How do you feel about big game hunting? How has bird hunting changed that?

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michael barnes

Active member
Since I got into duck hunting, deer hunting dosnt "do it" for me anymore. This year I got nearly 100% exclusive acess to a farm to hunt, over run with deer, and I just dont feel as excited as I once would have, 2-3 years ago. This is the first time I have ever had a large piece of private land as well. Dont get me wrong, I have nothing against deer hunting, and will do my best to kill several for the meat, but its just different since I began duck hunting. Theres just something that cant compare to the marsh at sunrise, or the sound of marsh hens cackling. The feeling of out smarting a pair of black ducks, as they pitch into your decoys, and a subconscious shot drops one. Shooting a deer just dosnt compare for me. And yes, Im not an unsuccesful deer hunter looking for excuses. I have killed quite a few deer with nearly every weapon imaginable. longbows to the most modern compound, buckshot in the brush to a rifle that will centerpunch dimes all day. No matter how I shoot deer, it just feels cheapened some how. How do you all feel? Do you big game hunt? Has duck or upland bird hunting changed the way you feel about it?
 
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I've never shot a deer. How about inviting me down to the farm to shoot one and then I''ll tell you how I feel?

I kinda gave up on the pheasant and quail hunting because I was tired of shooting "chickens" that were put out the night before. I could hunt ducks all day and not see boo but still have a great time doing it.

Seriously....how about let me take a wack at the deer.....hehehe
 
Come out to Montana to hunt upland, (pheasants, sharptail and hungarian partridge), all of our birds are totally wild and kind of hard to hunt, but it's worth it. I've always hunted both big game, waterfowl and upland, but waterfowl and all it intials is my favorite. Getting into retrievers, training and running them has shifted me even more to the birds, so to speak. Now I go out a few times during general season just to put meat in the freezer.

John
 
I like waterfowling stuff and the birds better then deer but to be honest it has been a long time since a duck rattled me like a deer can. Last fall when I had a doe and fawn walk directly below me while in a low stand I thought she would hear my heart pounding...and I had a buck only tag. The little buck I did shoot was so quick it didn't get the adrenaline flowing until after the shot. I guess two geese that decoyed in great early this year were about the same type of feeling and a crazy flock of teal can make it hard to concentrate. Maybe I'm lucky, both seem to do it for me. I don't deer hunt as often as I use to but if thats all I had I could be happy, but I like variety.

Tim
 
I've been a duck hunter in a duck family since birth. I'm the only one in my tribe that hunts deer and I've been doing it since I was 13.

Deer hunting is usually painfully boring for me. In fact, unless there is a good group of friends to join, I've come to the opinion that deer hunting isn't even really worth pursuing except in South Dakota. I really like venison and the fact that one shot can yield 40 pounds of meat.

Deer hunting is a quiet, solitary and sedentary sport where you hope for one shot. Duck hunting (for me) almost always includes a dog, decoy setting and picking, using a boat, usually visiting with a friend, you don't have to sit still except when you actually see ducks moving. And on a great day you might actually burn up a whole box of shells, rather than just one precise shot.

NR
 
Michael,

Growing up in Ohio I started out hunting squirrel, rabbit, grouse, and deer. After I started hunting duck, I gave up on deer hunting. Sitting in a tree waiting to spring the "ambush" just does not seem to appeal anymore. Still love to hunt quail, pheasant, dove, or any other bird when the opportunity arises.

-Bill
 
I like to do lots of different kinds of hunting. Geese are my least favorite game. It just seems like too much work to set up. Deer and elk are fun and my favorite part of that was always the camping that went with it. I haven't done it for years because I don't have enough time. Several of us always went together. We chipped in for food and set up camp about two days before the season started. The first day we would set up our tents and campers, chop a bunch of wood and get all set up. We used to bring a generator, TV and VCR along so we could watch movies in the evening. One of the guys was gourmet cook. He would make incredible things including fancy desserts.

