Whats Stopping you From Hunting

Land
Total votes: 33 (23%)
Time
Total votes: 37 (26%)
Money
Total votes: 16 (11%)
Knowledge
Total votes: 44 (30%)
Equipment
Total votes: 15 (10%)
Total votes: 145

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

51
I wanted to get into hunting ever since I read Omnivore's Dilemma (short version: I don't think I should be eating meat if I can't take personal responsibility for the kill, also, I like Venison/duck/goose etc). I live in the Puget Sound Region of Washington state so plenty of great hunting around me I'm sure.

For me, I chose knowledge but think maybe a new category should be added. I've taken steps for the knowledge piece. I took an amazingly well done hunter education course over the course of a number of days (and made my wife come along, its surprisingly sexy when she can identify what kind of action is on a rifle) and I have read "The Beginner's Guide to Hunting Deer for Food"http://www.amazon.com/Beginners-Guide-H ... r+for+food (great resource, would recommend). I've also tried to watch a bunch of Youtube videos about how to field dress a deer. I'm planning to buy a bolt action Remington 700 30-06 and my goal is to get some practice with that at a range nearby.

While I think I've learned a lot, my biggest barrier is lack of a mentor. All the book-learning in the world is no substitute for going hunting with a seasoned, well-trained hunter to learn all the pieces hands on. I grew up in a family that doesn't hunt and I live in an urban area where none of my friends or colleagues hunt. So, while I'd love to learn, its finding someone who is patient, professional, and doesn't mind showing a newb the ropes that has been the hard part. The problem is compounded by the fact that so many of the groups that are into hunting are just too damn politicized for the right wing. I don't want to do a hunting tour thing because 1) its expensive 2) it doesnt seem like they are designed around beginners. Learning what to wear, where to go, how to scout, how to field dress, how to get it home, staying legal, etc. all can probably be learned through enough reading but going with someone and doing it just seems like the best way to learn.

With that said, there are some knowledge pieces that have been somewhat elusive for me. The biggest is where to hunt. This wasn't covered in hunter education. I found this site: http://huntwashingtonstate.com/ which seems like a great resource as far as listing areas. The big question is: can I hunt on any state-owned land that doesn't specifically prohibit it? I'm in law school, so I suppose I could put some serious time into learning all this but maybe its an easily answered question :P.

Thanks for starting this thread, its great to see that others who don't come from hunting backgrounds have 'made it.'

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

52
JinxRemoving wrote:
I live in a city, but apparently in California, one can hunt wild pigs pretty much whenever... this is something I'm very interested in doing. I'm not sure my Glock 9mm is the best choice, however. I have been trying to read up on what weapons are 1) legal to use for hunting in my general locale and 2) effective for the game I'm interested in eating (pig, duck, turkey... fish: sorry, but I have never really loved the taste of deer. Elk, however = YUM).
For hunting pigs the ubiquitous lever-action 30-30 would fit the bill. They're lightweight (about 7 pounds) and with their carbine-length barrels they're very handy; and they're inexpensive. For bigger game like elk you'd need something with more energy. Duck, turkey - a shotgun.

If I were only allowed to have two guns for hunting I'd probably have a bolt-action 30-06 or .270 and a 12-gauge pump shotgun. The 30-06 or .270 because we have elk around here.

You should also evaluate the ranges at which you'll likely be hunting. Longer ranges need scoped guns with flatter trajectories. Short ranges in thick forest or brush and the handy little lever gun works better.
We live at a time when emotions and feelings count more than truth,
and there is a vast ignorance of science.
James Lovelock

It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.
-William G. McAdoo, lawyer and politician (1863-1941)

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

54
I am planning to get out for my first hunting season since the 80's.

While I have an ambitious schedule i know i will have to cancel at least half of the times i'd like to go.

While the research is a little daunting, I am just going to go for it and see what happens.

I am in San Francisco, So it will be interesting. If i happen to bag a large animal, compact chest freezers are about $200.00 at lowes down the hill!

:beer2: :beer2: :beer2: :beer2: :beer2:
Bleeding Heart Liberal with Second Amendment Benefits.
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Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

56
None of the above. I don't hunt because I don't have the desire to. I have gone elk hunting when I was teenager with my dad, and once we even scored. But I never had enough interest in it to take it up on my own.
More generally, I'm a little squeamish around blood and guts, and a little tiny part me is a Buddhist at heart, meaning I am deeply uncomfortable killing, be it animals or people. Don't flame me, I have no problems with hunting and hunters. I think hunting has been unfairly maligned.

I will add, though, that if I were to take up hunting, it would be for those nasty, evil invasive feral hogs.
Hell is where:
The British are the chefs
The Swiss are the lovers
The French are the mechanics
The Italians make everything run on time
And the Germans are the police

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

58
Forgot to say that the reason I want to hunt deer and hog is to have the experience of harvesting my own meat from field to table. I am also scouring old cookbooks for interesting game recipes. I am also hankering for some wild pheasant and quail.

