Why do you hunt???

Mark Vanderhoof

Mark Vanderhoof

Active member
there seems to be quite a bit of bickering on this site about this and that(the bickering is what keeps me away from other sites), BUT it reminds me that us duck hunters are a very passionate bunch. SO, why do you hunt? what draws you out there every fall? what makes it a way of life for some of you, year round? what part of the game that, if taken away would keep you from hunting? just trying to inspire some thought, not bickering. hope you guys are having an enjoyable season.
 
I simply love it. Love messing with decoys, love messing with the boat, love being on the water before daylight, love the challenge, love watching the ducks, keeping up the breeding number, pond counts, migration (or lack of!),etc.. Its just all good.
If I ever figure out exactly why, I'll probably quit.
 
"what part of the game that, if taken away would keep you from hunting?"

Pretty simple - take away the shooting of ducks and I'll quit. I can do all that other stuff and call it something else like nature photography, bird watching, spending time with my kids/buddies/other family members etc... but it is not hunting anymore.

With that said, it is not the only reason why I hunt nor the main reason.

Mark W
 
Last edited:
Well,,shucky darn bubba pooper scoopers....I don't think I see much nonsense on this site...mostly matter of opinions that are sometimes misunderstood in the translation from the written word to the mind.

I seem find the following people and topics at this site:

  • People that are several cuts above the average sky busting weekend warrior that is only interested in bragging rights to the most ducks or geese shot, with the biggest and baddest chessy to chew on your ass if you don't agree with them (ummm good they don't know where I might live).
  • Wood boat builders with above average skill and intelligence.
  • Courteous post.
  • Thoughtful, kind, and caring people that are willing to share knowledge, their duck hunts, and photos.
  • A few smart #$@%^(% like me with dry sense of humor that may or may not be understood,,,,,thus the flying ashtrays as Mr. Steve Sutton like to call them.
  • Plenty of duck boats in photo's and threads.
  • Motor discussions.
  • Decoy carvers with a bit of class (maybe a huge amount of class).
Just a good group of guys.

Now why do I hunt?? well if I were to climb mountains I might suggest just because they are there... But hunting ducks is on a simple plane of....Yes I like to hunt ducks. Therefore, I do... no creation of sophisticated mumbo jumbo apologetic nonsense to justify why I hunt......I am to much of a flying ashtray for that......

Now if you want to ask why I like to hunts ducks I could say:

  • The aesthetics of watching a sunrise peak though the fog on a chilly morning as the morning flights whistle overhead...
  • The dog as my buddy
  • The boat...
I could dribble on for many words but I think you all get the picture.

Matt
 
Hello Mark, My name is Kristan Sacharnoski and I am a duck hunter....

I hunt because of a deep passion of being in the outdoors...I believe if hunting was outlawed, I would be in the top 10 most wanted list by the FBI...A regular John Dillinger of the duck marsh...I'm like a crack addict that has to wake-up early tired as everything, put my gear on, drive countless hours, watch the sunrise, and sit with friends to bullshxt about life...The birds are just a tenth of what the hunt has to offer...

In fact this upcoming weekend I will get my fix by lay out hunting on my home waters of Kentucky and Barkley Lake with friends from all over the US...Can not wait for that fix...Did not sleep last night thinking about a dozen or so graybacks hitting the spread...Then Doc McCullough or Jeff popping some wit over the radio like, "Been Shooting Long" or "Did you reinstate your membership to PETA"...

Regards,

Kristan
AKA: FBI LIST: Special K, wanted by anti-hunters around the world! :)
 
I have always wondered why people don't hunt or fish. How do people get by not having an opening day to dream about? It seems so natural to me to go out and harvest natures bounty. Not that it is only the taking that appeals to me, it better not be because I don't always shoot something. I like to bird watch, c&r fishing and just being outside. But I do also like to see where meat comes from. I've been around the butchering of chickens, ducks and turkeys since before I can remember. It's not some blood lust but an appreciation for where food comes from. Sport hunting may not be an efficient way to get food but it is as close to being part of nature as most of us get.
There is also something about fooling an animal with all their wild instincts that appeals to me. That is the reason shooting a deer inside a fence has no appeal to me beyond killing it to butchering it.

Tim
 
I get asked this question many times when people find out I hunt. I tell them sleep is highly overrated...

Seriously though? For me it's all about the senses which are otherwise underappreciated when I am not hunting and which are addictive over time.
  • The sight of ducks with their landing gear out, dropping out of the sky to land in my decoy spread
  • The sound of ducks flying, hens calling, shells going into the gun, and the splash of the fallen bird into the water
  • The smell of mud, saltwater marsh, and gunsmoke
  • The feel of the soft feathers of a downed bird in my hand, the cold water that shocks my ungloved hand, and the bitter north wind on my cheek
  • The taste of saltwater on my lips from the marsh, hot tea & Clif bar that give me that little extra bit of warmth & energy when I need it
  • The small sense of pride that I have that I can successfully provide food and cook it for my family to eat - without having to pay someone else to do it for me in a politically correct way, out of sight, and out of mind.
An ex-girlfriend who knew a thing or two about hunting in general exclaimed that waterfowlers are the craziest bunch; they wake up at god-awful times, drive for hours, spend tons of money on equipment, go out in weather nobody else would dare go out into, to take a difficult shot at a small, fast moving target. I said "yeah, that sounds about right" :)

Anthony
 
If you throw in the enjoyment I get from spending time in the blind with my dog and watching him retrieve birds... Anthony pretty much sums it up.
 
