# I don't 'get' hunting **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 21, 2009, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605 "2009-10-21T14:38:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/41 "2009-10-21T17:07:10Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I wouldn’t mind trying it, but nobody will invite me. 😉 I’m familiar with firearms and shooting, but none of my close friends/family hunts. There are so many rules these days I think I need a hunting buddy to get me started in the right direction. > > If I go I just want it to be very basic, no dogs, no elaborate equipment. I can and will invite you - assuming you can get to Pennsylvania safely and legally. Heck - as long as you are in the US, I can probably find you a buddy no matter where you are. But I will add a little caveat - we’ll have to get to know each other better. Like I tell kids in the hunter ed classes I teach, a good hunting buddy is a lot harder to find than game to hunt or good places to hunt it. Heck - that may just be the solution. Take one of your states hunter education/safety classes. You may just find someone there willing to mentor you a bit. If you’re serious, make note of my “name” and give me a PM some day. ---
**Author:** ![Jettboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/85e7bf/32.png) [@Jettboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jettboy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/42 "2009-10-21T17:58:09Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Upthread, in post 25–[right here, since you seem to have missed it](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=11687570&postcount=25), I listed the reasons I and my family hunt. Oh no, I didn’t miss it; I’m just _ignoring_ you. Quite frankly, I couldn’t give a shit why you or your kin hunt; I’ve got plenty of hunters in my _own_ family who use the same tired arguments and defenses to justify their position (and they _always_ feel the need to justify it). They get just as riled up and belligerent about it, too. In any conversation where something, _anything_, someone else enjoys appears to be in any way slighted, there’s always some angry, red-faced, foot-stompers who’ll want to yammer on ad naseum in defense of their favorite sport, movie, music, or political cause and convince you how _wrong_ your opinion is and how _right_ their opinion is. I don’t understand hunting; I don’t get what makes hunting such a rich and wonderful experience to the people who do. Personally, I think it’s a little weird to derive pleasure from killing something. Sorry you don’t agree, but that’s really more of a ‘you’ problem than a ‘me’ problem. Deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/43 "2009-10-21T18:03:26Z")
> [@Jettboy](#): > > I don’t understand hunting; I don’t get what makes hunting such a rich and wonderful experience to the people who do. Personally, I think it’s a little weird to derive pleasure from killing something. Sorry you don’t agree, but that’s really more of a ‘you’ problem than a ‘me’ problem. Deal with it. Then why didn’t you open this thread in the Pit, since it appears to be a rant rather than anything you wanted to have a discussion on? People are _trying_ to answer your question, but you don’t appear interested in listening. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/44 "2009-10-21T18:08:05Z")
> [@Jettboy](#): > > Oh no, I didn’t miss it; I’m just _ignoring_ you. You are, in other words, claiming the ability to apprehend my motives from a distance based on no evidence whatsoever. You are claiming that you know my thoughts, feelings, and impulses without need of discourse. I was not aware that you were from Betazed. > [@](#): > > Quite frankly, I couldn’t give a shit why you or your kin hunt; I’ve got plenty of hunters in my _own_ family who use the same tired arguments and defenses to justify their position (and they _always_ feel the need to justify it). They get just as riled up and belligerent about it, too. The nearest I have come to getting _riled up_ is when I noted that I was reminding myself not to curse, as this is not the pit. Please show where I have been belligerant. I have not insulted you, either directly or by implication. I have not called your motives into question or implied that I have some gnostic insight into your character which you yourself lack. I have treated you with considerably more courtesy than you have treated hunters, if I may say so. > [@](#): > > In any conversation where something, _anything_, someone else enjoys appears to be in any way slighted, there’s always some angry, red-faced, foot-stompers who’ll want to yammer on ad naseum in defense of their favorite sport, movie, music, or political cause and convince you how _wrong_ your opinion is and how _right_ their opinion is. > > I don’t understand hunting; I don’t get what makes hunting such a rich and wonderful experience to the people who do. Personally, I think it’s a little weird to derive pleasure from killing something. Sorry you don’t agree, but that’s really more of a ‘you’ problem than a ‘me’ problem. Deal with it. This last passage convinces me of your disingenousness. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/45 "2009-10-21T18:25:07Z")
