Why is hunting such a popular activity in the U.S.?

[muskie32]

Because the butcher throws out all the best parts of the animal. Where can I get me some deer liver and deer testicles? Now THAT'S some grubbin there!

Nasty :|

 

[jtvang125]

Well, we've got all these guns... and we can't shoot people...

Sure you can but that may be your very last time doing it.

 

[sandorski]

Since I'm a lazy son of a bitch, I just quoted these Posts that sum up my thoughts on the subject.

it's fun
it's tasty
it's economical (sometimes)
it's environmental

Hunting is about many things before bringing meat home.

Hunting camp/trips is a time to spend with friends and family. Many groups have traditional hunting camps that they look forward to for spending time with those that live far away, or make it a point to catch up on things at camp.

Being out in the woods is a wonderful time - away from work, city or whatever. Solitude and a time to reflect on your life etc.

Watching wildlife is also very rewarding. I've bow hunted many years, and being close to deer, having a Great Owl swoop in and perch next to me in the tree, all sorts of other crazy things that I would have never witnessed without being in the woods.

Some of my best experiences, stories and times by myself and with my friends has been the result of hunting - and none of what I mentioned above is about shooting or killing an animal!

We killed off most of the predators and if we don't hunt the deer, elk and so forth they will over populate. we have to so the forest remains healthy.

 

[sandorski]

Nasty :|

Testicles(I've only had Beef ones) are very good.

 

[marvdmartian]

To prepare us for the alien/zombie apocalypse, of course!

OP, turn in your "Man Card" for even asking such a silly question!!

 

[muskie32]

Testicles(I've only had Beef ones) are very good.

Ok, they sound nasty... :sneaky:

 

[PsiStar]

I have friends that are angry if they get their deer too early in the hunting season. They have 2 weeks off & the optimum time is about Thursday in the 2nd week. It is not just about the kill & the 1 guy does not drink beer! WTF

I don't know, this was not my thing. I like quail & pheasant hunting with a bird dog I trained ... very relaxing & sporting.

 

[sandorski]

Ok, they sound nasty... :sneaky:

True enough, but they are awesome. Tastes like Beef, but is as tender as a ball of ground beef.

 

[OCGuy]

ATOT fed this troll....

 

[moshquerade]

Testicles(I've only had Beef ones) are very good.

rocky mountain oysters?

 

[sandorski]

rocky mountain oysters?

aka Prairie Oysters and some other names. Yup, delicious.

 

[Modelworks]

A) You will pay significantly more for the gas to get to your hunting site than the gas to get to your grocer unless you are one of the people who live in the forest to which you referred below

My brother can walk out his back door and start hunting. For me it is about 2 miles to a good spot.

I have never heard of a cow from my local farm having mad cow disease. I have heard of many deer having CWD. Also, they don't live in a cage. And finally, I can assure you that deer living in the deep forest still can be diseased even though no human is coughing on them.

CWD is so rare its insignificant.The CDC state the threat to humans has never been proven and the chances of CWD harming a human is minimal. If a deer is running about and acting normal then the chances of it being diseased are extremely unlikely. You got a much higher chance from catching something by eating in a restaurant.

 

[pcgeek11]

I didn't read the entire thread, but the biggest plus of hunters is it prevents over population of game animals and keeps them healthier over all.

 

[weirdichi]

rocky mountain oysters?

Go look up Testicle Festival in Montana. Some NSFW material though.

 

[DrPizza]

Sitting in a tree stand in the cold in complete silence for hours on end versus a 30 minute round trip to the local grocery store. I'd say the latter is a more efficient expenditure of my time.

It's far from "complete silence" - you're in an environment that many people wish they could spend more time in. It's away from all the noise of the city and hustle & bustle. But there are squirrels, chipmunks, red squirrels all making noise in the leaves, making you wonder "omg! Did a deer just walk up behind me?" There are turkeys wandering around, 2 nights last week, I had a huge fox go right by me, the occasional raccoon sighted in a tree sleeping, porcupines, lots of little tweety birds flying around in little groups, looking for seeds or whatever they are eating. Incredibly busy in the woods, but at the same time, very relaxing to be among all that.

