Who at DU Hunts?

[bobedwards]

I was wondering how many of you like to hunt, and if so, what is it you hunt? My favorites are deer, rabbits, and squirrels. I use a 12 gauge shotgun for squirrels and rabbits, and an old WWII surplus rifle for deer hunting.

[TwentyFive]

1. I'd feel terrible about killing them. I could hunt pigeons though...

wouldn't want to eat them, just get them away from my house.

[crispini]

2. You might wanna try

"Outdoor Life Group"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=271

I think the hunters tend to hang out there. :)

[bobedwards]

8. Yeah,

tried that, but apparently I gotta be a donor to talk in there. Just curious who in the general discussion boards enjoys hunting.

[firebee]

67. I hunted for deer, elk and speed goats.

However, ever since I left Montana, I quit hunting. When I moved to Oregon and saw the size of the population that's hunting in this State, I decided it would be safer not to hunt. You might as well be in Iraq if you're going to hunt in Oregon. Besides... I'm not a sporting hunter.... I hunted for the purpose of putting food on the table. Of course, with the way the economy's going... I'll probably pick up on hunting again.

[Ready4Change]

3. Tourists.

I mean, isn't that's why there is a season for them? I lure them into tiger pits using overcooked hot dogs and cotton candy as bait.



(BTW, I am TOTALLY kidding.)

[crispini]

6. ROTFLMAO

And deep-fried Snickers?

[Ready4Change]

18. Ooo, that would probably work reeeeeeeeeal good.

Gotta try that next season.

[imax2268]

4. well...

I used to but quit for two reasons...

I got my first deer...a buck...and after all was said and done I felt bad when I went to bed for killing such a beautiful animal...

and second...I got tired of freezing my ass off in a tree stand...thirty feet in the air...pitch black at 4:00am...

[Allenberg]

9. yeah

I like hunting back in my native Western PA. Usually just small game, but occasionally, my father and I will go buck hunting on farmlands. Deer meat is rather tasty.

[Panda1]

5. Sure, but not traditional animals.

I only hunt the ignorant and the mis-informed and attempt to convert. I don't think I need a sidearm for that.....yet.

[hoi polloi]

7. Just joking I use ...

AK47, Ouzi, and 50 caliber machine gun. I have been looking for an RPG.
Actually, I really did hunt many years ago, before I became a veterinarian. I hunted quail and ducks.
I save animals now, so shooting an animal doesn't work for me.
If you want to hunt, I don't object. I understand that all states establish hunting laws based on wildlife populations and how many will survive over winter, thus how many you can bag each season, and so on and so forth.
Myself, I just couldn't do it anymore.

[bobedwards]

10. Yeah, don't think I'm

condemning those that don't hunt, this one's just a neutral, friendly subject.:)

[Rockerdem]

11. Does fishing count?

Not for the "sport", (the meat, I like fish) and that inane catch-and-release. Those guys get their jollies out of repeat torture. No bigger jerks in the whole outdoors.

[bobedwards]

21. Sure, fishing's fine by me.

[Panda1]

35. Especially Fly Fishing

Unless you HAVE to eat them....release. :)

Otherwise....nooooooooo

[DireStrike]

12. BTW, somebody will probably donate for you sooner or later

A lot of us are tapped out right now...

About hunting... I would only hunt if it was fair. On foot, with a sharp rock or MAYBE a knife. This is life and death here. I wouldn't want to stand on the shoulders of technology. If somebody's gonna die, it's gonna be a fair fight.

[bobedwards]

24. That's cool, do people sometimes donate for others on here?

[DireStrike]

27. Yeh, it happens quite a bit

Especially if you ask. =p

One person was complaining about lack of access without a star, and before there were 3 responses to the thread somebody had donated for him. Squeaky wheel gets the grease, I guess...

But like I said, we just had an election... and a donation drive... and recounts, black box voting efforts... lots of donation money has already flown. Somebody will probably back you though, if you really want/need it.

[The Doctor.]

13. Turkey... Bow.

I avoid the hills on openning day - not all shotgun hunters are competent sportmen.

(Hear the news from WI?)

A 12 guage for squirrels and rabbits?

You can't make a casserole like that!

Use a .22 for Christ's sake. (Unless you're a very bad shot - in which case you probably shouldn't be hunting.)

Too many yahoos go out just to blow something away.
For me it's a primal sport... I stay away from guns.

My Savage 300 is for big game... once every few years.

