A hunter poses with her first deer. With her are her father, grandfather and cousin – three generations of hunters. (Photo courtesy Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, via Flickr)
The Saturday morning before Thanksgiving, I sat in a small, plastic capsule atop wooden stilts at the edge of a forest on my parents’ property in central Wisconsin. As I peered out the glassless windows that surrounded me there was hardly a sound, except for the soft hiss of a small propane heater between my feet. Odd for the opening day of deer hunting season.
I thought back to hunting during my teenage years, when it was unusual for more than a few minutes to pass without hearing at least the muffled sound of a gunshot miles away.
“It’s like a war zone,” my grandfather used to say during particularly good years for hunters.
As the morning wore on, an occasional shot broke the stillness, but I heard fewer than 10 before I climbed out of my deer stand at noon and walked back to my parents’ house for lunch.
The scarcity of gunshots that morning was a symptom of the fairly steady decline in the number of hunters in the U.S.
Lee Walker, the outreach director for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, said his state has seen the number of hunting licenses sold decline by about three percent each year for the last 20 years.
Walker said one reason for the drop is that the tradition is not being passed from one generation to the next at the rate it has in the past.
“It takes a hunter to make a hunter,” said Walker. “Hunting’s not an activity that you just simply pick up and go out and do. Usually a youth was introduced to it by a member of the family or someone close to the family, and they’d go out and go hunting together and learn how to hunt.”
American family life is packed with school and work commitments, as well as a multitude of recreation options. Walker said there’s a clear trend for outdoor and rural activities to be among the pastimes that fall by the wayside.
“We find ourselves having to compete against a lot of other activities,” he said. “And as our country becomes more urbanized, those activities tend to be soccer and football and baseball and those types of things tend to be more localized to the community.”
Keith Warnke, the hunting and shooting sports coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, also pointed out that Americans are choosing to have fewer children, so the next generation of hunters was bound to be smaller.
“If you run the simple algorithm out, of course this is what’s going to happen,” he said.
The decline in hunting has a variety of economic impacts and affects the ability of conservation agencies to manage natural resources.
“Hunting is a billion dollar industry, nationwide,” said Walker. “It has a huge impact on rural communities.”
Hunters spend money on gas, food, lodging and other goods and services in the areas where they hunt, Walker explained, and many of them are small, family-owned businesses.
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries wildlife biologists collect samples from deer and gather brief information from hunters as part of a program to monitor for chronic wasting disease, a disease that has been found in some U.S. deer populations. (Photo courtesy of the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries)
In many states, funding for natural resource agencies comes largely from the sale of hunting and fishing licenses, boat registrations, and other permits. As that revenue stream shrinks, there’s less money for the wide variety of natural resources those agencies manage. And many of those resources are used and enjoyed by non-hunters, including wildlife refuges, parks and the management of non-game wildlife.
Hunters also play a direct role in managing the populations of game animals. For example, Wisconsin sets population targets for different areas of the state and issues special licenses that allow hunters to shoot female deer accordingly. By controlling the number of female deer hunters take, conservation officials can try to tailor herd size to what the area can support.
Kevin Wallenfang, a deer ecologist with Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources, said the southern part of his state already has areas where they don’t meet those goals, and allowing individuals in the existing hunting population to take multiple deer doesn’t help much.
“There are a lot of deer,” he said. “On average, a hunter would want to take one deer. Probably less than eight percent of hunters are interested in shooting more than one deer.”
To stabilize or even bolster the ranks of hunters, many states, including Virginia and Wisconsin, have started mentor programs that pair people interested in hunting with experienced hunters.
“We’re finding we need to ramp up our supply of mentors, because the demand to get involved in hunting is much greater than the supply of mentors,” Warnke said.
One U.S. trend that is actually helping to spur interest in hunting is the desire for sustainable, local food.
“Right now we’re seeing a lot of interest in people going out and harvesting their own food, knowing where their food comes from, knowing how the food was prepared – literally from field to table,” Walker said. “Hunters have always known that the game that they’re able to harvest when they’re hunting is the original organic food.”
Warnke said that trend is especially encouraging because it’s resulting in a lot of young parents participating to Wisconsin’s hunter mentoring programs.
“And if we can, as a hunter, make a hunter out of that kid’s parents, then the parents will make a hunter out of that kid,” he said. “The bottom line is it’s going to be up to us, as hunters, to expand our focus to include the local food sourcing movement and our children in the next recruitment effort.”
A group of deer hunters sit down for dinner in 1943 at a hunting cabin in Florence County, Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, via Flickr)
In Buffalo County, all of the prime hunting land has been bought up by people from Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis, etc… so the locals don’t have anyplace to hunt anymore and the new landowners come for a few days a year and sit. The deer don’t get “pushed” anymore like they were when locals were hunting and moving the deer. Now they just bed down and wait out the season.
I totally agree. This was my 40th opening day. I did not see another hunter. There used to be cars parked up and down the roads. Spotters used to shine the cabin all night before the opener. Now it’s nothing. No hunters pushing at all. A few shots here and there. Casual hunters get frustrated and quit. The farms we used to hunt get broken up and sold. Everything is posted. Plenty of guys have no where to hunt and no one to hunt with. I don’t see it getting any better anytime soon. The good old days are gone.
That is good to hear 🙂
Had hunted in NJ for 58 years. There was a time when farmers did not post their lands, until Greedy hunting clubs started offering the farmers tax free money for the exclusive rights to hunt. Not satisfied with having the exclusive hunting rights on 3-5 adjoining farms, with some clubs with deep pockets renting every farm in sections of counties. Some would hunt all of their rented farms every day during the deer seasons; Early Bow, Extended Bow, Shotgun, Black Powder, Extended Shotgun or Winter Bow. Then some deep pocket clubs with only a few members will only hunt two or three adjoining farms one year and two adjoining farms on the other side of their rented farms the next year. At the same time, the farmer is complaining to the state about the deer problems and wants bigger tax breaks. A couple of clubs have strict by-laws. Guaranteed immediate club membership is to a family member of club members with the longest club members having first choice. All other potential club members must pay a non-refundable $800.00 deposit, $300.00 a year membership fee and sell X amount of tickets until they gain entrance. Once you become a member, you are on a 5 year probation where just one mistake can get you thrown out. I know one guy who was kicked out because he shot an 8 point buck during bow season that the son of a long standing member wanted. In states like NJ, if you do not belong to a club, you can basically forget about hunting unless you want to hunt on Sate grounds alongside a few hundred other hunters in the same situation.
Yeah, and there WAS a time when un-posted farm ground wouldn’t be torn up by slob hunters driving over unharvested fields and too-soft hay ground, stealing crops, vandalizing fences, timber, equipment, etc, poaching deer, littering, shooting my house, etc, etc, etc.
Can you expect to behave like spoiled children and then be welcomed back?
The paying hunter (and you are dead wrong, it AIN’T “tax-free”) solves all those problems for me- they care for my property, hunt ethically, chase the slobs away, and even share a little in the work and in the game harvest.
Your analysis GREATLY oversimplifies the current situation…
if your eyes in in the front and have excellent depth and peripheral vision, your a predator. designed by nature over millions of years. if there on the sides of your head you feed us!
Many states have seen the cash cow of hunting. Many states, tribes , etc. have drawings for particular areas where there is a 1 in 5 year or 1 in 7 year success rate without a refund on entry fees.
Video games are not a cause – my sons both love their video games more than life, but they are up before dawn when hunting season comes around and we fill out our tags, clean the animals ourselves and sustain our family for about 9 months with only meager supplies for meat from the store. They then go back to their video games and enjoy the bounty of their efforts.There are a lot of families that do not have access to areas to hunt.
Inconsiderate hunters have put a bad taste in landowners mouth when it comes to allowing access to their lands. Because of this we have given up quail, crane, goose hunting, and rabbit hunting.
The public’s perception of firearms is inflamed and if anyone hears a gun – they call the cops – that is a real buzz kill when hunting. Try dealing with a local game warden when their only goal is to fine you for an imperceptible paperwork error, as if you were stealing from the king – instead of training.
Enough soap box for today – I love to hunt and will feed my family until i leave this world.
Exactly here in New Mexico the Game & Fish Dept. treat everybody like they’re a law breaker and poacher not all of them but I’ve met up with a few that can make your hunt a dreaded one if there is an officer in the region they question you like you have no business in the woods even with a hunting license and try to look for any reason to give you a ticket or to take your license away. So if you come to New Mexico make sure you have all your stuff in order from your license to your stamps everything read that proclamation twice because there out there to be heros and not help out the people.
Sounds like Washington State they would rather manage the hunters than the game.
Same in pa
If you live in a major city finding a place to hunt is very hard to do. Mostly you have to find some place way out in the country that lets you pay to hunt on their land and then it will be a long drive to get there. After paying hundreds of dollars to get to hunt and a long drive a lot of the fun is gone. If you are hunting to refill your freezer then you need to really like the wild game you are hunting. And you need to find a butcher shop to process the game if you manage to bag something like a deer or a large hog. It is so much easier and cheaper to just go down to Kroger and buy a package of pork chops. If you are hunting just for the fun of it then probably all of the trouble is worth it. When I was a boy I used to like squirrel hunting but then I lived on a farm and squirrel hunting was just outside and across the pasture to the woods. I have not eaten a squirrel in more than 60 years and so who knows if I would even like them now.
The gentlemen I talked to at the Virginia and Wisconsin conservation agencies acknowledged that finding a place to hunt can be a challenge. For that reason, both states are working to help hunters find public lands to hunt on:
Virginia: http://www.findgame.org/
Wisconsin: http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/lands/PAL/application.html
I would imagine many other states have similar online tools, or maps available.
By hunting on Public lands, you are taking one h’el of a risk since you do not know the other hunters, nor do you know how they regard safety.
The problem is there isn’t enough public land and what little there is is overrun by hunters, I live in Washington State and you use to be able to hunt most of the timber company lands, not anymore thanks to thought less people dumping garbage, or target practicing where they shouldn’t be. A lot of the public land is surrounded by BLM or private land with no access to it.Almost all the timber companies are now selling permits to hunt on there land and they are limited and run about $ 200 to $500 for the season with a slim chance of getting a deer. The Game and fish won’t do anything about it as they are making money hand over fist on licenses and other items. I was raised hunting and I still go every year that i can even though I’m disabled now, I apply for the disability hunting areas, which are limitrd also, but better than no place else to hunt. They are still open for regular hunters to walk in or ride mountain bikes in. This article sort of hits the problem on the head, but the comments are more closer to the real truth. It’s become a rich man.s game sad to say.
If you’re sitting in a “plastic capsule” on stilts with a “propane heater between (my) feet”, then you’re not hunting.
I’m with you, Kevin. A trend started about 20 years ago to create as many of the living room creature comforts on stilts as you can, lately including dish antennas!
I have to admit, my father and I both used to think the guys who had enclosed deer stands were wimps. After more than 20 years of sitting in an open stand or on the ground, often in single digit temperatures or (even worse) in the rain, we were happy to have the option of staying a little warmer and drier, even if it means we’re wimps. I don’t think we’ll be adding TVs, though it’s tempting for Sunday afternoons when the Packers are playing.
We’ll allow an exception for watching the Pack–even if it means installing a dish. But after the game, the dish has to go! Go Pack!
I am not a hunter, nor is my husband despite being an excellent shot at the range, hunting is not our thing. Our son-in-law IS a hunter and he takes our oldest grandson with him and will take the youngest as he becomes old enough. They hunt on family land and it’s more than just about hunting (which they do traditionally, no sowmobiles, etc.), it’s about bonding and family. Until Ovi died they would all go to his cabin, the men would tell stories (lies), drink whiskey and reminisce about when they were kids. The boys would have whispered conversations with Ovi, leave the room and come back with pop and a chocolate bar. It’s all family at their hunts – which they don’t do all the time. This year our son-in-law and our grandson, both shot an ek – the same one at the same time. That elk has been hung and butchered and the freezers are literally overflowing with meat. Apart from the bonding and family tradition, from a health perspective I am sure that the meat is better than that of a cow that has been pumped full of anti-biotics and God knows what else, transported and then gone through the stress and abuse, of a slaughterhouse. This big elk was here one minute and gone the next, a quick and clean death. It is something O hope our grandsons continue with their children and grandchildren, reminiscing about hunters long gone and as always, the one that got away.
This is so true. I remember the stories of my Grandfather,Great Uncle and the rest of the family going to family farms to hunt. Thanks for reminding me why I hunt.
Thank God that there has been a deminished lust to kill. The average hunter delights in his so called male prowess to violate the sanctity of life. It’s well past time for these Macho lacking males to reasert their lack of libido in constructive ways. Try replaceing your trigger happy and post booze killing celebrations by spending that time with your family and children even though it may presents a greater challenge than pulling the trigger of a high velocity rifle.
Sorry to ruin your reply, but gun season is only 3 days out of the year.
9 days a year in Wisconsin.
Sorry to educate you but the “traditional” ( a tradition that belongs in the 1850’s) nine day gun is preceded by youth kills, followed by muzzleloaders and now extended to four and a half months of torture and suffering and delightful killing of our deer – so that wolves and coyotes can be blamed and persecuted with packs of dogs year-round 24/7. Your “hunting” is just mass murder and exclusion of the rest of us from any democracy or rights. It stinks.
You can’t “murder” an animal, Pat.
Chuck, John Muir called hunting the “MURDER BUSINESS” over a hundred years ago. And paraphrasing Leonardo da Vinci: “There will come a time when the murder of animals is considered to be the same crime as the murder of men.” I work for that time – and as wildlife populations plummet under your murderous attacks, we will see that time because there will be few animals left and only desperate attempts to save the few left.
Patricia, John Muir lived during the time of mRket hunting when most populations of game were nearly eradicated by market hunters. Hunters realized something needed to be done, hence licenses, bag limits and seasons.
Without any of those things you would have very little wildlife to look at and enjoy.
There are now more ducks and geese than at any time since the late 1800’s. The Pittman-Robertson act and groups like ducks unlimited have literally put billions of dollars into making sure everyone has areas to enjoy wildlife however you see fit. But I’m sure you knew all of that, just refuse to either believe it or justify it through what you say.