Duck hunting is fun for me because I can talk to whoever I am with. Deer hunting is silent. With ducks I can talk about last weekend or next weekend, or whatever. I like using the call and working the birds. I love watching the dogs do their thing. Once I get set up, the birds come to me (what could be easier?).
 
I gave up deer hunting. I can't eat an entire deer before it gets freezer burnt. My friends are into it, and if I want a taste of venison they'll bring it over. We are over run with deer out here, farmers and others want to eliminate them.

Over the years, I watch our quail population dwindle away and coincidently the deer population escalate. My gut says the quail are gone because the deer ate everything the quail needed to hide and feed. I'll go deer hunting again, someday, but the bird season is where my heart and mind belong.
 
Today is opening day here in Michigan but I haven't hunted deer since 1993 and more than likely won't do so again unless its the muzzle loader season in December. We, my 2 sons and I, lost a farm we had access to in 1992 so we reverted back to the state land I grew up hunting on for almost 20 years. Unfortunately, having a guy who show up 5 minutes before legal shooting time and sitting down 30 yards from me after ignoring my flashlight in his face, then blasting a doe no more than 20 yards from me, (he didn't have a permit, "thought it had horns") showed me the futility and danger of trying to hunt public land in Michigan. That and the unchecked clear cutting of public land which may be great for the grouse (which I now pursue more than ducks) but played heck on the deer herd, I no longer think its worthwhile. The only reason I may give muzzle loader season a shot (pun intended) is that I have been told there are substantially less people than regular rifle season but due to the lack of deer on state land, I don't think bagging one is in the cards and I'm just not into it enough anymore to spend time knocking on doors for access to private land.
 
Great post Mike; it's been fun reading the replies. I've often somewhat philosophically pondered this myself at times since I've done both.

Seeing a whitetail or other big game species in the wild certainly gets my heart pumping. They are majestic creatures. But there is something, actually a lot of things, about Upland and Waterfowl hunting that makes me ga ga. For example:

DOGS! Ever since my hero (my Dad) brought home my first hunting companion, a GSP, I was hooked on hunting with dogs. Watching a dog hunt upland species is a great thrill for me. It never ceases to amaze me how the hunting breeds can sift through all the distracting scents and zero in on a bird scent. Then to have the trait of either pointing or flushing... how cool is that?! Additionally, when waterfowling, watching a dog scan the skies, mark a fallen duck, make a great retrieve, and have by your side in the blind also brings great joy. I can't get enough of them and hence the reason I've had hunting dogs for over 25 years.

My wife says I'm hyper. I'm really not (well, maybe a little) as evidenced by my ability to sit in a duck blind all day. But in my humble opinion, there is nothing finer than the aerobic activity of walking (sometimes running!) through fields and woods watching good dogs trail bird scent. It's a blast seeing a dog get more and more excited and intense as it gets closer to its quarry. Then to have the cardiac-arresting, exploding flush of a wily ringneck, an elusive grouse, or a covey of quail at the end of the trail; it's the pinnacle of success and what keeps me coming back. It's also what makes upland my absolute favorite.

Camaraderie. Big game hunting for the most part is a solitary sport, which is why many like it, and that is great. Upland bird and waterfowl hunting can be solitary if one chooses, but I appreciate the company of a good friend or friends. I don't have to elaborate on the "good" either; you all know what I mean. Having a good friend or friends in the field or in the blind, working together and/or hunting side-by-side to share in the moment is icing on the cake. It's also where the best stories come from, which adds to our hunting heritage.

Variety. My good friend Forrest Gump once said, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get." That is what makes waterfowling so fun... and challenging. By the way, Forrest is a one helluva waterfowler! Waterfowling is hunting's "box of chocolates." Greenheads, Redheads, Green Wings, Blue Wings, Blacks, Goldeneyes, Cans, Cannots (the ones I miss), etc., etc., etc. They say "variety is the spice of life". How much more variety can one get?! Then add on glorious sunrises and sunsets with either the background music of the marsh or the still of silence, and that's what makes the waterfowling way of life my #2 hunting favorite for me.