[bobedwards]

16. Actually

Actually, contrary to what most of my friends say about it, the 12 gauge really doesn't blow away as much good meat as you think. I'm not a bad shot, just like my shotguns. I shot some rabbits with a bolt action .22 a while back, and too many times a rabbit would scamper away injured and die somewhere if I misplaced a shot. One time I had to search everywhere for a rabbit that survived my shot in the side with the .22 before I finally found it and finished it off. The 12 gauge ensures an instant kill and there's still enough meat on it for me to enjoy. But again, I'm not a poor shot, just love them shotguns.

[The Doctor.]

32. Fair enough...

I've never had a problem with my .22. Nothing's ever got more than a few feet away.

True - I have had to finish off one quail and one rabbit... but I've never had to track anything that small. Thankfully.

I'm a decent tracker, but I won't take a shot if there's even a small chance I might have to do so. I don't like leaving something in pain.

Maybe you could sell me on the birdshot idea, but I rarely hunt as it is.

[bobedwards]

34. Nah, won't sell you on the birdshot idea

since your .22 seems to work well for you. I enjoy it simply for the love of shotguns and that recoil, and the fact that there's no doubt it'll leave an instant kill. The only problem I have with it is that if you enjoy using marksmanship, then shotgun hunting leaves something to be desired in that sense. I still go out and plug some paper targets with my rifles once in a while, and deer hunt about once or twice a year.

[The Doctor.]

37. You ever shoot a 10 guage?

You may love recoil, but you anterior deltoid (shoulder) doesn't.
(I wasn't ready for it the first time... Kinda like the noise from the Savage.)



;(

[bobedwards]

38. Definitely

Shooting a 10 gauge is something I won't forget for a while. I like guns with a little kick in them, but those 10 gauges are like miniature howitzers.

[RBHam]

14. Only for food...

Hell, I'm Canadian.

My Grandpa Ham and his sons basically fed three communities for years from the 1930's to the 1970's...

[T Town Jake]

28. I've been given the impression...

...that the private ownership of firearms was/is basically illegal in Canada. Genuine question: have I been misled? :shrug:

[RBHam]

40. That's a load of crap...

You have to register pistols and assault weapons...

But "hunting rifles" are not outlawed...

But you must undergo a thorough police record check before being allowed to buy one.

[T Town Jake]

46. Thanks for the info...

...participating from time-to-time in a certain forum here around rabid one-issue fanatics who imply that Canada is just one big, happy "Gun-free" zone has certainly distorted my perceptions of that matter up North, based on their comments.
I appreciate your weighing in, and setting that straight. :thumbsup:

[KG]

15. RWer's

hardly seems sporting, like fish in a barrel.

[Milspec]

17. Welcome to DU bobedwards

a 12 gage shotgun for squirrels and rabbits seems like a little overkill. A .410 would be a little more appropriate or a .22 for rabbit (Don't like squirrel that much) My 12 gage (with slugs) or the 30 30 lever action for deer back home in the bush in OK is my choice. I used a .300 Mag for the Grizzle in Alaska in 1999 (the number 4 Boon & Crockett bear that year).

BTW this seems like more of a DU Lounge post than General Discussion.

[bobedwards]

19. Sorry, I'm still acting like a newbie...

but you have a good point about using the 410 for small game. I should look into that, probably will spare me more of the meat. I used to have one, but shells were so expensive for it, so I traded it for the more practical WWII Soviet rifle (Mosin Nagant). The 7.62x54 round tends to be cheaper around here, and you get more bang for the buck in my opinion.

[yellowdogintexas]

20. I hunt my glasses, my keys, my sunglasses, whatever it was that

I last put down and can't remember where, my shoes

[Milspec]

22. Well Yellowdog

I'm still hunting for my mind, left it some were & I really miss it!

[yellowdogintexas]

33. that makes us a team, which ought to make it easier to find stuff

don't you think?

[mark414]

23. i don't but i want to

i'm not even sure why...none of my family ever hunted and i've never even fired a gun

but there's a shooting range where they give lessons and will rent guns for when you are at the range so i think i'm going to go

[bobedwards]

26. Yeah, it's fun and all

and a nice way to try something new. It's certainly not a sport limited to rednecks and the right wing. If you don't have issues with killing animals, then it's a great activity where you can get away from society for a while and challenge yourself with a new skill. I think all of us have that primitive instinct to kill or hunt something, and it's good to get it out of your system now and then. Just don't waste the meat.

[mark414]

29. haha no issues here

i work in the meat department of a local organic grocery store co-op

and i would definitely not waste the meat...that's the whole reason i want to go...venison is delicious!

[Milspec]

36. Just don't waste the meat.!!!

Never do when I can, but that was the sad thing about the Grizzly hunt. You just could not eat the meat, so much of their diet is rotten salmon that even the Inuit just use grizzly as dog food.