Besides, upwards of 30,000 coyotes are killed in Arizona every year. EVERY year, yet there’s still enough of them around to allow the killing of 30,000 more.
One day we won’t be able to eat anything because of the toxins being put on our crops by big business, except for the wild stuff that grows and lives away from the big farms and manicured lawns of the city dwellers.
Oh and have you heard the term omnivore? That’s what humans are, and why we have teeth capable of chewing many kinds of food.
Deer hunting with dogs has been banned in quite several states for this reason. Personally I hunt feral hogs with dogs. I’m not exactly a deer hunter nor do I want to be one.
Muir, DaVinnci…words were obviously not their strong suite. One can’t MURDER an animal You have misapplied the meaning of the word. If MURDER is the case how may animals have you murdered? Do you buy meat at the store? You murdered an animal. Our farmers are great people, but if you don’t eat meat, then how many animals have died while farming? Do you wear vinyl – made out oil. Do you wear leather – made out of animals – do you wear cotton – cotton fields are not “NATURAL” habitat. The habitat had to be altered killing generations of animals. Do you eat veggies? Fields that grow vegetables have been altered and are not NATURAL habitat – that habitat was altered killing generations of animals. So, you see, there is no way around it. You and every person who feels as you do is guilty of what you call MURDERING animals.
If you claim I murder an animal does that mean the Great White sharks, the polar, bear, the grizzly bear, the mountain lion, the wolf, are they all guilty of murdering animals? I eat what I kill. Do they eat what they kill? Don’t tell me they have to kill to survive and I don’t. That would be a fairytale on your part. If I buy it at a grocery store, my demand for meat has caused it’s death……I just prefer to kill my own.
The animal rights people who have threatened to murder me, where do they fit into your fairytale of life on earth.
If people like yourself believe we cause much damage to wildlife, then look in the mirror because you are part of the problem; and your organizations should be the process of outlawing yourselves FIRST!
Why do you think you have a right to tell others not to do something because you don’t like it?
Two months down here. But while the deer are numerous, they’re nowhere near the size of the buck pictured in the original story.
When I started hunting, I quit counting shots at 50, from all around me. This year, I had to listen close to hear 3, all far, far away. That tells the story better than anything else I can think of. It’s not a dying pastime. It’s dead.
Here in Texas the county I hunt in has Whitetail season from Sept 27 – Jan 18. Limit 2 Bucks and 3 doe. Fallow and Axis deer has no season nor limit. The same is true of all exotics. The land owner sets limits, sex, size, and season to protect pregnant does.
Could not resist commenting on such a narrow minded view about deer hunting. Deer hunting can include the family and yes it does include my entire family and the other 30 families on our deer lease. My wife and both my son and daughter contribute to the meat on the table. Some of the greatest memories have been made in the great outdoors that God has created.
There is nothing more sporting that putting out corn to attract a deer, then sit in a warm tent and wait for it to feed. How is that any harder than shooting a cow, for pete’s sake? I grew up in rural Oklahoma and could never see the bravery in that. I am sure that the “deer chili” costs 50 buck a pound. Just go to the store and buy chili. I am glad to see it going. I have several inherited hunting guns in the attic. Next time they have a buy-back I am dumping all of them.
Uh…Ron….hate to burst your bubble, but baiting is illegal in most places.
Obviously you know little about hunting. In most states, it is illegal to “bait” deer.
As if hunters cared about what is illegal. Bear are baited from April when they come out of their dens through the five-week slaughter and then run with dogs throughout by anyone who wants to torture them. Bears, highly intelligent and much more evolved in peaceful ways than men – are tormented and killed by the 5,000 – most of them cubs by men who get adrenaline rushes from killing and hounding and baiting our beloved bears.
Two-thirds of the 5,000 bears killed annually ( more than anywhere on earth I believe ) to satisfy the killing sole clientele of the DNR are babies born that year or the year before by strapping big hunters. What a pathetic idea of family and manhood. Ugh. Good riddance.
Bears are smart enough to outrun and outfox dogs and I call it a fair chase. However I’m with you on baiting. The problem is if nobody hunts the bears…eventually they will be so numerous they will be going into town to raid your garbage because there’s a lack of food in the woods. Whose fault is it then?
Patricia-
Try getting you info. from credible sources,not anti-hunting propaganda-no hunter kills bear cubs.
Hunters follow game laws-anyone who does not follow game laws is not a hunter,they are a poacher-which means they are aq criminal,since poaching is illegal-in every state.
Once again, little to no knowledge of what you speak about. Bear baiting is illegal in most places
Good Ron,we don’t need you!
There is nothing godly about killing. As I recall, one of God’s ten commandments is THOU SHALT NOT KILL. and it does not say only humans but all of God’s creation. Funny how the right wing killers leave that out of their war-mongering against unarmed innocents.
So are you a plant eater? or do you eat meat that someone else killed and handled for you with unclean hands ? Oh and you said Thou shall not kill also means other things not just humans- Plants are living things too aren’t they? you are sure a smart person !
More ignorance. Can you harvest an apple without harming the tree – same for nuts and many fruits – which would rot if not taken as Genesis said “for meat”. And if you really care about plants – it takes many pounds of plants to make an ounce of meat – so if you want to spare plants, eat them directly and spare the majority. Hard to believe you do not know that – but hunters have very narrow focus of thought.
Pat-If you intend to reference the Bible, then you should consider the whole Bible. Genesis 9:3 makes a statement that says it’ s okay to eat animals. The chapter before also makes a statement that a sacrafice was made and the aroma pleased God. With regards to hunting, cuurently the Western New York area is suffering from a greater number of car- deer accidents due to the lack of hunting. Does an animal suffer more or less at such an accident? When compared to a well placed shot? How the animals that die of disease due to over population, how do they suffer then? Man is the top predator. One of his functions to to cull the herd, if he does not it becomes cruel and inhuman to the animals that graze. I thought evolution would have taught you that.
The Bible was amended over the years to suit the men who adapted it. That is well documented. So you are right there – quoting the Bible written by forty old guys thousands of years ago hardly can address what is going on – but one must appeal to the narrow minded who think that writings by men have wisdom.
Ah – the good ole boy lies. It is out there that wildlife MANagers manipulate herds to farm for high populations for their boys to have an easy kill. Kill the bucks – leave the does to produce the next harvest to mow down. The old myths that killing is “needed” to “Control” ( big need for men ) the herd has long been debunked. This is farming for artificially imbalanced herds. So if you want less deer / car accidents take the bloodlust out of men and stop teaching kids that killing and guns are so cool and necessary to their manhood or womanhood…and let them love the animals they would adore if they knew them. Stop killing natural predators and let nature balance herself. She is wiser than you.
I took a guy who had hunted deer for thirty years to meet two little buck fawns my American Indian neighbor fostered ( illegally – you cannot help orphan fawns or a whopping $2000 fine from the killer DNR who do not want citizens having a pesky love of deer ). As the two little guys ran up to him and licked his hands and stared up at him adoringly, he said, “Wow – look at that – I have never been so close to a deer.” And I said, “Maybe when you were a kid if you had met deer and knew they were just like your dog – loving, friendly, playful, – you would not have wanted to kill them.” He said, “You have a point”. And has not been hunting since. That was about four years ago.
Same with the lifelong trapper/Nascar driver whose uncle taught him to trap when he was five years old. He had bludgeoned hundreds of coyotes to death in traps in the forty years since then ( western Wisconsin, Dunn County ). He said he felt like he was just “weeding”. He called me because I write a living wildlife column – two years ago. He had let a friend come turkey hunting on his land and the guy killed a lactating female coyote. Rick says to me, ” I did not like that – so my son and 8 year old daughter and I went looking for the den.” They found four pups dead and one alive – took him home and raised him. Bonded with his kids. I asked him what he expected? ” I thought he would be so vicious I would have to kill him or let him go at 6 months….but he is the sweetest animal! I cannot tell you how this has turned me upside down on coyotes. I was always told, “the only good coyote is a dead coyote.” He told me he feels sick about what he had done to coyotes. Even his uncle, the trapper, stopped killing coyotes after meeting Wiley.
He called me because the DNR warden had seen his coyote and was coming to kill him. But I knew the law. In Wisconsin you can take a coyote out of the wild and put him in a fenced enclosure and run dogs on him to kill him – so precedent set you just have to know the fencing laws and you CAN be nice to a coyote. I threatened a story which I did write – and he got to keep his coyote who is the star of his hunting community. He goes along to Nascar events and people come from all around to hear him sing a “thousand different songs”. People think it is so cool to have a coyote alive! What an idea. Since then a film crew came out from Los Angeles and did a story on him and the coyote ( Wiley ) and a children’s book author flew in from the east coast to do a book about him – and he is famous. Here is the story I wrote: http://host.madison.com/ct/news/opinion/column/patricia-randolph-s-madravenspeak-a-hunter-s-story-of-love/article_971ef4d6-76e2-11e2-99d8-0019bb2963f4.html
So only right wingers hunt?huh,I’ll have to tell all the libs that hunt with me to quit. What a load of crap!
Good idea – tell those fake libs to quit.
Hi again, Pat.
Actually, if you look into the original language (Hebrew), it translates more accurately as “Thou shalt not MURDER”, which, as we have discussed before, applies only to people. In addition, the Bible is very specific in its instruction so the Hebrews as to which animals were, and were not, acceptable to eat. AND–in Acts, The Lord tells Peter in a vision that, essentially, the restrictions had been lifted and all animals were now considered clean. Including deer.
How convenient to interpret everything just so you can kill.
You sound like a politician who doesn’t know what he is talking about. Nobody in their right mind would shoot a cub.
Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver, and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison.
– King James Version (1611) Genesis 27:3
Now I do believe that quote is also from the Bible that you were so quick to reference before. If it is so against god, then why would that be in the Bible?
You really are clueless about hunting and what is about aren’t you Frederick. Not everyone that hunts is a drunkard, a redneck, or simpleton. You really should get out more often Frederick.
Contrary to public thinking, most if not all hunters follow the rule that GUNS AND ALCOHOL DO NOT MIX. It only happens in the movies.
Thinking hunters have a testosterone driven bloodlust demonstrates you have not experienced a hunt in your life. I have. Some deer I’ve let go and just watched. Same with squirrel and coon. When the moment is right, and thete is a need to put meat in the freezer, there is no chest thumping exultation demonstrating male killing prowess. Instead there is an unspoken thanks offered to a higher power, and respects offered to the animal feeding me and my family. Sadly that is something you are probably too ignorant to have explained to you.
Ah the arrogance of the armed man against the unarmed innocents – and the pomposity of attacking people who speak up for reverence for life. If I told you that I would kill your offspring ( animals ) for food, would you care that it was for me to put unneeded mouthfuls of flesh into my gullet – or would you care about the life of your child. The arrogance that we are anything but just another species on this planet and have all the rights is one displayed abundantly in the destruction of life on planet earth. As species are destroyed both by eating farmed meat and farmed wildlife, we are facing extinction ourselves because we do not evolve to respect ALL life.
to bad you never had a wonderfull time hunting with you friend and relatives,,,its not all about the kill,,its the fun and teaseing thats goes along with the ones you missed,,, when i was younger in the state of Pa. if you missed a buck they cut your shirt tail off,yes they did. Everyone laughs at you when this is happening,, great times hunting,,,,,try it some times
i live in potter county , pa my whole family are avid hunters . the woods still are a home to all of us that love to hunt and enjoy the woods and animals that god put here for all to enjoy weather it be for food or receration every one has there own views
I have great memories of Hunting Camp in Potter County Pa. We would go every October to Bow hunt. If we got any deer, that was not the measure of success. Time spent with family, learning the ethics of life, and learning how to appreciate nature. Lessons everyone needs to learn. Every child should be sent to Hunting camp for a couple of weeks each yea, we would have fewer problems in Society
I hear how hunting is bonding, and fun, time spent in the woods… So is Mountain Biking, Hiking, etc. For those who spout the SAME OLD, “hunters bring humane death to overpopulated species”…. Deer Management and other policies actually contribute to deer over-population through the cultivation of food plots and so forth. Hunting = money. No Animals, no hunters, no money for Fish and Wildlife who sell the licenses. It’s FIXED. People don’t realize that a lot of deer “management” actual entails precisely this type of “mismanagement” for the benefit of hunters. Hunters can then say they’re culling the population, all the while the programs in place are keeping the deer numbers elevated for the hunt — and all the while other predators are effectively eliminated from the ecological cycle. It’s a big ruse, and people should educate themselves on this before they buy into the PR that hunting groups so cleverly spread around under the auspices of “conservation.” Also, if anyone is wondering why so many bow-hunted or hunted deer photos are taken at night, it’s because hunters shoot then wait out the death of the animal — sometimes for hours — before they even start tracking. They have their reasons, but never let it be said that hunting is, as a general rule, “humane.” There are a lot of bad shots, gut shots, and prolonged episodes of suffering for the animals in question
Absolutely – the cruelty is obscene. For human pleasure. All this bonding and fun recreation could be had skiing and hiking and biking – without killing anybody. Fawns with their feet trapped off – babies orphaned watching their mothers die. Mothers watching their babies killed. So many hunters have told me stories of “letting a doe and her fawns pass” and then hearing shots a few hundred yards away and walking over to see what buck the guy killed and he killed the two fawns and let the mother go – or vice versa. Or the buck hunters who just have to have 8 heads hanging in their garage or basement – eventually sold ratty and deteriorated at auctions.
It is a real shame when women buy into the raccoon mittens and fox hats. Men used to hunt to get away from the “little woman” but now they need women to keep their exclusive power base and are all about showing pictures of women in camo killing away with the men. Ugh. Women know what a lot of work and effort it is to give birth and raise young. It is shameful that women do not respect life.
