Shooters that do not hunt?
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Fatboy1970
Active Member
I've hunted all my life. the way I hunt and the type shooter I am has progressed due to age, my funding, and my view of the world. I have younger friends who hunt regular, take game to prevent crop damage or just to stay sharp on the stick. They keep me plenty of meat when I don't shoot. I hunt 3-4 days a week during hunting season. I have two adult girls, one hunts, one doesn't, but she loves to shoot. I took a magnificent animal this fall, during the rallying around for inspection it dawned on me that I had not taken an animal in 3 years. Said all that to get to the point: I hunt to enjoy nature and creation, it is my alone time to protect my sanity and that is what I offer to others. It is up to them if they need that space and time.
Turkeytider
Well-Known Member
I know the feeling. Haven`t harvested a turkey in two seasons but those seasons were still great because I was able to get into the Spring woods. It`s amazing what God has given us if we`re just quiet, still.....and just look. I`m 75 now, don`t obviously know how many more seasons I might have. Pulling a trigger doesn`t mean the same as when I was much younger. Going forward, a gobbler is going to have to be really special, like a beard dragging the ground, for me to shoot. Got a feeling I`ll just mostly just be watching the show!! And that`s fine with me!
Turkeytider
Well-Known Member
Me.....too!!
Wish I could remember the Author of the article about the stages of a hunters life. Its a good read. Basically as young man your try to prove that you can kill game animals, next stage is killing numbers of animals, then mature animals, followed by just enough to eat. Then, its only the fellowship. Being 71 I'm not near as mad at them as I once was. Hate getting up early on cold morning. My hunting buddy says if a trophy buck wants me to shoot it ,it better be the first deer to come out! I still enjoy taking young people out and getting them a deer for the first time. Parents just don't hunt anymore. Even if the young man or woman wanted to hunt the opportunity isn't there. Take a kid hunting.
A very good summary. By age 30 I have killed so many animals it became kind of routine. I took a break when I moved to San Diego so I was back into that mindset for a while. Now I'd rather put someone else on one vs myself. I've got both my kids into it all.
So long as we have meat in the freezer we are golden.
This is going to sound like I'm bragging, but so be it. I was a Dept. Of the Army civilian. That entitled me easy access to Prime deer hunting on Ft. McClellan and Pelham range the national guard training range eight miles away. Alabama had a buck and a doe daily limit per DAY! Over 90 day season. I Hunted a lot. In a ten year period I killed over 150 deer with archery equipment. They had weekend hunts with shotguns. I hunted during the week. As a paramedic I worked 24 on 48 off. I lived15 minutes away. Ft. Is closed now. Its a federal wildlife Refuge. A 150 deer is being conservative!
I'm about at that number. We didn't always follow the rules. We have a giant farm and when the deer start eating stuff like locusts we had to get a permit. Many times we shot em before the permit then tagged em. Otherwise they'd eat your entire crops.
Gun of choice .30-30 Winchester.
We did something similar in the 21-22 deer season. Farmer wanted every legal deer that stepped onto his giant cornfield shot. Three of us killed 43 deer. I filled all three of my buck tags there. I shot 16. All my friends and neighbors got deer that year.
Feels weird to shoot em like they are a pest vs just hunting. S Cal deer hunting is like the opposite. A decent buck is a trophy as is any archery deer kill.
Fatboy1970
Active Member
Our god is awesome ain't he!
I'll take a day out in the woods with no one around over a day in the city every single time.
As a teenager and young man, my buddies and I hunted everything we could. I took my first deer with a lever action 30-30 at 16. Hunting was cheep back then and most ranchers and farmers would allow you to hunt for free. At 18 I joined the USMC. That's were I found out about Marksmanship and how much I loved shooting competition. I shot for the USMC for 4 years and coached there Junior shooting team at the same time. After 10 years I left the Corps and returned home to find that most, if not all the Farms and Ranches were now leased and I had only public land to hunt and the price of a license had gone up almost 500%! That first year back I did manage to take a nice Bull but had to hike nearly 10 miles to get away from all the RED vests.
That was 30 years ago. Now I only hunt Antelope and Coyotes. I shoot two matches a month at my club. The long range match is my favorite. We shoot 2 MOA targets out to 600 yards. The Tactical Rifle match is a shoot and move course using several "things" to shoot off of.
I do miss sitting in the mountains and watching the Elk move but the expense and my physical abilities don't allow me to enjoy it any more.
Sitting behind the rifle provides a level of therapy that nothing else can match.
That was 30 years ago. Now I only hunt Antelope and Coyotes. I shoot two matches a month at my club. The long range match is my favorite. We shoot 2 MOA targets out to 600 yards. The Tactical Rifle match is a shoot and move course using several "things" to shoot off of.
I do miss sitting in the mountains and watching the Elk move but the expense and my physical abilities don't allow me to enjoy it any more.
Sitting behind the rifle provides a level of therapy that nothing else can match.
The same has happened here with the ranches being leased. Fortunately, Wyoming has vast public lands and low population so I haven't had to deal with the sea of orange as you say.