[RebelOne]

44. It's fun to kill animals?!!!

[leftchick]

54. that struck me as well...

.

[JVS]

25. I like to fish, but haven't been fishing for a long time

I long for Minnesota

[Milspec]

31. Ice fishing?

A friend (i think) took me ice fishing in Minnesota once. I would prefer to strike my feet, fingers, & testicles with a small ball peen hammer than repeat that experience.

Sort of the same feeling I have for the 3 Turkey hunts I've been on. A number of Hens asked if I wanted to have there chicks... no Toms until the day after the season had closed!

[hansolsen]

30. I hunt white tailed deer, ducks, geese, pheasant, and ruffed grouse.

My sense in following this forum is that there are many hunters and many gun owners at DU, just as many voting Democrats are hunters and gun owners.

In my home state of Minnesota about 50% of all voters are from extended families that include hunters and gun owners. Hunting is an important part of the culture, and not only in rural areas. Many people in urban areas of MN own cabins and hunting land in rural areas of the state, or use the vast public lands throughout MN to hunt.

[Calico Jack Rackham]

39. Deer, Pheasant, and Chuckers

Remington Model 700 30-06 for the deer and Winchester 1100 on the birds. I eat what I hunt.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

41. Shot a Robin when I was a kid

First and last kill. I just felt so bad. I never forgot it. Now I only kill people. Don't feel bad about them.

[Swamp Rat]

42. Insects, small lizards, snakes and frogs, crawfish...

Mmm!... cheese!

[mogster]

43. No hunting, but ...

Fishing.

Not much luck, though ;-)

[donheld]

45. I'm a Man hunter

Does that count?

[FizzFuzz]

81. let me know when George Clooney season opens, OK? n/t

[NNN0LHI]

47. I have hunted before when I was younger

Every time I killed something whether it was a bird or a rabbit I would take the time to look at the animal and was amazed at how beautiful the animal was that I had just killed. I always wished I could bring it back to life and allow it to either fly or run away and continue with its life. My hunting days didn't last long.

Don

[bunkerbuster1]

48. I did, back when I lived in a sparsely-populated part of the world.

Many moons ago, I hunted fowl with a 12 gauge shotgun. I probably would again if circumstances made it convenient, but I can't see myself living well outside of a metro area anytime soon.

[mmonk]

49. Quail, Rabbit, and squirrel primarily

and none goes to waste as I give what I don't take to poor families. I don't eat squirrel.

[hollowdweller]

50. I mainly hunt deer and edible mushrooms

[King Coal]

51. Deer, Elk, Dove, Quail.

I love deer meat. We like to hunt with muzzle loaders.

[Padraig18]

52. Deer, goose, duck, rabbit and dove hunter here.

:hi:

[Squatch]

53. I do...

Bowhunt for Elk, Deer, Moose

Also hunt upland game whenever possible and waterfowl when the seasons permit.

I have a Mathews LX Solocam bow with a Truglo 5-pin sight and Bodoodle rest.

I either hunt birds with my Dad's old Browning A-5 or my new Browning Gold Classic, both in 12 ga. I am looking to pick up an O/U in 20 with the English straight grip, probably a Browning Lighting Citori.

This year, I have hunted a total of 0.0 days. With buying a new house, grad school, and work, I have had no time to get out.

I do plan on fishing this weekend, tho.

[Nadienne]

55. I do, with a long bow or recurve,

and I got my first deer this year. I haven't started eating it yet. My boyfriend is a more successful hunter; we still have a little meat left over from last year.

There really is something about being outside, away from everyone. It gives you a chance to watch squirrels and birds, to look at trees, and to think about things.

When my boyfriend's parents had cable, there was, I think it was an outdoor channel that had hunting shows, and it featured all sorts of knuckle-draggers talking about the "moment of truth" (the moment of the kill) as though it's an orgasmic experience, like they're shooting a load when they're shooting at a deer. But that's not the only appeal of hunting. I'd say pride over eating what you hunting, enjoyment of being outside, and the stories shared with friends is more appealing than killing something.

Which reminds me: I think hunters should be the most concerned with the habitats and environments of wildlife. I hear some hunters moan about Democrats wanting to take their guns away, but they should be more concerned with the destruction of the habitats of the animals they hunt. No more habitat, no more hunting grounds.

[arkie dem]

64. Hello fellow trad shooter

I've been trying to master the art of traditional archery for going on 3yrs. Not confident enough to hunt, but enjoy shooting foam game animals 3D.

What bows do you and your boyfriend shoot?

