What else do you hunt?

I used hunted mule deer until I moved to Utah. (23 years ago). Mostly in Eastern Oregon and Colorado.
I used to hunt waterfowl until I moved to Utah. "" ""
In Utah I hunt chukar, ruffed grouse, blue grouse, pronghorn and elk whenever I can!
I have hunted pheasant in eastern Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa. I now hunt pheasant in eastern Oregon where I grew up (12-15 days per year).
I fish as much as I can when I'm not hunting.
I have hunted quail in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Oregon. This is my #1 love......I just can't get enough of it. I would very much like to hunt Mountain quail one time just to say that I did it, and if I killed one I would have the North American quail "grand slam"
 

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I'm a pretty serious waterfowler, albeit from a pit and pass shooting diver ducks and geese, but Sage and I go almost every Saturday and Sunday until things freeze up. I shoot a few doves at the same property. I also deer hunt, but would love to give that up. I honestly couldn't care less about shooting a deer, but it's important for me to have the meat. We weren't necessarily poor when I was child, but hunting meant providing food. That's still important to me today, plus I love cooking/eating wild game.
 
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It's never been about the meat for me either. I truly have been blessed with great friends and family who continue to want to hang out with me.........even now that I am older and more curmudgeny!!
 
Drew said:
It's never been about the meat for me either.
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Me neither. When I was younger, I may have said otherwise because I was hell bent on coming home with a fish or fowl to eat but that bears absolutely no relevance to my hunting anymore.
 
Pheasant hunting is my hands-down favorite pursuit. I go for pheasants and blue grouse as much as I can here in Montana, with occasional forays into Idaho for chukar. I elk and deer hunt every year because I like having a full freezer, and I like cooking and eating game meat. I tell my big game hunting friends that my yearly goal is to fill my elk and deer tags as quickly as possible so that I can get on to more important things like bird hunting. My friends think I'm crazy when I say that. Few outdoor pursuits raise the level of endorphins than following my bird dog through cover for days on end.
 
MTbirddogs said:
Pheasant hunting is my hands-down favorite pursuit. I go for pheasants and blue grouse as much as I can here in Montana, with occasional forays into Idaho for chukar. I elk and deer hunt every year because I like having a full freezer, and I like cooking and eating game meat. I tell my big game hunting friends that my yearly goal is to fill my elk and deer tags as quickly as possible so that I can get on to more important things like bird hunting. My friends think I'm crazy when I say that. Few outdoor pursuits raise the level of endorphins than following my bird dog through cover for days on end.
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It doesn't matter how many times I see my dog get birdy, a rooster flushes and ends up in the vest, I simply cannot wait for the next one. It is a rush and knowing that it takes a team of me and my dog to get it done is a bond that rivals any on the planet.
 
MTbirddogs said:
Pheasant hunting is my hands-down favorite pursuit. I go for pheasants and blue grouse as much as I can here in Montana, with occasional forays into Idaho for chukar. I elk and deer hunt every year because I like having a full freezer, and I like cooking and eating game meat. I tell my big game hunting friends that my yearly goal is to fill my elk and deer tags as quickly as possible so that I can get on to more important things like bird hunting. My friends think I'm crazy when I say that. Few outdoor pursuits raise the level of endorphins than following my bird dog through cover for days on end.
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Amen, I'm done sitting in the stupid deer stand come 2nd weekend. It is now a goal of mine to shoot a deer in the first 3 days so I can get back to hunting what I'm passionate about.
 
Golden Hour said:
It doesn't matter how many times I see my dog get birdy, a rooster flushes and ends up in the vest, I simply cannot wait for the next one. It is a rush and knowing that it takes a team of me and my dog to get it done is a bond that rivals any on the planet.
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Exactly! It is pure joy to have a bird in hand, and then watch the dog bound away for the next one somewhere out there. The bond you mention is why I've told my wife that I'd like my cremated remains to be mixed with those of the dogs I've owned, and then scattered in one or two of my favorite haunts. I've even half-joked with a friend of mine that I'm going to have some "buffered" loads made up of my remains and then tell him to go get a limit of birds from me :) . Of course, I hope that doesn't happen for a few more decades.
 