My name is Bill Vullo and I'm addicted. I have been hunting waterfowl for 25 years. I do it simply for the pure enjoyment of getting out, watching the sun rise, being with the best of friends and dogs. I work in a stressful position and it's always been the most relaxing thing to me. I normally get up for work at 3am so why stop on the weekends...LoL. I don't care if it's cold, rainy (as long as the lightening isn't dancing) I'm willing to go. I save my vacation for it, and the best part is my wife letting me go no questions asked. we don't have to take a limit, it's seeing my son, my friends and I having a good time, and who can beat listening to the "War" stories even if you heard them a 1000 times.

Bill V
 
Combine Phil and Anthony'sanswers and there's little more to say. HOWEVER, as I was sitting
in the swamp this morning. I had neighbors shooting at 100yd singles multiple times while I had
flocks workingmy spread and was asking myself this very question!! They must have shot a box
of shells each and I never poped a cap. I think they got one duck!
I've got a lot to learn, John
 
I am on the water every day year round but I enjoy being on the water when no one else is around. Watching the sunrise with my dog close by and observing the winter wildlife in our area. I especially like watching the seals barking at us and playing around the boat or blind, driving my dog nuts. If I get a few ducks or geese, great if I don't thats ok also.
For me it is really more about having some quiet time on the water when all the $asshole are home in bed dreaming of their spring launch date. It also gives me a chance to have my dive gear overhauled so I can get ready to start diving again as soon as the waterfowl season ends.
Not to mention putting some food on the table that you provided is certainly a bonus.
 
Besides the fact that There is no place I'd rather be than afield, I like to hunt because there is nothing one can do from (nearly) cradle to grave that one can continue to learn and improve oneself doing as much as hunting.
We all should stop and think about the skill level required to harvest just one bird or mammal.
 
Anthony,,,

Funny how you associate Cliff bars and hunting....to me Cliff bars are related to long days in the field surveying fish habitat and running a field crew....another words work HAHAHA!! Not that the "work" isn't enjoyable...

Matt
 
Got to love the sounds of nature, the whistling of the wings hovering over head, or the sound a flock of teal or divers that come zooming past doing mach 5, sometimes I could swear I see smoke coming out the tail end. I love covering my boat trying to make it disappear with surrounding vegetation. From the hail call to feeding call trying to coax a flock of mallards in to the decoys. Can't say that I have ever seen a sunrise or sunset I didn’t like either.
 
You ask the question (Why do I hunt?) Thats not easy for me to answer.

I go because I am continually trying to get closer to the sport of waterfowling. When I was young I killed way more birds than I should have. I didn't know how to appreciate each and everyone I took. I thought my manhood was based on coming home with a limit each time. What a shame. I didn't have a father or mentor to help me along the way. So as I grew older, I learned how precious each bird meant to me. I slowly learned to carve my own decoys and again got closer to the sport. I tried many different boats over the years and finally settled in on an Estuary, Again I got closer to the sport. I went from a 10ga. to a 12ga. and now I am using a 20ga. for me it was getting closer to the sport. I love to do overnight hunts in the fall each year using my Estuary and having my best buddy with me "River" my water Spaniel. Again it makes me feel closer to the sport. I am now and have been using for quite some time a sxs because it make me feel closer to the sport. I am now trying to shoot only drakes, which has taken me a long time to get to this. Im not opposed to other hunters taking hens it just makes me feel closer to the sport. I still fail on occasion, when the hunting is so painfully slow. I love having other carvers decoys in my set as it makes me feel closer to the sport. I love photographing birds while out hunting because it makes me feel closer to the sport. But most of all, I handle each duck or goose I take with the most high respect. In my photo's, hopefully you will notice no blood and all feathers in place. I am a little anal in this regard. God let me have dominion over them and I have learned to appreciate them to the fullest. I am a very lucky man, as I have spent more days in the marsh over the last 40 yrs. than most and I never want to have that taken away. Thanks for letting me ramble on. And guess what, Im still trying to get closer to the sport.

Gary March

img4374tb4.jpg

 
Gary,

I use a 20 on occasion and never felt the supposed handicap. Just pick your shots as you well know, nice and close, but then again I do the same with the 12.

I enjoy the photos that you post.

Matt
 
"To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women".

Oh wait....that was a different Barbarian that no one liked......

Steve
 
Steve you seem more like the "falcon on your wrist, wind in your hair" kind of barbarian.

Tim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top