are you selective about what you hunt?

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gaseousclay

New member
ever since I became obsessed with hunting over 6 months ago I was trying to decide what I wanted to hunt. first, water fowl hunting seemed appealing, but I don't own a shotgun. i'm sure that'll change at some point in the future but just not now. then, I decided I really wanted to hunt deer and/or elk. since deer populations here are abundant I figured it'd be fun and i'm helping to control the herds :D. I thought the same thing about elk but they are rare here. I ended buying a rifle so i'm really excited to go deer hunting next fall.

at this stage of my life I have no desire to hunt bear, coyotes or any other game animal outside of deer, elk and antelope. it's the same with varmints, but since I don't own a varmint gun I'm not too worried about blasting raccoons to kingdom come. granted, I don't know enough about bear or coyote populations to know if they're an endangered species or not but the thought of hunting them is of no interest to me. If i'm not going to eat the animal then i'm not going to hunt it. so are there any game animals that are off-limits to some of you or do you hunt any game you can?
 
I prefer to kill animals that I will eat, so I mostly hunt deer and birds, especially turkey and pheasant. I also hunt bear although I haven't gotten one yet. Probably my one "off-limit" animal is a coyote, just because they remind me too much of my dogs. I have no problem with others hunting them though.
 
I hunt deer the wife hunts birds, we don't mix and match, but we will each eat what the other brings home.
 
As a country kid I hunted just about anything that could be put in the pot. Squirrel, rabbit and quail mostly. Coonasses will eat just about anything so mixed in with the above were snipe, rail, gallinule, woodcock and a bunch of others.

Later I found great enjoyment in duck hunting and for many years did that much more than other hunting. Sure there was the occasional deer or hog, but duck hunting was my passion.

I spent some time in California and was able to hunt lots of different game, mule deer, quail, ducks, rabbits and others. I enjoyed it all, but my real enjoyment was hunting ducks in the Louisiana marshes.

As time passed duck limits changed, places to hunt them became scarce and costs rose. With the advent of steel shot and reduced limits on ducks I just hung it up. That’s not to say that I’ll pass up a good duck hunt, I won’t, but they are no longer my primary hunting target.

During the years I’ve done a bit of predator calling and hunting, coyotes, foxes and crows mostly, but did kill a mountain lion when in California. Got a $60.00 bounty on him too. While predator hunting is fun to me it was just something to do when nothing else was in season. I guess that over the years I’ve killed so many chicken stealers ( coyotes, foxes, coons, etc.)that the thrill has worn off.

I’ve hunted just about everything native to the southern U.S. with the exception of bear, I really never had a desire to kill a bear. While a trip to some area like Africa would be interesting I’ve never had a desire to kill a lion, elephant, water buffalo or those of that ilk.

Now in my senior years deer and hog hunting takes up most of my time. Of course I still remain open to almost any other local hunting trip, no matter what the game.

Age and circumstances usually change hunting habits for everyone. I’m sure that you are no different than most, so changes are in store for you too. If you find yourself letting that buck pass, or that duck fly off, just because you can, you have reached a plateau that some never do. It’s not what you hunt, or how many you kill, it’s how much you enjoy the hunt.
 
I shoot almost anything, but I will never shoot a fox. There is something about foxes I like, just cant even consider shooting them.
 
I didn't used to be very selective, but over the years I have gotten pretty picky. Pheasants, geese, deer, elk, hogs, maybe coyotes if the pelts are good, and ground squirrels. Not much else really turns my crank.
 
$$$$$$$$$

I would love to hunt more/different critters and places. Grew up reading O'Conner, Keith, Ruark, and Capstick. As an adult its not so much about being selective as finding the money and the time to be able to chase those dreams and desires.

Darn work has a way of a fella having a good time. And I've got a few dear folks counting on me to work and pay bills and provide. We live comfortably within our means, nothing fancy. Used cars, and an old house. Africa , or a big Western trip, is just out of the question.