These are some of the reasons why I focus on "bird hunting" these days.

P.S. I always am looking to share hunting trips with "good" sports if anyone is interested. I have two good upland dogs and will travel! ;^)
 
I bow hunt until it ices up, then concentrate on waterfowl.

For me it comes down to what I can process and use. No way we can eat as many ducks per year as I can shoot - we like duck, but I get real tired of it, especially out of the freezer. We can eat 4 deer easy, so that is what I fill the freezer with - deer have a lower contaminant load too. If we had good numbers of upland birds, no question, I would upland hunt a lot. If I was out west and could fill the freezer with pheasants, forest grouse, quail and chukar, I'd be all over that (then again, I'd want an elk in the freezer too).

I love wingshooting and consider it among the most beautiful of skills, but I will say like Tim pointed out, there is the way deer (and turkies) get your heart pumping. Is it turkie season yet?!?!?
 
I agree with everything everyone has posted. I had a honest 150 class buck 25 yards from me a season or two ago, on the ground with a bow. The wind swirled, and he just disappeared. Duck hunting has never given me a single big rush like I experienced with that buck, but it has let me experience a peaceful beauty that deer hunting has never given me. It also offers several different things that are just as much, if not more, enjoyable then the actual hunting. Boats, decoys, guns, all of these could be a way of life on their own, but throw hunting into the mix of it, and you have amazing experience. I like duck ok, but my family much prefers venison and I'll be chasing deer to fill the freezer, and will enjoy every minute of it. I guess both offer, for me, two completely different experiences, both good.
Turkey? I was wondering when they would come up. In my area, turkey are finally spreading into my woods, and I hope to be able to get on one come spring, and find out what all the fuss is about.
 
I agree with everything everyone has posted. I had a honest 150 class buck 25 yards from me a season or two ago, on the ground with a bow. The wind swirled, and he just disappeared. Duck hunting has never given me a single big rush like I experienced with that buck, but it has let me experience a peaceful beauty that deer hunting has never given me. It also offers several different things that are just as much, if not more, enjoyable then the actual hunting. Boats, decoys, guns, all of these could be a way of life on their own, but throw hunting into the mix of it, and you have amazing experience. I like duck ok, but my family much prefers venison and I'll be chasing deer to fill the freezer, and will enjoy every minute of it. I guess both offer, for me, two completely different experiences, both good.
Turkey? I was wondering when they would come up. In my area, turkey are finally spreading into my woods, and I hope to be able to get on one come spring, and find out what all the fuss is about.
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Turkies are good stuff - they don't do much for filling the freezer though, I shot 5 longbeards last year and only part of one made it into the freezer :).
 
I used to deer hunt quite a bit, never a trophy hunter, just liked to be in the woods and a chance to see all the wildlife.
Now its almost all ducks for me, I like deer hunting, I LOVE duck hunting.
If I go for deer, it is to sit over a green field and wack a doe for the freezer.

The only thing close to duck hunting for me it turky Hunting. Nothing rattles me like a big gobbler!
 
The older I get, the more I like big game hunting, especially elk. I absolutely enjoy all the things you guys have been talking about on waterfowl hunting, but still hunting in the dense forest of northwest Oregon is very personal, almost religious, even if it's not often successfull. Sometimes it getting soaked, depressed, and disgruntled, but I've had that waterfowling too. I'm not a trophy hunter, I'm too out of shape to get back where trophy game lives, and I'm not especially good at spotting game animals, especially at long distance. So I usually spend my time mosying through where I suspect deer or elk to be holed up, and get one often enough to keep going. My shots are usually at very close range, and it's real personal. I've smelled elk before, and I don't have a real good sense of smell. When I smell 'em it gets real intense.The cold practical, and sometimes lazy side of me wonders while I still do it, but the apeman in me still loves it.
 