Patricia, it’s absolutely impossible for a fawn to lose a foot in a trap. Simply cannot happen. If you had any clue what you are talking about you would know that. Instead you spout blind hatred
Frederick,
I am a woman who doesn’t drink, but I do hunt with my husband and kids. Between deer and elk that totals 10 days out of a year. Some years we may get both, others nothing at all. My question to you is, where do you get your meat? Are you strolling the grocery store hunting for that elusive steak? And just where do you and other’s like you think that steak came from, the steak fairy?? I’d much rather feed my family with meat that’s not jacked up on steroids and other crap they feed beef these days. Hunters contribute so much more to the conservation of wildlife then any of you non hunters do.
I love to hunt and I don’t owe an explanation to the likes of the Fredericks of the world.
Humans are much healthier on a plant based diet as is the planet which is being destroyed by 7 billion plus people building houses and roads and consuming at the top of the food chain the 70 billion slaughter house animals who must be fed the soybeans destroying the rainforests and lungs of the planet. Surprising that all these hunter “Conservationists” don’t realize that eating animals is the most wasteful destruction of forests and water systems of our dying planet. PLEASE READ.
Sorry friend but you are clueless. First many hunters return with zip – meaning they saw nothing OR saw something they could not legally hunt and restrained the “trigger happy” impulse. Second – what happens to all animals eventually? Answer- they die. So allowing a human to harvest a few deer, that only makes the overall population better, while giving a sustainable food source is a win-win answer in my book.
Frederick Samuels.
After you pay your monthly dues and the Humane society do you go to the grocery store for your steak or chicken and pay for someone else to do your killing for you as you are a person of double standards if you do. Hypocrite is the word. There is more to hunting than the surface you want to paint of it.
You have missed out. A successful hunt doesn’t always mean you killed something. It can be a day spent with your son or good friends. Called making memories, and enjoying nature.
Try it sometime without your radio blaring. You will hear things you’ve never heard before., called peace and quiet.
Frederick Samuels,
It is a shame you only see hunting as a blood sport. This article specifically addresses how many use it to feed their families as well as the positive economic impact hunters have where they go. Since you are ill informed, I will share some information to try and educate you. I am mainly speaking of deer, but it translates to many different species. If there were no hunters, there would be even less animals. Hunters are allocated tags based on science of how many animals an area can support. If no animals are taken through hunting, they will overpopulate and desolate the landscape by causing over browsing. This leads to mass starvation and disease. Hunters strive for a quick, clean kill. Or would you rather the animals succumb to disease which would overwhelm their immune system causing a slow death? Perhaps you think freezing to death during the hard winter months due to malnourishment over the course of weeks or months is better? That certainly isn’t humane. Not to mention the carcass then rots in the field and is no value to anyone. By allowing hunting, animal populations are controlled in accordance with what the area supports and provides food to many who harvest animals. It also supports local economies through a variety of services bought. I understand you may not like hunting and choose not to participate, but for you to condemn a group of people who do because of your dim views is disheartening. I ask you get educated and learn about wildlife management through all means, not just hunting, and once you have genuine, accurate information you will quite likely understand hunting can have a very positive effect on animal populations in many areas.
Nope – wrong. Deer are farmed as the biggest cash crop of state agencies ( along with ducks, turkeys, elk, and other “game” animals ). The Wisconsin DNR openly announces to its killing clientele every year that they are “growing the deer herd another 175,000 for killing pleasure ( and license money ). How do they do it? By trophy killing bucks and leaving the does for the remaining bucks to impregnate and with the sudden decline in population, rebound birth of twins and triplets use up the opened up food supply to grow the next “Crop” to mow down.
The other strategy of growing the herd is to demonize natural predators ( predation for them – “harvest” for human predators ) – and kill coyotes year-round, bears by the thousands when they are barely cubs – and endangered species de-listed not because they were recovered but because political gain could be had for votes from ranchers, hunters, trappers, and those who love to trophy kill wolves. Yep – it is a grand thing – running packs of dogs on the canines that gave us our closest companions – dog-fighting and trapping and guns and crossbows – you might as well just put them all in a fence and slaughter them like cattle. Oh – that’s right – you do that too – it is called “hounding training” – putting rabbits, raccoons, foxes, bobcats, baby bears and coyotes to tear apart in fenced enclosures for family fun. Such a proud tradition.
Good riddance.
Why do you say good riddance and then come back with more tribble ?
What would you do with out a grocery store.
Eat a healthy plant based diet. We humans are causing the most major extinction of other species on the planet since the dinosaur extinction – and farming for deer and turkeys and ducks and geese and planting pheasants ( while destroying natural predators who “predate” on the animals thrill killers want to mount on their walls ) – is no better than going to a grocery store. These animals have no place to live in peace and have every right to bring natural order back to the world you are destroying with your DOMINATION and CONTROL and RIGHTS to kill kill kill.
70 billion farm animals, 8 billion people breeding as if the planet were not already in need of four more planets to sustain human greed and violence – and destroying large mammals, natural predators, hounding, trapping, high tech weapons – you call that hunting. What a farce.
oh my goodness you kill poor defenseless plants to sustain yourself, every mammal in the world has to kill something to live be it plant or animal, open your eyes that beautiful timber wolf will rip out your throat for a meal, without hunters dollars there would be no habitat without habitat no animals
That shows how little you know of the character of wolves. Richard Thiel a BIOLOGIST with the Wisconsin DNR who worked with wolves migrating back into Wisconsin for 30 years before retiring when the kills started – said on Wisconsin Public Radio, ( as I quoted in my column Madravenspeak ) : ” I worked with wolves for 30 years. I pushed wolves off of deer carcasses and had wolves walk right up to me. I never felt the need to carry a firearm and I never did.” Ignorance and cruelty prevail.
“Someday we will stand in front of the Great Spirit and you will answer for your crimes against the Animal Kingdom. You had no right to kill us….None.” And I would add to that you had no right to destroy the quality of life for those of us who respect life and suffer with our wildlife.
What do you suggest we do with the 70 billion farm animals, just let them go? One of your rants talked about God, and thou shalt not kill, I’m pretty sure he meant people since he clearly says in the bible that we can use all the animals on the land and the fish in the sea. I don’t know where you live, but I’m sure if the 70 billion farm animals were to be released to live out their lives, you wouldn’t have a vegetable left for you to eat since that’s where you would find them, in the farm fields eating up YOUR food, then when that ran out you would have billions of animals dying from starvation. Do you realize that without hunting the deer population would explode and without enough forage for them they too would die of starvation, many of them would be hit by cars killing people in the process. Anyway, your not going to change hunters minds just as we won’t change yours, enjoy your salad and have a wonderful day.
I SO LOVE THIS COMMENT. It reminds me of a young agriculture student at the University of Wisconsin who wrote in and said, “Just wait until the animal activists let all the cows go – see how hitting a cow with your car impacts you.” As if all the slaughterhouse animals would EVER be loosed at once. A nice fantasy. What we want is to not grow animals for cruel bolts and bleed out slaughterhouses where their lives are so worthless they are beaten and abused. We do not want our ancient aquifers drained since it takes enough water to float a battleship to raise one cow to slaughter. We do not want the land desertified and the natural predators shot for doing what natural predators do – live. We do not want our public lands razed for cattle grazing or chickens piled on top of each other in battery cages for unhealthy “chicken nuggets” that are toxic and the result of feeding baby ground up chickens to chickens or ground up pigs and cow blood to pigs and cows. We do not want the 80% of the rainforests in the Amazon destroyed to grow soybeans to feed to cattle for slaughter. We do want natural beings to live out their natural lives and contribute their natural role in the Great Mystery of Life. We are animals and we need to be more humble and realize that we are destroying our planet, overfishing and deadening the oceans and killing all that enriches our lives. We need to respect life.
Population explosion and your bent way of thinking are the enemies of wild game. Why don’t you save your ignorant rant for that deer laying along side of the road thrashing with a broken back after being hit by a car. Your emotional uneducated knowledge of wildlife management is what put the mountain lion on the protected list in Calif in the 70’s by folks of your ilk. Calif. has more cats now than ever before in recorded wildlife management. It has also caused the deer herds to be at their lowest count in history. All because of folks like you that make decisions based on emotion not facts. Mountain Lions are killing machines as they kill more than they need to eat. To them it is entertainment. You are more of an enemy to the wildlife than hunting has ever been since the buffalo which was not hunting.
The money that hunters spend on gear;license are the reason we have healthy populations of wildlife. You contribute nothing but a vote and a unbalanced emotional state to re-introduce the Grey Wolf which in a few short years have decimated the Elk herd in the Northern states.
Wildlife watchers and the majority 95% of the public who do not kill have a RIGHT to participate in funding and say in our state agencies that are now just killing businesses farming for deer to kill. Natural predators are demonized by folks like you for being a part of nature that is – well – natural…unlike your high tech weapons, treeloungers, bush-whacking, crossbow bolts, traps designed in the 1700’s that mangle and crush – nope – nothing natural about you.
Here – read. We the majority buy the public lands and you would have NOTHING without the public lands:
http://host.madison.com/ct/columnist/patricia-randolph-s-madravenspeak-non-hunters-should-claim-rights-to/article_1eeaf0bf-8c11-5c5f-835b-30e73edc8890.html
You should consider devoting some of your pent up hate and energy toward our exploding population and immigration which is perpetuating the population problem instead of directing all your hate towards people engaged in a legal activity and contributing towards the preservation of our wildlife through all the money the spend toward their passion that goes toward the good of wildlife and think about how little you and your ilk contribute other than shooting off your ignorance of the subject though your big mouth.
It is truly unfortunate that you feel strong enough about this subject to reply in such a shallow, righteous fashion. Ignorance is no excuse for your reply. If you had just a smidgeon of experience with hunters, perhaps you would see the folly of your comments. “Hunters” in general are like any other population category in our society. The overwhelming percentage of which are stereotyped by a few “bad apples”. Obviously, you have been unfortunate in that your opinion of hunters was influenced by the few bad apples. I agree with another reply that suggests you get out more often. Your comment was simply wrong.
Al
I have been dealing with hunters and their intimidation and “rights” to kill all that is dear to me for 20 years. It is long enough to get an overview. I have served as a county delegate on the hunting lobby as the first person to be elected to represent the non-hunting public because the hunters got their hunting lobby legislated into sole advisory and intimidate the non-hunters who show up to vote and participate. They sit behind the elderly and women who do not hunt and say to each other “We oughta have a season on antis.” They come out in camo drag to intimidate the rest of us.
I served on the trapping committee as a delegate. If you want PTSD, serve on the trapping or hounding committees. I have attended endless Natural “Resource” Killing meetings – served on the Captive Bear and Cougar committees and live in the country on 72 wooded acres trespassed and killed out by the surrounding serial killers. The beaver and ducks from my creek – killed – no muskrats – no otters – the bobwhite quail here briefly ten years ago hunted out as they are across the entire country. The deer terrorized and lured from my property ( my neighbor to the north a bow-hunter who kills out our bucks ). I had coyotes in the woods singing when I took in a court abuse case of 46 goats and sheep ( 26 left to starve to death ) . The coyotes never bothered our goats and sheep in five strand electric fencing – but they were killed out by the killing obsessed all around me. The turkeys who roost in my woods – assaulted three months – six weeks in spring and six in the fall. The foxes who lived down near the barn – trapped out with river access to the creek along my eastern boundary.
I have written a wildlife column the past four years on top of my 17 years of activism since I was elected. I think I understand killers pretty well.
Here in Georgia our rifle season is 3 months. Each hunter that purchases a license is legally allowed to harvest 2 Bucks and 10 Does. Of course not everyone takes their limit but it is nice to fill my freezer with as much fresh truly natural meat as I feel necessary. So Freddie enjoy your store bought contaminated meat , my family is having Backstrap , Rice and Gravy tonight. Oh and I am going hunting in the morning, wish me luck.
Good luck dude, I hope you get another one. We were eating cowboy venison chili tonight. I was blessed with a nice buck this year.
Wow what a narrow-minded view. I have only been hunting for 3 years…..got a late start bonding with my step son. Hunting and killing an animal in that fashion is far more humane than anything that happens in a slaughter house for beef, pork, or chicken and mine isnt pumped full of antibiotics and steroids. You should really open your eyes on what happens to “humanely” feed the billions of people on this planet.
A plant based diet is healthy for the planet, water systems, climate ( 52% of climate change attributed to slaughterhouse animal production ) and healthier for our relationship to the other animals who have every right to live out their lives just as the human animal asserts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Watch the documentary EARTHLINGS on you tube to get the scale of this abuse.
Good grief man, have you never heard of tradition? Or is watching everyone play with their iphones and ipads, good enough for you?
Slavery was “tradition”. Bound feet in China, a “tradition”. The abuse of women a cherished “tradition”. Abuse and killing and the torture of trapping and hounding are “traditions” we can do without.
I think I understand where you are coming from Freddy. If you buy into the Disneyesque picture of anthropomorphised animals frolicking through the forests and medows showing love and respect to all the other creatures, instead of the reality of animals consuming one another without mercy, then it is easy to demonize hunting and hunters. Like it or not we as a species have (evolved, been designed or created, your choice) as part of a merciless system of eat or be eaten.
I will have to admit I have no stomach for shooting inocent animals, I only aim at the ones that look guilty.
Where do you get off? I just got back from hunting ducks with my Son today. We didn’t fire a shot. However, it was still a good experience for both of us. You ought to get a clue before you make general assumptions about hunters.
I am very sorry to read such ignorant views like yours. I guess you’ve never sat in a duck blind and watched the migration go by overhead, or sat in a deer stand and watched two bucks square off, or walked a field and had wild pheasants flush and startle the heck out of you. It’s a great feeling to witness all that God has created. The fun is over when you pull the trigger. Then the work begins to start the next phase of enjoying the harvest.
Then come the stories you share with other hunters and non hunters alike. Re telling how the hunt went and how you prepared and how awesome your day was, regardless of whether or not you took game .
I’m sure you have similar stories to share of your time at the mall or how you forwarded a inspirational picture of nature while you were at Starbucks. It’s totally the same thing, we are the same kindred spirit.