Drew said:
I used hunted mule deer until I moved to Utah. (23 years ago). Mostly in Eastern Oregon and Colorado.
I used to hunt waterfowl until I moved to Utah. "" ""
In Utah I hunt chukar, ruffed grouse, blue grouse, pronghorn and elk whenever I can!
I have hunted pheasant in eastern Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa. I now hunt pheasant in eastern Oregon where I grew up (12-15 days per year).
I fish as much as I can when I'm not hunting.
I have hunted quail in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Oregon. This is my #1 love......I just can't get enough of it. I would very much like to hunt Mountain quail one time just to say that I did it, and if I killed one I would have the North American quail "grand slam"
Click to expand...
If I only needed 1 quail species to make the grand slam, that would be my main goal. Do it while you have the legs, Drew. You'll regret it if you dont!!
 
birddude said:
If I only needed 1 quail species to make the grand slam, that would be my main goal. Do it while you have the legs, Drew. You'll regret it if you dont!!
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You are right Birddude, I will regret it. I’ve had several plans to go get it done. I even have a couple of likely spots picked out. I just need life to provide a little spare time to get it done.
 
I was avid big game hunter in Idaho before moving to Montana in 1979 . My total motivation in the move was to corral as many big game animals there and the west as possible. Since late 90’s when I got a Labrador progressively I’ve moved more to upland and some waterfowl. I haven’t chased a big game animal since 2016.
This year 33 days in pursuit of pheasants in Montana and Dakotas. Today was day 34 on the desert quail trail New Mexico and Arizona. They are as cool as Wiley Roosters 🐔 🐓 !
 
dustin mudd said:
I was avid big game hunter in Idaho before moving to Montana in 1979 . My total motivation in the move was to corral as many big game animals there and the west as possible. Since late 90’s when I got a Labrador progressively I’ve moved more to upland and some waterfowl. I haven’t chased a big game animal since 2016.
This year 33 days in pursuit of pheasants in Montana and Dakotas. Today was day 34 on the desert quail trail New Mexico and Arizona. They are as cool as Wiley Roosters 🐔 🐓 !
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Frankly if it wasn’t for the dog interaction and bonding I’ve enjoyed for the last 25 years I’d be done hunting altogether. Thanks pups for the memories!
 
Drew said:
I used hunted mule deer until I moved to Utah. (23 years ago). Mostly in Eastern Oregon and Colorado.
I used to hunt waterfowl until I moved to Utah. "" ""
In Utah I hunt chukar, ruffed grouse, blue grouse, pronghorn and elk whenever I can!
I have hunted pheasant in eastern Colorado, Nebraska and Iowa. I now hunt pheasant in eastern Oregon where I grew up (12-15 days per year).
I fish as much as I can when I'm not hunting.
I have hunted quail in New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Oregon. This is my #1 love......I just can't get enough of it. I would very much like to hunt Mountain quail one time just to say that I did it, and if I killed one I would have the North American quail "grand slam"
Click to expand...
That quail grand slam is a dream of mine as well.

But to the original question, I hunted mule deer and all birds in my teens. These days I only hunt upland birds. I would hunt waterfowl if I could but usually I hunt alone and I don't care enough to set up a spread by myself. If I was only allowed to hunt one animal it would be quail.
 
In my youth I hunted Dall sheep and that is a real trip. Nowdays a little moose hunting, but primarily caribou since they are smaller and easier to handle and we can hunt them earlier in the year when the weather is better. I need to spend a week in a tent in the middle of nowhere at least once a year. Spent a month hunting pheasants this year and hope to do the same for the next few years as long as the body holds out. Last year I finally drew a bison tag after 45 years of putting in and managed a midsize bull so the freezer is really full.
 
MTbirddogs said:
Pheasant hunting is my hands-down favorite pursuit. I go for pheasants and blue grouse as much as I can here in Montana, with occasional forays into Idaho for chukar. I elk and deer hunt every year because I like having a full freezer, and I like cooking and eating game meat. I tell my big game hunting friends that my yearly goal is to fill my elk and deer tags as quickly as possible so that I can get on to more important things like bird hunting. My friends think I'm crazy when I say that. Few outdoor pursuits raise the level of endorphins than following my bird dog through cover for days on end.
Click to expand...
I used to hunt big game in Alaska (moose, caribou, sheep, bear), I quit when my hunting partner aged out.
Now at age 66, I hunt ptarmigan/waterfowl Aug-Sept in Alaska.
Then I drive down to MT and hunt pheasants/huns/sharptails/waterfowl from Sept to mid-January.
 
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