Michael,
Growing up on a farm in W. Mass our big game was rabbit and wood chucks. Tree rats were prized too. Deer were not common. But Birds were the thing for the hunters that mentored us as kids.
Only the real big guys got to head off to VT or Maine to deer hunt.
So ducks and upland birds took a real front row.

But now that I live in a zone of CT that is over run with deer I have added that to the menu of Fall Gathering, after many seasons of cutting up others deer for a game dinner I help with.

It is the Bow that makes the hunt. Because we have v. good numbers of animals, game sighting is not uncommon. And getting a shot is likely if you do your work scouting. One of the most rewarding aspects of the hunt for me has been involvement with the QDMA. Like DU it brings you an understanding about the species and the habitat. But Deer are not migratory so an individual can have a positive impact locally on his hunting ground. Very satisfying way to get closer to the land. And that is what hunting is for me. An excuse to get away from the work and get into the woods\marsh\swamp. The harvest is a big part of it for me because I feel so strongly that my peers are disconnected from the food that hits their plate. That doesn't mean I need or want to limit, but I sure want to eat as part of the experience, and darn if deer dont taste really good. I rifle\shotgun\muzzle load(flint lock) because I dont want to let any of them not be a part of the future for the next generation of hunters. But I don't get to do it all each year as there just are not enough days.

So,,,, I fit both in. But I do love the sunrise on the water about as much as anything in life and ducks get me there.

Don't even bring up off shore fishing!
 
The older I get, the more I like big game hunting, especially elk. I absolutely enjoy all the things you guys have been talking about on waterfowl hunting, but still hunting in the dense forest of northwest Oregon is very personal, almost religious, even if it's not often successfull. Sometimes it getting soaked, depressed, and disgruntled, but I've had that waterfowling too. I'm not a trophy hunter, I'm too out of shape to get back where trophy game lives, and I'm not especially good at spotting game animals, especially at long distance. So I usually spend my time mosying through where I suspect deer or elk to be holed up, and get one often enough to keep going. My shots are usually at very close range, and it's real personal. I've smelled elk before, and I don't have a real good sense of smell. When I smell 'em it gets real intense.The cold practical, and sometimes lazy side of me wonders while I still do it, but the apeman in me still loves it.
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Matt,

The way you describe it sounds great and it sounds it is coming from a true sportsman. Living the good life. I need to get out there for about 20-25 years.

T
 
We've got a spare bedroom if you want to come out and try it. My elk season this year runs through thanksgiving week, but I have to go out of the game management area I live in to hunt this year, as I wasn't successfull drawing a tag. Instead of driving a mile to hunt, it'll be more like 30 miles. My wife doesn't want me to get one though, were still eating the last one. Since I'll be hunting areas that are all new to me, she's probably safe.
 
We've got a spare bedroom if you want to come out and try it. My elk season this year runs through thanksgiving week, but I have to go out of the game management area I live in to hunt this year, as I wasn't successfull drawing a tag. Instead of driving a mile to hunt, it'll be more like 30 miles. My wife doesn't want me to get one though, were still eating the last one. Since I'll be hunting areas that are all new to me, she's probably safe.
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I just booked a flight, I'll be out mid-day on Thursday :). I suppose I'll have to buy a new rifle too :). Well, either way, tell us some stories about your adventures this year, you have a way with the elk stories that I like.

T
 
At the moment, I'm loving deer hunting... I sorta just quit my job because it was getting in the way of hunting. It's a long story, but for today, I chose deer hunting at 3:00 over working late. Duck hunting in DE sucks... there's a lot of hunting pressure and most hunters swear theyr'e the best on the planet. Big ego's make uncomfortable situations, that's why I keep a low profile around here - just keep to myself and my friends.
After Novemeber, when all the deer go into their underground tunnel system (which I swear exists), I'll get back into duck hunting and love it more than anything else. I tend to switch with the wind, and come and go with the tide.
 
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