Anyone around my area who wants to learn to hunt is more than welcome to come with me.

These days, when I do hunt, it's solely for food. I'm not a huge fan of sport hunting any longer. My wife will not eat squirrel or rabbit, and I therefore rarely hunt those. She will eat venison, so we need to get a chest freezer. That may need to wait, because we moved from the country to apartments in the city so that the kids could have playmates. That was probably a mistake as these apartments -- where my wife lived as a kid and I lived briefly as a 10-year-old after moving here with my parents -- are now overrun with drugs. We need to get back out into the country and into a house of our own. It's claustrophobic for me here, too!

Still, it's a matter of stuffing a load into the muzzleloader, sitting under a tree for a bit (hate tree stands), and then shooting a deer. There's no real thrill in it like there was. I have a feeling, too, that I score more hits than other hunters because there's no excitement and, therefore, focus is improved.

I do like to teach, and am more than happy to show others how to hunt (beyond the hunter's safety course!) and track, and do whatever. I take a rifle or shotgun, generally, but am not concerned about making the shot.

My boy, Vance, is currently being taught marksmanship. He wants to hunt, but is unsure about eating his kill. I'll not be teaching him until I'm confident that he will eat it.

Fishing, on the other hand, is a different story. I like to catch and release bass. If I ever have to fish for food, I'm confident I can do so.

The world ends, and my family and I will eat well.

Josh

Here are a few articles. These websites are good resources for people to learn about hunting, where to hunt, and how. One is titled specific to the Northeast. However the same program is available in Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Ohio, and perhaps other states. As a matter of fact next year (fall of 2019) the state of Michigan is administering a trial program.

https://thebirdhuntingsociety.weebly.com/high-quality-pheasant-hunting-in-the-northeast.html

https://thebirdhuntingsociety.weebly.com/how-to-retrieve-birds-without-a-dog.html

https://thebirdhuntingsociety.weebly.com/outsmarting-pressured-pheasant.html

https://thebirdhuntingsociety.weebly.com/hunting-pheasant.html

https://nydovehunting.weebly.com/hunting-for-groceries-with-your-dog.html

https://nydovehunting.weebly.com/blog/gardening-growing-harvesting-and-hunting

My choice wasn't listed. "Interest"

Flawed poll.

I don't hunt because it is against my beliefs to kill for fun or food.

SailDesign wrote: Fri May 17, 2019 8:24 pm My choice wasn't listed. "Interest"

ya, me too. but i figure this poll wasn't intended for us.
when i was a teen i used to spearfish, snorkel, mask and fins and a hawaiian sling. i understand about getting out of your own element and the thrill of the chase and all that, but the good part ended when i heard the thunk of the spear in flesh. so it's been over 40 years and i don't miss it. if i want to prove that i can still sneak up on something and get a critter in the crosshairs, a camera works fine.
i don't condemn or look down on people who hunt for food, it's just not for me.

I think hunting is a lot easier if you have been doing it in your area for a while.

I haven't been on a hunt since I lived in Alaska - and then, friends took me with them.

I would probably like to go deer or elk hunting once every few years, but like golf, very occasional hunting is difficult.

The amount of equipment, clothing, licenses, etc. I would need to buy to go hunting would be considerable. It is this inertia that has kept me from hunting since 1980.

My inference of the replies to the poll (most of them) was that those respondents needed various resources to get into hunting. I also inferred that was the context of the poll. Thus, I provided several links that address the same. In addition, by navigating away from that material, a reader can access other articles.

We are not defined by those hunters that do not eat what they harvest, and we make an effort to enlighten them. I have been hunting since 1974 and since then I met one hunter who gave all of his meat away to people who like it but do not hunt, and two fishermen who did the same. Everyone else used it for their table, and if they had extra gave it to neighbors or other acquaintances. I can not speak to the relatively recent (ten or fifteen years) practice of donating wild game to poor people through food banks, sign up lists, etc. One can argue (anti hunters can argue anything) that participants are disingeniuos. IDK or care. Motivism does not change affect. If poor people are getting food the motive does not matter.

I've honestly just always been intimidated by it. i took hunter's safety and bowhunter's safety as a kid because I had the interest, but no one to take me hunting. I'm finally getting back into owning guns and plan on going small game hunting soon.

tarkellyt wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 11:13 pm I've honestly just always been intimidated by it. i took hunter's safety and bowhunter's safety as a kid because I had the interest, but no one to take me hunting. I'm finally getting back into owning guns and plan on going small game hunting soon.