Honestly, I don’t get it either. I have nothing _against_ it; I just don’t see the appeal. My wife’s side of the family is southeastern Missouri redneck, to the bone, and the men in her family live and die by huntin’ season. Whatever works for you, fellas. I’ll sit in the family room and watch a football game, thanks. I will say this in favor of hunting: Some states utilize hunting as a means of managing the deer population. For this I am thankful, because I’ve seen my share of cars wrapped around deers, and I know that this practice reduces the odds of _my_ number coming up. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/46 "2009-10-21T18:29:49Z")
> [@Jettboy](#): > > I don’t understand hunting; I don’t get what makes hunting such a rich and wonderful experience to the people who do. Personally, I think it’s a little weird to derive pleasure from killing something. Sorry you don’t agree, but that’s really more of a ‘you’ problem than a ‘me’ problem. Deal with it. Hunting isn’t about the pleasure of the kill, it’s about eating things that are delicious. Killing is an unavoidable side effect of eating venison. I’m going to reply in this vein every time you declare facts (“hunters love the thrill of the kill”) that aren’t in evidence. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/47 "2009-10-21T18:33:08Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Hunting isn’t about the pleasure of the kill, it’s about eating things that are delicious. Killing is an unavoidable side effect of eating venison. > > I’m going to reply in this vein every time you declare facts (“hunters love the thrill of the kill”) that aren’t in evidence. Don’t bother. He’s just trying to ruffle feathers, and has already admitted that he doesn’t care about the opinions of people who have some experience. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/48 "2009-10-21T18:34:06Z")
Near as I can tell, the appeal of hunting is rather similar to the things you love about fishing–luring the animal in, making it think it’s not in danger, the physical challenge of actually getting the shot off successfully. All of that is a necessary component to hunting. Deer are wild animals with self-preservation instincts to at _least_ the same extent fish are, and unlike fish they can actually see and smell us out there. That’s why they sell all those doe-urine type scent maskers and camo and whatnot. After all, when you think about it, fishing is at least as perverse as hunting. You offer a dumb animal with no defenses something attractive to it, attempting to convince it that you’re harmless. If the animal falls for the ruse, you’re going to attempt to jam a pointy chunk of metal through some portion of its anatomy, usually the mouth but sometimes the gill or eye. If that attempt is successful, you will then attempt to drag it from its habitat with it struggling desperately all the way. If you are successful, you’ll haul the poor creature into an environment where it physically cannot oxygenate its blood and will soon suffocate. At that point, you will either kill it and feast upon its carcass, or throw it back, having put it through all that for _nothing_ but your own pleasure. When you think about it in the terms you’re defining hunting, fishing sounds pretty damn twisted. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/49 "2009-10-21T18:48:38Z")
> [@CrazyCatLady](#): > > Near as I can tell, the appeal of hunting is rather similar to the things you love about fishing. No, no, no. Fishing is about _drinking beer_. As Grandpa Rhymer used to say, “You have to be careful to use the right bait, because if you mess up and use something the fish will actually nibble at, you might spill your Bud.” ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/50 "2009-10-21T19:11:23Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > No, no, no. Fishing is about _drinking beer_. As Grandpa Rhymer used to say, “You have to be careful to use the right bait, because if you mess up and use something the fish will actually nibble at, you might spill your Bud.” As Jeff Foxworthy says, “If you have ever been too drunk to fish…you might be a redneck.” ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/51 "2009-10-21T19:17:21Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > No, no, no. Fishing is about _drinking beer_. As Grandpa Rhymer used to say, “You have to be careful to use the right bait, because if you mess up and use something the fish will actually nibble at, you might spill your Bud.” unless you saw him fishing he might have been joshing you, he probably just had a sinker on the line. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/52 "2009-10-21T19:24:56Z")