Such a hunt would be a lifetime dream.
 
hunting

Honestly there are too many animals to hunt.. One of my on going frustrations has been how the fall turkey season and archery overlap.. Every year begins the debate do I take the gun or the bow? There are things I will probably never hunt.. I have no interest in chasing goats or sheep around a mountain.. I doubt I would ever go after Polar bear because I think the cost is obscene and I could do much better things with that money. My two favorite parts of hunting are calling and stalking.. Calling a turkey in still gets my blood boiling, I dream of the day when I will call in an elk and put some wood through it... I say if you wont eat it don't shoot it but if your like me and will try anything once then I say get out there and try everything? PS where the heck is the frozen tundra???
 
I only hunt what I eat. Don't get me wrong, I'm a trophy hunter at the beginning of any season but after the first couple of days I'm a meat hunter.
 
I would love to hunt more/different critters and places. Grew up reading O'Conner, Keith, Ruark, and Capstick. As an adult its not so much about being selective as finding the money and the time to be able to chase those dreams and desires.

Darn work has a way of a fella having a good time. And I've got a few dear folks counting on me to work and pay bills and provide. We live comfortably within our means, nothing fancy. Used cars, and an old house. Africa , or a big Western trip, is just out of the question.

Such a hunt would be a lifetime dream.
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I hear ya. I was almost floored when I read how expensive an elk hunt was. the wife and I don't exactly have expendable income so I don't foresee going on a big hunt anytime soon. I'll have to limit myself to deer for now, but i'm fine with that.
 
I will generally hunt what I like to eat and or destructive pests. So in my area that I live I would be looking at Rabbit, Deer, Yote, and Groundhog. With Rabbit and Groundhog being the two high ticket items that I enjoy the most.
 
I shoot almost anything, but I will never shoot a fox. There is something about foxes I like, just cant even consider shooting them.
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Probably my one "off-limit" animal is a coyote, just because they remind me too much of my dogs
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i'm kind of in the same boat. there's actually a fox that comes through our neighborhood once in a blue moon, which is surprising because i'm in the city. I almost feel bad for the fox because in the city it's more likely to get run over by a car than shot. but like the both of you, I have no desire to shoot either animal if given the chance. even varmints like raccoon are off-limits to me. I think the only time I would shoot any of these animals is if I perceived a threat to myself or my family, but I think the chances of that are remote. raccons can be vicious little b*astards :eek:
 
I was raised with a gun in my hand or a fishin pole. I remember when I got my first BB gun from wall mart. From the car to the house I had already killed a rabit, my mom freaked out and daddy was proud! I been hooked ever since. If I can eat it or its causin a problem I will hunt it. To me there is nothin like takin the life of a critter and respecting it on the dinner table.
 
I shoot almost anything, but I will never shoot a fox. There is something about foxes I like, just cant even consider shooting them.
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I'm the same way. We have a few Red Fox in the area. I'm not sure exactly why I won't hunt them because they cause just as much harm even more than the Yotes do. I guess they are my Unicorn.
 
Was brought up not to waste anything. Consequently, I eat what I shoot with the exception of people. Hunt deer, and used to hunt pheasant and rabbit. Haven't been doing much hunting anymore, but I go shooting often.
 
I'll hunt most anything, but I'm picky about what I'd shoot. So, mostly deer, doves and quail. Varmint hunting on a casual basis, although I've called in more than one coyote and then just laughed at him.

I don't call shooting prairie dogs "hunting". Depending on circumstance, it can be a form of predator control--for an alfalfa farmer.

I do a lot of "hunting-watching". I play federal government, some, doing the welfare thing for quail in the front yard. Had fifteen javelina come to the water pan by the porch, yesterday. I guess they feel they're entitled...

Yup. The quail just showed up for brunch.
 
I'm a rifle guy, so I'll pretty much hunt anything that allows me to use that. I've hunted deer, elk, pronghorn, and black bear successfully in Colorado and Alaska. I hope to add a wolf to the list of game that I’ve taken this year when I head back to Alaska in May. I’d like to add moose and caribou to the list some day as well, but doubt I’ll ever have the money to shoot grizzly or brown bears. I’d like to add a plains game hunt in Africa someday as well.

I agree with Art, there really isn’t such a thing as prairie dog hunting. I do however love to use them for target practice. I wish I had more time to do coyote hunting but I opt out of that one for the big game I chase in the fall.
 
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