chazspot

Most definitely, I love it all. The preparation, the process, the setting up anxiety, the waiting for daylight in a tree, the sounds of the woods waking up, and the remaining experiences that makes for an incredible excursion. Especially, the meeting up with fellow hunters after the hunt to hear how their hunt went. Even more of a bonus if there is cold beer waiting on you and your buddies afterwards. Hey, it’s five o clock somewhere!

Arthur P

I've done that many, many times, in the off season or when I get the opportunity to do it when I'm hunting something else.They are stalks I make for just for the practice and experience. Doesn't take much skill orexperience to sit on your butt in a treestand, but stalking is very different.

Make no mistake, when I hunt, I go with the intention of killing an animal. That does not mean I get a thrill out of the kill. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who takes pleasure in killing desperately needs professional help.

silentassassin

Luckily we all get to have our own opinions on that and mine vary very much from yours. I don't think it takes much skill to stalk. I have done it but I don't get muchsatisfation from it because it isn't nearly as challenging to me. Wandering around until you stumble into one and then trying to kill it doesn't take as much skill IMO asreading sign and then predicting where that animal is going to be and when he is going to be there and then putting myself in position to make the shot once it gets there.

So you wouldn't take pleasure in KILLING the buck of a lifetime? If you don't enjoy it then why do you do it? IMO (and they happen to coincide with the Bible) there is nothing wrong with killing animals you intend to eat. In fact that is why God put them here is for us to use. Now if you take pleasure in killing animals just for the sake of killing them and have no intention of eating them, then you may have some issues. But I see nothing wrong with taking pleasure in the killing of an animal that is going to provide food for your family. But, if you are so adamantly opposed to the killing aspect of the sport why don't you just stick to stalking with a camera ALL of the time instead?

Arthur P

SA, you don't think I have to read and follow sign to find something to stalk? Surely you're not that dumb.[:-]If you were just blindly wandering around in the woods, hoping to find something to shoot, no wonder you didn't get much satisfaction from it.

Did I say am opposed to the killing aspect of hunting? NO. Did I say there is anything wrong with killing an animal for food? NO. I said there is something that I feel is, morally if not psychologically, wrong with taking pleasure in killing.

bscofield

I said all of the above because that was the closest to an answer for me. I haven't actually got a kill yet but seeing as how I spent 75-80 hours in the stand last year and now I can't think of anything else except going back out there... I'd say the top one will be a given anyways

Dampland

It's too hard to explain to a non-hunter. I do NOT have to kill anything to have a successful hunt. But I have to be WILLING to kill something, otherwise I might as well just take a camera. I get a tremendous rush when I harvest an animal, but at the same time, I admire the beauty of the animal I just took. I am happy I got an animal, but I do not do the "yeehaw I killed another living creature and now its dead" dance.

Like I said, its just too hard to explain, but anyone who is an ethical, responsible hunter, knows where I'm coming from.

BOWFANATIC

That about sums it up for me.

Arthur P

Exactly! Well said, Dampland.

davidmil

I'm not telling you. It's a privatepersonnal deal. No spectators wanted. It's for me alone to enjoy as I see fit. Trying to analyse itand tell you might spoil it.

freedom_hunter

the adrealine (sp) rush you get when you see a deer or think you here one coming,thats what gets my blood pumping.