I'm a little encouraged on the future of hunting

FrenchBrie

New member
I was surprised by the number of us who took up hunting as adults. You often hear how so few kids are taken hunting by their parents now and how the hunting population is getting older and older. Hunting has a very primal appeal and someone who will just try it can easily get hooked.

I think hunting suffers a little from competition with golf. I think there are a lot of common elements--the outdoors, walking, the creativity, the spontaneity, all the crazy, unpredictable situations that come up.

Another longrun problem is the animal rights people like PETA. There is a lot of anti-hunting sentiment out there, particularly in the Eastern US (I live in Michigan and surprisingly there is a lot of anti-hunting sentiment in the more populous southeast part of the state). We used to have a limited dove season here pushed by the DNR but the anti-hunting people, including our female governor, got a referendum on the ballot and we lost dove hunting.
 
I think hunting suffers a little from competition with golf. I think there are a lot of common elements--the outdoors, walking, the creativity, the spontaneity, all the crazy, unpredictable situations that come up.

And a chance to get a birdie.
 
I agree with this post. As our country moves further and further to a more urban lifestyle issues will surely arise with loss of habitat. I am not against animal rights activists in general but the topics which they choose to pursue are ridiculous. Dove hunting? foie gras? its unreal. Why are they not fighting for the chickens in those horrible egg farms? Why are they not fighting for better regulations on American Beef? What about wild steelhead on the Pacific Coast? no, that stuff is too hard so they choose to waste time and money harassing some dove hunters and some small artisan farms which produce foie gras, which by they way is like .0001 % of our meat industry. The ability to go out and hunt just needs to remain possible for those who dont know how. If it ever gets to a point where someone cant realistically go get a license and buy and gun and hunt then the numbers are going to crash. One of my friends just decided he wanted to hunt out of nowhere, he signed up for his hunters safety course, passed it, bought a shotgun, and he hunts. Its a beautiful sport that i hope will never go away.
 
I hunted a little bit as a kid. My dad was an occasional hunter, mainly deer and some field goose hunts. I didn't hunt for 8-10 years besides a few boring days in a deer stand.

One day I decided to go duck hunting with my cousin on the upcoming opener(I was about 25) and we had a good shoot. I was hooked. Then I decided that pheasant hunting sounded like my thing and bought a springer. I was really hooked after that first time out.

I really think that if more people tried it they would enjoy it, especially if they have a dog.
 
I think hunting suffers a little from competition with golf. I think there are a lot of common elements--the outdoors, walking, the creativity, the spontaneity, all the crazy, unpredictable situations that come up.

As an avid golfer, I totally agree with you on why some are drawn to both hunting and golf. Great observation! :thumbsup: For me, you absolutely hit the nail on the head. Come the fall, there is a gear swap in my wagon. Out come the clubs, shoes, and rain gear and in go the gun, boots, and shell box.

I think that having a hunting dog makes the decision to change seasons a little easier. After training him/her all spring and summer, the hunting bug is bad when you catch that first whiff of fall on the wind. Plus, when you hit as few fairways as I do, you tend to lose a lot of balls under the leaves that have fallen. :)
 
I was a "late bloomer" when it comes to hunting but it has quickly become my favorite time of year. I can't wait to get my nephews out with me. I paid for my 11 year old nephews hunters safety course this year but we couldn't get a free weekend to follow up this year. Next year he is definitely going to be joining me for some dove, quail, and pheasant hunting.
 
I think sometimes people have an unfair aversion to groups like PETA. They provide balance. Fois gras? Veal? Combine hunting?;) I won't support it as I don't like how the animals are treated. Much like ground sluicing a covey. I'll vote with my wallet but don't see the need to grandstand. If you respect the animal you give it fair chase and enjoy the rewards.