I am over 65 and have been hunting since I was 14. Before that I accompanied my father and older brothers and friends on their hunts. My fondest memories are of the days I spent in duck blinds and on deer stands with friends and family. Every critter we bagged wound up on the dinner table, and yes, a set of trophy horns would wind up on the wall. I have since taken two of my three children into the field, taught them the joys of being outdoors and a respect for all the creatures out there. I have beamed with pride as I watched them take their first deer of pheasant. The game we harvest (yes, harvest) still fills our larder. You can spend all the time you want with your kids at some hokey tourist trap or going to the movies, etc. but it will never compare to watching them grow to adulthood in God’s Country. Many is the time we have come home empty-handed but we have never returned disappointed. I respect your right to live your life the way you want. Please have the respect for others who have learned another way to live.
I am 79 and have hunted since I was 11. I leave in 2 days to drive 400 miles to a ranch where I’ll meet friends I only see once or twice a year. We may shoot a Whitetail (2 bucks & 3 doe) limit, or Fallow or Axis deer no season or limit. There are too many Mouflon sheep no season or limit , so we will shot some to prevent damage to the grass. If we shoot an animal fine if not fine, it is the fellowship not the killing. I shoot a rifle that sends a bullet down range at over 1/2 mile per second, so with head and neck shots the animal never hears the report of the shot. That is much more humane than starving or dyeing of diseases spread from over population. To some ignorance is bliss as they can condemn people about things they think, not know.
Hey,Fred,where do you think your steaks or pork chops came from? Could it be from a living breathing animal? At least the wild game have a chance,thats more than the cows,pigs,etc that are raised to butcher.
You sound like a person who lives in a 4×4 concrete room eating tofu or veggies or maybe beef that you get from a supermarket and don’t know the healthy benefits of venison. You can rank all the people who hunt, but don’t knock it till you try it.
You are one clueless individual. Both my kids can feed themselves from the land. Know how to get and make safe, water, etc etc etc… You are a sheep, natural selection will be something you cannot avoid.
Pass your skills onto your children and their friends, God knows these kids coming up are in trouble and know nothing besides video games and iphones/pads…
GET OFF THE COUCH AND GO OUTSIDE!!!!!!
Frederick, did you have turkey, ham or cereal for thanksgiving? How about beef? If you did not have cereal then someone had to kill what you ate. Even if it was a all vegy meal someone killed the vegs. Before you condemn the killing, or taking of food you should eat air for 2 months and see how you feel.
You are really making an ignorant statement. 1) I am a female, so no testosterone there. 2) I prefer to hunt with a compound bow, so your ‘shoot em’ up’ idea is bullshit. 3) Obviously you have never hunted because being alone in the woods with someone while hunting can really bring people together, or going hunting with a group, or teaching someone to hunt. That is more of a ‘quality time’ then sitting around watching tv together like most families. 4) Your comment about being ‘constructive’ just reaffirms that you don’t understand hunters at all. Where do you think conservation money comes from? Who do you think gets involved with community conservation efforts or education efforts? What about the meat that is donated to the community by hunters? You have an awful lot to say on the subject but what do you do for animals or conservation?
Give em’ hell Holly you said it as good as can be said. I’ve never read so many people that know nothing of the great outdoors and who pays for it and supports wildlife. Hunting guarantees a strong herd and good Dna. They will never get it. They can probably tell you the name of the last football player that cold-clocked his wife though.
First of all killing is NOT conservation. And the money – USFWS surveys show that 10-40 times the revenue of hunters to state tax coffers come from the majority wildlife watchers. We also buy the public lands without which you would have NOTHING:
http://host.madison.com/ct/columnist/patricia-randolph-s-madravenspeak-non-hunters-should-claim-rights-to/article_1eeaf0bf-8c11-5c5f-835b-30e73edc8890.html Study shows that wildlife watchers, the non-consumptive citizen majority pay 94% of conservation costs.
We also create equal job creation and sales and multiplier effects even though state agencies entire focus is on providing killing opportunities for their customers who kill and pay the license fees state agencies are structured on.
It is hard to read comments like yours. You say go to the store and buy it. Removing yourself from reality does not change the fact that eating meat requires the death of an animal. Hunting is not about bravery, or male prowess. Hunting is a natural Order of life , death and providing. A significantly more honorable cycle then commercial butcher warehouses. As human life becomes more sanitized from the truth through technology some who do not understand this natural order are compelled to voice there view. Most hunters care for these animals not unlike the farmer with his cattle. Unless you eat only vegetables and never use leather you may be a hypocrite. Finally the deer population today is enormous as compared to the days before organized conservation funded by hunters was initiated.
Hey Frederick, I guess you got something to say about me and my sport, something you should learn about. Read up on it. I love to fight cocks, Now you please tell me how we force our roosters to fight? George Washington was one of us Abe Lincoln Col. Custer, Ray Price, Kris Krisofferson, Tom T Hall just to name a few. Old feller I’ll keep fighting my roosters till the day I die. Oh I’m also a hunter. R D
My lust was always for the meat, I like to eat meat and feed my family. Never really liked the kill part of hunting, but it the only way to harvest the animal humanly.
Mr. Samuels –
You made a statement about the “average hunter” and alluded to him (or her in my case) being trigger happy and blood-lust-filled. You are wrong sir. Indeed there are those few that fit your description — but they are few. Hunters on average have reverence and amazing respect for the animals they harvest. I have worked in the industry and I have seen the best and I have seen the worst. The worst doesn’t show up in camp very often. So until you really KNOW what the average hunter is…please don’t make sweeping assumptive statements like that.
Thanks,
RMG
You obviously don’t know anything about real hunters. I don’t have a lust to kill as much as a great appreciation of nature and a legitimate need for protein. I hunt as my forefathers and ancestors (and everyone else’s) did; for sustenance. People like you who write about things they haven’t a clue about, should keep silent and reserve your opinion. Wait untill you actually know what your talking about before you make general assumptions about a group of people you know NOTHING about.
Go away.
Both of my children hunt with me,jerk!
Oh Fred, we just aren’t as evolved as you. You just continue to enjoy your sanitized, plastic wrapped steak, chicken, pork and fish and rest smugly in the knowledge that you are a superior being in every respect. Never would you condone the merciless killing of God’s creatures. Medium rare, please.
I have been a hunter and fisher since I was a kid. For my older relatives it was a matter of survival. Hunting or fishing legally with licenses!! is a matter of good management of our natural resources that have been out of whack due to irresponsible jerks. I like game and fish to eat for the nutritional values and taste. I am a omnivore and have friends and relatives that a Vegan or Vegitarian and I enjoy their food also.
I have my 2 boys into hunting started early now both in there 20’s go every year with the exception of my oldest he’s in the military and goes when he can. I have friends that i been hunting with since we were were kids, none of there kids have any interest . I feel proud and lucky that both my sons enjoy it. Thats the same in my family of 4 sons iam the only one that hunts, there always to busy and we were brought up with hunting and shooting values. there always to busy
The author never even bothered to ponder the thought that many in the younger generations would rather “shoot” with a camera and view the wildlife with binoculars. After reading my state’s wildlife commission’s long, lengthy,monthly report about arrests and the illegal shootings of wildlife, of eagles, hawks, purposefully running over turtles with their pickup, etc., I think it’s a great thing that there are less “hunters” out there.
Logical fallacy there.
Law breakers =/= “hunters”.
Well, Bob, you have no right to feel righteous about your opinion on hunters and hunting. In fact, you deserve to be ridiculed for your thinking, because you, sir, are a freeloader. You freely enjoy the wildlife and the outdoors that hunters have paid for, and will continue to pay for. There are slobs in the outdoors that break the law, and they should be punished for it, but to equate the overwhelming majority of hunters who follow the law with the slobs who break it is ludicrous.
Plus you almost need an attorny to leave you know if the buck is a legal;l one or not.Must have 4 tines on one side two lower points measuring precisely 11/16″ measured 1 11/32 from the lowest point on the right side.
Thankfully I have hunted the national forest in Ga. since I could follow my dad and uncles in the woods.There was a time in Ga. just seeing deer tracks was something. I think one great problem with modern deer hunting is the falure to see every haversted deer as a trophy,and the ginned up idea that a trophy is only a large buck. I think this hinders some peoples enjoyment of the sport. The preseason scouting,time spent in the forest and finally seeing deer near you in the woods is great but the kill is the final result.There should be a bond between hunter and prey I dont think it can be explained. I have ran into those who use the forest at no cost but think that hunters should go,much of what is parks,forest and game and nongame animal populations would not exsist if not for hunters paying special taxes. So Ill hunt on.
Very good article. I see the same thing happening in Louisiana. One reason for a decline in hunting interest is the fact that it has become a market rather than a tradition. My great grandfather left us 200 acres of land with lots of hardwood (red oaks, white oaks, beech). Seven years ago a individual bought up 55,000 acres of property and erected a high fence around it. Our property fell with in this high fence. We now are surrounded by high fences and have no deer on our property. There are several other property owners that have faced the same issue in the area. The state will do nothing about it, there are environmental impacts that the fence is causing, but no one will help due to the money that is involved. I believe that if the traditional hunters do not stand up and educate the younger generation about what hunting is really about then in another 10 to 15 years the tradition that I grew up with will be something of a fond memory. Any suggestions is greatly appreciated.
try to get everyone affected by the fence to sign a petition against it and get state congress involved; really raise ‘h’ about it ; if nothing works after all that buy a bulldozer; I wouldn’t let anyone fence me in.
Cut through the fence like we had to do here in Texas when a high fence was placed on two borders of our property. They repaired it twice and now leave it alone or it will be cut again.
leave that’s what I had to do. I am from Colorado hunted all my life. first deer I killed I was 6 and the first elk I kill by my self I was 13. these things have mad me an independent man. we never paid anyone to process our animals or to make our sausage or hamburger cut our steaks. We do that we can our food grow our vegies and take care of our selves when those values where no longer respected or even sought after there anymore we left. I loved north west Colorado , the mountains the desert the nicest memories where created there , many over a good hunt. when they changed they being; the cancer of Denver and the republic of boulder. We where forced to find better ground. North my friend that’s where it is. Alaska the land of the free. I will warn you , don’t come unless you mean it . we take care of our own here. we hunt and fish and walk in to the back country. we don’t have tree stands or not many and men here can gut there own animal and take care of its meat. If you are unable say put.
It might be helpful to look into how the Pennsylvania Game Commission was controlled by people put into strategic positions to do the bidding of The Forest Service Council, an international group of timber companies based in Bonn Germany, kind of like OPEC apparently, which turned out to be, eradicating Pennsylvania’s deer herd, because the deer were supposedly suppressing reforestation. A huge outcry from individual and disorganized hunters fell on deaf ears at every level. Now, in the northern tier counties, where most of the public land is, during the firearms deer season, you are apt to see many more hunting cabins with “for sale” signs on them, than deer. Many of them have given up in disgust. It’s been said that Pennsylvania is the test case for this assault.
the key word in that statement is public land. I’m surrounded by posted land in the mid-western part of the state. We’re absolutely polluted with deer, half mile down the road on the game lands there’s very few deer. Blame the game commission all you want, but the public lands are being over hunted.
Greetings, William, interesting few and one that I never herd. So here is some more info you might be interested in. About ten years ago PA game com. published their deer plan and up till last year it was still viewable on the web site, but has since been taken down and replaced by a newer version. The report was very straight forward and honest. The number one priority was to reduce the size of the deer herd in PA. Then they went on to give reasons for the need for a smaller herd, the first was deer incursions with automobles. Now this is important and huge part of the report was devoted to justifying this need. Included in the report was the average cost to the insurance industry for each incursion. Other reasons and there were about ten, was crop damage, forest damage, and down near the the bottom was a part conected to your post and that was the forestry industry moving into PA due to the majority of timber on state land becoming of age to be cut and that would create very good habitat for deer as seen in years past when PA was timbered and created the herd that we had. Then the report went on to give the how the herd would be reduced and how that stratedgy would work, this included the plan to move the doe season, and changing the number of points to make a legal buck. Like I said it was put together about ten years ago and every thing in it was put into place and has been sucessful in reducing the herd. I see less and less deer every year.
Getting Kids Outdoors Hunting, Hiking, Playing in Creeks,etc Is key to Mental/Physical Health and Creates Future Conservationist!
Youtube Abundant Childhood and Google Children and Nature Network
There is nothing “healthy” about killing the animals you would love if you knew them. Kids going to farm sanctuaries and wolf sanctuaries and walking quietly in the woods observing wildlife and learning how they survive is healthy. I am with the former bear hunter who said, ” I realized I was really interested in bears and I did not learn much about them when they were dead in the back of my truck.” Since then he adopted three bear cubs near Wausau, WI and loves their gentle nature. You can find his web site here:
http://www.wisconsinblackbears.com/about.php He describes himself as a “reformed sport hunter”. People who take the time to know wildlife do not want to kill them. They learn how beautiful in spirit they are…without that much touted “reason” that humans pride so much that they can rationalize almost any cruelty.
I read the articale the line that got me at noon I left my tree stand & walked back to my parents for lunch, I have been in the woods
for over sixty years, nobody went home for lunch a hand full of hard candy or maybe an apple in your pocket was your eats for the day
until you came out at dark time, no tree stand you drove deer, you tracked, you pulled the trigger there was meat on the table, you stayed
in a shack with your hunting buddies, no shower, no shave, coffee so strong the spoon would stand up, swapped lies, drank a few beers
ate food your wife would n’t let in her house, if you didn,t get your buck there was alway next year, no deer that was the size of a small dog
the idea here is you had one hell of great time with guys you liked & respected, when you can say you did all of this then you truely
went deer hunting until that time you just went hunting
woodsman deer bed down during the middle of the day and I really don’t think you are being honest . Nobody sits in a stand all day long unless they are so far out in the wilderness or so cold the don’t leave
rk – you don’t have a clue. I frequently sit all day and I live in rural upstate New York, hardly “wilderness”.
