The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The Hide > The Hunt

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old June 27, 2012, 07:43 PM   #1
SC4006
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 27, 2012
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 525
Would like to deer hunt someday... but need advice

Hey im obviously new to thefiringline, so as my first post I would like to ask a question that i've always wanted to ask more experienced hunters. I am currently 18, and someday i'd like to go deer hunting, when I get the proper rifle to do so. From what i've heard, it seems pretty fun... but at the same time I have a little too much sympathy for animals I guess. My grandfather always told me that its actually better for the deer to kill it, because otherwise it could likely starve to death during the NH winters. I am not sure how true this is, but could somebody give me some reasons why its good to hunt deer, so I can feel a little better if I ever went hunting maybe? Thanks
SC4006 is offline  
Old June 27, 2012, 07:50 PM   #2
10Ringmagic
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 10, 2010
Location: MI
Posts: 315
They are very tasty!
10Ringmagic is offline  
Old June 27, 2012, 07:52 PM   #3
JerryM
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 4, 1999
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 1,889
Sorry I cannot answer your question. Hunting was something that was in my "blood." I enjoyed the scouting, hunting and eating of the meat, plus the outdoors.

If I had felt as you do I would not have hunted, and maybe you shouldn't also. In today's environment there are few places in the US where deer are so plentiful on public land that they need to be thinned by hunters. There are always enough hunters that like to hunt so that you need not concern yourself that you have a duty to do it.However, if there are some places that might help you, but if you don't want to kill an animal then choose another sport.

Jerry
__________________
Ecclesiastes 12:13  ¶Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
JerryM is offline  
Old June 27, 2012, 08:02 PM   #4
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
 
Join Date: November 13, 1998
Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA
Posts: 24,798
Even if you don't shoot, it's fun to learn how to go out and play with Bambi. Remember, he practices being a deer for 365 days a year. He's pretty good at it. My favorite game was finding the biggest buck in the pasture. That means you have to find and look over a bunch of deer--who aren't interested at all in ensuring your success. So, then, having identified the biggest buck, if you want to go to eating him, ya gotta find him a second time.

Most really-shootable bucks figure that having been seen once is once too many times. Finding Ol' Bucky the second time is what proves out a hunter.

There are lots of little tricks to watching wildlife besides just sitting and imitating a stump--which for some folks isn't all that easy itself. Sneaky-snake walking hunting, still hunting as some call it, means learning how to walk silently. How to sorta flow, rather than march. You get to where you can ease up fairly close to any wild animal, humans don't stand a chance.

Heck, you can always hunt with a camera. It takes just as much skill--or maybe more--than heading out to shoot something.
Art Eatman is offline  
Old June 27, 2012, 09:09 PM   #5
JerryM
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 4, 1999
Location: New Mexico
Posts: 1,889
[Heck, you can always hunt with a camera. It takes just as much skill--or maybe more--than heading out to shoot something.]

Excellent suggestion. It gives you the outdoor and hunting experience without shooting a deer.

Jerry
__________________
Ecclesiastes 12:13  ¶Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
JerryM is offline  
Old June 27, 2012, 09:14 PM   #6
SC4006
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 27, 2012
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 525
Thanks for the replies guys. The sport of hunting does seem quite intriguing, but I guess its not for everyone. I'll still think about it someday, but for now I guess i'll just keep to having fun target shooting and plinking, something I love doing.
SC4006 is offline  
Old June 27, 2012, 10:19 PM   #7
warbirdlover
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 13, 2009
Location: central Wisconsin
Posts: 2,324
To overcome my early reluctance to shoot a deer I decided to use enough gun to kill it very quickly and humanely. I've found a .300 Win Mag and a .270 Win kills them instantly and they don't know what hit them.

The TV shows all show them running off after the shot. I NEVER find this to happen. Mine have always dropped on the spot. And I've shot dozens and dozens of deer. Of course I always hit them in the lungs/heart or sometimes the neck if that's the only shot I have.

Just a thought for you.
warbirdlover is offline  
Old June 28, 2012, 09:07 AM   #8
doofus47
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 9, 2010
Location: live in a in a house when i'm not in a tent
Posts: 2,483
welcome aboard.
+1 on the camera angle. There are many times while scouting that I wish I had brought a camera with me.
Later on, if you get hungry, you can cut out the middle men and join the food chain directly by bringing your rifle or bow.
doofus47 is offline  
Old June 28, 2012, 10:12 AM   #9
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
 
Join Date: November 13, 1998
Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA
Posts: 24,798
Always remember that only the hunter or the gardener provides his own food. Everybody else hires somebody to do the scut work for them--even the hunter when he goes to the grocery.