If you support the sport then you have to in some way support habitat protection and restoration. My personal hunting suffers not from golf. The more guys trying to score birdies on the course the better as they're not trying to score birdies at my honey holes. :D
 
EGADS! I never thought I'd see the day I got compared to a golfer. The next real hunter I see who's a Master's watching, Tiger worshiping golfer will be the first. Now preserve shooters, or duck hunter wannabe pheasant hunters, and golfers I can see that, can still use their gator or golf cart.
 
i didnt start untill i was in my mid twenties had no clue what i was doing ,finally made contact with my dad after about 15 yrs of not being around him and then he took me turkey and pheasant hunting and now i'm hooked on deer,turkey and peasant hunting. So i made it a point to introduce all 3 of my boys to hunting as early as they wanted to go and enjoy it , the twins are 16 and the youngest is 11. Yes they all 3 play video games but if i mention i'm going to the woods or the pond they drop the controllers and load up with me . Now that the twins are 16 there are many days i get home from work and they are not home i call them and they are all up in a tree with a bow,muzzleloader or rifle depending on what season it is , i worry but i cant think of a better place for 3 boys to be in todays world. One last thing in the last 5 years or so they have bought all their guns and bows and even a bird dog this year with their own money I've tried to convince them to spend their money on something that would last and be of value years down the road unlike video games that would not be worth anything in 6 months but they still buy a couple every now and then. I pitched in and bought all 3 of them their lifetime combonation hunting/fishing licenses, i hope they pass on the love of hunting to their kids as i have to them.
 
my dad hunted when he was a kid with another guy..well dad didnt really take me hunting but he was dang sure taking me fishing with him..i have been around lakes my whole life lol dad always took me fishing.. then has i get older around 16 17 yrs old i get this thing going i wanna learn/go hunting well dad dint have any guns or anything so i went out and brought me my first gun... im 40 years old know and just did shoot my first ever animal jan 2 2010 shot a deer with someones muzzle loader.... that was an absoulate blast...i really wanna get into hunting deer,turkey pheasant esp... but i have a slight problem i need a mentor im just a little slow
 
The next real hunter I see who's a Master's watching, Tiger worshiping golfer will be the first. Now preserve shooters, or duck hunter wannabe pheasant hunters, and golfers I can see that, can still use their gator or golf cart.

Really? Come on oldandnew. As a hunters, we get stereotyped in some pretty harsh ways but I still hold out hope that we would be above doing the same to others who have different passions. The bashing of non-hunters on a pheasant hunting forum is easy but it doesn't reflect well on the basher.

In the Spring and Summer, I golf and walk with my bag on my shoulder every round. Come the Fall, I'm a "real hunter" on public land.

Allow me to introduce myself as "The First".
 
Why I don't want to be identifed as/or with golfers.....

You've been playing golf how long? and hunting how long? How many days a year for each? Hunt in the rain? Travel out of state multiple times to hunt? How many days of vacation do you golf? How often do you work your dog? or does he sit in the kennel all year while you play golf? Don't get your back up, I really don't want answers, just allow for the perspective, that from High School to age 56, I have hunted with lots of golfers, even a couple of major winning pro's, you would recognize. To a man even while hunting, endless yacking about putting round balls in holes, clubs, private courses. Nice guys, not hide bound brush busting hunters, but more casual, it's not to cold and there's lots of birds, twice a year, quit early and bring the beer, samwiched between the office and country club Christmas parties. That being said, I'll allow you to claim to be the first, and I'll congratulate you on the accomplishment. Allow me to be offended by lumping a real sport, with a bunch of patent loafer gentile game players, I'm sure you realize golf is a game, not a sport, more like billards, or competetive poker. You speak for your perspective, please don't speak for me. As an aside do a little research on the enviormental aspects of the modern golf course. #1 with a bullet as song bird poisoners due to using pesticides to control grubs because the dandies can't abide a brown ring in the lawn. We could consider all the bird cover bulldozed into golf fairways and greens. Excessive wasteful water use. the Britisher's ( scots) developed the game, manage the courses much differently, from an ecological standpoint. The game of golf thrives in the Brit Isles, so sound practices and low input must work. You can be a golfer who hunts, or a hunter who occasionally golfs, no problem, but when push comes to shove, probably 6:30 am with a zero wind chill, having hunted acres of barren "public" ground for days, because you never put any effort into finding private ground, you may choose to hop the freight to Arizona to play golf in the desert for two weeks. That's when you know your a golfer, or in the alternative a hunter. Either way enjoy.
 
