atlasman

David,

I really think you are missing the point on this one. A lot of threads have popped up lately with comments somewhere in them stating......."That's not "hunting"..........or "They aren't "hunters"........."That's more "shooting" then "hunting"

My question is where is the line for you personally??......or maybe there is no "line" and you just consider it all "hunting" assuming it's legal (but you have already stated that is not your opinion.)

GMMAT

Atlas.....nice try.

The answer to your question is......because the deer I'm after are in jeopardy of being downed by another hunter.....free to run to the next STATE if they want to........succeptible to predators from other areas.......and basically just free to say...."I don't like it here....I'm leaving".

Part of being an all around "hunter"....(since we're throwing opinions around) is being able to keep your FREE RANGING deer in the area you hunt. Why do people plant food plots (really)? Why do we supplemental feed? Why do we keep supplying our mineral sites with minerals? Why do we make sure the creeks flow, properly? Why do we fell trees to aid in bedding habitat? Why? Why? Why?

It's really not that hard an anser.....if you didn't have one in mind you were looking and fishing for to match your own opinion.

Primitive Weapon

A guy in my league last night was talking about a buffalo bow hunt he went on last year.....guided of course.

He was able to walk up within 20yds of the buffalo and the guide was like "hmmmm.....shoot the one on the left"

Personally, this was shooting to me. Not much different, in my opinion, than walking out into a pasture and shooting a cow with a bow.

atlasman

This is the kind of stuff I am referring to........thank you for being honest. This comment could be an entire thread of it's own........it's VERY interesting. Your opinion is not shaped by law (not saying you approve of illegal stuff).......because baiting and fences are legal. Also you state a reason for your thoughts is that the above mentioned baiting seems "un-natural"...........yet you don't object to food plots. This is what I suspected.......that this opinion is not "cut and dry" for most people and is extremely subjective with tons of variables driving their opinion.......some of which may just be a gut feeling.


Very cool............and very well said.........also interesting how someone else could pick up on this statement right now and say 100 is "shooting" because they view that distance the same way you view 200 yards. Neither of which could ever be labeled right or wrong.




WOW........this is EXACTLY the kind of response I was looking for.........so much goes into what we consider "hunting" and that phrase can mean a 1,000 different things to a 1,000 different guys. Your dad didn't care for hunting so much........mine did and still does. He is a great hunter........but he is hardcore old school.......I share many of his opinions and some I don't......that influence of how we are raised or come into the sport has a lot to do with how we view what is different IMO. Guys out west laugh at the thought of a treestand..........out east they laugh at open prarie long distance rifle shots. I don't think either is right or wrong. Deer drives are a GREAT example...........but I told my wife 15 minutes ago I was going to get us some coffee [] Gotta run out for a few...........good post though man.

bowtech die hard

you stated exactly what I was thinking too. I agree with ya, especially when it comes to shooting.

njbuck22

This topic will never die, to each their own. My own personal thoughts on the subject vary. Shooting and killing and animal are just one part of a hunt, scouting and trying to outsmart a worthy advisary is a great thrill and there is nothing quite like sitting in the stand and looking up and seeing a buck walking down the trail like i thought he would. That being said, the reason im out in the woods is to kill a deer, otherwise i wouldnt carry my bow, i would bring a camera. Bow hunting to me is about patience and perserverance. I could easily go out with a gun in my area in season and kill deer every day, but i like the challenge, but if im walking to my stand and on the way in i see a buck that i have scouted, im going to try to get him, no matter what the circumstances are. Success is when preparation meets opportunity and you have to jump on those chances. There are many different tactics that will work for deer. I personally cant understand how people will put in a 1-2 acre food plot and hunt over that, but yell at people and tell them that hunting over bait is noy hunting. In either circumstance you are adding a non native food that is changing the deers natural behavior. Is one right and one wrong? Who knows, but i dont think so. The same could be said about using calls and scents.
As for fences, i have mixed views on them. I feel if you are in an enclosure that hampers the movement of the animal to where it cant avoid you, that isnt hunting. If you in 1000s of acres that are just habitat, that is more of a challenge than hunting some of the neighborhoods that i hunt. Damn, some of the properties that i hunt the challenge is to not shoot and wait for the biggest ones. As long as the animal has a chance to evaid you and your having a good time, that is hunting.

Arthur P

And just who says that someone who prefers to hunt squirrels or other small game isn't just as dedicated to hunting as someone who climbs up a tree and freezes his gonads off trying to get a deer?

A little whitetail elitism coming to the surface, huh? LOL [8D]

GMMAT

Arthur....I'm with ya! There's a big debate going on about this RIGHT NOW over on the "Squirrels and other Rats" forum!

Let's go get em!!!

atlasman

Judging by the common theme in most posts I would say that the deciding factor in most people's minds about the difference between "hunting" and "shooting" is the amount of challenge to the hunter involved.

Agreed?

GR8atta2d

No, I would never agree to a blanket statement like that!

So.. what.. I do my scouting and such and place my stand. Opening morning a 160 classbuck comes by, I shoot it, and in 3 minutes I'm done.

Not much effort..is the "hunt" then diminished to "shooting"? By your (or the concensus') opinion?