What is Hunting?

[shortwave]

What is Hunting?

Legal definition according to Ohio's Hunting and Trapping Regulations:

Hunting means pursuing, shooting, killing, following after or on the trail of, lying in wait for, shooting at, or wounding wild birds or wild quadrupeds while employing any device commonly used to kill or wound wild birds or wild quadrupeds whether such acts result in such killing or wounding or not. It includes every attempt to kill or wound and every act of assistance to any other person in killing or wounding or attempting to kill or wound wild birds or wild quadrupeds.

Your states hunting regs. should have their definition written as well.

For those that preach against hunting food plots:
Do you ever hunt a stand of Oaks/Beechs or other fruit bearing tree's ?
Do you ever hunt close to a corn/bean/alfalfa field or a honeysuckle patch?
Do you ever hunt by a pond or stream by chance?
We all know deer have to have water.

For those ranting against stand hunting:
Have you ever stalked a deer and skirted around it, getting ahead of your quarry and waited in ambush where you thought the deer was going to show up(one of my fav. hunting technique's)?
You may have been guilty of stand hunting.


For those that don't believe in stand hunting OR hunting food plots, I feel sorry for you guys.



You have limited your hunting to stalking deer(remember-no ambush allowed) in the desert or walking straight to deer bedding area and shooting the deer while he's asleep and not browsing that natural food plot he lives in.

Some hunter's don't believe in wearing camo and deer scents.
Others don't believe in hunting with long range rifle's.

If I ever make it out to the Sahara Desert and see a naked guy wondering around, I'll know I've met a true hunter.

This deer hunting business gets more complicated the older I get

[jephthai]

One of the crazy family stories is that my great uncle jumped out of a tree onto a deer and killed it with his knife.

I guess that's really hunting.

[jephthai]

Legal definition according to Ohio's Hunting and Trapping Regulations:

Hmm -- that made me look at my own state. So, Louisiana says:

(71) "Hunt" means, in different tenses, attempting to take.

And "take" means:

...in its different tenses, the attempt or act of hooking, pursuing, netting, capturing, snaring, trapping, shooting, hunting, wounding, or killing by any means or device.

I guess it's circular, since hunt means to take which can mean pursuing, hunting (!), or killing. So I guess I can live with that .

[psychobily]

Quote:
One of the crazy family stories is that my great uncle jumped out of a tree onto a deer and killed it with his knife.
I guess that's really hunting.

LMAO, and one time at band camp.....

[Crankylove]

"Hunting" means different things to different people. It varies based on the game you are after, the area of the country you are hunting in, and the type of land you are hunting on, and your personal likes and dislikes.

For me, the methods I use for hunting deer, elk, and antelope out west, are much different than the way people may hunt in, say, New York, Georgia, or Ohio. Different areas require different approaches. For me, hunting out of a stand isn't really feasible, whereas it may be the only option for someone with no access to public land and is limited to a few acres in a hunting lease. I have a couple hundred square miles to find elk in my hunting unit here, and it requires getting out in the hills and finding the elk. Hiking 10-12 miles in a day is not uncommon, and shots vary from point blank thru the trees, to 300-400 yards across a meadow. In areas with no public land (or very limited amounts or access) to hunt on, using a stand and taking shots at much shorter ranges may be the only way to go about it.

Just because the methods are different, doesn't make any of them better, or worse than the others, just different. Choose the method that suits you and enjoy.

[hogdogs]

So am I a hunter? I find (hunt) for places with feral swine... I turn out a dog or 3... When the bulldog has it caught, I go in and grab the hog by the back legs and put it on it's side...
Then I tie it up and haul it home... No guns, no bow, no stand and no camo...

It is then dispatched and butchered at home...

Or am I just farming free range piggies?
Brent

[shortwave]

hogdogs,

By Ohio's legal standards you are a "Hunter" cause you are 'pursuing'.
By my standards you are a 'Hunter thats a bit touched'.

I'd still like t find the time to come down and go on one of those hunt with ya! Guess I'm 'a bit touched' also .

[Baryngyl]

Bud Helms

You sure can't run 'em down, can you?

A long long time ago (35+ years counts as a long long time right?) when I was 14 or 15 years old, I heard a story about an Indian that ran a deer down and caught it for food.