Oldandnew - I take exception to your comments, too. It amazes me what narrow minded comments come out of your keyboard. I am first generation raised off the farm, son of a bricklayer who worked his a$$ off and just got by. As a kid I was in the woods and field with my dad from little on and remember our first father/son fishing trip, camping in an old canvas tent, when I was 6. I purchased an old Stevens 12 guage, 30" barrell, full choke and a Remington .22 semi-auto for $25 each with paper route money when I was 12. I'll hunt or fish in any weather, so will my golfing brothers and have pictures to prove it, the most recent tough condition outing being walleye this spring in a blizzard, catchin eyes with one of my brothers when no one else would venture forth. As a kid growing up I played football, basketball and baseball, missing some of my best high school seasons because dad made me work a job to help out instead of playing sports. My love of the outdoors led me to my degree in forestry and I still am in the industry. Golf came later in life to me, when my body was telling me it couldn't take the abuse any more. I now play to a 3 handicap, belong to one of your hated country clubs and love the competition. I work my dog every morning in the off season and practice golf after work. My dog does not get locked in a kennel outside of hunts and is with in the boat, taking walks with my wife, and in the house. Not all golfers are any way near the type you describe. Don't lump everyone into your narrow views on life.
 
Oldandnew - I take exception to your comments, too. It amazes me what narrow minded comments come out of your keyboard. I am first generation raised off the farm, son of a bricklayer who worked his a$$ off and just got by. As a kid I was in the woods and field with my dad from little on and remember our first father/son fishing trip, camping in an old canvas tent, when I was 6. I purchased an old Stevens 12 guage, 30" barrell, full choke and a Remington .22 semi-auto for $25 each with paper route money when I was 12. I'll hunt or fish in any weather, so will my golfing brothers and have pictures to prove it, the most recent tough condition outing being walleye this spring in a blizzard, catchin eyes with one of my brothers when no one else would venture forth. As a kid growing up I played football, basketball and baseball, missing some of my best high school seasons because dad made me work a job to help out instead of playing sports. My love of the outdoors led me to my degree in forestry and I still am in the industry. Golf came later in life to me, when my body was telling me it couldn't take the abuse any more. I now play to a 3 handicap, belong to one of your hated country clubs and love the competition. I work my dog every morning in the off season and practice golf after work. My dog does not get locked in a kennel outside of hunts and is with in the boat, taking walks with my wife, and in the house. Not all golfers are any way near the type you describe. Don't lump everyone into your narrow views on life.

Couldn't have said it better
 
Don't get your knickers in a bunch.

Golf was never intended for the everyman. Quite the opposite. Ever wonder why Cypress Point in Pebble Beach is never included in the ProAm or the US Open? Their policies. The club is limited to 220 members, no blacks and if you die it doesn't mean your wife maintains a membership. Being from 'old money' might help. So there's lots of stereotyping to go around.

Rick if you work you dog daily and practice as well I applaud you. Keep it up and it will keep you young. I do find you to be extraordinary tho. Oldandnew's points about habitat destruction and water pollution are valid and should concern you as a sportsman. I don't see country clubs doing anything about it voluntarily tho.

So swing away. The more time you're on the course the less chance you will be busting 'my' birds. ;)
 
Personally not a golfer, but I have a lot of friends who are. I admit to drinking some beer and chasing a ball around with some borrowed clubs but that was maybe 10 times in my life. Claiming anyone who golfs can't be a "true pheasant hunter" is quite a stretch. For every Judge Smails, Dr.Beeper, and The Bishop there is an Al Czervik, Danny Noonan, and Carl Spackler.