Dress for the weather and temperature and you’re fine.
rk, I have plenty of hunting buddies who do stay out in the woods all day, either still hunting, stalking, or stand hunting. They may be a 1/4 mile from all the comforts of home or a 1/2 mile from a shack with an outhouse. Deer move all day during the rut and some are pushed by hunters leaving the woods at noon to those hunters who do stay in the woods all day. I, myself, have hunted all day long several times. However, in my older years, at noon, I enjoy breakfast / lunch at the shack in the woods with my friends and family more than staying in the woods all day. Then, back out to the woods from early afternoon til dark…
of course deer don,t move much in the day time that why its called a drive so they will move
Really? The twelve bucks our club have taken between 11:30 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. obviously didn’t read that. 1-10 pt; 1-9 pt; 8 – 8 pt; and 2 -6 point.
I hunt the U.P. of Michigan on large tracts of State Forest and there are days I stay out all day, and days where I vary my times. It just depends on what I am in the mood for.
Ken
I was born & raised in the UP right in the middle of some of the wildest country in the lower 48 states, tell me somthing were all these
bucks taken in one season all in the same area, or over a period of time, were the deer baited, all deer move some in the day time
you want bragging rights how about this our crew had 21 legal bucks 3 bear, 2 coyote hanging at the end of the season
Just responding to rk who states that deer don’t move midday. The bucks I mentioned are over a 3 year period. I took 2 of the 8 -pts. with nice inside and outside spreads. Since the guys were older than me, there were years they took a bear or two on a deer license when it was allowed.
I love the U.P. and like you, I spent many years in a deer camp without electricity and an out-house a few miles into the woods on a 2-track road. We had propane lights, propane stove, and an outdoor refrigerator. We had a wood burner for heat and rigged a 30 gallon water container on it so that we always had hot water. The bedroom slept 10 guys comfortably and stored or gear. We had a picnic table in the cabin that easily could seat 14 – if we had dinner guests from another camp. Since the cabin had a A-frame design, we had a 12 foot pole that ran length wise attached to the ceiling beams. We had hangers with 12 foot handles so we could hang up all of our hunting clothes out of the way.
There days we stayed out all day and days where we took shifts on our most productive stands. Other times we would organize a drive. Any way we cut if we took deer or not, deer camp was a special place to be with good friends and family, good food, good conversation and poker. Once in a while we would go out to a place called the Wolf’s Inn and shoot pool.
I still own a nice “cabin” on 20, 9 miles from Tahquamenon Falls, but I hunt with my friends north of Crystal Falls. The camp is more modern with all the comforts of home, but being outdoors is where it is at!
well said,,i did it and i loved it,,,,they are all gone ,,im the only one left,i do it alone now.
In my youth I hunted for deer, it was easy to find a person whom owned property and would grant permission to hunt on their land. Today is a very different landscape. It has become practically impossible to find a land owner who will allow someone, especially someone whom they are unfamiliar with, to hunt on their property and I TRULY understand. I understand there are several reasons for this decline to access; many hunters are not respectful of the opportunity and have not treated the property with respect. Plus the fear of a hunters injury has MANY land owners not wanting the possibility of an injured hunter suing them for getting hurt on their property even when the hunters own negligence caused the accident. I have inquired into hunt clubs, but almost choke when the fees to join are in the $600 – $1500 a year to join. I cannot afford the price per pound for that kind of hunting.
So what is one to do? I shoot arrows into the bales of hay in the backyard with my son, to keep in practice. We go to the outdoor DNR range and shoot the rifles and muzzleloaders to keep in practice and hope that one day we will find someone or someplace to hunt and carry on and pass down the heritage of hunting in American…Land of the free and home of the brave! (but fading fast)!
Hello to all that reads my reply.
Lets start off with the assumption that there are fewer hunters out there. The only thing I can comment on that is “yes I agree” but with I think that is only a small part of what is happening not only in my state I live in but others as well. In California where I reside there has been an ongoing battle over the amount of public access we have now that not only this state has allowed to happen but others are following suite. what I mean is this state is allowing land owners to buy surrounding land that will “land lock” the public land. I have called to ask if this can actually be done and everyone I have talked to tells me the same thing, yes. I don’t understand how you can publicize how much BLM land you have in this state but only a SMALL portion is accessible. That’s just the start, with our deer herds down in the area where I’m at have been getting worse and worse over the course of the last 15 years. The state has done nothing to make it better or even attempt to make it better. The zone we hunt in is called D-7, this zone has a “GENERAL SEASON” tag quota of 9,000 tags. This number has been at that many for at least 17 years. With all those tags there is a SLIM number of successful hunters that actually harvest a deer from this zone. That number has been anywhere from 325-450 animals per year. That is about a less than 5% success rate. Not very good in most peoples eyes.
Now for another contributor of declining hunters. We where one of few states that require us to use “Lead Free” ammunition in about 30% of the state for all big game hunting. Now your average box of ammunition for lets say 30-06 was about $15-$18. Now since the Lead Free movement this price has more than double the price and in some cases tripled the price for a box of shells depending on caliber. With this just being a few factors that are slowly pushing people not only in my state but others to finger away from hunting and move to other means of entertainment. If you would like more information about what is happening in the state of Ca feels free to reach me at my email listed below.
It’s a sad state of affairs for us that grew up hunting and fishing the great outdoors. I was born and raised in Montana and carried a 12 ga. when I was Eight. Drove tractor when I was Eight as there is always more work on a farm than time to do it. Regarding the shortage of deer and other game we can attribute that to the Fredericks group. I’m sure he supported protection of the lions passed in the 70’s. That is another big reason we are losing our deer herds. We have caused an imbalance by doing that. They are killers and kill more than they eat. The lead farce is exactly that. The Peta folks and humane ssociety and sierra club bought out the fish and game commision to support the lead ban by hiding the true evidence of the issue. I rem. when you encountered a game warden he was a gentleman who would check your license and gun and maybe give you a couple of tips where the dear are feeding or watering. Now you encounter a storm trooper thug called a game warden who has no manners They forget who pays their wages.
Enough,it just makes me sad to see windmills and acres of solar panels where I used to take my son and grandsons hunting and enjoying Americas wide open spaces.
Lead shot according to the John Muir Audubon Society is left in the environment by hunters and kills a million songbirds in Wisconsin annually – and more millions across the country. That is just songbirds. Water birds and right up through hawks and eagles and natural carnivores ( the few not slaughtered by hunters ) are sickened and die from the lead. It is a crime against nature. According to studies at UW Madison, the average hunter is 55 and white male and makes over $55,000 a year and you cannot pay for non-lead shot – you great “conservationists”! Really?
I hunted sense I can remember and really enjoyed it, The past few years I have been so busy that I could not take the time off and had a few health problems. I have only one son and he does not want to hunt nor wants to learn how. I have given most of my guns away to other family members and will give the remainder to my son-in-law in a few years.
I agree that hunting is on the decline. The younger generation would rather go hungry than learn to live off the land, and this is so sad.
Not all of us want that, I am 25 and as much as I love my internet and computer games I spend much more time outside with the dog, growing my own food or chasing deer.
Are US Hunters an endangered species? I would say a resounding YES! Why, less access to hunting lands and less public acceptance of open firearm carry in many states. First, there are laws that prohibit allowing youth under a certain age 11 or 10 and under from hunting even with an adult hunter. This effectively discourages many young people from hunting. Why hunt or drive a care when you IPhone will create instant connectivity. I know youth who are obese due to lack of physical activity. Two increased urbanization that spans out to small towns and engulfs them into the larger cities. Not much can be done with this loss of open land nearby. Three lack of open hunting land (especially private land). I do not like to use a clique “but when I was a boy” near a large world class city (the one that happens to be the US capital), there was a social, custom and legal acceptance “tolerance” of discharging small caliber rifles, shotguns and pistols on open non posted land. In fact posting land was quite difficult. I used to target practice and a local county policeman would stop and join me. Now one would get the SWAT team. Back then 35 years ago there were classes of long guns that were viewed as benign recreation tools and your open use was considered non threatening. Now Firearms are seen as instruments of violence and not as recreation tools by the uninitiated public (which is growing). This isn’t true for all parts of the US. Great Basin States, Mid West, Lower south east, and perhaps upper New England and Great Lake states less so in this hostility. But any large metro area near the coast of a large body of water this attitude reigns supreme. I can count on all my finger and toes aging 50 and 60 something hunters who just do not have the time anymore to take their younger relatives out hunting. I do not like to make this an ethnic issue but hunting seems to be an interests of certain European descent people and less of other groups. Hence there is a Socio-Economic barrier due to perception and wealth that seems to disenfranchise a large up and coming population.
they should be an endangered species because their activity of picking up a gun or arrow to go out and kill an innocent animal just trying to stay alive is absolutely depraved, evil, venal and malicious. the fact is animals have a tough time staying alive at all ans we should be sharing this world with them. we have no right to abysmally kill them for fun and joy at killing. to make rugs of them? to make fur coats of them? no way. we don’t need to harm and abuse fellow creatures like that. have a little compassion for others in your life and stop the murder of innocent creatures.
Your comments are almost so naive that a response seems useless. Deer populate so rapidly that they must be controlled. They will die from starvation or disease. Human sprawl has interfered with normal animal population dynamics. Enjoy your steak, upps, that cow was not hunted, just butchered, but that is ok… I assume.
You are the naive one. Or lying. You must know that state agencies funded on killing licenses grow their biggest and most profitable crop – the deer herd by killing natural predators of deer ( competition ) and trophy killing bucks to leave the does to produce the next profitable crop. If you don’t understand that a plant based diet could save the climate, the oceans, the water systems, the rainforests and our dying world ( 52% plummet in wildlife populations across the planet in the blink of an eye – the past forty years ) – then you do not read.
You are the naive one. The alternative to killing wildlife is not killing tame life – it is not killing at all. A plant based diet is healthier for an uppity primate to eat.
You’re absolutely right, they do have a tough time staying alive, and without hunters keeping the numbers down they die in multitudes of slow starvation. What kind of evil, malicious person would wish that on so many animals. Here is a wonderful thought, why don’t you talk to a state biologist in your area and actually find out the facts instead of just going with you idea that you want to be right. Ignorance can cause a great deal of harm.
I love to hunt, have compassion for animals and I respect them to the fullest but its the human animals with the mind set like you I can’t tolerate
what do eat?
You really have no clue….not many hunters find joy in killing an animal,but it is the only way to get it home and eat it. Hunters don’t make rugs out of a deer hide,here in Minnesota there is a program called hides for habitat. Look it up if you are interested in actually learning something. Why do anti- hunters always spew such lies? You all work with dis-information and emotional babble! If you eat anything other than dirt,and there are living things in there too,then you are killing things to live. It’s just that someone else does the dirty work for you so you can feel so good about yourself.
I see another reason for the drop in hunters is that fewer farmers allow people to hunt on their lands. There are also fewer family farms to hunt on. The corporate AG business has pushed the family farmer out. This causes less available land to hunt on. Then you have high fees from other private land owners and Fish and Wildlife areas or out of state licenses that charge so much that the initial idea of going out to harvest your own game has made it unrealistic for the average hunter to do so. I was brought up to respect the land and had a number of places I could go hunt with the permission of the land owner. I just gave them the respect I would expect. Now it’s becoming more difficult to acquire permission from someone.
Not if I can help it ! I teach at least 3 classes a year in hunters ed and at least 1 in trappers. My club holds a free to youth pheasant hunt each year. One thing I have noticed through the years( I’ve been teaching for almost 30 years) is that we are getting more woman and 30ish men learning to hunt. When I was growing up we had space and all my friends hunted small game. As the kid grew he began preferring larger game and doing more traveling. Some due to the raising of families and making a living have moved away from outdoor activities. Meanwhile the soft and cuddly people have made headway demonizing the quest for ones own food. Hunting is healthy not only for clean chemical free fresh meat, and for its physical activity, but it enriches ones very soul by being in the hunting environment. There is something most rewarding in the independence of being able to provide your own food. Yes hunting may seem to be on the decline, but if we do as much as we can to present the most positives of the activity and decry those would destroy this most wholesome of traditions it will survive.
Yeah, more hunters. My uncle was nearly killed hunting in a valley in Montana as who-knows-how-many avid hunters opened up on an elk that ran across their path. He finally started lobbing lead toward the sources of the firing up on the ridge to save himself. “Hell, it was just like the Pacific all over again!” he said later.
sir every thing that you say is true, I have been a hunter for more than 65 years in the state of new York, it has always been a challenge to find places to hunt , but it has gotten a lot worse in the past 15 years or so there is way to much posted land. the land that isn’t posted are small pieces surrounded by posted land the deer know that the posted land is a safe place so they go there. there are a lot of deer but hard to get ,so the hunters give up . young people just don’t want to spend there time and come up with nothing. back in the 70ds I hunted every day of the season and this year I hunted 3 hours. thank you , Claude
Funny the author did not mention that there isn’t as much public land to hunt as there used to be, private property owners are not as willing to just let people hunt anymore, large tracts of land are becoming more scarce, and leasing hunting property rights is more common than ever, and the cost to lease has sky rocketed in recent years. Not that many years ago, it was very easy to obtain permission to hunt on private property, & leasing property to hunt on cost $2 or $3 per acre, or about what the land taxes were each year, now in prime areas, property leases as high as $30 an acre, and the average hunter just cannot afford to pay that kind of money. It cost us more to lease a 250 acre farm now than what we used to could lease a 750 acre farm. Outfitters are a large part of the reason for the cost of leasing increasing so much. The cost of fuel, ammunition, & license are also a big factor. I work a part time job now just to make enough money to pay for hunting license & the cost to lease hunting property. I love the outdoors, the tradition, and time spent with friends & family hunting, and will continue for as long as I can afford it, but, I know that the way things are going, I can’t, if things continue to increase, sometimes, you have to draw the line.
I feel ya Rick, and couldn’t agree more.
Deer populations need to be controlled. They populate so rapidly that if left to their own demise will starve or die from diseases. Hunting helps feed people and control populations in animals that human sprawl has interfered with. Pheasants, rabbits, ect never see their first birthday, nature is harsh. Humans hunting these animals DO NOT affect populations when controlled by Natural resource experts. This stuff is hidden in books.
