How many hunters here?

[flyfishermanj]

How many hunters here?

Sorry, there should be an no option with the poll, but my little girl hit the enter button on me. I've tried to go and fix, but it won't let me, maybe a moderator can add the no?
JH

 

[shipnfish2006]

I've hunted since I was 12 and enjoy every second of it! For me archery hunting and fly fishing are equally comparable in enjoyment levels and they're two things I could never give up.

 

[flyfishermanj]

Yeah, I've also hunted since I was 12, but small game hunting is what I enjoy the most. Seem to be doing less of it though since I became an Fly Rod addict.!
JH

 

[RLeeP]

I hunted from the time I was 12 until I was 26, which would be from 1964 until 1978.

I gave it up because it is one of those sports where C&R in any meaningful sense is very difficult, because of a significant and sudden hearing loss that made me view all loud things in a disfavorable light (including my first wife...)and because it was cutting into my fishing time.

All my male relatives continue to hunt and I think it is a wonderful sport. It just isn't for me any more.

I do not wish to begin a controversy, but I believe that a time will come when anglers will probably have to at least somewhat disassociate themselves from hunters in the public policy and advocacy arena in order to assure the survival of fishing.

Thankfully, this will be long after I am dead or at least when I am so old that I might prefer to be dead...

 

[OhioOutdoorsman]

Been hunting for about 12 years, mostly in Ohio.

Many fisherman will not seperate hunting from fishing because they do both.

But, I agree, the kinder, gentler, and more fashionable C and R fly fishing can attract people to fishing that would never hunt.

Or we can have people learn to appreciate where meat comes from.....

And quite frankly, many of my non-hunting, fishing suburbanite friends are all to happy to have me come in their neighborhood with my bow and shoot a couple of deer.....they appreciate the venison and the deer being thinned so they don't eat their flowers and cause car accidents.

Its all how you spin it....

 

[rrt]

I have hunter for about 45 years. I still love to hunt wild turkeys, both spring and fall, and my addiction to turkey hunting is almost as severe as my addiction to fly-fishing for trout. I used to love deer hunting, but when the PGC decided to decimate the herd, I lost a lot of my enthusiasm for deer shooting, as some guys have abandoned sportsmanship to absolutely slaughter deer in the name of management. Thankfully, most turkey hunters have not bought into buying an extra tag for spring gobbler hunting (fewer than 8000 from an estimated 350,000 wild turkey hunters), demonstrating that they have respect for those wild birds and that they do not share the mentality of those who overharvest deer. Anyhow, this is a fly-fishing board, so I won't say any more about that! Thank goodness for fly-fishing and for the many people who allow public access to their privately owned waters.

 

[ian_brown]

I've never hunted, other than shooting a pigeon when I was twelve. I have no problem with hunting; with proper management it strikes me as the most ethical, humane source of meat. The hunters I know decent people who treat their quarry with respect. That said, I've seen video of Ted Nugent hunting, and it turned my stomach. For example, the video repeatedly showed him gut-shooting a wild pig.

One of my high school teachers used to hunt with the Nuge. In one class he debated a PETA woman, who showed the above-mentioned video. Years later, I learned that he compleatly dissociated himself from Nugent after watching the video. While I never saw eye to eye with him, I think he is more representative of the average hunter than the Motor City Madman.

 

[jayL]

I don't hunt.

At the risk of sounding like a pansy, I'm a bit too squeemish to gut a large mammal.

I do, however, really want to try some small game and bird hunting.

 

[JackM]

I only hunt rising fish. It takes about the same amount of patience some days.

 

[sdwlucas]

I have enjoyed hunting since I was twelve, 15 years later I still enjoy hunting. I love to archery hunt, upland hunting, and spring gobbler hunt. I could give up all other hunting in a heartbeat. I love to see my dogs work a pheasant or grouse nothing better.

 

[PALongbow]

I bow hunt with a longbow and like to hunt with a flintlock for deer.

Ron

 

[OhioOutdoorsman]

I bow hunt with a longbow and like to hunt with a flintlock for deer.

Thats the hunting equivalent of dry fly fishing.....

I've been thinking of going longbow, what is the range on those? 30-40yds?

 

[FarmerDave]

I used to hunt just about anything as long as it was game that I would eat. Now I hunt mostly just deer, but I never harvest more than I can use (same with fishing). I'll also shoot varmints, but that is not hunting to me, it’s just shooting varmints. Freakin groundhogs! Besides, vultures need to eat, too.

