What Should I Start Hunting to Eat First?

[Dave S]

Learning how to present a question can go a long ways. It's nice to see that some have posted with their will to provide the information but I have my doubts, based on the context of the original post, that tom_w was seriously considering getting into hunting.

Fishing might be a better option as it seems that he has the trolling thing down.

[Mcfin]

I have been a lifelong hunter and enjoyed every minute of it.I brought my kids hunting when they were young and they still enjoy it.Some of the most enjoyable times I have had is rabbit hunting with my kids and now my grand kids.

[Code-Man]

I am not a big fan of people being tree hugers but I do have a concern about the title of this post "I want to kill" I consider myself a sportsmen and am very happy when I do connect and make a kill but to me the title is only adding fuel to people who already are against hunting. There is a difference between hunting and killing. My grandpa when I was young when I would complain about not getting anything either Hunting or Fishing would say "That's why they call it hunting and fishing not killing." I've been hunting since I was young and I consider myself a hunter not a killer. Please be very careful of what you want to do, it's one thing to sit for days in a tree stand and harvest an animal but just wanting to kill to say you killed something don't float right in my book.

[DitchPickle13]

Tom,

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt; I'm not concerned with the phrasing of your question. We can respect the animals without saying it in every sentence(although I'm sure many won't like that).

Go ahead and pursue your primal desire to kill and eat your kill...eating your kill is satisfying, period.

For deer hunting, reasonable marksmanship and mental preparation are crucial. Preparing yourself to make a good shot and properly sighting in your rifle are perhaps the most important and most overlooked elements of big game hunting, in my opinion. Go to the range, stay relaxed and focus on what you're doing. Visualze the shot over and over and you'll make it happen! Good luck to you.

Also, consider borrowing a shotgun, grab a couple buddies and head to a game farm for some pheasants if you want to ease into the hunting atmosphere with some guaranteed action. For a $100 bucks or so, you can have a great time. It's no wild hunt, but neither is buying a package of chicken at the grocery store! : )

[surewood]

Rabbits are a great way to start. I don't think he meant any harm saying kill. He's new to hunting, and after all we are attempting to kill animals. I'm sick of being politically correct. How about we shoot and kill animals and eat their meat, and not apologize for it.

[Kyle]

Im not going to go into great depths on this, but Hunting is not just about killing. In my opinion its only 50% about killing. I encourage everyone to try the sport of hunting and fishing, but I just wanted to let you know that hunting is more than just killing. Go with someone that is experienced, and can teach you about game and the land. It will really get you hooked, and it will be much more satisfying for you! That unfamiliar urge to kill will turn into an urge for the chase, and not just the kill.

Good luck, and I hope you get hooked. We need more people in participating in this sport!

[BRULEDRIFTER]

Thank you, whomever, for FINALLY changing the title of this post!

It was always a bit disturbing seeing it on here.

Being we can't even show a pic of a fish on a stringer, I thought the title was a bit contradictory.

[mudslinger]

If its not about killing, how are there shows on TV like duck commander (1200 kills per season)? Sure, hunting is about the guy time or the time in the woods vs work but its always nice to get something. We all like the kill aspect. Maybe we dont like the boot camp version but we all still like it. Nothing like watching a bird tumble out of the sky or a prarie dog flipping to put a smile on my face.

[Dave S]

If its not about killing, how are there shows on TV like duck commander (1200 kills per season)?

Depends on who you ask. Some of the shows on "TV" don't do much to give sportsmen/women a good name. TV is the last place I would rely on to learn about hunting. Simply put, some of the participants on these shows are lacking in ethics as well as their awareness of how they're projecting an image about hunters.

[mudslinger]

I'll agree with you on protecting the image of hunters and outdoorsmen alike. I'm just saying that we all like to hunt and harvest whatever we are hunting for. Im sure we aren't all eating the heart and making kitchen ware from all the bones of every animal we kill. Its ok to kill and enjoy it as long as its done in an ethical manner.

[Musky Buck]

And some LEP are simply game hogs that had that way of tradition passed down to them, it's how many ducks and fish or whatever you get, not so much the experience. It's about the limit and some game hogs don't stop there. Enough is never enough. If they are keeping track of that many ducks etc. they get fixated on adding to the number, I wonder where all the meat ends up, that's enough meat roughly for a couple hundred guys maybe. I used to fixate on a number but it was pocket gophers from year to year.