the animal in for the first case while in the second case the hunter learned about his prey, scouted a likely location to take an animal, and then risked their time and effort to see if it payed off.

[LaserTex]

Simple question - simple answer. Venison Chicken Fried Steak!! I'll take it any way I can get it.

On types of hunts - if you don't manage the herd, it will attempt to manage its enviroment. Wildlife Management is as important in hunting as predator management. Without one or the other, you will have neither.

Doug

[frazzled]

The other TV hunting (as seen on outdoor channel), is what we call, managed wildlife harvesting, mincing the herd. Why this kind is so popular?, because it is easy hunting. You lease a land, or buy a hunting day or weekend trip and you are guaranteed a buck. You are charged handsomely. from few hundreds to few thousands. The land owner would have fed, and led the deer to the feeding spot, deers will learn and get used to the feeding spot. Each morning they come to the same spot to eat as they used too the whole summer. The nice dandy hunter will arrive shortly before the sunrise, slip into his blind perched some 20 feet high, wait couple hours and as usual, the deers would show up on time to feed. The hunter will select the deer he wants, gets permission to take out said deer, and voila a nice deer head to be plastered in the hunter's foyer.

translation: you're basically shooting cows with horns.

[marksiwel]

Simple question - simple answer. Venison Chicken Fried Steak!! I'll take it any way I can get it.

On types of hunts - if you don't manage the herd, it will attempt to manage its environment. Wildlife Management is as important in hunting as predator management. Without one or the other, you will have neither.

Doug

If there are an abundance of Deer that need to be culled, then why are their Deer Breeding Farms all over the country?

I'm not a hunter, never been, but i hope to. I would think it would be more fun to go into the middle of the woods and hunt with some buddies, than to sit in a little plywood throne.
I would like to shoot some Feral Hogs, because 1. It sounds fun because there is a chance of danger too 2. Because Feral Hogs destroy the natural environment/ecosystem. I wouldnt mind taking some coyotes because, well i've seen what they do to pets.

[Abraham]

My experience with feral pigs is fairly extensive.

I see little danger to oneself in hunting them. Certainly, there is some danger, but not very much.

One reason to shoot them is their dreadful damage creation. My yard is a mess from their rooting...plus, they provide excellent meat.

[OldCannon]

If there are an abundance of Deer that need to be culled, then why are their Deer Breeding Farms all over the country?

Let's make a deal. Pick a late October date in the evening time. Drive the _posted_ speed limit along 290, starting from I-10 and going to Austin. Once you get to Austin, get back on this thread and lets us know if you feel the same way.

[marksiwel]

If there are an abundance of Deer that need to be culled, then why are their Deer Breeding Farms all over the country?

Let's make a deal. Pick a late October date in the evening time. Drive the _posted_ speed limit along 290, starting from I-10 and going to Austin. Once you get to Austin, get back on this thread and lets us know if you feel the same way.

I assume you are telling me that I will more than likely come across many deer in the road.
Well seeing as I live in Cedar Park, and have had several almost RUN ins with Deer while driving, I know what you are talking about.

So if we need to cull Deer, why are people BREEDING MORE DEER? Does not compute.

I have nothing against hunting, I just hear this argument alot

[pbwalker]

If there are an abundance of Deer that need to be culled, then why are their Deer Breeding Farms all over the country?

Let's make a deal. Pick a late October date in the evening time. Drive the _posted_ speed limit along 290, starting from I-10 and going to Austin. Once you get to Austin, get back on this thread and lets us know if you feel the same way.

I assume you are telling me that I will more than likely come across many deer in the road.
Well seeing as I live in Cedar Park, and have had several almost RUN ins with Deer while driving, I know what you are talking about.

So if we need to cull Deer, why are people BREEDING MORE DEER? Does not compute.

I have nothing against hunting, I just hear this argument alot

They're hunting trophies. That's about it...There is a lot of $$ to be made with 250+ B&C Bucks.

For me, it's all about providing meat for my family. Maybe it taps in to some deep primal feelings, but I love being able to harvest a deer and bring home a tasty, lean meat for my family. Plus, my 18 month old loves her some ground venison hamburger helper!

I've done the stalking hunts, the feeder hunts, the no bait - please wait hunt, etc. At this point, I am only a meat hunter. I use a box blind to stay out of the elements. I'm not going for a trophy...

My $0.02

Edited to fix the dreaded There / Their / They're mistake...

[Keith B]

If there are an abundance of Deer that need to be culled, then why are their Deer Breeding Farms all over the country?

Let's make a deal. Pick a late October date in the evening time. Drive the _posted_ speed limit along 290, starting from I-10 and going to Austin. Once you get to Austin, get back on this thread and lets us know if you feel the same way.

I assume you are telling me that I will more than likely come across many deer in the road.
Well seeing as I live in Cedar Park, and have had several almost RUN ins with Deer while driving, I know what you are talking about.

So if we need to cull Deer, why are people BREEDING MORE DEER? Does not compute.

I have nothing against hunting, I just hear this argument alot

Well, depending on what you are referring to, there are two types of breeding farms.

There are farms that raise and breed deer for retail sale of the venison to restaurants and meat companies for sale to the general public. Their goal is to raise a quality animal that provides a good tasting meat for consumption.

There are also those breeding farms that are associated with game ranches that host hunters and their quest for a trophy animal. Their goal is to breed animals to get extremely large and well proportioned antlers (racks) and large bodied deer for the hunters who are looking for that big wall hanger.

Neither of these breeders normally release their deer into the wild (although a few pull a Houdini and escape, I am sure.)