I note in passing that Texas juries have been harsher on the person who hires a murderer than they are on the guy who actually did the shooting. It's a moral thing. Do-it-yourselfers are of higher moral value. I guess wrt hunting it's a self-sufficiency thing.
Art Eatman is offline  
Old June 28, 2012, 10:29 AM   #10
1tfl
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 12, 2007
Posts: 287
There is difference between harvesting, killing and hunting an animal.

One early morning couple months ago my neighbor saw a hog in the back part of his property and he was running low on meat so he got his rifle and went out to the 2nd floor porch and shot the hog while still in his pajamas. He harvested that animal for meat. There was no sports to it, just harvesting some animal for meat just like going to supermarket or out to the corn field to pick some corn for dinner.

Couple miles north of me is a farmer who's crop occasionally gets destroyed by hogs. Couple times a year he will set up on his field at night and shoot as many hogs as possible. Not unusual for him to kill a dozen hogs in single night.

I guess if you never hunted you couldn't understand the "sport" of hunting.
There is a lot more to hunting sport than pulling the trigger and killing an animal. Actually the killing the game is very small part of hunting. The thrill comes from learning and understanding your game and the field, learning to master your weapon of choice and respecting the animal you kill and eat. For me, the stalking and getting the animal within your kill sight is the best part of the sport. And as we say around here, the real work comes after your animal is killed when you have to haul him out and skin, gut and process the meat.

Also, it's okay to go hunt and not pull the trigger. Some of my best hunts were with young kids who couldn't sit still and stay quiet for more than 5 minutes. We may not get a shot but those kids have the best time in the world and will remember the hunt for many years.
1tfl is offline  
Old June 28, 2012, 12:13 PM   #11
PawPaw
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 24, 2010
Location: Central Louisiana
Posts: 3,137
It's the shots I didn't take that I remember the most. Not for the sense of loss but for the sense of wonder that I made the decision to not take the shot. For me, the hunt is over once the crosshairs settle on the animal. I could just as easily be clicking a shutter as tripping a sear.

That said, there is all kinds of hunting. We've got a rule (for example) on our lease that all feral hogs are to be shot on sight, even if it ruins your hunting for the day. I don't consider shooting hogs to be hunting, even though hogs may well be the smartest animals in the timber. Hogs are something we deal with, not hunt for sport.
__________________
Dennis Dezendorf

http://pawpawshouse.blogspot.com
PawPaw is offline  
Old June 28, 2012, 12:34 PM   #12
dieselbeef
Senior Member
 
Join Date: November 3, 2011
Location: myakka city fl
Posts: 312
after ya kill it..ya gotta clean and process it...why i dont hunt anymore...lazy
dieselbeef is offline  
Old June 28, 2012, 12:36 PM   #13
Tickling
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 17, 2011
Posts: 181
Quote:
In today's environment there are few places in the US where deer are so plentiful on public land that they need to be thinned by hunters.
I wish some of you hunters would visit my neck of the woods here in Oregon.. I can count (no exaggeration) at least 50-80 deer, solitary males or in pairs and herds of does 3-10 in each. And that's just on the two mile county road I drive to work on each morning!

If you need some reasons to shoot them.. Around here they cause (again on my two mile county road) at least an accident a week. Which has led my deer-loving neighbors petitioning the city to erect stop signs at every driveway.. And now they're trying to have speed-bumps added.. To save the deer

Of course these same neighbors feed them too.. Even though these deer will eat every green thing in your yard. They're horrible pests.
Tickling is offline  
Old June 28, 2012, 12:54 PM   #14
Pahoo
Senior Member
 
Join Date: February 16, 2006
Location: IOWA
Posts: 8,783
The measure is not the kill.

You want us to tell you why you should shoot an animal and feel good about it. ....
No one but you can make that measure. I can't say that I ever feel good about any kill. Instead there is a feeling of satisfaction that I have done my best on a particular hunt. If I broke it down to the kill level and it's success, I would have hung it up a long time ago.

By my measure, hunting is not a "sport" instead, it's a way of life. It's a total picture of preperation, learning outdoor and shooting skills. Knowing abut the game you hunt, cleaning and cooking. It's also about demonstrating responsible and ethical hunting.

I teach Hunter Safety for the state, mostly at the M/L station. I also teach hunting ethics. I don't promote hunting nor glorify firearms. Some students are surprised when I tell them that they don't have to kill animals nor shoot any firearm. But if you do, then do it in a responsible manner. ...

It's private, personal and entirely your call ....

Be Safe !!!
__________________
'Fundamental truths' are easy to recognize because they are verified daily through simple observation and thus, require no testing.
Pahoo is offline  
Old June 28, 2012, 01:36 PM   #15
oneounceload
Junior member
 
Join Date: April 18, 2008
Location: N. Central Florida
Posts: 8,518
Quote:
[Heck, you can always hunt with a camera. It takes just as much skill--or maybe more--than heading out to shoot something.]