I suppose i could do what some folks do and buy a live pig/calf/goat/lamb/ chicken from a farm and butcher it in the garage, but somehow having to also find it in the wild makes the process seem a little more interesting and involved. plus i love being outdoors and if hunting is anything, it is being out in the field and loving every minute of it, harvest or not.

fwiw
Bleeding Heart Liberal with Second Amendment Benefits.
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Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

62
i enjoy slinking around in the woods, and the challenge of meeting critters on their own terms in their own environment. thrill of the hunt and all. now i hunt with a camera. it's quite satisfying to watch them raise their heads and look around when the mirror goes click-clack. sometimes they have that "oh sh!t!" look before they bolt.
i used to be an avid spearfisher. hawaiian sling and snorkel, mask and fins. it's not that i object to hunting per se, i just got my fill of killing. now i happily pay other people to do all the grisly stuff.
if someone who knew what they were doing invited me to go out with them, i'd consider it.
i'm retired. what's your excuse?

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

63
Ultravox wrote:I chose knowledge and equipment.

Equipment mainly because I have no where to store the meat. I've been wanting to buy a chest freezer, but never have. I have the appropriate guns to hunt deer, geese, ducks, etc. I don't really have appropriate clothing either.

Knowledge because I've never done it. I do know someone who would probably be willing to take me out if I asked.
Pheasant hunting equipment: Gun, shells, orange vest, orange hat. Vest big enough to slide over a winter weight jacket.
Water proof boots, blue jeans, long underwear. A dog.
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
- Ronald Reagan

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

64
why dont you have butchering the kill? Thats the part I didnt like, and I wont hunt unless I do it for food. However, I would not mind doing some wild pig hunting if I had the opportunity. Are they safe to eat ?
This is just my opinion, yours may vary and is no less valid.
- Me -

"I will never claim to be an expert, and it has been my experience that self proclaimed experts are usually self proclaimed."
-Me-

I must proof read more

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

65
I had a Scoutmaster who was a hunter and he fed us venison burgers. You could have a pure venison burger or go 50-50. Even at 50-50 it wasn't my thing, but if I were hungry enough I'm sure I could eat it.

There is something primal about camping and hunting. It's something our species has been doing for millions of years, and probably more humane than factory farming.

Of course we killed off most of the large mammals in the process.
"When and if fascism comes to America... it will be called, of course, ‘Americanism'." - Halford Luccock
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— Mikhail Bakunin
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Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

67
I liked hunting, but don't have the time to get out to the land. I grew up on a farm raising the food people eat. I've had to process my fair share of animals raised for that purpose. Cleaning chickens, ducks, geese, is similar enough. Same with cattle, pigs, deer.

Hunting seemed more natural. Overall, the farm animals had an easier life. Wild animals are cute and free, but also get eaten, starve, freeze to death, and die of diseases. I culled the rabbit population in the yard one year when they exploded and we're eating everything; including the siding on the house.

I had a deer on my back patio the other day. But no license and they frown on high powered rifle shots in town. It would have been a 5 yard shot from the kitchen table. They get tame around the parks here and I've almost hit them riding my bike around the lake at sunrise.

Several will end up getting into traffic and getting hit. Especially the new ones driven into town during hunting season. They're smart enough to realize where people shoot at them and where they don't.
Brian

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

68
What is stopping me lately is not on the list. Health. I have known I have degenerative disc disease for about fifteen years now. It has progressed with two blown discs, one at my c-6 c-7, the other, my l-3 l-4. The blown lumbar disc impinges on my spinal cord (spinal stenosis) and causes constant pain. It is a manageable pain but is always there. My legs go numb after about an hour of standing. I am limited to how much weight I can carry, as ultimately it bears on my lower back.

So... I'm limited to small critters (squirrels).
Bud.

"If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure"---- Dan Quayle, 1990.

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

69
begemot wrote:Lack of interest. I understand the allure and even the archetypal significance, but I already spend a lot of time outdoors, exploring and "stalking" various wildlife (like salamanders under logs) and don't feel a need to off them to achieve self-actualization. ;) Unless said amphibians threaten me with grievous bodily injury or death, in which case they feel the full wrath of my 9mm mall-ninja fury (regenerate this, mother#%*@ers!!!).


http://www.hornady.com/store/308-Win-168-gr-Z-MAX
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Seems there's a clear and present danger after all.
:fun:

I voted 'knowledge' but I'm working on it. I'm not in the UP of Michigan anymore, that's for sure. :lol:

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

70
I'd love to go hunting.

I just have no friends that do it. Didn't grow up in a hunting atmosphere and I'm just completely lacking in knowledge about it.

