I sit here and i think of my hunting life and why do i hunt and how much the answer to that question has changed throughout my life. I started hunting when i was 12 years old and my stepfather is the person that got me into hunting and bought me my first shotgun. I had to wait until i was 12 years old to hunt because i grew up in PA and you cant hunt until you are 12 years old. If you asked me when i was 12 years old why do i hunt i would have told you because i like to kill things and then eat it. I grew up doing deer drives on public land in PA and farms that we had permission to hunt. I always looked up to my stepdad because he taught me a lot about being an outdoors man and the animals and shooting and surviving and i could go on for days. I owe that man alot for who i am today. I moved to Texas when i was 16 years old to live with my Dad. The day i left PA was the first day i saw my Step Father cry. That day opened up my eyes to how much i meant to him. So my Dad was also my idol growing up. I only got to see him in the summers so you can only imagine how i could want to move and try living with him too. My Dad took me hunting in Texas and it was totally different than what i was ever used to. One reason is baiting is illegal in PA and TX it is not. So we sit in stands and shoot deer under a corn feeder. "This is different". So you ask me when i'm 16 why do you hunt i would tell you i hunt for the sport and to shoot a mature deer and eat it and manage the deer population. Fast forward 15 years. I am now 31 and have 19 years of hunting experience and 90% of it is Whitetail hunting. Hunting good whitetail and not wanting to empty your bank account in my part of Texas dont go together. Dont get me wrong there is public land but we all know how that goes. I find myself wanting to hunt big game and public land DIY hunts. This has brought out the excitement in hunting that i haven't had since i was a young teen hunting with my Step Dad waiting for the first monday after thanksgiving to load up the slug gun and go hunt. My appreciation for the land and the animal have changed alot since my last why do i hunt question. So, now today im 31 and you ask me why do i hunt. I will tell you i hunt to get to spend time with those family and friends you only get to see once or twice a year because you live in Texas and they live in Pennsylvania (my step dad and i plan hunts together so we can get time together), Or that i love going out to the untouched land of man that hasnt been paved or bulldozed. I love watching the animals and learning and if i dont harvest one its not the end of the world. Because i was out doing what i love. Its my escape from the every day city hustle bustle. So thats why i hunt.
So..... Why do you hunt?
So..... Why do you hunt?