Excellent suggestion. It gives you the outdoor and hunting experience without shooting a deer.
And it can be done year-round!

Remember - there is a difference between "hunting" and "killing", just like there is a difference between "fishing" and "catching"

The "hunt" is the prelude to the killing part, one being successful at the first part does not guarantee or even mean you get to do the second part. There are many times I have passed on taking a shot because the situation wasn't right.

I also learned hunting out West, so to ME, "hunting" means actually going after the animal in their backyard, tracking them, spotting and stalking, and trying to get within range for a shot - not sitting in a tree waiting for them to come to some bait plot of food I planted - yes it's legal in a lot of states, and yes I'll catch flack for saying it, but to me - sitting in a tree is "deer waiting", there is no hunting as you are not involved in "fair chase" JMO,YMMV
oneounceload is offline  
Old June 28, 2012, 07:59 PM   #16
buck460XVR
Senior Member
 
Join Date: December 28, 2006
Posts: 4,341
SC4006...I believe in NH, before you can buy a hunting license, you must take a hunter education course. This course not only teaches gun/firearm safety, but also hunting tactics, hunter ethics, Wildlife management, game recovery and care. This would be a good place to get some of the answers to your questions along with some hands on experience. It also would be a good place to find out if there are any new hunter mentoring programs in your area. Not only for deer, but for turkey and small game. Many states give youth and first time adult hunters special seasons and or tags, and private organizations like Whitetails Forever and the NWTF have experienced hunters that get as much thrill outta mentoring a new hunter on their first hunt as hunting themselves. The hunting of small game and turkey in many ways is similar to hunting deer and many times just as exciting and gratifying.
buck460XVR is offline  
Old June 28, 2012, 08:37 PM   #17
Jack O'Conner
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 11, 2005
Location: Manatee County, Florida
Posts: 1,974
Here is a good book to get you started:

MODERN Hunting with Indian Secrets. Try amazon.

Jack

__________________
Fire up the grill! Deer hunting IS NOT catch and release.
Jack O'Conner is offline  
Old June 28, 2012, 09:56 PM   #18
gaseousclay
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 4, 2010
Posts: 1,210
Quote:
Hey im obviously new to thefiringline, so as my first post I would like to ask a question that i've always wanted to ask more experienced hunters. I am currently 18, and someday i'd like to go deer hunting, when I get the proper rifle to do so. From what i've heard, it seems pretty fun... but at the same time I have a little too much sympathy for animals I guess. My grandfather always told me that its actually better for the deer to kill it, because otherwise it could likely starve to death during the NH winters. I am not sure how true this is, but could somebody give me some reasons why its good to hunt deer, so I can feel a little better if I ever went hunting maybe? Thanks
what your grandfather said is partly true. deer hunting is necessary to prevent overpopulation. when overpopulation occurs, resources become more scarce and then starvation sets in. hunting helps keep a healthy balance. I don't know if you've taken a firearms safety course through your local DNR but I would recommend it as you'll learn not only about firearm safety but about conservation which is what hunting is really about.

as for having sympathy for animals, it's understandable. My interest in guns and hunting started two years ago. I read up on it, bought a rifle, took my firearms safety course through the DNR and I still haven't gone hunting yet. I ask myself the same question - do I have it in me to kill a deer? the answer, yes. why? the first being that hunting does seem like fun. second, hunting is about being in the outdoors for me and not about whether or not you take a deer. with that said, I would only hunt for the meat and likely share it with friends and family, or donate it to a food shelf. I know i'll probably be a nervous wreck my first time out but don't let the killing part get to you. so long as you take the deer quickly and humanely then you're doing no wrong imo
gaseousclay is offline  
Old June 28, 2012, 11:18 PM   #19
fatwhiteboy
Senior Member
 
Join Date: April 3, 2011
Posts: 317
The best place to learn how to shoot and live in the woods is to join the military. Enlist in the Army, go infantry. If you find that you like it, you can go to Airborne School and if you really like it, you can go to Ranger school. It will teach you discipline, self-respect and leadership. These are traits that will help you in the future. You don't have to make a career out of it but it is there if you want it. Marines are good working in the woods, as are some jobs in the Air Force.
__________________
Fat White
So Cal
fatwhiteboy is offline  
Old June 29, 2012, 12:27 AM   #20
Art Eatman
Staff in Memoriam
 
Join Date: November 13, 1998
Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA
Posts: 24,798
I grew up shooting rifles, from around age seven. I just took it for granted that I was supposed to make one-shot kills. And, truth be told, I have a rather high "batting average" at it.