One of my best friends has a friend that I believe hunts. I've met him once or twice, seems like a cool guy. So this year I'm attempting to see if he'd be interested in a little mentoring. Maybe start off with turkey.
“We cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it.”
― Ernesto Che Guevara

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

72
I can hunt, but it is not necessary. We are not romantic about that stuff. We have too many of those hopping rats, commonly called whitetails, that retreat into the National Park or Forest out here after eating our corn and soybeans so we have any number/any time permits on non-antlered deer. But worst of all is that the damn things browse on my young apple trees, so no, I do not hunt, I slaughter. The stupid things rub their antlers on the bark of the young trees and destroy a $100/ tree in an instant so I use a $.75 Remington Corelock round to repay the favor. (Black bears can also take out a lot of corn in a hurry.)

As for real hunting - it can be a very cold wet business and the real danger is a sprained ankle or receiving an incoming round from an idiot. Both of those are rumored to be significant disincentives. :shock: Some of these bozos hunt "black deer" (angus cows) by mistake and there is nothing like the thrill of seeing buzzards circling your heard and seeing a dead $5000 breeding or seed stock cow on the ground with a bullet hole in it.

Best "hunting" is ground hogs. They destroy too and they are better off with us shooting them than being gassed with phosgene after destroying an expensive piece of farm equipment with their burrows. Also like to shoot coyotes - try for long shots on fence lines with a .243 - usually too far for my 30/30 - even with the 160g red tip Hornady ammo.

Truth be known, if everyone who had a hunting capable firearm was out there hunting there would be no game to hunt.

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

73
One does not have to kill anything to be a hunter. We are all predators and we are at the top of the food chain. Some people either don't realize that fact or they just refuse to acknowledge it but all of the animals in the woods know it. Go out and track and practice your hunting skills and if you can get close enough to take a picture of an animal you are a good hunter. I eat meat and have no problem with the ceremony of stalking killing and processing of my own meat, venison good and rare tastes better and is healthier then anything bought in the grocery store. Deer and rabbits squirrels and game birds all understand that and if you were able to ask them and if they could respond I'm sure they would rather be hunted and eaten by me than smeared across the highway by some semi.

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

74
dpfeifer wrote: I'd love to go hunting.

I just have no friends that do it. Didn't grow up in a hunting atmosphere and I'm just completely lacking in knowledge about it.

One of my best friends has a friend that I believe hunts. I've met him once or twice, seems like a cool guy. So this year I'm attempting to see if he'd be interested in a little mentoring. Maybe start off with turkey.
Turkeys are one of the most difficult critters to hunt. They can see your finger move one inch when they aren't even looking at you. They are exciting (and terribly frustrating) to hunt, but it's a 400 level class.

I'd grab a modified or full shotgun with high brass 6 game loads or a 22lr (probably start out with a shotgun) and head out to the squirrel woods. Your season starts Sept 1st so they are probably on shaggy bark hickory nuts like donkeykong before the acorns.

There you will learn how to stalk slowly and quietly. You'll occasional have deer and turkeys come in so you can hear what they sound like walking and what you can and can't get away with. You'll see deer beds, turkey feathers etc which will tell you what kind of territory they like.

Do that 2-3 years and I think you'll appreciate deer hunting more. Deer hunt 2-3 years and I think you'll appreciate turkey hunting more.

All of these 6 year olds deer hunting, I think the parents are doing them a terrible disservice. Yeah, they killed a deer but had zero idea how they did it. I think people should earn it.

Re: Whats Stopping You From Hunting?

75
curtism1234 wrote:
dpfeifer wrote: I'd love to go hunting.

I just have no friends that do it. Didn't grow up in a hunting atmosphere and I'm just completely lacking in knowledge about it.

One of my best friends has a friend that I believe hunts. I've met him once or twice, seems like a cool guy. So this year I'm attempting to see if he'd be interested in a little mentoring. Maybe start off with turkey.
Turkeys are one of the most difficult critters to hunt. They can see your finger move one inch when they aren't even looking at you. They are exciting (and terribly frustrating) to hunt, but it's a 400 level class.

I'd grab a modified or full shotgun with high brass 6 game loads or a 22lr (probably start out with a shotgun) and head out to the squirrel woods. Your season starts Sept 1st so they are probably on shaggy bark hickory nuts like donkeykong before the acorns.

There you will learn how to stalk slowly and quietly. You'll occasional have deer and turkeys come in so you can hear what they sound like walking and what you can and can't get away with. You'll see deer beds, turkey feathers etc which will tell you what kind of territory they like.

Do that 2-3 years and I think you'll appreciate deer hunting more. Deer hunt 2-3 years and I think you'll appreciate turkey hunting more.

All of these 6 year olds deer hunting, I think the parents are doing them a terrible disservice. Yeah, they killed a deer but had zero idea how they did it. I think people should earn it.
Thanks mucho!

See... now I didn't know 90% of that. Having a direction is a great thing!
“We cannot be sure of having something to live for unless we are willing to die for it.”
― Ernesto Che Guevara

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