> [@johnpost](#): > > unless you saw him fishing he might have been joshing you, he probably just had a sinker on the line. See? See what happens when you don’t use smilies? Also, Rhymers don’t _josh_. We _toby_ frequently, _leo_ intermittently, and, every once in a while, we _jed_. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/53 "2009-10-21T19:25:53Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > I’ve never hunted but I have fished, which is I would imagine somewhat similar: I thought it was very enjoyable, myself. You cast your line, and you never know what you may get - when a fish strikes, it’s very exciting. Even if no fish strikes, you are still out enjoying nature. If all goes well, there is fresh fish for breakfast - and it tastes much better fresh than from a supermarket. > > . As a kid my family fished much. Not much beats very fresh seafood IMO. But let me tell you, those were some DAMN expensive fish we were eating. And thats not even considering our time invested. I suspect with most hunters its the same. Its lots of things, but for most of them I bet thats also some damn expensive meat. ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/54 "2009-10-21T19:26:33Z")
I don’t hunt but I do taget shoot, paper targets tremble in my prescence! Here is what I don’t “get” about Hunting: Hiding in a tree, wearing Deer scent, all Camo’ed up waiting for Bambi to come for the food (or the salt) that has been there everyday is NOT Hunting in my book. Hunting would involve… ACTUALLY Hunting. If hiding in a tree stand and killing stuff is your idea of a sport, that’s fine. Do the world a favor and “Hunt” crack dealers. Unclviny ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/55 "2009-10-21T19:32:59Z")
Regarding the skill of tracking and stalking…how much of it is just confirmation bias on the part of the hunter, or conflating scarcity with elusiveness? I.e., I bagged a deer, therefore I have great skill. I’m not a hunter, but I have countless times camping or hiking when I’ve stumbled across wildlife while we’ve all been laughing and taking up a noisy storm. Hell, I’ve zipped open my tent and been nose-to-nose with elk and wolves. Just this weekend, I had to stop in my car for a group of a dozen elk crossing a state highway. Game animals just don’t seem to try very hard at keeping out of rifle range. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/56 "2009-10-21T19:40:37Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > Regarding the skill of tracking and stalking…how much of it is just confirmation bias on the part of the hunter, or conflating scarcity with elusiveness? I.e., I bagged a deer, therefore I have great skill. > > I’m not a hunter, but I have countless times camping or hiking when I’ve stumbled across wildlife while we’ve all been laughing and taking up a noisy storm. Hell, I’ve zipped open my tent and been nose-to-nose with elk and wolves. Just this weekend, I had to stop in my car for a group of a dozen elk crossing a state highway. Game animals just don’t seem to try very hard at keeping out of rifle range. Put your money where your mouth is. Go try and shoot a turkey. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/57 "2009-10-21T19:44:19Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Put your money where your mouth is. Go try and shoot a turkey. I went turkey hunting once. As god as my witness, I thought turkeys could die. I was mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/58 "2009-10-21T19:49:43Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > Game animals just don’t seem to try very hard at keeping out of rifle range. At least on my parent’s acreage, the deer and turkey seem to have a pretty clear idea of when hunting season is (or maybe hunting season was planned to be during the time they move deeper into the woods or something)–during spring and summer there will commonly be groups of animals wandering along the edges of meadows and across the driveway, but during fall/winter they retreat to the deeper woods and change their movement patterns almost completely. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/59 "2009-10-21T19:58:44Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > Regarding the skill of tracking and stalking…how much of it is just confirmation bias on the part of the hunter, or conflating scarcity with elusiveness? I.e., I bagged a deer, therefore I have great skill. White tailed deer are pretty much the opposite of scarce. Just in Michigan, there are [about 1.5 Million white-tailed deer](http://blog.mlive.com/kzgazette/2007/09/deer_population_flourishing_mi.html) (and [60,000 deer on car accidents](http://www.michigan.gov/msp/0,1607,7-123-1593_3504-95455--,00.html) every year). ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605/60 "2009-10-21T20:02:05Z")
It seems this thread is generating a little more passion than can be contained in MPSIMS. We’re off to the Pit. **Ellen Cherry** MPSIMS Moderator [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-get-hunting/514605.md?page=4)