Is it wrong to have more than one hobby? I ride Motorcylcles, have a 1947 Willys CJ2 and a 1979 Chevy 1/2 ton for off roading, fish, hunt big game, and small game. In fact this weekend I will hunt deer in the morning and then switch to pheasants around 10 AM and then back to deer. Does a "true pheasant hunter" just sit in the house during the offseason, holding a shotgun in a lazyboy waiting until the next season opens up? I will admit my dog doesn't get worked everyday. Oh but, he gets hunted around 60 times out of the 80 day or so SD Season. Of course some of those days are only for a couple hours after work, you know kind of like golf!:D

Heres one for you try looking up Sutton Bay near Pierre SD. I won't post a link because I don't want to get in trouble with the rules but it is a Golf Course/Hunting resort. Of course the guys going there aren't real pheasant hunters by some of your definitions, but places like this are building habitat and creating the right environment for pheasants. I would hope we can all agree that it takes habitat to have birds and anyone willing to make habitat should get at least a :thumbsup:
 
Calisdad, I don't play much golf in the fall. Late August and early September is the time to get serious with dog work and so I quit practicing and play less. Shot even par 71 last Tuesday in my last round of the year, despite not having picked up a club in 3 weeks.

I'm sure there are plenty of golf courses that apply chemicals heavier than needed, but I see the same thing going on in agriculture. For example, a large area a few miles south of here is flat, sandy country where they grow a lot of potatoes. The ground water is very close to the surface and they have big problems with chemicals polluting wells due to over application of chemicals. Also, they've got streams drying up due to the heavy draw of water from the irrigation systems. I've got neighbors even worse, with their in-ground sprinkler systems. It's been raining for 3 days straight and there they are sprinkling away.

I guess I should clarify the every day dog work, though. There are plenty of days in the winter when we do a short walk or stay in because of the cold. I feel worry for him then. Most days we get in a good walk, many he comes to work with me and we get in a run in the field next to my office. More serious exercise comes late in the summer when it starts to cool down, into the opening of the season. At least we're out as much as we can.

OldandNew - Thanks for the personal message. We may continue to disagree on some things, but we have a basic love of hunting and the outdoors in common. It's our common ground that we need to focus on.
 
I realize 'everyday' means as frequent as possible as I use the term myself. I have 3 springers and 2 are under 2 years of age. I had to do a double hunt this morning as they are great alone they just haven't got it together enough to hunt as a pair. Our pheasant season opens Saturday so we are out the door in the morning. Wish us luck.

BTW- my nephew was a classmate of Ricky Fowler. My brother has been telling me how he's been smoking the ball since he was 6. I just got an email saying he's in the lead down in Florida with a 66. With a name like Fowler you would think he could hunt. :D
 
It's funny how these forums can sometimes devolve. While Oldandnew and I have privately let bygones be bygones, I will say that like Ranger Rick, my dog gets worked every day but for the coldest winter days and lives inside with my wife and I. He's spoiled but well behaved like every dog should be. While there are offending courses out there, the public golf course I play at is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary with prairie and wetland restoration projects throughout the course. I grew up blue collar in Duluth where public golf was affordable and so my whole family played together several times a week. Mom had no interest in hunting so then it was just my dad, brother, and I in the woods or field. I've been golfing longer than I've been hunting for the mere fact that it's easier (and legal) to cut off a golf club vs. a shotgun to get a four year old swinging. So again, it all comes back to my original point that it doesn't do anyone any good to stereotype. That's all I was getting at.

Are golf or hunting for everyone? No. Does it help to have money to do take part in both? Yep. Are there golf courses and farms that ruin habitat? Absolutely, and there are people out there who poach. Pick a pastime, hobby, sport, or whatever and you're going to find skeletons in the closet and bad apples.

For every Judge Smails, Dr.Beeper, and The Bishop there is an Al Czervik, Danny Noonan, and Carl Spackler.

Wirehairs, you obviously have excellent taste in movies. Don't sell yourself short Judge, you're a tremendous slouch. Gunga Galunga!

Shot even par 71 last Tuesday in my last round of the year, despite not having picked up a club in 3 weeks.

Rick, if you find yourself heading towards the Twin Cities next spring or summer, I want a match! :) I finished the year as a +1.
 
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