While there are a number of reasons for hunting to diminish, you can add the NRA to the list. A great majority of people have no desire to take away a hunting rifle or your right to hunt. But when you live in the city where some logical gun restrictions, such as limiting, large capacity magazines, assault rifles, straw gun sales, and preventing background checks, have the power to make people not want to give one cent to firearms manufacturers. I am not naive to think that these measure would stop all gun violence or keep firearms out of the hands of hardened criminals. But it would help reduce the violence and make it more difficult for stupid young kids and adults from easily obtaining cheep illegal firearms. Many hunters are not about the sport of hunting animals but making sure that they have the “freedom” to obtain an arsenal of weapons at their fingertips. Regardless of what it means to the rest of society.
A “sensible” gun ban was enacted under Bill C. I didn’t oppose it at the time. After all, it was only a ban on 6 semi-automatic guns that ‘needed” to be removed for the sake of the public’s safety. It ended up at over 200+ guns and netted my .22s and M-1 Garand. Ever since then I have never trusted any one that wanted to ban my guns for “public safety”. They are gun grabbers plain and simple. These laws are why I am an NRA member. BTW – just what is an “illegal gun” Can you describe one for me? Its what some anti-gun politician wants it to be. LA, Detroit, Chicago, NYC, Washington, D. C. all with horrible, horrible gun crimes. Lets not blame the shooter, lets blame the gun. It ain’t workin’.
i truely believe this, here in my home of NJ growing up , i could go out hunting in any place that had woods or fields , and did it about 20 yrs , then people from the city came to love the country and wildlife and took away thier habitat , no more hunting , or no trespassing for any reason , her ein NJ people love wildlife to Death , now days i have to hunt out of state if want to hunt ! VERY SAD <BUT REALATY . now in NJ we kill animals with cars ,!!
I still enjoy hunting but having the opportunity to go isn’t good. If I do go hunting I have to travel long distances. It’s hardly worth it anymore.
Sitting in a plastic capsule in the freezing cold, alone, staring into nothing for hours.
You make it sound so enticing!
I mean, why spend my winter months skiing with friends or going out to a movie with my wife or laughing over dinner at a restaurant when I could be freezing my butt off alone for hours on end and nothing to show for it? I tried hunting. It was boredom mixed with discomfort followed by more boredom. And this is coming from a former Marine who sat in many a boring, uncomfortable position. As far as means of entertainment, I really would have trouble thinking of anything worse.
The main reason that hunting is not being passed on is there is less and less public lands to hunt in Wisconsin- And it is hard to get permission from private land owners to hunt their land- yes some do have land in FCL or Tax break lands- but a lot of it is landlocked and you still need permission from adjoining land owners – most of them won’t give you that permission because they are friends with the guy getting the tax break for putting his land in FCL- so it’s like one hand washes the other- Our Government knows this is going on all the time and they don’t want to do anything about it- because it effects TOO MANY PEOPLE and they don’t want to cause trouble with anyone! I’ve heard it many times said from many hunters that they just quit hunting because of this HUGE PROBLEM- it needs to get fixed so we as hunters can continue to raise our children up to enjoy the outdoors- it’s not about the kill it’s about the outdoors!
One of the biggest problems we have in South Florida is the Park Service Rangers. They make hunting miserable. When you come out of the woods they treat you like criminal. They want to check you from head to toe to see if you were doing anything illegal. All they want are hikers and bird watchers.
This figure does not include the lifetime hunting license purchased once by an individual and does not need to be re purchased every year.
I deer hunt in southern WI. The biggest problem is people leave the city and buy a farm site. They then sub dived it. On top of losing the farm that allowed hunting. You loose the area around because of the new houses. Then those new homeowners go after the farms that still do allow hunting. Then the insurance companies get involved. They will jack their rates if they learn they allow hunters. I myself have lost 2 hunting spots. They were located on 2 farms. Both because of insurance. After all that is left is public land. Mainly in southeastern Wisconsin all you have left is public land. The amount is small and anywhere you go all you see blaze orange. At the same time you have those new homeowners are complaining about the damage caused to their gardens and their cars when they hit one. Then you can throw in the anti-gun people. That is another subject. Throw all these problems together. It just becomes one big headache for most people. Then people stop hunting. Then the next generation never gets experience or exposure. So they never start. To sum it up The biggest problem in southern Wisconsin is the lack of places to hunt.
I enjoy hunting and have the privilege hunting on 15000 acres of land in Kansas. I live in Colorado, but hunt in Kansas because of the land I can hunt on. Out of state licenses are over priced and if they would lowered the price they might get more hunters there. I spoke with the game warden and he even said he wished they would drop the nonresident fees down to $10.00 for doe because so many deer and not enough hunters interested.
Another aspect that is diminishing hunting is License and tag prices are getting so expensive it is not feasible to hunt any more. The expense make’s it hard to take the whole family hunting. With the price of everything on the rise I need to pick and choose what I hunt carefully every year.
I grew up in NE Montana, where game was diverse and plentiful, and hunting was a way of life. We kept two freezers full of all manner of wild game to feed our family of 8. I taught my son to hunt, following the history and traditions of my family. Now neither one of us are hunters, and the guns sit in locked gun cases. My son and his wife are just not interested in fixing game, they both work hard and their time together is more important to them. None of my brothers, who grew up as I did, have hunted for years. We all spend a lot of time in the woods and see lots of animals, we just don’t want to hunt them anymore.
Hunting is a good way to Control Deer Population, but Predation Changes their Behavior and Reduces Disease. Youtube Lords of Nature to see how Wolf Re-Introduction in Yellowstone brought back Aspen/Cottonwood Groves, Beaver, Many Birds, native fish, pronghorn, and Improved Elk/Bison health!
Biodiversity is also key to human health and kids spending time Outdoors(multi-story Forest) Increases Immunity, improves mental health, and decreases Stress Hormones/BP/pulse (youtube Abundant Childhood) , Read Last Child in the Woods, and check out children and nature network!
hunting is not about killing, its the time to relax, reconnect with the outdoors, if i get a deer its great, means meat for my house, but the best part is the time with friends
I used to hunt in Wisconsin but the DNR did everything they could to ruin Deer hunting in this state by letting stupid people shot every deer they could. They claimed cronic wasting in our deer herd what a joke that has been here forever. I hope they got alot of money from the insurance companies to get rid our our deer cause they have lost a bunch of hunters both now and it the future.
In NJ the license and permit requirements and fees have become so complicated and expensive that it is both too confusing to figure out what the heck is going on – and cost prohibitive. I grew up in a rural area where people hunted to put food on the table. Now it makes absolutely no economic sense to hunt to put some venison on the table as it is not cost effective to do so. Why bother is my reaction anymore. It’s a shame a darn shame.
Here in Missouri the conservation dept isnt happyunless hunters kill more deer than they did the year before… every year… doesn’t seem very sustainable…also leaves a handful of people shooting all the does they want and “donating” the meat and every one else wondering what happened to all the deer and going home
Most of the hunting movies on TV IS A JOKE. A they sell all the sufisticated trinketry to get a deer.ITS REALLY NOT HUNTING WHEN YOU HAVE FOOD PLOTS.DEER FOOD BELOW YOUR STAND thats 40 or so feet UP IN THE AIR.AND KILL A PERFECT LARGE BUCK EATING OFF HIS PLATE.AND THEN THE HORNS ARE COUNTED BY POINTS IN A RECORD BOOKand you blow about what a hunter you are , and then people wonder where the big strong deer are, that weighs at least 120- 140 # with a spread of 12 – 18 inch 10 -12 or more horn points. well,you just can not keep shooting off deer with strong genetic genes ,the doe’s in northern wisconsin breed when there 60 to 70 #. you almost have to shoot 3 or 4 squirrels with one of them to make a fairly good meal at home,but wisconsin DNR say we are here to regulate deer and manage a quality hunt,they don’t mean nice size deer, but many deer , and then sell extra tage for a few dollors and say they are helping the hunter,then farmer say they have deer eating ther crops so the government gives the a monitary subsidy for crop damage , then they charge more for milk and post there land NO HUNTING.In Spain you had better not shoot a typical deer,only none typical buck to make sure you have the good and strong deer that are not subtable to decease, but the DNR caters to the insurance co. and maybe get some big dollors, a use to be a real hunter big Jack NORTHERN WIS
In the Northeast hunting is under constant attack by the loony left and the Animal Rights nut-balls. The amount of public land available to hunt shrinks every year and private land owners for the most part do not allow hunting . NJ has some of the most restrictive firearm regulations in the nation ( air rifles are considered a firearm and require fingerprinting and a permit. );. A bear hunt was only allowed when Gov. Christie entered office, prior Democratic Governors blocked the hunt at the behest of Animal Right loons. I am sure the next Democratic Governor will end the bear hunt and put even more restrictions on deer hunting. The animal right loons want to spend millions of tax payer dollars to sterilize the deer herds using contraception instead of allowing hunters to pay for that privilege through hunting.
Its not just the animal rights loom that you are referring to. Its people with lots of money doing reality TV shows, selling the people on a false imagine. In return people buy there products thus helping them get there agendas passed thus if you don’t have $$$$ you don’t hunt, even if you do have private land. WAKE UP HUNTERS
The farmers and landowners that used to grant permission to hunt to those they knew and to those that put in the effort to become known to the landowners/farmers have been swayed by the big money some are willing to pay for the privilege of hunting. The average guy is left with public hunting areas in his state which can be good if you put in the time, but mostly are over run with idiots who don’t want to follow the rules and who have no respect for anybody else. They can be downright dangerous at times. The real loser is the wildlife. When the number of hunters has dropped to next to nothing, the money to pay the various departments of natural resources around the country will dry up, because as anybody who hunts will know, license fees are where these monies come from. With no game wardens to stop poachers, what do you think will happen?
In pretty short order, there will not be any more wildlife.
I agree with Luis. Game wardens here make it difficult for a hunter to enjoy the day. Last year I had an agent walk up to my stand while I was hunting. He wanted to check my tag. Seems he could have waited till my hunt was over. Conservation dept rules are sometimes confusing also. Makes one believe they are confusing so that they can catch you doing something illegal. I still enjoy hunting, but understand why some folks would not want to take the chance of being arrested and having equipment confiscated.
here in Missouri if you don’t own land you have to lease hunting ground. rural hunters can’t afford the high prices that the urban hunters are willing to pay. I’m lucky to have my own land and am now teaching my 9 year old grand daughter and 7 year old grandson the fine art of hunting and trapping. they both love shooting their BB guns, their bow and arrow and running the trap line with me. I am truly blessed.
There are several reasons why hunting is almost at it’s end.
1.) People are so freaking crazed if anyone shoots a gun now days. You fire a shot on your own land and the neighbors call the cops. Where are you going to practice?
2.) I use to be able to hunt hundreds of acres of properties around my family farm when I was growing up. Now I don’t even talk to the city f’s that bought the properties as they made sure that all other neighbors knew that everyone was warned us not to hunt.
3.) Hunting licenses have gone through the roof. I am not going to pay $150 for a paper that says I can hunt. I just don’t go. If I want a deer I take it off my own land where I do not need a license.
4.) Idiotic game laws! Since the dip wads in our state game department allowed a handful of business owners in Shenandoah County, Virginia to push a law through that you had to take a buck with 4 points on one side, things slid in the wrong direction. Now the law has been retracted to your second buck must have 4 points. Well guess what….never had a pot of antler soup and don’t plan on it is their opinion. I guess people are just harvesting them and not checking them in as small bucks since you can call them in by phone.
5.) It use to be you had 2 week deer seasons and everyone was into taking off of work, closing businesses and going to deer camp. Now the seasons run from the first of September to the end of April in Loudoun County, Virginia. Why worry about going for 2 weeks…..in fact most people hunt less that they ever did becasue in their minds they have 8 months. Less deer are being killed and more vehicle accidents on account of the deer population.
6.) Ammo, firearms and hunting clothing have skyrocketed. What use to be an $8 box of shells is not $35. Ridiculous. Same goes for firearms and clothing.
7.) Hunting guides want to make a years wages in 2 months. Who can afford $5000-$10,000 to hunt a ranch for elk?
8.) Hunting license have to keep going up to pay for Conservation Police. LOL What a joke title. Really? Just what good do they really do riding around in a $50,000 SUV that is paid for not by taxpayer but hunters and fishermen. Deputy Sheriffs could do the same job and much more effectively as there is usually one conservation police in a county. Try getting them out when there is a problem…..maybe in a day or two they might show up.
People are tired of paying out the nose for a sport that just ahs become ….well not worth the time of day.
I’m sure those sheriff deputies don’t have anything better to do than police hunting.
Ammo has increased drastically because of excise taxes the govt puts on it to try and control who has guns. Plus those taxes help pay for public lands and conservation.
Sadly, I believe it’s true that the number of hunters is declining. In my own club, the number of hunters aged 65+ outnumbers the rest 65-35% and very few younger members are bringing their youngsters out to the field to learn the skills and traditions. I suspect the general trend of young people toward electronic entertainment and the anti gun atmosphere that prevails in schools and the media are creating an ill deserved atmosphere of social taboo. The worst part is the kids are learning that gratuitous violence and homicide are acceptable, where as actually learning about game species and sportsman-like, fair chase hunting are demonized by the liberal element who don’t differentiate between street violence and traditional sportsmanship. And worst, many game species are becoming public nuisance problems because lack of hunting pressure is causing them to over populate the remaining habitat. Many end up on the highways, nor being destroyed for preying on domestic pets and animals.
25 years ago here in Oklahoma we let anyone that ask to hunt go hunting. Sometimes we would have 15-20 deer hunters with no problems then people respected the land. Today it is not the same no matter how many times you tell them to take there trash out with them ( pop cans,beer cans, water bottles,plastic bags, etc. etc.) we would find this all year long while we are out working the ranch. The older hunters got to old to hunt and the new younger hunters don’t have the same respect for the land maybe not all of them but enough that we closed all hunting about 4 years ago.