So I decided to try it one day and went out and found a doe, I started walking toward her, when she ran I started jogging after her, after a bit of following I noticed she would stay pretty much in the same area (about ½ mile by ½ mile area) so I started taking short cuts and would get there about the same time or just right behind her. This had her running probably 2 times as far as me all the time so she got more tired than I did.
After about 2½ hours she was getting tired enuf and use to me sticking right with her I was able to get about 3 feet from her (I could almost reach out and touch her) before she would start to run, about the time it got to where I thought I would probably be able to actually catcher her in the next ½ hour to 45 minutes it was getting dark and I had to give up and go home.

Now a lot older, wiser and hurting I would never be able to try this again if I wanted to, and I would not want to unless it was an emergency situation where it was needed for food as I am sure running her that hard and long was not good for her now that I am older and know more.

Michael Grace

[hooligan1]

Sounds like many people here believe that the act of hunting is to pursue and "take" game....Also I might add, however us individuals "take" our quarry, by all three means Stand,Still,Driving, and they are all right, The American Indian used all methods,, bottom line here is what You decide is right for you. For me the hunt starts as much as a month before or even early fall when I get serious practice with my weapons of choice, getting my clothes ready, and yes my kids clothes also, because I enjoy it.. Me and my sons start to remember hunting trips of old, I even tell them of a few they never heard..My hunting deer, with my children, is a way to reconnect with them. All year long, I guess I'm not so interesting to them, but come the week leading up to opener, I'm the proffessor of a long lost art or something. One of them always needs my help, with the laundry steps. My daughter gets so excited, leading up to the day, it's magical, the look in her eye. Nope for me hunting is about my family, We stand hunt because wer'e successful this way. If it's wrong, so be it, My lone wolf hunting days are gone hopefully forever!!! You boy's hunt however you want to!!I won't judge. its not our place to judge... HAPPY HUNTING AND BE DAMN SAFE!!!!

[Art Eatman]

I pretty much go along with ZeroJunk. Whatever works is good. I've not seen a cougar heading out across country in hopes something good might happen. They tend to sit, wait and pounce. (They'll also nosh on kitchen-scrap leftovers, but that's another story.)

I know of millions of acres of gently rolling brush country where if you don't sit in some sort of stand, you ain't gonna eat deer meat--except maybe roadkill.

I prefer walking ridges, kicking Bambi out of bed to see if he's worth shooting. That's fun. But I've done a "hunter's doze" snooze on a hillside, arousing to shoot a pretty nice buck.

I figure the terrain and vegetation tells me how I'm gonna hunt.

[Double Naught Spy]

The differences of opinion seem to go back to George Carlin's notion of driver where anyone who drives faster than him is an idiot and anyone driving slower is a moron. In other words, a lot of folks feel that if you aren't hunting to their standards, then you aren't actually hunting.

In many cases such as the OP, it seems that some smarter methods of taking game aren't considered hunting because of an apparently lack of sweat equity or effort in the process. This seems to go back to the notion of "fair chase."

From http://www.huntfairchase.com/index.p...ion/ethics.why
FAIR CHASE BY DEFINITION

"Fair Chase" is the original code of conduct first used by Boone and Crockett Club members in the early 1890s at a time when sportsmen emerged as the guardians over our game animals and birds. It was defined as the ethical, sportsmanlike, lawful pursuit, and taking of any free-ranging wild, native North American big game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals.

Ironically, the use of firearms which meant they hunter could kill prey from distances at which the prey may not be able to sense the hunter was not considered to be unfair or an improper advantage over the animal, LOL.

Along the lines of Boone and Crockett, however, "lawful pursuit" does not necessarily mean a chase or stalk of said game, but a going out for the purpose of attaining game legally.

Funny thing, I know a lot of duck hunters and absolutely none of them chase ducks in any form or fashion, though I would pay good money to see a bunch of guys in camo running across an open field after flying ducks. Sure, they may have to walk a short distance to pick up a dead duck fallen from the sky or to dispatch one that wasn't a clean kill, but that is hardly what anyone would consider as a pursuit or chase. Yet, nobody seems to think of them as being anything other than hunters, thought they all use some form stationary "lay in wait" tactics just like many deer hunters do with stands and blinds. There doesn't appear to be any sort of rift between duck hunters and those that they consider to be duck harvesters. More irony.

