Who Hunts?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Andy Voelkle "AxeMan" on July 21, 2010 at 23:12

Deer for over 50 years. I missed my first shot at age 12. My father really chided me on that error. Since then, I have always stealth hunted, and every single shot, almost 80 have been within a bullet diameter of dead between the eyes. Never had one take a step. Occasionally squirrels or rabbits to eat. I eat everything. Waste nothing. The only hunting for sport is terrorists.

Permalink Reply by Ben on July 21, 2010 at 23:28

I hunted pheasant and rabbit since I was prolly 12-13. Only have ever gotten pheasants in the fields because the rabbits are usually gone before I even realize that one just ran out in front of me. I started deer hunting back in high school and have only ever gotten one deer prolly 4-5 years ago. I get out about every year but I either don't see anything I can get a shot off at or it is a really young one that I am not going to shoot since it probably just lost its spots haha. I usually start out in a blind in the morning while they are moving around more and then closer to noon I get out of the blind and start walking around and that is how I got my deer a few years back.

Permalink Reply by D ale on July 22, 2010 at 8:03

I do I do .. part of growing up in a rural farming community .. southwest WI ..

.. squirrel, rabbit, crow, coyote, white tail.. on the farm

.. prairie dog .. coyote .. varmint .. northwest of Highmore SD

When I & my siblings manage to all get together back @ family farm .. friendly contests generally result ..

.. 2 of my bros instructing 2 of their nephews .. a .17 rem in the foregnd .. a .223 behind ..

..grew up w/ “you eat what you shoot” strictly enforced .. if Dad caught you shooting something & just letting it lay .. you lost gun privileges for a wk or so .. obvious exclusions for obvious varmints ..

.. nowadays .. shoot mostly paper ..

Permalink Reply by Matt Sherman on July 22, 2010 at 9:09

I have hunted all my life, that is how I got introduced to the outdoors, I hunt deer, turkey, squirrel, and any other varmint in my area. We eat most of what we shoot, the only way to do it.

Permalink Reply by Justin Dunn on July 28, 2010 at 10:12

I've hunted deer,turkey,squirrel,rabbit,coyote,pheasant,quail. I've been hunting since i was 10 when i got my first rabbit, since then i've been hooked on hunting anything i can. I like spot a stalk but sometimes i will sit in a stand. I was told if you don't want to eat what you kill then don't kill it so i only shoot things that i would like to eat. I like Andy's "the only hunting for sport is terrorists" line. Happy hunting.

Permalink Reply by Shlomo ben Maved on July 19, 2011 at 20:40

Waterfowl, upland and big game for over 50 years and I've been guiding at a fly-in hunting and fishing lodge in Arctic Canada for fourteen years--which I and four other owned until I sold out last year to retire.

To date I've taken three kinds of seal, walrus, musk ox, narwhal, coyote, all colours of foxes and wolves, moose, whitetail, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, big horn sheep, Rocky Mtn. goat, chamois, roe, fallow and red deer but I've never taken an elk.

I hunt blackpowder, archery and high power seasons and I also teach the mandatory hunter safety course (NRA Range Master) and northern survival courses.

I'm planning a hunting trip to New Zealand with cousins who live there, a bird (dove) shooting and fly fishing trip to Argentina and I really want to do Africa but only for plains game, warthog and lion--I'm not interested in elephant but really want a croc and hippo and I can take or leave Cape buffalo.

Permalink Reply by Jan Carter on July 19, 2011 at 20:50

Shlomo, someone on here does game hunting/guiding in Africa.  Let me think of who it is

Permalink Reply by johnny twoshoes on July 19, 2011 at 20:51

Shlomo, take the Cape.

I have absolutely no experience with exotic game hunting, but I've enjoyed more than a few books on the subject. One thing I always found, in my studies at least, was a deep respect for all things Cape Buffalo. I'm sure there are a few that hold the beast in a lower bracket of respect, but I wouldn't want to be unarmed around one. You've taken an impressive list of game, congrats to you on the many accomplishments. I'm sure you have more than a few good campfire tales for us.

 

I'm a new guy to the woods, in comparison to you. Other than the true American trophy whitetail, I've really not had the opportunity to take a wide variety of game. But, I enjoy the romance of a simple day afield, or a quiet trout stream. There are more than a few on your list that I would love to just see in the wild, but I'd take a couple on a chilly morning hunt as well.

 

Thank you for sharing with us a bit of your memory, I'd love to hear some good tales if you have the time.

Permalink Reply by johnny twoshoes on July 19, 2011 at 21:06

To answer the original question, yes I hunt.

Mostly small game, but we get out every year for Black Bear, Whitetail, and Turkey. I'm probably going to enter for the Elk drawing, but who knows how that will go. It would be an amazing experience for sure, so I'll try.

Permalink Reply by Shlomo ben Maved on July 20, 2011 at 1:29

Forgot to mention caribou and black bear in my list and my rifle (.303 British) was loaned to an Inuit friend of mine to take a polar bear.

[b]Johnny Two Shoes –-[/b] It isn't the animal I'm that concerned about but the rifles--I have nothing heavier then a 9.3x72Rmm double rifle which while adequate for lion just isn't my first choice for buffalo, plus it's also banned from taken the larger animals (minimum .375 H&H) in lots of countries…I sold my .416 Rigby when I retired—it was my EDC rifle at the lodge (polar bear country) and my .425 and .318 Westley Richards rifles were destroyed in a house fire.

I was hoping to use only two bolt guns, a 7x57mm Mauser (.275 Rigby) for the smaller herbivores and a .340 Weatherby for the larger…I’d pass on the lion if they wouldn’t allow me to shoot it with the .340 or I’d have to borrow one of the pH’s guns if it really meant that much to me once I’m there…Elephant poses problems getting the ivory or anything else of it back into Canada plus the $10,000 license fee is a little steep—unless you can get onto a Game Department culling shoot.

I’ve been looking for an older .450/400 3” Jeffrey rifle (double of a Farquharson single) and if I get that then I’ll take that rifle along, probably replacing the .340 but I really don’t want to travel with more then two guns—excess baggage charges are terrible overseas plus the costs of bringing in guns to the countries, along with the paperwork can be taxing.

Permalink Reply by johnny twoshoes on July 20, 2011 at 8:49

Shlomo, I understand your dilemma now.

Robert Ruark wrote, "Use Enough Gun". Well I wish you luck on your trip, but I also pray for safety. I'm sure there will me more than a few memorable moments for you on this trip. Shoot Straight my friend.

Permalink Reply by Shlomo ben Maved on July 20, 2011 at 15:11

Thank you and I'll endevour to.

I had almost all of Ruark's books, eleven (seven autographed 1st editions) of fifteen volumes but they burnt with the rifles in the house fire.

Now I only have the following:
Poor No More
Something Of Value
Uhuru
The Honey Badger -- The above deal with the African's side of the issues from Mau Mau onwards--excellent reading
The Old Man And The Boy
The Old Man's Boy Grows Older
The Old Man's Boy Grows Up -- The "Boy" series was his finest writing
Horn Of The Hunter -- All about horned/antlered game
Use Enough Gun

I just ordered new:
The Lost Classics Of Robert Ruark... Editor Jim Casada

I found and ordered from a used bookseller:
Robert Ruark's Africa
One For The Road

Still missing:
Grenadine's Etchings: Her Life And Loves
Grenadine's Spawn
I Didn't Know It Was Loaded -- I found a couple of used volumes but one was in horrendous condition and far too expensive for that state and the other thought it was gold and charged accordingly.

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