[Nadienne]

66. My recurve is a Bear Grizzly.

My boyfriend owns too many bows to name. One is a Schulz Legend, which he just acquired. Another is a Timberline.

We watch a lot of Howard Hill movies. They're very helpful.

[arkie dem]

70. Is your Grizzly one of the older Bears?

Not too familiar with Bears, but I'm thinking they make a newer version.

I've heard of John Schulz longbows, supposedly John learned the trade from Howard Hill. Who builds the Timberline?

I'm a curve shooter, can't go the longbows. I shoot primarily a Check-Mate Falcon, and a Ben Pearson Hunter.

[Nadienne]

73. We're guessing it's

early 80's. It's got impregnated green maple laminated with charcoal gray, and it's brown glass... Pete George builds the Timberline. He learned how to build from John Schulz.

One of my first bows was a Ben Pearson Equalizer. My boyfriend got it at a garage sale for $7.50 :)

[arkie dem]

74. Could be late 60's through mid 70's

I'm thinking Bear Archery didn't make many recurves through the late 70's to the mid 90's. The compound bow was their bread and butter. If it has Grayling Michigan on it, it was before 1975 or some time around there...???

I'm partial to the old Pearsons. You can find plenty of them in this part of the country. They were made here in AR. I've bought and sold at least a doz. of them in the past two years. Wish I had more time to go to garage sales, I miss out on so many good deals.

Pete George...??? name sounds familiar. So many one man operation bow builders these days, it's hard to keep them straight.

[Nadienne]

84. It does have Grayling, Michigan on it.

I hear that in the early seventies, they had an all green handle, all green glass... So 1975 or thereabouts is probably about right.

Supposedly, Pete George was trained by John Schulz. He's out of business right now because he was having a hard time getting the right bow weights, and because of that he was missing deadlines.

Garage sales are a good way to get good deals on used bows. :) Ebay's another good place. That's where I got my Grizzly.

[arkie dem]

90. Ebay is great...!!!

I picked up a mint Red Wing Hunter for $50 on ebay. It's a little light for me 40#@28" but it was too nice to pass up.
I see many of the old Bears on ebay, but never had much luck on winning the bid on one. I always wanted a Bear Kodiak Magnum, but go for more than I'm willing to pay.

Another good bowyer closed up shop recently, Jeff Massie. I never owned or shot one of his bows, but heard good things about them.

[elderly man]

56. I hunt and make no apologies for it.

I use a 30-06 high powered rifle,equipped with a variable power
telescope. This caliber is very versatile as it may be used to hunt
game ranging in size from woodchuck to kodiak bear. Bullet weights
range from 110 gr.for varmints to 250gr. for large game. I use a
150gr. load for whitetail deer.
This caliber,by the way, is infinitely more powerful and accurate
than any assualt rifle.
Those DU'ers who made light of your inquiry I expect are vegetarians.

[EmpireWeAre]

57. Feral Hog

Moving back to Texas in the summer. Plan to take up feral hog hunting.
I have no problem with hunting for meat, as those those animals had a life before getting shot, not like the concentration camp industrial farms where most of our meat comes from.

[ekhunter]

58. i love to hunt. mainly deer, pheasants, ducks, & geese.

i use a 12 gauge. i have tried bow hunting with deer, but i didn't have the patience to wait for a good shot. i'll stick with the shotgun, gives me a little more range.

[karlrschneider]

59. I hunt deer, not because I like to kill anything but because I like veniso

venison...it is free from hormones, antibiotics and other aritificial crap and it tastes better than beef. I hunted rabbits when I was a kid (for food) but haven't in several decades.
edit: minor typo

[SudieJD]

60. Used To Hunt..

Until my health (RA and severe Osto) wouldn't let me sit out in the cold. I only believe in hunting to eat, not trophy hunting. And, I started feeding the deer in my back woods.

Hunting does have a purpose. If you've ever seen a deer starve to death or seen one mangled by a car or truck. Our herds here are out of control. There are many, many that are starving here in the woods.

I have a website set up with several categories for hunting, camping and fishing. You might want to visit.

http://www.aimoo.com/forum/freeboard.cfm?id=587186&NoCaches=Yes

Sudie in MN

[Artemis Bunyon]

61. Moose, 30.06

(and I eat every edible bite of it!)

[SteveIrving1]

62. I was hunting yesterday...

Still some wild turkeys hanging around in some woods near my houses.
They always come around the holidays conveniently.

[karlrschneider]

63. Have you found a way to cook a wild turkey so it doesn't taste like

a used tennis shoe? :D

Every one I've attempted to eat has been about as tough as a tire from a John Deere front-loader...