[jephthai]

Along the lines of Boone and Crockett, however, "lawful pursuit" does not necessarily mean a chase or stalk of said game, but a going out for the purpose of attaining game legally.

I tried to make the point with my coworker that "pursuit" doesn't necessarily mean "chase". For example, Information Security is a professional pursuit of mine. He didn't buy it, but I'm pretty sure he's just trying to be ornery.

The big difference between harvesting corn and harvesting game is that you do have to go out to where the game will be. A farmer chooses the spot where his corn will grow. A hunter's choice of blind or stand is logically consequent to the choice of the deer about where to walk .

I also like your point about duck hunters. I suspect the real way to "pursue" the ducks would be in an ultralite plane. Though, I don't think that's a legal method of "take" just about anywhere, right?

[Double Naught Spy]

I also like your point about duck hunters. I suspect the real way to "pursue" the ducks would be in an ultralite plane. Though, I don't think that's a legal method of "take" just about anywhere, right?

I suppose duck hunters could try to swim-chase ducks, but too many duck hunters would drown that way. A few drown every year as it is without engaging in swimming after ducks. Google "duck hunter drown" and check the hits.

Many or most states have regulations against hunting from moving vehicles and many specifically state that hunting cannot be done from aircraft. Some allow hunting from aircraft, but usually only specific species with specific restrictions and I don't think any include the hunting of flying birds from the air as being legal.

[Bones]

Sorry , you and your buddy have way too much time on your hands, and way too little to do...

[30-30remchester]

I must admit I did shoot a deer once from a tree stand. It required no skill. I also shot some buffalo here in Colorado, again no skill was required, both simple harvests. My family ate quite well on the buffalo and tree stand killed deer. We out here are spoiled, over 80% of my county and neighboring counties are public land. I am not dissparrageing others. I heard from one young man who only had 40 acres in which to get a deer to feed his family. It is different though from stalking hunters. I guided for elk and deer for many years. Many times we would pick a client up at the airport, house him and transport him in the morning to a designated spot. Then we would drive an elk near enough to him to shoot. At this point I would gut and transport his elk to the skinning shed where I skinned it. After cooking breakfast for him I would take his elk to the taxaderist and the meat to a processor. All the time I had to hear about his superb hunting skills. Well over half of my big game animals I have taken are harvested. I was a cotractor and in the winter, work stopped. My growing family required me to fill the freezer no matter how I did it. I just believe there is a difference between hunting and harvesting. There is nothing wrong with either method.

[Double Naught Spy]

I have never heard of a guide passing themselves off as a harvesting guide.

[oneounceload]

If you sit in a stand over a food plot, that is "deer waiting" - if you're hoofing it after them in pursuit without the aid of bait, call, dogs, stands, then you are actively "hunting the game", no matter what it is.

It is not a question of legality, for here in the East, deer waiting is popular and legal; however, having lived out West in Colorado and Nevada, "fair chase" is the name of the game - not only are food plots illegal, parking your butt in a ground blind at a waterhole is as well

[cornbush]

Pretty much sums it up....

I just believe there is a difference between hunting and harvesting. There is nothing wrong with either method.

Terrain, weather, pressure, available area to hunt, urban or wilderness, tradition, weapon, species......all have an impact on what method is used, if its legal its legal, to each their own.

[shortwave]

For those of you that feel stalking game is hunting and the rest is harvesting, please(honestly) explain your technique's when you turkey hunt.

Do you stalk your turkey right up to the kill or do you get as close to your turkey as you can, sit down and call your bird to you?
Do you roost your bird the night before, get as close to him in the morning, sit a call him to you?
Do you ever sit up on turkey's around their known strut zone's or a clover field or any other known turkey food source predominant to your area?
Ever use that sexy hen decoy,sit, call and wait?


What about coyote hunting?

Do you ever sit and call?
Ever use electronic callers?
Do you use any kind of decoy while sitting and waiting?

having lived out West in Colorado and Nevada "fair chase" is the name of the game...

Some people may ask, "is it 'fair chase' to hunt with a rifle capable of shooting accurately out to say 800yds"? Not uncommon to find out West, no.

Some may say shooting at game out 300-800yds is not hunting at all, just harvesting.