Good points. I was thinking from a purely selfish point of view only taking my own time vs. money into account. I would have to agree that taking these facts into account would change the efficiency ratio I had in mind.

24 * 7 = 168 hours. Let's assume you sleep for 8 hours of the day. That leaves 112 hours. Let's assume a typical work week of 40 hours, plus we'll even toss in 5 hours for commuting. That leaves 67 hours left. Just what the fuck do you do with your spare time?? Would going for a nice relaxing walk into the woods cut into your World of Warcraft time? Your precious time on Facebook? Time spent surfing porn sites and masterbating? Some people have hobbies - and hunting is just as valid a hobby as any other hobby. Plus, it has a lot of benefits like fresh, "organic" meat. Venison is generally regarded as a better source of protein, is much lower in fat than beef, and has a lot of other health benefits. Plus, it tastes awesome.
P.S. to whoever it was above that said deer don't have ribeyes. Sure they do - that's a portion of the back loin. They're just smaller than from cows.

does anyone here hunt bears? what is the purpose of that, do you actually eat bear meat?

Yes, I do. I've been bowhunting them for a number of years. I'm pretty selective too; the typical black bear harvested (in NY) is a little over 200 pounds. My goal is a minimum of 300 pounds, preferably 400 pounds plus. I've turned down a few during shotgun (slugs) season in NY. Bear is more the thrill of the pursuit for me - mano a mano (sort of) - stalking from the ground vs. waiting in a tree stand. Max range I'm comfortable arrowing a bear from is about 30 yards = close range. Still waiting for that one big bear. I've been within 5 yards of a bear (one with her cub) twice on the ground. Actually, the distances were more like 10 feet & 3 feet. (The three feet was a bit scary as the bear and her cub ran past me on a trail.)

If/when I get one, full body mount. The meat: steaks from the loins; I'll share with friends. And most of the rest of it just ground into hamburg & used to make things like summer sausage, sausage, jerky, etc.

 

[caddlad]

More of us need to look our dinner in the eye. It makes you appreciate the gift of food.

 

[iGas]

the cost of a gun and some bullets is most likely less then it costs to raise an animal to slaughter age. its not more efficient, butchering your own animal is annoying

If hunting is more efficient, mankind wouldn't evolve to farming/husbandry or develop towns/cities.

Huntings seems to be efficient on the surface, but in reality it actually costs much more than grocery foods. Because, you are not going to get a kill on every hunting trip, lost of work time, vehicle/s, fuels, hunting gears, etc...

 

[iGas]

It's far from "complete silence" - you're in an environment that many people wish they could spend more time in. It's away from all the noise of the city and hustle & bustle. But there are squirrels, chipmunks, red squirrels all making noise in the leaves, making you wonder "omg! Did a deer just walk up behind me?" There are turkeys wandering around, 2 nights last week, I had a huge fox go right by me, the occasional raccoon sighted in a tree sleeping, porcupines, lots of little tweety birds flying around in little groups, looking for seeds or whatever they are eating. Incredibly busy in the woods, but at the same time, very relaxing to be among all that.


24 * 7 = 168 hours. Let's assume you sleep for 8 hours of the day. That leaves 112 hours. Let's assume a typical work week of 40 hours, plus we'll even toss in 5 hours for commuting. That leaves 67 hours left. Just what the fuck do you do with your spare time?? Would going for a nice relaxing walk into the woods cut into your World of Warcraft time? Your precious time on Facebook? Time spent surfing porn sites and masterbating? Some people have hobbies - and hunting is just as valid a hobby as any other hobby. Plus, it has a lot of benefits like fresh, "organic" meat. Venison is generally regarded as a better source of protein, is much lower in fat than beef, and has a lot of other health benefits. Plus, it tastes awesome.
P.S. to whoever it was above that said deer don't have ribeyes. Sure they do - that's a portion of the back loin. They're just smaller than from cows.