Welcome to DU anyhow...;-)

[EmpireWeAre]

65. My friend hunts the elusive bird.

He has used a 24hr brine bath and it seems to work.

[apple_ridge]

68. Mostly porcupine.

It takes a lot of time to clean, but it's definitely worth it. Don't forget to suck all the meat out of the quills. That's where the best flavor lies, just like with lobster legs.

Oh yeah, ot-six.

[underpants]

69. I don't but my father-in-law and brother-in-law do -religously

Me? I sleep in late and then eat the venison. YUM!

[Bandit]

71. I have hunted almost all my life

I am approaching sixty years old and still go out every year for deer and fowl. I live in Alaska and have almost my entire life as somewhat of an explanation. My grandfather gave me a hunting rifle for my eighth birthday (22) and a 30-06 for my twelfth.

[doc03]

72. Have hunted all my life.

The last couple years only hunted for squirrel. Have shot several deer, but haven't gone deer hunting for about 5 years. I did hunt rabbits when we had dogs several years ago. The reason I quit deer hunting is I am single and don't really care enough for venison to eat that much of it. Hunting here has just got to be such a hastle anymore, it's hard to find private land owners that allow hunting. When I was a kid we could hunt on almost everyones property and there were thousands of acres of strip mining land here. Now even it has been sold off to people from out of this area for hunting ground and they have it all posted too. Anymore I would rather fish, I am about 99% catch and release.

[leftofthedial]

75. actually more of a stalker

[galadrium]

76. I hunt.

I use a 12 gauge shotgun and a 30-06 rifle.

[Royal Observer]

77. Deer are too pretty

I could shot a gopher though.

[Alex146]

78. Deer

20 gauge shotgun

[Jackpine Radical]

79. I hunt deer & ruffed grouse.

Used to hunt other game but I don't particularly like eating rabbit or squirrel.

Many, many years ago I used to trap. Grew up in a northern "culture of poverty" in which a lot of people trapped beaver, muskrats, mink, ermine etc. in order to sell the pelts for income. There's no way I'd do that to an animal now.

[B Calm]

80. The older I got, the less I feel like killing something.

I have nothing against hunting, I just don't like killing warm blooded animals. Thanks to my nephew, I have a quite a few deer steaks in the freezer. I still enjoy fishing and fillet hundreds of bluegills, crappie and walleye every year.

[GarySeven]

82. I hunt deer, wild turkey and ducks. I'm a liberal and I hit what I shoot .

So what's it to you?

[twenty2strings]

83. Deer need to be thinned....

But,like the indians, use every goddamed bit. meat,skin,entrails. And don't hunt to get off. There are people for that.:think:

[jdj]

87. Indians need to be thinned...that's what I though you meant.

Of course, that's what the ancestors believed way back when too.

[jesusq]

85. Vegan wife objects to hunting

So I shoot at targets and do tactical drills. Before Vegan wife, I hunted deer.

[mitchum]

86. Just weed

[Charon]

88. Hunting

Have hunted since I was 13. Deer, elk and sometimes bear. Use a 30-06 bolt action rifle.

[alwynsw]

89. My answer:

[slackmaster]

91. My cat Unit 3 has bagged two gophers in 4 days

He brought me one as a Christmas Day gift.

I went out in the rain today to look at the flower garden I sowed on Sunday. Bad news - Fresh gopher hole. Good news - Freshly killed gopher.

Good kitty!

[Union Thug]

92. My dad took us hunting when we were kids.

But I haven't hunted since then.

When I was active in Asatru, I had a desire to get back to my 'tribal roots' (so to speak) and part of that experience was taking up the stick bow. Even then, as much as I thought about it, I never went into the woods to hunt. I must admit, however, that there is still part of me that wants to hunt deer or elk, but for some reason, I never act on it.

Strange.

[bearfan454]

93. I do for deer n/t

[MrSandman]

94. Yeah...

Deer...Savage model 99 in .300 Savage, Replica Hawkens .50 Cal., and bow.

Squirrel...20 gauge Beretta semi.

Rabbit/grouse/quail...12 gauge Rem 870 w/20" barrel and rifle sights.

No more turkey...they stink.

[OnionPatch]

95. My husband does

but I don't think I could actually pull the trigger to kill something unless I was starving or it was going to kill me.

Husband loves to hunt deer and would like to fill our freezer with some venison but is concerned about wasting disease. (How much does it cost to get them tested, anyone know?)

He hunts quail, pheasant and turkey, oh and the gophers in our garden ;)

[Freebird12004]

96. I thought I could

I even got my license and doe tag ... but then I just couldn't do it.

[bearfan454]

97. I love deer hard salami sticks and 50 - 50 spicy sausage.