I always encourage people to get out shed hunting. Learn the terrain and animal patterns ahead of needing a gun.

Old age, bad hips, piss poor physical conditioning, failing eyesight and sold all my rifles but the 22s.

Deer leases and guided hunts in general are hella expensive in TX.

58Hawken wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 12:24 pm

tarkellyt wrote: Sun May 17, 2020 11:13 pm I've honestly just always been intimidated by it. i took hunter's safety and bowhunter's safety as a kid because I had the interest, but no one to take me hunting. I'm finally getting back into owning guns and plan on going small game hunting soon.

I always encourage people to get out shed hunting. Learn the terrain and animal patterns ahead of needing a gun.

This is actually good advice. Honestly, any excuse to just get out there will probably make me feel a lot more comfortable before I actually go hunting. I guess it’s probably too late in the year for that already?

tarkellyt wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 10:24 pm

58Hawken wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 12:24 pm I always encourage people to get out shed hunting. Learn the terrain and animal patterns ahead of needing a gun.

This is actually good advice. Honestly, any excuse to just get out there will probably make me feel a lot more comfortable before I actually go hunting. I guess it’s probably too late in the year for that already?

Sheds are still out there unless they've been picked up. Always good to get out and get off trail looking for fresh sign. The best hunters will have their animal picked out for opening day because they know where they're going to be from studying the patterns all year.

One method I've heard is to take a map of the area and scout every inch within a 1/4 mile of the trail. Mark every scat pile, track, scrape, and bed you find. When you start seeing the animals' trail show up on the map vs the human trail, follow it and do the same.

Interesting that this seems to be all about deer hunting. No birds?

I don't like hunting. I really enjoy going out with friends and hiking, with guns. But the actual hunting part of it turns me off.

A big part of that, and also why I don't like fishing, is that I make a disgusting mess of cleaning it out.

I am more likely to encourage someone else to take the shot, then it is their problem, not mine. I realize it sometimes confuses people, I have a good hunting rifle (ok, more than one), but I just don't like to take the shot.

There is also the point that I recently moved from Northern California to Kansas. I understand the available land, and the rules for hunting, there. Here in Kansas, I have no idea where to go hunting. I could ask at the lodge, but then I would be obligated to go. I am more of an informal target shooter. However, once things open again I may try bullseye; but hunting, I am just not excited about it.

Interesting that this seems to be all about deer hunting. No birds?

Birds, I can admit, I have gone out and never managed to hit one.

A friend and used to do upland on Black Friday. Our wives went shopping and we went hunting. That was enjoyable. There I did hit a few. But an absolute zero on ducks.

The soul in this body has done enough killing.

CDFingers

CDFingers wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 9:00 pm The soul in this body has done enough killing.

CDFingers

Yeah...that.

bajajoaquin wrote:Interesting that this seems to be all about deer hunting. No birds?

Ok, yes. Dove hunting is great and I try to get out at least once a season. My only hindrance to it is that peak season usually happens when I'm out of state and on vacation.

Perhaps COVID travel restrictions will actually keep me close this Fall.

bajajoaquin wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 3:18 pm Interesting that this seems to be all about deer hunting. No birds?

Same challenges. I take a grouse trip once a year up the mountain. Not successful yet. Turkeys are hardest sumbitches to hunt ever. Money and time for decoys for waterfowl. Not much public space for upland to make it worth it for my time.

Too many people in the lower 48.

I have all of the items on the list. I frequently see deer in my front yard. I quit hunting, years ago, because I got where I couldn't stand to kill any more. I would rather watch wild game than shoot it.

If that wasn't enough, two days ago, picking wild blueberries, I got into an apparent nest of red-bugs, Chiggers to you yanks. I probably have five hundred bites from the nasty little bastards and every one itches like hell. I have been applying every fix known to man and am not getting much relief. The itching is the only thing that has me up this time of night.....

May need prednisone to control the itching. Apparently chiggers don't cause disease but scratching the intense itching can cause infections.

seems like i read somewhere that kerosene applied topically kills them, one of those old-timey hillbilly remedies. supposed to work on poison ivy too.

lurker wrote: Sun Jun 21, 2020 1:31 am seems like i read somewhere that kerosene applied topically kills them, one of those old-timey hillbilly remedies. supposed to work on poison ivy too.

Only if you apply it directly on the chigger before it bites you.

Ugh. Chiggers.