So today if you find a landowner that lets you hunt leave only footprints
All this talk of hunters “communing with nature” and “watching wildlife”, then why not just take photos of the wildlife so it can be shared by others that will follow you?? Also, for all this talk of hunters only “killing for food”. it is fortunate that less than 5% of Americans hunt, because if the other 95% of Americans also killed our wildlife for food, within one year guess what would happen?? There would be no deer, no elk and no moose left. Remember there are over 300,000,000 people in the United States.
Ok,the moderates didnt like my first response. Ed,figure it out. If everyone in the u.s.wanted to hunt,which is stupid because it would never happen,they would hold a lottery and only some would hunt each year. See that’s the thing about hunting,it’s managed. If the moose are low in numbers,like in Minnesota,they halt the hunting of them. Huh,that’s pretty tough to figure out. Once again,anti- hunters make statements that make no sense,only to stir emotions.
Generalchaos: (appropriate name): If you had carefully read what I wrote you would see that I am talking about those hunters who righteously proclaim that, “I’m fine because I hunt for food”. And, my reply is that it is good that 95% of Americans do not feel the same way, because there are not enough game animals to even last one year. As for a lottery, that is basically what we have now – a lottery where less than 5% of the American public get to hunt each year. Any more hunters in a given year, killing the same amount of game each, would eventually lead to a collapse in deer, elk, and moose numbers. If you think I am in error, please be specific in your reply.
good one,make fun of my name. It is so funny you doom and gloomers Always with the meaningless facts. All people do not want to or like to hunt. I’m ok with that. But anti hunters are not satisfied with leaving us alone,they must force their beliefs on us,let so many kings and dictators before. And the lies about wiping out the herds. The deer population has grown were I live,anywhere were there is game management. And one thing that is never brought in to discussion is how the native Americans don’t follow present day harvest laws. They are suppose to love the mother so much,why don’t they get with the times and take legal limits? That will never happen. This anti hunter hatred you all have,is aimed at white males. I should’ve known better than to try to have an intelligent conversion with such close minded individuals. I have lots of friends who have no interest in hunting,yet they don’t hate like you all do. And they funny thing is,you’re the first people to preach tolerance and understanding and love your brothers and sisters! You are all hypocrites……………..
Ed,you don’t know what you are talking about. Hunting licenses are issued by the state,not a national lottery. In mn ,anyone can hunt deer,buck only unless you are in an area that is flush with does,then you can apply for a doe permit. Some states use the lottery system ,but not all. Even though everyone in mn theoretically could hunt,they don’t. They wish more would hunt,especially around the metro areas,as there are TOO MANY DEER! I live in the metro,and I saw 6 deer in my yard at my bird feeders,which by the way they are stealing food from the birds ,yesterday. I see them just about every day. Turkeys also. You anit-hunters are the problem with your lies and stereotyping of all hunter is what the problem is. Just like pat saying we shoot fawns,there are no hunters I know that would ever want to shoot a fawn. It’s all lies meant to inflame emotions. You and pat and all the rest of the liars should be ashamed of yourselves!
I added my 2 cents earlyer in this debate but forgot to mention the most important lesson,I was taught by my Dad & all the old timers
it had to do with cost, at the start of the hunt I was issued one shell if I missed my hunt was over, Happy Hunting, & Have Great
Holiday Americas Hunters,What the Hell Have A Great Holiday Every One
I believe hunter numbers have dropped for two reasons. 1) All the WWll vets who hunted, and there were many, have just about passed away. My old hunt club, made up of WWll vets had 10 members, only 2 are alive today. 2) When we grew up, there wasn’t all the
technology we have today. This means we had time to explore and create our own adventure, even if one lived in a city. We had to use our imagination, and hunting taught us about effort, patience, the time spent and the time spent in relationship in relationship. The only instant gratification was being with others we loved in the outdoors!
The downside of technology is that it produces INSTANT gratification. I have known families who tried their very best to get their sons and daughters interested in the outdoors, but exploring and adventure just doesn’t match up to their technology. Unfortunately, as well, because of the technology even hunters are taking their smart phones and pads into the woods with them to stay abreast of e-mails and work!
These are great changes culturally.
Frederick Samuels
Let’s bring back wolves and cougars to the Midwest and Eastern US. And not just a few, lets bring enough to control all the deer, rabbits etc that need controlling. Sure we may lose house pets or even a few humans, are you okay with that?
But then we would have to hunt the wolves and cougars occasionally unless we make a preserve out of huge swaths of states via eminent domain. Wanna do that? How about you pack up and move because we need 1 million acres just in your state for one of these new preserves. On the plus side you and your like minded friends can watch some wolves run down and slowly kill a deer or even an elk if you get lucky.
We are becoming the most foolish country on earth and in record time.
Fredrick S.: The country of Kenya in East Africa banned hunting in 1977 and low and behold, they have amazing wildlife including hundreds of thousands of prey animals and plenty of predators as well — The people of Kenya would freak out if hunting were brought back, which they think is a form of decadent Western culture brought by the European colonists.
I am an American that lives year round in Kenya and hunting is truly outlawed as Ed L mentioned. As everyone knows, the elephants and rhinos are greatly diminished and in danger of disappearing due to poaching for the tusks and horns (which has nothing to do with legitimate hunting). However, animals like wildebeest, antelope, and gazelles roam the Masai Mara by the millions – literally millions. There are also enormous flocks of doves, guinea hens, and a grouse-like bird found all over the country. Back in Nairobi, thousands of people are going hungry each day in the slums and are barely surviving. What would be the harm in harvesting a few wild animals every year via hunting, especially if some of the animals went to feed the people? It seems to me that people are suffering needlessly when God already blessed them with abundant resources.
We need to ban hunting and set aside wild lands – the larger the better for preserving a diversity of life – connected by corridors for migration of large mammals and return large carnivores to the landscape. If you want to live without risk you live without wilderness and wildlife.
Here in Louisiana all the available good hunting land has been leased to the highest bidder. Impossible for the working stiff to find descent land to hunt. The public lands are over crowed with hunters. Last time I was on public land I was almost shot. I don’t hunt public land anymore. The cost of hunting has driven many hunters out of the field. I no longer hunt due to the cost. Yes, hunting is a dying sport in America. SAD.
I guess I am truly rare,I am black from Texas and hunted/fished for 40 of my 46 years. I thank GOD to be born to a family of avid outdoors men and landowners.I have posted some of my harvest on youtube (Nick Henton) for a few cousins in California to see and it unleashed a hail of insults from some.I believe folks would rather drive by deer hit by automobiles,left to rot than see me feed my family this protein. I will hunt and attempt to pass this to my children,its way better than playstion and more productive.
Hunting is a tradition, I don’t care how you do it, so long as it is legal. I have hunted close to 50 years and still look forward to opening day, if I draw a tag here in Wyoming. I don’t buy meat, I shoot it, and raise a big garden.
well, I have been hunting for about 20 years, happy to say I got my 6 point opening day 20 minutes after daylight, I need to get one more to have enough meat for the year and after spending all the money this year on licenses, ammo, deer processing, 85 bucks for scent, which by the way REALLY worked. (im keeping it a secret) I figure if i get one more deer i have broke even for what I would have spent on beef for the year.THAT ladies and gentleman is SAD. shame on the people who make this sport so expensive. I have a few money saving tips for all of you.
1. If you need camouflage clothing, the army surplus has cheap clothing which works. second hand stores for odds and ends, pawn shop for a used gun.
2. As far as finding hunting property, I have been blessed with 300 acres of farm with woods. BUT here in Michigan the DNR has farmers that will actually let you go hunt their property and if someone is leasing the land for agriculture, check with them to see if you can hunt it,BE RESPECTFUL OF THE PROPERTY! If you get a deer share a couple pounds of meat with the land owner or the guy harvesting the crops.
3.If your hunting on the ground, Grab a military issue cold weather sleeping bag to snuggle into, make sure your hunter orange is plainly visible.
4. Take a kid with you, they may complain, but one day they may thank you.
I am 73 years old and I have been hunting since I was big enough to keep up with my dad in the woods looking for squirrels.That got me started and I have been doing it every year since and I started my son the same way.When I was younger my best friend and I would hunt whatever was in season. One time we went dove hunting after school he was using his dad’s 12 gauge double barrow and I had borrowed my uncle’s 12 gauge double barrow,after a while I had taken a couple more birds then he had, so he wanted to trade guns since mine had longer barrels
then his,I agreed and we traded, he went up on a pond dam crouched down in some brush and I stayed in brush below him,while we couldn’t see each other we knew where each other was.It wasn’t long before a dove came flying over me headed toward my friend, so I hollered,here he comes! Then I heard it, this louder then normal boom and then rustling then he proceeded to call me some choice names and he wanted his gun back. I had forgotten to tell him if you put two shells in that gun most of the time they both went off together, it caught him off guard and rolled him down the dam a little ways.We still laugh about that. I tell this story to show how much fun hunting can be! One way to help get young people started hunting is for every state to have youth season and a cheaper tag. The state of Missouri has spring and fall turkey youth season and fall deer youth season. He or she must be between age 6 and 15 years old, whether they are hunter-education certified or not, they can purchase resident or nonresident deer and turkey hunting permits at reduced prices.This says a lot for the state of Missouri, it has allowed me to buy nonresident deer permits for four of my grandsons and I was with each one when they shot there first deer, it was a thrill just as if I was shooting my first one all over again. What better way to help youth get started then to have a season just for them and affordable. I would like to see the age for the youth season to be between age 6 and 17 as they are considered youth until age 18. If more hunters are needed I have a suggestion- I took my wife and one of her friends hunting this year. Only after making sure they could hit the target using a 243 caliber rifle would I take them out to the deer stand. They each got their deer on the first shot, that’s pretty good for a 71 & a 72 year old grandmother. They giggled and got more excited than any of my grandsons ever did. And I know I wouldn’t like to be in their sights! I never dreamed my wife of 49 years, would take me up on my offer to go hunting. How many other grandmothers would like to be asked to go for the challenge?
if states wildlife management offices want help with populations they need to try and get some land open for us or save land from developers or make it so people cant put gates on roads that go to cabins when the road does not go directly to the cabin. our real problem im trying to point out is access to land. if a farm goes under make it a wma wildlife management area.
Keep your kids hunting and fishing you want be hunting your kids
Had the author spent a mere 5 minutes Googling “decrease in hunters hunting” he would have quickly found the main reason (noted by many previous commentors) for the decrease – hunters losing their traditional hunting grounds to an increase in land-lease-hunting and suburban sprawl. I lost access to my boyhood hunting grounds years ago and haven’t bought a license since.
See: The End of Hunting? http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0601.larson.html
“The increasing difficulty of finding land to hunt on is, not surprisingly, nudging ever more hunters to hang up their shotguns. In Iowa, the number of hunters in state has dropped 26 percent in a decade… One in three former hunters told the agency that not having a place to hunt motivated their decision to abandon their hobby”
Any article about hunting brings out the folks that rant on about the “killing”. I’m certain that most of these people think nothing of going to the grocery store to buy meat and poultry. My meat has lived a live as God intended. It has not been caged, force fed, and slaughtered after a dismal life. Additionally, most of the “haters” are unaware that the land the like to camp, hike, or bike on is funded solely by hunting/fishing licenses, and taxes on outdoor gear. They are probably also ignorant of the amazing conservation work done by groups like Ducks Unlimited and others. Instead of hating, thank a hunter for their conservation efforts. The world is a better place because of hunters.
You/we know the real reason the number of hunters has declined. Its because they do not have access to hunting areas and the landowners lease their land for huge sums of money to select groups of individuals for their individual use. I saw this coming when I was a kid in the 1970s. I understand that landowners have the right to permit or deny access to their land, but access is the primary reason that hunters like myself don’t bother anymore. The double edge sword of access will ultimately lead to the loss of revenue for habitat improvement to the landowners land where the landowner won’t grant access except to friends and wealthy leasers. The second edge of the sword comes when the numbers of hunters decline to a specific number. When this happens the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution will fall because the argument that legitimate hunters keep the populations of wildlife in check will be an outright lie. It would be in the best interest of hunting and the Second Amendment if landowners and those that are not rich but like to hunt could find some common ground. So twisted as it may appear, access to places to hunt is probably correlated with the survival of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Address one thing to retain the second thing. Think about it.
i believe if it was not for hunters there wouldnt be any deer or turkeys or ducks. i am a life long hunter. we must manage these animals. if you think its cruel to kill an animal, watch one die of disease or starvation because of over population or lack of habitat. nature can be very harsh. if you hunt or not, you are displacing animal habitat. the wood your house is built with came from a tree. trees are habitat for many animals. just about everything we eat was once alive. you cant hold one living thing higher than another, its all the same. maybe we should focus on stop killing each other. i live in upper mi., there is a lot more private property now than 20 – 30 years ago, but we still have plenty of places to hunt. i am grateful for that. when our world of technology fails, you better know how to hunt, fish and trap.
I am a life long hunter and hunt everything I have time for.I always get a kick out of people who don’t think before the comment.I respect everyone’s right to be different and don’t choose to judge Fred he is a product of his upbringing and environment.I also respect the right to be a vegetarian if you want to but I love my right to be a carnivore and do so often.what most people don’t mention in these comments and the article is that vegetarians think they are eating something that no living thing was killed in the process of harvesting there food.think very hard now and follow me here! large machines harvest most of what you eat chopping and running over rabbits,rats,snakes,deer,bear,fox,and any burrowing animals found on a farm.bugs are killed,birds,and many others.also during transport of these foods trucks kill a number of animals and even humans.what I am trying to get across everyone needs to look at a larger picture of the processes.we all have to eat and you like green stuff and we like red stuff.so just ask me and I will invite you to bring tofu to my venison barbeque one day.I will try it with a sizzling back strap.
Very true. A lot of these hunters know that there are scumbags among those who call themselves hunters. A reading of any state’s monthly report from the wildlife law enforcement arm (such as Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Commission) will detail the horrible crimes of so many illegal killings and outright torture of animals. The long list of killings of protected species like Osprey, hawks, eagles, gopher tortoises, etc. is way beyond appalling, and to think the law enforcement only catches less than 1% of the criminals is what makes it so tragic. These people are “hunters” and although there are a few decent hunters out there, the majority of goons with guns will kill anything that moves, even the rarest animal on earth if they had the chance. The litter, plastic, beer bottles and shells they leave strewn across our lands is another outrage. No matter how much some of these people want to defend hunting, the first thing they should do is find ways to help law enforcement get rid of the goons with guns so only “decent hunters” are left.
