Hunting season...here we go again...

[RobertN]

I love to hunt. Duck, deer, antelope... I love the time in the field. I have seen some beautiful countryside, amazing sunrises and sunsets out in the field. In soem of my out of state hunts, family and friends have come in too, from across the country. No, it aint all in the harvest of the animal, it is the whole expierience.

I have never had leathery venison, except a couple times when I blatently cooked it wrong(done it once or twice with beef too /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif ). I have had venison that would give the best beef a run for it's money, and was better than pretty much any store bought meat. I have had venison that easily surpasses those beefy t-bones. It's all in the prep, and the cooking. It aint beef, and shouldn't be processed and cooked like beef.

I roasted a whole pig for a friends bday a couple months ago. It was soooo good! But, some of the folks at the party would not eat it, after seeing the whole pig. If it had come wrapped in smaller portions, and was grilled, they would have been fine. But to see the whole process, they just couldn't eat it.

 

[greatrandini]

I never liked killing things much. I love to shoot. I am going pheasant hunting this year. My Alaskan brother loves to hunt and he loves wild game.(I don't like it much) He even ate a black bear he shot. He said it gave him super human stregnth. ??? I could only shoot a bear in self defense or for survival. I don't kill deer etc... but I would if I had to. I always figured if you can take a photo you could shoot it so I don't see the sport side of killing. I don't think it is a challange other than it can be alot of work...

 

[DMF]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( I always figured if you can take a photo you could shoot it so I don't see the sport side of killing. I don't think it is a challange other than it can be alot of work... )</font>

Huh? I'm not sure that snapping a picture of a deer and shooting one with your weapon of choice in a small area that will insure a quick clean kill can be compared. As far as the challenge goes, it's not always easy to fill your tag(s) in the North East.

So to answer the original question: I'll be going to Maine for a week like I have been doing for over 25 years. My friend, nephew, both my brothers, and my 80 year old father will be going as well.

I don't sit in a tree; that's too boring for me. I still-hunt when there's no snow and track deer when there is. I use a Remington pump-action carbine in .280; the action is usually fast when it happens.

Last year's buck: 14 points; 201 pounds dressed.

 

[greatrandini]

Maybe I am a better shot than you! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif If I can get close enough to take a good photo I can kill it with a rifle. I just don't care to. I have a friend who bow hunts. This maybe a tad more of a challange but I still say it is just alot of work!!! Have fun in maine. Practice more with your rifle if you are having trouble hitting kill spots. Maybe some of the real men hunters here could help you shoot better? windage? evelation? How did you do in math? Pretty basic stuff.

 

[Freds]

One of my friends that has gone to bow hunting only, lives in the NE and always fills his turkey and buck tag with trophy size game, loves to snap pics in the off-season. He said it is very comparable to hunting and has some amazing "Field & Stream quality" pictures.
I would think getting close shots through foliage where the game can't be coaxed in using their mating drive would be harder, but I've only ever hunted using firearms.

 

[DMF]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Maybe I am a better shot than you!)</font>
Maybe, but I kind of doubt it. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( If I can get close enough to take a good photo I can kill it with a rifle.)</font>
I guess my point is that it's easier IMO to take a picture (shooting at an entire deer) that killing one. My method of hunting (still-hunting and tracking) makes it hard to do either, but getting a picture of a deer I jumped is easier than killing it.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Have fun in maine.)</font>
Thanks, I'm sure I will.

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Practice more with your rifle if you are having trouble hitting kill spots.)</font>
Who said I was having trouble? Not me...

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Maybe some of the real men hunters here could help you shoot better?)</font>
What the heck is THAT supposed to mean?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( How did you do in math? Pretty basic stuff.)</font>
I did pretty well actually; BSME with a 3.98 GPA. Of course a "real man" may have gotten a 4.0...?

 

[EddieWalker]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Maybe I am a better shot than you! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif If I can get close enough to take a good photo I can kill it with a rifle. I just don't care to. )</font>

I'm not saying your not a good shot with a rifle or capable of killing a deer, but you should realize that your not comparing apples to apples here.

For me, a good shot is a group less than one inch at one hundred yards. Some people feel hitting the black of a target at a hundred yards is good shooting.

I also enjoy photographing wildlife, but to compare the two isn't realistic.

Wildlife that lives in an environment that allows hunting becomes extremly warry of humans and quite elusive. Their habits change during hunting season and an animal that will feed out in the open all year will turn nocturnal and completly disapear during hunting season.

Wildlife that is protected becomes used to humans and knows that there is no threat. They still require some effort to locate, and the trophies still offer a challange, but they are not threatened by humans and are much easier to aproach.

There is a world record bighorn sheep living in Banf National Park in Alberta Canada. He's been photographed by all sorts of profesional photographers. He knows exactly where the boundires of the park are and wont cross it.

There's a whitetail deer in Minnisota that would be the new world record non-typical living on a guys farm that he photographs in his backyard. He's totally safe there and has never been seen off the guys land.

A week after deer season ends the bucks will start feeding out in the open again. It's when most of the outfitters across the Rocky Mtns. take pictures of the animals in their areas for their brochures. Remember, this is after the season ends and the hunters have gone home and these are the animals that eluded the profesional guides.

Another point to understand is hunting season is partially determined by the animals natural behavior and the time of the year when they are most warry.

Archery season is just after velvet when they are still very active during the daylight hours. In some states with large populations, the Wildlife Biologist decide the herd needs thining, they will allow hunting season during the rut. This is another time they are more active.

Eddie

 

[RedRocker]

Oh no, I didn't know you had to be good at math to be a real man. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[greatrandini]

I did not say u did need to be good at math to be a real man. I like calculating long shots 600 yds plus. You need either an expensive scope disigned for your weapon and cartridge or you need to be good at math...... That was all. I repeat. If I can get close enough to an animal to take a decent photo I can kill it with a rifle. I really don't see what there is argue about. 7mm mag is fun gun!!!! I just agree with the original poster that deer killing is more work than fun. Hunting deer is kinda fun killing them is not (for me). I just don't need to kill them. I don't like the meat and I don't want any trophy! I have nothing against most hunting! I don't really approve of most peditor hunting for sport. If everyone shot African lions there would not be any but many folks have killed more than one. I think it is selfish to kill this type of animal. Someone has to thin the deer out now a days cuz there are no
wolves etc.. in most places to do it. (just cars). /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[greatrandini]

I agree!!! very similar!