The issue you see with the over population of deer in the wild is a result of fewer predators today that will kill off the animals. These predators are coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions and even hunters.

Years ago the deer population in the U.S. was very small and had been damaged by heavy poaching. Conservation efforts helped bring the population back to where they are thriving today, but now almost to the point of over population. Combine the increased deer heard numbers with the increase in a new predator, the automobile, and you end up with a lot more vehicular incidents with a deer in the headlights.

While a few years ago, most states only allowed you to take antlered deer (males), now many states have now opened the hunting back up where they allow controlled numbers of anterless deer to be taken in an effort to help keep the population under control.

[pbwalker]

The issue you see with the over population of deer in the wild is a result of fewer predators today that will kill off the animals. These predators are coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions and even hunters.

Years ago the deer population in the U.S. was very small and had been damaged by heavy poaching. Conservation efforts helped bring the population back to where they are thriving today, but now almost to the point of over population. Combine the increased deer heard numbers with the increase in a new predator, the automobile, and you end up with a lot more vehicular incidents with a deer in the headlights.

While a few years ago, most states only allowed you to take antlered deer (males), now many states have now opened the hunting back up where they allow controlled numbers of anterless deer to be taken in an effort to help keep the population under control.

Well said Keith B!

Minnesota was a perfect example of conservation gone awry. When I left in 2002, a doe permit was on lottery. The population was exploding, so they finally decided to allow a doe harvest.

Like you said, lack of predators is one of the biggest issues. For some reason, there's a lack of new hunters these days too...

[cougartex]

Simple question - simple answer. Venison Chicken Fried Steak!! I'll take it any way I can get it.

[gemini]

This may be a bit of an ignorant post, since I'm not a hunter, have never been hunting, and have never talked about hunting, therefore I know nothing about it except my own perceptions (mostly from TV and Gander Mountain displays), but I have some questions.

When I think of the word "hunting", I imagine a predator, creeping through the shadows, following the unsuspecting creature, waiting for the opportune moment and then pouncing on its prey. Hunting from deer blinds doesn't really seem like hunting to me. Seems like sitting in a box, seeing a deer and shooting it. Is all deer "hunting" done like this? Why is it so popular?

Again, these questions are my observations, please don't take it personally. I'd like to know what is so exciting about this sport.

I've hunted for the last 46 years. Still do. Ducks, geese, dove, quail, hogs, deer, coyotes, rabbits, squirrel etc. Depends on the season. Since you are asking mainly about deer, I'll limit my response. I have hunted and shot doe and been proud of the harvest.
Not every hunt is for a "trophy" buck. I do free range hunting. Leased land? Sure, but NOT high fenced. I've come back to camp empty handed more than being successful. Here's what I get out of hunting besides meat:I get to spend quality time with my sons, my brothers, my nephews and friends. Life is about making memories, and some of the best memories I have are from hunting trips. I've gotten to watch coyotes chase young deer in a game of "tag". Watch river otter, beaver, bobcats and other wildlife in a natural setting. Observe more than my fair share of deer. Watch redtail hawks as they fly low over fields scanning for field mice, snakes etc. No, hunting isn't just about killing everything you see. The more you hunt the more selective you will become.
Culling is a practice used to control out of balance herds. Not enough natural predators, not enough natural food, drought, or other environmental changes. If you take the time to look through a Tx Hunting Reg manual you will see not all counties in TX have the same "limits". Some allow 2 bucks, 2 doe. Antler size minimums. etc etc. Because the environment in our state varies greatly.
Often times the environment (rain or lack of, natural available food etc) directly effect the deer heard. Several years ago Tx had a bad drought summer. In central Tx there were starving deer. Too many deer for the environment to support. Texas is lucky in having the largest (if not one of the largest deer populations in the USA). We consume alot of venison. However, watching deer starve makes the sportsmen I know sick to their stomachs. At times "doe hunts" and culling is a necessity.
As far as box blinds, tripods, tree stands, stalking, shooting from elevated platforms on vehicles in S. Tx., I've done all, and enjoyed doing so. I've even shot deer while in the middle of relieving myself......(long story and not appropriate for this board).
I was proud of the animals I took. I will not criticize any legal hunting method. I encourage people to hunt. Get a friend to take you.
I do have to admit that I hate feral hogs. They are a pest. They do nothing but destroy agriculture / crops. They wreck fencing. A group of 10 hogs can make a 5 acre field look like a mortar zone in one night, by rooting. Once established they breed like rabbits and are difficult, if not impossible to get rid of. Feral hogs are a statewide problem in Texas. That said, I have absolutely no problem with anyone shooting as many feral hogs as possible. The choate pigs are good eating..... sorry to get off on this hog-rant.

[bpet]

Hunting deer is not necessarily about killing deer. I've hunted for many years and have, on most occasions, come home empty handed but I've loved being in the woods on cold mornings an just watching. Solo hunting is a soul searching opportunity that allows you to reflect on the stresses of work and just get in touch with your inner self. It is a great opportunity to recharge and relax and forget the petty things that seem to drive you crazy during a normal work week.

If you want to add a significant entertainment factor, get together with a group of your friends who enjoy hunting for the same reason (solitude and recharging), and you have the makings of a really great time sitting around a fire during a light rain or even better, snow. Fighting to get out of a warm sleeping bag in a wet tent to get the first pot of coffee going in the morning, and figuring out the best way to get out of washing the dishes in cold water after a hearty evening meal. I'ts just fun, and gets better every year.

Give it a try. You don't even have to take a rifle if you don't want to. Camera's make fine hunting tools and can provide some fine trophies that cost a whole lot less than a taxidermist.