 

[PALongbow]

OhioOutdoorsman - I keep my shots to 20 yards or under on deer. I have been shooting a longbow for many years and have taken a fair amount of deer with my longbow. Shooting traditional equipment takes time to practice and stay sharp. I shoot every other day and sometimes every day. I try to set my tree stands up so that when deer pass they are within my 20 yard zone. Traditional archery is equivalent to fly fishing and a lot of people who shoot traditional archery equipment also fly fish.

Ron

 

[Padraic]

I don't even eat much beef. What would I do with a whole deer? When I get better, It would be nice to shoot pheasant or other upland birds, but are there any in PA?

 

[MattBoyer]

I hunt grouse and pheasant for the most part. I'll take the deer walk, but I don't get excited for it. This year I was thinking I might hunt deer for some meat, but I prefer the excitement of a grouse exploding from the bush to the thickest spot in the forest to sitting around getting cold. I also don't like anything that involves moving a body. I pretty much enjoy the walk and the scenery more than killing stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love a fresh roasted bird, it's just not what it's all about to me. I love that smell and feel in the air when the cold stings your nostrils and your breath follows you for a moment. The sun lies lazily close to the horizon and everything is covered in frost, then all of a sudden the world of serenity explodes and you find yourself in the middle of a potential double and there are thunder chickens blowin' up all over the place. You shoot a few rounds off in a panic then laugh at yourself, all the while reassuring that the next flush you will be more focused, but dam they always catch you off guard. Even when you're ready for them you're off guard, but you still try to be calm when the insanity happens. Man I love grouse hunting! is it October yet?

Boyer

 

[sdwlucas]

Pad,

There are a few pheasants here and there, the PGC stocks a coupld places around here (State College areas). My friends and I normally go and buy our own birds and take them out. I just like to see my dogs work. When you get better and are ready to go let me know.

 

[FarmerDave]

Padraic wrote:
I don't even eat much beef. What would I do with a whole deer? When I get better, It would be nice to shoot pheasant or other upland birds, but are there any in PA?

Yes.

I don't eat as much beef as I used to. Venison is better for me (much lower cholesterol), so I often substitute. you don't get as much meat off of a deer as you might think. Unless it is a huge deer (like the last one i shot year before last), we have no problem using a whole deer in a year. Therefore, last year I elected not to shoot one, because i still had meat in the freezer. But I still hunted in case i see that once in a lifetime... Well, I saw that once in a lifetime, only it was 3 days after the gun season ended. Haven't seen him yet this year, but did see another one about as impressive but in different ways. So instead of once in lifetime, I should say twice in two years??? :-D

On the upside, I used to buy a side of beef every year or 2 as needed, but don't need to anymore.

 

[FarmerDave]

MattBoyer wrote:
I hunt grouse and pheasant for the most part. I'll take the deer walk, but I don't get excited for it. This year I was thinking I might hunt deer for some meat, but I prefer the excitement of a grouse exploding from the bush to the thickest spot in the forest to sitting around getting cold. I also don't like anything that involves moving a body.

I hear that, but I kinda like the cold when it comes to deer hunting. This is why I haven't gotten heavy into bow hunting. It's too warm, and the bugs eat you alive. I'd rather have snow on the ground and ice hanging off of my beard than those blood sucking deer files. then If I did shoot a deer, I would have to haule it to a processor. I normally process the deer myself, but don't have the facilities to do it in warm weather.

I pretty much enjoy the walk and the scenery more than killing stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love a fresh roasted bird, it's just not what it's all about to me. I love that smell and feel in the air when the cold stings your nostrils and your breath follows you for a moment. The sun lies lazily close to the horizon and everything is covered in frost, then all of a sudden the world of serenity explodes and you find yourself in the middle of a potential double and there are thunder chickens blowin' up all over the place. You shoot a few rounds off in a panic then laugh at yourself, all the while reassuring that the next flush you will be more focused, but dam they always catch you off guard. Even when you're ready for them you're off guard, but you still try to be calm when the insanity happens. Man I love grouse hunting! is it October yet?

Boyer

I couldn't agree more.

 

[DJB66]

I havwe also been hunting since I was 12.Almost everyone in my family hunts and I get to spend time with them which is probabbly the biggest reason I hunt.I spend a lot my time fishing than I do hunting though.Mostly a trip or 2 a year for phesant and some late season flintlock hunting is all I do mostly because if there is open water on the local streams I prefer to be fishing.