Hunting motivation

C

Citori16

Active member
Wondering what your motivation for bird hunting is.
I have an occasional hunting partner that wants a limit every day and doesn’t care how he gets them - if he can shoot them from the road without his dog he is OK with it
I am OK spending most of the day following the dogs even if I don’t limit
What are your thoughts?
 
I love to hunt with the dog and watch him work. Having a good hunting friend or family member along is a bonus. I also shoot old SxS shotguns as part of the event. I shoot light 1oz loads, not the big 1 1/4 oz loads. It’s about the experience and not getting a limit every time.
 
I like getting the dogs on birds but don't care about limiting out. I take it as it comes and try to just enjoy the day.
 
I’m highly motivated! Hunted 3 days a week from mid October to the end of January. I have 3 labs and they each get out once a week, barring injury. I’m most interested in watching the dog work to find the bird. I have zero interest in shooting a bird from the road, which is illegal where I hunt, or shooting a bird without a dog for that matter. In fact, I probably wouldn’t go at all without one of my dogs. I walk 8-12 miles or more each trip and it’s not the end of the world if I don’t harvest a bird.
 
david0311 said:
He would be a FORMER partner NOT EVEN a occasional one if it was me.
Would not put up with him/her
Click to expand...
Don’t hunt much with him anymore although we still work on some PF projects together
There was an advantage to have him fill early as we used him to drive around and pick us up
Never did understand why he would prefer to sit in the truck most of the day rather than be out in the field
Have had some fellas hunt with us that can’t hit the broad side of a barn and seldom kill birds but enjoyed the time in the field
 
Multiple motivations, but the greatest is the experience for the dog. Mine keeps me balanced in a hectic and complicated world. I owe her the opportunity for excitement to make outstanding efforts, and success. Connecting with the dog is really what it's about. Love shot opportunities and the reward of watching a good retrieve. Sharing game with friends and elderly relatives is a bonus.

My other motivation is that I am still able to get into the field and hunt. I hunt for myself because it's who I am and how I was raised. Also feel obligated to get out and enjoy for all those hunters who can no longer physically participate. Do it for the dog, myself and I guess those who can't.
 
When you start a puppy you have raised from it's first breath, seeing them develop into a bird crazy adult with skills that amaze me even 50 years into hunting is a treasure! Seeing them replicate what their relatives did even several generations ago is awesome. Getting birds is just gravy!
 
Being outside with the dogs. I love watching them work and I love shooting birds for them. Other than fishing, there is nothing in life that I would rather do. To me, it is the greatest form of stress relief and an escape from technology. I am motivated to hunt different states each year and hunting a spot I have never been to before. Its traveling down the road listening to some country music and drinking a Dr. Pepper. Trying new places to eat and seeing new country. The older I get, the motivation to hunt with someone else dwindles. I have not hunted with anyone else in over 3 years now. I agree with Browndogs in that I like to shoot as many birds as I can for the dogs. We owe them that reward.
 
Challenge!! I love the fact no day is ever the same. The strategy is like doing a complex puzzle with no stress involved. With or with out your buddies or with mans best friend, trying to outwit Mother Nature. My dog loves to hunt but also loves to do things with me. I know he enjoys the quality time I give him. Getting a limit is a fun way to prove the success you have for the day but for me it’s about getting the birds that you should’ve got. There’s days I’ve only got one bird, but it’s the greatest feeling in the world knowing how hard you worked and you got him. Probably one of my greatest memories from last year was about an ol phez that outwitted me, makes me smile. I love giving out tribal yells and fist pumps when things go my way. Hunting new places, meeting new friend, I could go on forever!!!
 
When I was younger say up to thirty, it was all about birds and limits. I would at most of that was an ego thing. As time has gone on it has become less about the birds and more about the experience. I do believe the dogs and I must at least have the threat of getting a few to stay engaged. I can walk nice grass across from my house and not see any, but honestly I couldn’t care less about how many I kill. I just enjoy watching well bred, well trained dogs do what they do. I am fine if someone else kills them.
 
i like hunting with my dog and with friends. i do hope to bag birds when i go out. i also like cutting the dust at the end of the day by sharing some good bourbon with friends.
 
Last edited:
I think that there are stages a person goes through in their hunting journey and that we really don't ever reach the end. Hunters are a mercurial set of people. Everyone has ethics that vary. Each one of us thinks what we are doing is right or proper. The truth is, we are following what we learned and experienced and apply it to what we do.

I hunt to be in the outdoors. To connect with that primal part of myself that has the urge to hunt. To conquer nature, in a sense. When I was younger, I did things that I won't do today, simply because killing a bird isn't as important as killing in a manner that is consistent with how I want it to be. I pass up easy roosters on the side of the road, I just don't get excited by that. Doesn't mean anyone else has to.

For me, I also feel that hunting encompasses the preparation, the hunt, the harvest, butchering what I bring home, saving as much meat as I can, eating those animals, making sure my kids know that we don't kill just for the thrill, and that hunting is a bigger part of who we are as humans. Connecting to nature is the most important thing we can do. It doesn't matter if it's with a camera, a pair of running shoes, a fishing rod or a shotgun. Interacting with nature is what it is all about. Doing so with a dog that I love, one that possesses the ability to do things I cannot do is what drives me outdoors. I don't shy away from shooting a limit, but I also don't get obsessed and have that as a goal. I'd prefer a single, smart rooster over three spring of the year dummies, but I also enjoy shooting three spring of the year dummies.
 
Golden Hour said:
I think that there are stages a person goes through in their hunting journey and that we really don't ever reach the end. Hunters are a mercurial set of people. Everyone has ethics that vary. Each one of us thinks what we are doing is right or proper. The truth is, we are following what we learned and experienced and apply it to what we do.

I hunt to be in the outdoors. To connect with that primal part of myself that has the urge to hunt. To conquer nature, in a sense. When I was younger, I did things that I won't do today, simply because killing a bird isn't as important as killing in a manner that is consistent with how I want it to be. I pass up easy roosters on the side of the road, I just don't get excited by that. Doesn't mean anyone else has to.

For me, I also feel that hunting encompasses the preparation, the hunt, the harvest, butchering what I bring home, saving as much meat as I can, eating those animals, making sure my kids know that we don't kill just for the thrill, and that hunting is a bigger part of who we are as humans. Connecting to nature is the most important thing we can do. It doesn't matter if it's with a camera, a pair of running shoes, a fishing rod or a shotgun. Interacting with nature is what it is all about. Doing so with a dog that I love, one that possesses the ability to do things I cannot do is what drives me outdoors. I don't shy away from shooting a limit, but I also don't get obsessed and have that as a goal. I'd prefer a single, smart rooster over three spring of the year dummies, but I also enjoy shooting three spring of the year dummies.
Click to expand...
Well said. Wish I could put pen to paper to express thoughts as well as you do. Most of us probably think along the same lines as you
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top