I'd really like to read why you hunt. Your reason may be published here in this article, because that's the purpose of this article - to collect unique thoughts from many different hunters.
Simply drop by the Hunting/Shooting forum and tell us why you hunt. Then, check this article often to read new additions to it, and to see if yours was chosen.
Here's a quote from a friend, which is what got this whole thing started. The second-to-last sentence is what really struck me about it:
"Deer hunting is a test of patience. This is what I find so appealing about it. You're not tromping through the woods like a madman scaring the daylights out of every living creature within earshot. Instead, you're sitting quietly in a tree or behind a camouflaged blind watching and listening.
It could be hours or days of hours before you see anything. Even if you do see something, there's no guarantee that an opportunity will present itself for you to shoot at it. When that opportunity does arrive it is usually fleeting. So, you must cultivate a mastery of your emotions and instincts in order to capitalize on it. I can't speak for anyone but myself, but that is what I find so compelling about [hunting]."
- Rick
Craig says:
"I have a hard time putting into words (in a meaningful way) why I hunt. The quote above is a very good starting point. Hunting has caused me to experience just about every imaginable emotion at one time or another. To me, hunting is more real than most of the day-to-day stuff... computers, cells phones, TV and such are all well and good to a point, but none of them really means much to me at the end of the day.
Hunting, on the other hand, is as real as it gets - life and death, joy and sorrow, success and defeat and sometimes pain and suffering. I've witnessed the natural world in a way that a non-hunter cannot imagine and words cannot fully describe."
This is from another guy named Rick:
"I like the bounty but it takes a back seat to just being out there and seeing things differently than most people will. One of my favorite deer stands faces east over a 200 acre grass field. To sit there in the morning watching a beautiful sunrise and seeing deer grazing takes away a lot of the everyday pressures. I've had mornings while hunting when I've watched deer within easy range for the enjoyment - and then later asked myself why didn't I shoot and end the season early. Maybe I wanted a bigger buck, or just more time to hunt.
From Doug:
"When I'm hunting, I feel near to God. To be surrounded by His creation and looking at and for His creatures is a great blessing."
David said this:
"All the early cold morning sunrises, late afternoon sunsets, and cold morning frosts! Going to cut firewood, the smell of freshly cut firewood, the smell of rich pine starter wood, going to put up stands, looking for deer sign in the woods, slow ride on a 4-wheeler, walking through the woods. Listening to songbirds, woodpeckers, and the sound of an owl or hawk in the woods has a calming effect on one's mind. Squirrels barking, deer snorting, hogs squealing, a nice camp fire, a big breakfast with all the trimmings, and a good supper!
"All these things, and more, are why I hunt!"
Sure is hard to disagree with that!
- Russ Chastain