[Major Dave (retired)]

is to sit in an enclosed, elevated box blind about 50 to 100 yards away from a corn filled feeder, waiting for the battery powered feeder to go off. The feeder has a kind of "alarm clock" that goes off at whatever time the "hunter" desires. Instead of setting off an alarm, it sets off a spinner mechanism that throws out a serving of corn kernels. The deer are "habituated" to the sound of the feeder activating, and come trotting out of the cover and into the open. Think Pavlov's dogs, salivating for food when they hear a bell ring.

The end result is "deer shooting".

OF course, after the first 15 to 30 minutes after the feeder has activated, the initial group of deer have eaten and left the scene. Then, for a couple of hours, a few deer trickle in, and it is always suspenseful to see what will show up, over time.

So, don't expect Texans to go through all that stuff about scouting for sign (rubs, scrapes, tracks, etc.), locating feeding areas, bedding areas, trails connecting them, and likely stand sites. All we need to know is how to open a 50 lb. bag of corn, and how to replace the battery on the feeder.

UNLESS you intend to hunt public land. Then - no feeders, no bait on the ground No box blinds Portable tree stands cannot be in place more than 48 hours, and cannot be nailed to a tree, etc., etc., etc.

In short, you have to HUNT public land in Texas

[andrew66]

hunting from a blind or tree stand takes skill too. sitting perfectly still is hard, but you have to study the movement of the game and play the wind or you will turn up empty handed. No matter how its done (except game farms) its still hunting. I have tried a few different methods ( other than bait, its illegal in my parts) and each has its own challenges and advantages. in my mind taking something from the land is harvesting. but its the pursuit that makes it hunting, be it ambush (tree stand) stalking or chasing.

[Double Naught Spy]

The end result is "deer shooting".

Why hunt harder when you can hunt smarter? Of course, that is why most of us hunt with firearms and not pointy rocks.

having lived out West in Colorado and Nevada, "fair chase" is the name of the game - not only are food plots illegal, parking your butt in a ground blind at a waterhole is as well

http://www.ndow.org/law/regs/huntreg...ook/index.shtm
Interesting as apparently it is legal to use blinds and to patiently wait near water for mountain lions in Nevada. You cannot camp within 100 yards of a water hole, but you can set up blinds near water. I see no restrictions on the use of blinds near water for hunting deer.

I see no such restrictions in Colorado concerning blinds and water. You can't use bait, but I don't see where it says you can't hunt near a food plot.
http://wildlife.state.co.us/NR/rdonl.../0/biggame.pdf

[sc928porsche]

Usually, on opening weekend, almost anywhere in California, hunting is akin to drive hunting. The exception is that most of the hunters are not your buddies. I got up on top of Monitor Pass one opening morning before daylight and waited for sunrise. When it got light, I swear I could see at least 50 hunters in orange trying to hunt the bowl area. I went back to my truck, drove back to camp, and fished for that weekend!!!!!

[aarondhgraham]

I mean my nephew gets 3 deer a year,,,
Each and every year.

The only problem I have with his harvesting,,,
Is him always bragging about being a "great & mighty hunter".

But, in the grand scheme of things,,,
What does it matter what word is used?.

It's like they feel it lessens them or their group,,,
If I use the same word they use to describe themselves,,,
And for some reason I don't meet the standards they associate with the term.

I used to be a "hunter",,,
I got up way early and stalked the woods,,,
When I was skilled (lucky?) enough to spot a deer,,,
I felt a great sense of pride when I took my game that way.

I don't like my nephew using the same term I applied to myself,,,
He belongs to a "lesser" category of hunting than I do.

In the long run it's very silly of me to think that way.

It's like when some IPSC people can't stand that I call myself a target shooter,,,
They say that since I don't ever participate in formal competitions,,,
I'm not a target shooter, but merely a plinker.

And it only becomes a problem for me,,,
When I don't like being excluded from the "group".

But in the long run,,,
Who cares.

I hate it when it turns out,,,
That I am the intolerant person.

.

[spclPatrolGroup]

I would say the pursuit that some feel is required for it to be hunting happens long before the season, when I am scouting locations, learning about the effects of wind in a chosen location, and creating cover. I probably walk hundreds of miles doing this stuff before the season starts, so my pursuit is done in advance of my climbing into my stand, as opposed to someone who doesn’t hit the woods until they can legally take an animal (weekend warriors).