Another uninformed non-hunter. You really should find some hunters and spend a weekend with them. Yes there are jerks all over from politicians to hunters, and even some clergy, so do not paint all hunters with the same broad brush. Real , most, hunters will turn in poachers and the scum that run over animals just to kill them. Those scum bags are not hunters. When you see the millions that buy hunting licenses every year and those caught by game wardens the number % wise is very small. Most game law violators never buy a license, so they are NOT hunters, just killers. Put the blame where it belongs.
I agree with your statements. However, the truth is that the great majority of hunters do nothing to voice outrage about the scumbags who do have a license but still violate the laws, throw bottles, cans, plastic, spent shotgun shells all over the lands–I see this wherever I go, and I go out to these lands more than just about anybody. There is too much silence from hunters …. all it takes is for the hunters themselves to push and push the law enforcement to find a way to arrest these scumbags killing wildlife that is not game. I saw a hunter during hunting season, all dressed in the finest hunting garb, shooting sparrows as he flushed them some sparrows are in a criticall decline as grasslands disappear, replaced by concrete . A lowlife like this would shoot eagles and hawks if they came near him.
I was raised in the country as a hunter. I was raised to respect God and all His creations, also to give thanks to Him for any animal taken on a hunt and/or the bounty He provided, but mindless killing and slaughter of an animal is never right. That is why my family like so many others that participate in the hunt take only what we need and can consume.
You know the old saying about opinions……and everyone’s got one.
As for the hater’s of hunting who really know very little about it (hunting) other than having an opinion, educate yourselves on the treatment of farm animals raised for consumption. Then ask yourself……is that leather Gucci purse really necessary, or how about that Veal Marsala at your favorite Italian restaurant? Hey, that’s a really nice leather sofa group that you’re sitting on as you spew you’re hatred.
Give a man a fish, and you will feed him for a day. Teach the man to fish, and you will feed him for life.
true story
Last day of the season just about dark sitting on the edge of a small corn field, out stepped a buck with sixteen horns I don,t think he even
knew I was there I had him the crosshairs all I had to do was pull the trigger, but I think he hid in the little patch of woods for the whole
season, My thought was you lived this long I think you should go right on living, so when I read the commits about kill crazy hunters, I
would like to think most good hunters would have done the same thing
In Texas according to the latest TPWD census, we have as many whitetail deer as there are illegal, undocumented or whatever the latest PC buzz word for these individuals is. Most hunting is a cash cow for land owner’s, and nearly all hunting is on private land. I have seen $18.00 to $25.00 per acre lease fees which equate to $4000.00 to $10,000.00 to just have the hunting rights. Its big business, and there is truly dedicated hunters willing to pay the money. But if there is a drop in hunters in other states, it seems to keep growing here and will continue. I have hunted all my life,and introduced my kids to hunting, some of our fondest memories together are of those trips to the hunting lease. The increase in hunting lease fees has curtailed our hunting in recent years. But we find other types of hunting, dove ,duck or just a fishing trip to the coast to chase reds, or speckled trout.
Hunting will always be in the very fabric of million’s people who enjoy the time together,friends,family or business associates and it will not be about the dispatching of wild game but the time spent together. The harvest of game is just a bonus.
The number of hunters is actually increasing,according to both the USFWS and the NSSF,their articles are quoted and linked to below.
The biggest problem facing today’s hunters is lack of access,as farmers have either leased their farms to the wealthy hunters/hunting clubs,or posted it no hunting,and no longer allow people to hunt because a few slob hunters left trash,destroyed fences,left gates open,killed the farmer’s cow,horse,mule,cut trees down/trimmed trees without permission,and on and on.
Then there’s the problem of the anti-hunting groups trying to ban all hunting,trying to or succeeding in banning lead rifle bullets-despite science that shows lead from hunter’s bullets are not the source of lead that is killing condors in CA-the first state to ban lead ammo.
Groups like the Center for Biological Diversity,HSUS.Earth First !, Wild Earth Guardians,PETA,Sierra Club,World Wildlife Fund,Animal Liberation Front,Defenders of Wildlife,and many others spreading lies,half-truths,and obfuscation in their propaganda to paint all hunters at fat slobs who are drunken rednecks that kill every animal that moves.
Despite the efforts of these people and their brainwashed supporters-the number of hunters in actually increasing.
For the last 4 years,I have attended Ohio hunter safety classes with nephews,nieces,and one of our kids-every class was full,couldn’t have fit another person in the room,every seat was filled. Some were 100 student classes-some were 50 students-but all were full.
The classes are held in each of the 88 counties in the state-with most counties having several classes per year-that’s a lot of new hunters.
“January 17, 2013
Sportsmen’s Economic Impact Report Shows Increase in Hunting and Fishing Participation, Expenditures
LAS VEGAS, Nev. — National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) and The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation (CSF) released two new reports today documenting the importance of sportsmen’s activities in America. NSSF’s Hunting in America: An Economic Force for Conservation and CSF’s America’s Sporting Heritage
, Fueling the American Economy reports provide detailed information about participation and expenditures by American sportsmen and women. The reports were released to the country’s top outdoor writers and industry professionals during the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) in Las Vegas.
“Many people may not fully comprehend how important hunting and fishing are to the fabric of this country. Yet there are more people who hunt or fish than go bowling, and their spending would land them at #24 on the Fortune 500 list,” commented Jeff Crane, President of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. “CSF has put together this report, utilizing data from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the American Sportfishing Association and the National Marine Manufacturers Association, in order to provide these real-world comparisons to what many consider more ‘mainstream’ industries and activities.”
The NSSF report, part of the foundation for CSF’s information, provides a detailed look at hunters and the trends in participation and spending. Information on 40-plus categories of U.S. hunting-related expenditures, which grew 55 percent, are outlined in NSSF’s report as well as state by state statistics for number of hunters, retail sales, taxes and jobs.”
http://nssf.org/newsroom/releases/show.cfm?PR=011713_SHOT_CSF-NSSF.cfm&path=2013
The final report of the 2011 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation has detailed information on the number of U.S. residents 16 years of age and older who fished, hunted or wildlife watched (fed, observed, or photographed wildlife) in 2011. It also provides information on their expenditures for trips, equipment, and other items. Individual state reports will be available on a flow basis beginning in January 2013.
Wildlife-related outdoor recreation increased dramatically from 2006 to 2011. The national details are shown in the final report.
Highlights of the Final Report include:
More than 90 million U.S. residents (16 years old and older) participated in some form of wildlife-related recreation in 2011. Participation is up 3 percent from five years earlier. The increase was primarily among those who fished and hunted.
Wildlife recreationists spent $144.7 billion in 2011 on their activities, which equated to 1 percent of the Gross Domestic Product. Of the total amount spent, $49.5 billion was trip-related, $70.4 billion was spent on equipment, and $24.8 billion was spent on other items such as licenses and land leasing and ownership.
The number of sportspersons rose from 33.9 million in 2006 to 37.4 million in 2011. The data show that 33.1 million people fished, 13.7 million hunted, and 71.8 million participated in at least one type of wildlife-watching activity such as observing, feeding and photographing wildlife.
Other key findings include:
Fishing and Hunting
Of the 13.7 million hunters that took to the field in 2011, 11.6 million hunted big game, 4.5 million hunted small game, 2.6 million hunted migratory birds, and 2.2 million other animals.
Of the 33.1 million anglers that fished, 27.5 million freshwater fished and 8.9 million saltwater fished.
While 94% of the U.S. population 16 years of age and older resided in metropolitan areas (50,000 and over populations), 89% of all anglers and 80% of all hunters were metropolitan residents.
73% (24.2 million) of all anglers were male and 27% (8.9 million) were female. 89% (12.2 million) of all hunters were males and 11% (1.5 million) were females.
http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/NationalSurvey/2011_Survey.htm
Please note that the author sourced data from US Fish & Wildlife Service (see graph, USFWS annual license sales) which shows a decrease in the number of hunting licenses sold for the most recent period. Yes, there was a increase a few years ago so maybe a better headline would be “Have hunting license sales bottomed out?” or something along those lines.
To all the people saying hunters are the great white hope, all compassionate caring individuals with a great deal of respect for animals…..I invite ANYONE viewing this to go to youtube right now and type in KILL SHOTS. You’ll find 466,000 results under this heading alone. Scroll through them….you’ll find most of them aren’t people ‘hating” to kill, but rather enjoying the suffering and in fact CELEBRATING it….most are extremely graphic and FILLED with men and women laughing heartily at animals suffering. Don’t believe me? Think I’m a bleeding heart? Look for yourself.
Here’s another Youtube search I invite ANY of you to do…. “killing squirrels with tracers”…..again there are hundreds of thousands of videos not just of squirrels but all sorts of animals, the first video on the list is a man videotaping his son killing squirrels with tracers, which are rounds that have burning WHITE HOT magnesium in them. The video shows squirrel after squirrel not dying, but writhing in pain as the tracer burns into them. He zooms in on those, the more wriggling and burning, the better. Now, look at the other video results from this search, you”ll find people killing all sorts of animals using tracer rounds, videos highlighting blowing up animals using 50 cal rounds etc…
Say that these people don’t represent most hunters?
For some more fun, go to youtube and type in “poachers caught on tape”, some Fish and Wildlife organizations using remote controlled deer have taped their sting operations, and man after man after man after man after man pulls up to shoot at animals off the side of the road. Say that most hunters hate poachers? Get a hunter alone and see what they do.
I won’t even address Deer Management and other policies that actually contribute to deer over-population through the cultivation of food plots and so forth. People don’t realize that a lot of deer “management” actual entails precisely this type of “mismanagement” for the benefit of hunters. Hunters can then say they’re culling the population, all the while the programs in place are keeping the deer numbers elevated for the hunt — and all the while other predators are effectively eliminated from the ecological cycle. It’s a big ruse, and people should educate themselves on this before they buy into the PR that hunting groups so cleverly spread around under the auspices of “conservation.” Also, if anyone is wondering why so many bow-hunted or hunted deer photos are taken at night, it’s because hunters shoot then wait out the death of the animal — sometimes for hours — before they even start tracking. They have their reasons, but never let it be said that hunting is, as a general rule, “humane.” There are a lot of bad shots, gut shots, and prolonged episodes of suffering for the animals in question.
Just view Youtube Videos, and see what hunters are all about. And look at the comment sections too…high fives from other hunters on most of the videos, the more suffering, the better.
Once again,Jennifer,you paint all hunters with your broad brush! Thousands of videos,more crap. You pick out the worst ,and assume all are that way. This is why no one takes what you say seriously,because you can not come up with a valid argument. Hate to break this to you,Jenny, hunting animals for food is why you are here. If your ancestors didn’t hunt to stay alive,you wouldn’t even be here. Hmmmm,….
Wow, you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about Jennifer. Once again painting with a very broad brush stroke. Doesn’t matter if you have most hunters alone with a decoy deer, MOST of us won’t shoot unless it’s legal to do so. I don’t care how many videos you watch, it’s still a vast MINORITY that do these things. Do all anti hunters threaten and verbally abuse people? No, just those who like to hide behind their keyboard. Maybe you should actuLly go out with real hunters and see what it’s all about. The reason you see people celebrating is because they may have put all summer in learning the movements of a particular animal, so when they do kill that animal they’re happy, but once again use videos as a tool for an argument. For every video you watch there are hundreds of hunters who don’t act like that. But having no experience you wouldn’t know. Just like people driving like idiots, a few ruin it for the many.
Hi Jen
the people you mention in your post are not hunters, There are thousands of hunters real hunters out there who will agree these
people are animals, I have hunted for over sixty years, believe me when I say it,s not the kill, sometime it.s the woods themself
no sound other than the wind, maybe watching a fox, or coon moving thru the brush not even knowing your there, fresh white
snow, with no track on it ice cold wind but you got a good warm cup of coffee, the kill is only a small part of the hunt, mostly
it is about spending time with old friends & making new ones
Hawaii has been ruin by The nature Conservancy (TNC) Sierra Club and are own DLNR … Hawaii has never had a game management plan like the other 49 states in United States . NEVER .. TNC n other special interest groups have deemed every game animal invasive in Hawaii … Even to the point of Hawaiians being invasive … Shortly every island will be fenced and eradicated because of the idiots .. TNC has ruined Every indigenous country n now Hawaii . We have state laws and federal laws in Hawaii protecting cultural traditional and religious beliefs but it doesn’t apply to these land grabbing thiefs and are gov in Hawaii .
Who said hunters are the great white hope? And why are you being so rascist? People of every color and country hunt! Native Americans have been hunting long before we came to America. Are you just as angry with them? I can say this with certainty,I am a much more tolerant person than you. I don’t force you to hunt or to like hunting,but you and the anti hunting crowd will force your views on us. Not all hunters are ethical,but that runs thru all society. You lump all hunters into one group of bloodthirsty maniacs,that is the farthest from the truth. Many of us are very active in conservation programs. And we are not wiping out these animals. Minnesota adjusts its seasons according to herd size. My family owns land in northern mn. In 1969, you would be lucky to see a deer. Now they are everywhere. We have had two very hard winters in a row and I have personally seen deer that have were starving. The Timberwolves had a hayday,and this season,we saw less deer,but we still saw them. I passed on shooting any,but I could have. I still payed for my license and participated. Our group could have have taken ten deer. We took three. We are not the exception,we are the rule. Those few that ruin our image,are in the minority. It really is a shame that you consider myself,my family,and the rest of the decent people that hunt,evil. You really should open your mind,learn some truth,and stop spreading the lies.
I agree with what you wrote. But in pa they have changed all the seasons around so the doe population has been slaughtered So now I can go out all day and not even see a deer. So many young kids go out and see nothing That’s not going to get a lot of kids out there