For me, one part of the joy of hunting is finding a good buck, outwitting him, maybe. Learn enough about deer so I can figure out where Ol' Bucky is most likely bedded down, or what trail he's likely to use in his wandering from here to there.

Or maybe kick him out of bed, mid-day, look him over, and kill him. The drawback, then, for a lazy fella is that the fun is over and the work begins. However, that work leads to some good-tasting meat.

So, all in all, I feel good when I shoot. I've done all the intellectual stuff about finding Bambi, and the physical stuff about proper sight picture and precise shot placement. Bang, whop, plop. What's not to like?
Art Eatman is offline  
Old June 29, 2012, 12:49 AM   #21
Mr Lucky
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 10, 2010
Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Posts: 195
Deer Hunter

Most states have Departments of Conservation that conduct Free seminars for hunters. Missouri has such a program. It is a day long program and it's actually required for all young hunters that have not been otherwise certified.

The National Shooting Sports foundation is a great resource you can use to find out how to contact your state conservation department, find places where you can hunt and what can be taken at different times of the year.

Here is a link to the site: http://nssf.org/

I might suggest you first attend a basic hunter safety training seminar, buy a suitable rifle and then spend time in the woods or bush hunting small game. They are more plentiful and a good way to practice and see if you like hunting. You are not going to eat what you take then it would be best just to find a rifle range where you can still have fun plinking.
__________________
‘‘We, the People are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts — not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow men who pervert the Constitution.’’

— Abraham Lincoln
Mr Lucky is offline  
Old June 29, 2012, 07:20 PM   #22
Sure Shot Mc Gee
Senior Member
 
Join Date: January 2, 2012
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 3,876
Hunting: Urge came natural to me. Father, Brothers, Uncles, Friends and neighbors all hunted. Growing up on a farm you learn early how to hunt and shoot. To deer hunt with the rest of the family & neighbors. I considered it a privilege to hang with the "Old Guys" and accept some teasing and given the chance got my licks in too. For me it was a challenge at times having to keep up with those experienced older hunters sure-footedness back in the woods. Their all gone now.
Since those memorable times. I've only harvested for nourishment. Never for wanton waste. Enjoy the Great Outdoors with all it can provide SC4006. See why many of us hunters look forward to hunting seasons from one year to the next. That yearning you have to hunt. Take advantage of that Gift latter this Fall. You may be disappointed a little not getting a deer every now and then. But never Sorry for spending your time out in those beautiful NH woods of yours. Happy Hunting Partner.
Sure Shot Mc Gee is offline  
Old June 29, 2012, 10:15 PM   #23
gun nut
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 7, 2009
Location: midwest
Posts: 303
When I hunt deer it's more for population control. The meat always ends up with a home so it's not wasted. I still like hunting for most critters, but for me the excitement of deer hunting (deer shooting) is gone.
__________________
The only stupid question is the one not asked! (Unknown)
gun nut is offline  
Old June 29, 2012, 11:11 PM   #24
a7mmnut
Junior member
 
Join Date: February 27, 2009
Location: NC Foothills
Posts: 1,150
Welcome. My suggestion is simply read and learn all you can about anything you love. Here is an excellent article that gives you a good place to start:

http://charliealsheimer.com/ca/articles/5stages.html

Deer and Deer Hunting magazine ia also great reading for the hunter in all of us.

-7-
a7mmnut is offline  
Old June 29, 2012, 11:21 PM   #25
Edward429451
Junior member
 
Join Date: November 12, 2000
Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado
Posts: 9,494
If you need a pragmatic reason to hunt Bambi, go price good steaks in your grocery store. Then think about that Deer meat is 10X better than chem-cow meat.

Then there is the hunt. I prolly hunted 10 years before I got a good shot, and yet...all of those hunts were successful. Just being in the outdoors and learning sign, and how to walk quietly, how to sit quietly. Being with friends and enjoying the experience camping. Listening to the wind blow through the pine trees. All of this makes the hunt successful because it is a very positive experience.

Then suddenly there it is before you. Just like taking a picture. Yeah, then the work starts but it's great! You don't know fun until you've been elbow deep in blood and guts. Skinning it, butchering it, wrapping it. Good skills to know, and a lot of pride upon accomplishment. Then you have a great hunt story too. I took my first two deer with homemade cast boolit handloads, that was super cool.

It's part of the circle of life. We are meat eaters, even the Bible says have dominion over the animals. You help the chain by hunting. The coyotes get to eat, the herd is managed, your family gets to eat, your price on Jerky goes down, the States conservation program gets helped and supported. It's really win-win-win when you hunt.
Edward429451 is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:35 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.11445 seconds with 10 queries