Yes, I do. I've been bowhunting them for a number of years. I'm pretty selective too; the typical black bear harvested (in NY) is a little over 200 pounds. My goal is a minimum of 300 pounds, preferably 400 pounds plus. I've turned down a few during shotgun (slugs) season in NY. Bear is more the thrill of the pursuit for me - mano a mano (sort of) - stalking from the ground vs. waiting in a tree stand. Max range I'm comfortable arrowing a bear from is about 30 yards = close range. Still waiting for that one big bear. I've been within 5 yards of a bear (one with her cub) twice on the ground. Actually, the distances were more like 10 feet & 3 feet. (The three feet was a bit scary as the bear and her cub ran past me on a trail.)

If/when I get one, full body mount. The meat: steaks from the loins; I'll share with friends. And most of the rest of it just ground into hamburg & used to make things like summer sausage, sausage, jerky, etc.

IMHO, bear hunters are trophy hunters and they come up will all kinds of excuses and ways to justify their lust for killing and bragging rights.

<--- have eaten bear meat many times, and it is similar to cheap crappy pork. If the meat is what you are after then it would make more sense to hunt porcupines & wild boars because they are tastier than bear meat IMHO.

 

[Fayd]

how is "game" hunting the same as buying food at the store?

edit: I can't get man meat at the store...

YOU can't...

 

[DrPizza]

IMHO, bear hunters are trophy hunters and they come up will all kinds of excuses and ways to justify their lust for killing and bragging rights.

<--- have eaten bear meat many times, and it is similar to cheap crappy pork. If the meat is what you are after then it would make more sense to hunt porcupines & wild boars because they are tastier than bear meat IMHO.

No wild boars around here. I generally shoot porcupines on sight. They're destructive to trees. I've never considered attempting to eat one. They're pretty stinky. And, what's wrong with being a trophy hunter? I assure you that the meat wouldn't be wasted. I don't hunt solely for the reason of having meat (although that's the primary reason. Plus, some meats, i.e. squirrel, are fun to eat at work - it amusing to see the different reactions.)

 

[torpid]

My brother can walk out his back door and start hunting. For me it is about 2 miles to a good spot.

How far to the butcher and the offices where you have to get a license? How far to the stores carrying the equipment you need?

CWD is so rare its insignificant.The CDC state the threat to humans has never been proven and the chances of CWD harming a human is minimal. If a deer is running about and acting normal then the chances of it being diseased are extremely unlikely. You got a much higher chance from catching something by eating in a restaurant.

CWD is WAYYYYYY more common than Mad Cow Disease, which you like to bring up any time possible. You are the one claiming that deer meat outside of residential areas is safer than a closely monitored, humane, high quality farm. You have yet to offer any remotely logical arguments to this. Natural Resource departments do some cursory monitoring of deer populations for diseases, but it goes nowhere near the level that a good farmer will go to protect his livestock since it directly affects their income. There are plenty of common diseases in deer and your "if it looks ok then it must be fine" argument makes no sense. Read up on bovine tuberculosis. Takes a long time to manifest visibly. Animals do not limp at any minor injury or disease in the wild - it is very bad for their survival to do so and like most animals deer are good at hiding it. Whether or not you catch something depends on a lot of factors including how you cook it and your immune system - that does not mean that there is no risk.

 

[nick1985]

Because shooting things is fun

 

[BoomerD]

Originally Posted by sandorski
Testicles(I've only had Beef ones) are very good.

rocky mountain oysters?

Just call em "Nuts."

While they're advertised with a variety of "cute names," every place we've lived in "cowboy country" just called them nuts.

"Hey, I see XYZ is having a Nut Feast."

But, unfortunately, too many people either get turned off by the idea of eating testicles, or else (like many of the silly kids here) would think that eating nuts is a sexual reference...thus the cute names for them.