downtube42

Some years ago we were at a Kentucky State Park on a tour. The park ranger made a big deal about how there's no hunting allowed, that you shouldn't even squish a molehill in the park, because it's their home not ours. Going a bit far to make a point, he said even the mosquitoes were safe. So my six year old's hand shot up immediately. The ranger seemed happy the audience was paying attention. "Why", asked my son, "do you allow fishing?" And that's how you stump a State Park Ranger.

Good times.

Edit: after further thought, it was a National Park and a National Park Ranger.

Hondo Gravel

I don’t have any feelings either

FiftySix

Back to the Hunt.

dedhed

Nothing like a fall walk in the woods bird hunting

Hondo Gravel

Yup I miss dove hunting. Wrap the dove breast in bacon and jalapeño put them on the grill. Eat with an ice cold beer. Fun times...

Juan Foote

I was going to mention to one of the above posters...

Skin that squirrel and put him on a spit over the fire with some Bullseye BBQ sauce. YUM!

Zinger

Just trapping mice can teach you a little bit about hunting. You have to find out what the pathways are from a mouse nest to where he feeds to get the best results or you could go forever without a trap getting sprung.

I like to find a game animal's watering holes and the pathways they use to get there. Generally animals like to water at dusk. Antelope, for instance like horse troughs when they're available and they might find some loose barbed wire along a fence line to duck through to get there. If you can scout their rout you can set up for a heart shot behind the tumbleweeds along the fence line maybe as close as 150 yards away from their habitual exit path through the fence. That's when they slow down . . . when they're squeezing through the barbed wire to keep from getting cut. They don't waste energy leaping if they don't think they have to. You want to make your ambush spot upwind from them.

Zinger

TakingMyTime

First of all, if you're hunting for food or culling varmints on your property... don't let me stand in your way.

Hunting, more specifically trophy hunting, is not what it used to be. Guides using GPS, only leaving your 5 star hotel when the Range Rover comes and takes you to a pre-fab blind... does not really bring to mind the true sport of hunting. The sums of money required for even a US based exotic animal shoot have to be extravagant to say the least. I do not consider any of that "hunting". That kind of "hunting" is just shameful.

FiftySix

Even native species for trophy hunting can be priced into the realm of the well healed (sometimes called Heavy Hitters here). In South Texas, $10K to $15K for one large mature mule deer is not uncommon.

Juan Foote

There are a couple of the "pay to play" hunt clubs around this area. One of them, in particular, does a fox hunt where they capture a fox, bring to the property, and then set it loose for the hunt in an unknown (and fenced) area. I get it and all, but not super sporting of them. With that said, aside from dead on the side of the road I have rarely SEEN a fox in the wild around here. My first good look and multiple sighting of one was in this neighborhood while the fawning was happening.

A friend of mine came over yesterday. We were out back talking about the safe shooting lanes and here come the herd. He was able to pull out a ~100# doe in about 3 minutes of his time. Once again, not super sporting of us, but it's going to taste good. I am looking to have about 4-6 more does pulled out before the end of season. Maybe even that 8 point buck...

Hondo Gravel

The deer on my place you could walk right over a hit them over the head with a stick They are more like pets with names like Starsky and Hutch. I feed them corn year around and just enjoy watching them as I sip a cold beer while listening to VH. The deer hear the music they know it’s corn time. If they get overpopulated I let some people shoot a few for meat. They were like I can’t shoot tame deer I said just considered it harvesting and not hunting.

sjanzeir

Only necessary when it's necessary in this day and age, I guess...

I'd say it's compensating for some underdeveloped body parts (and/or their poorly written firmware.)

jack pot 

i like to shoot barn rats with my Crossman pellet pistol ............................. my hit rate is app 1 out of 400 the Rottie catches more than i hit

prairiepedaler

I support reasonable hunting. I've never taken a picture beside an animal I've killed and do not support trophy or pleasure hunting. Culls done when neccessary (like the Gov't sanctioned 5 million+ feral cats in Australia). Deer with a broken leg by traffic and other mercy takings are acceptible.

skidder

Get yourself a basic beginners 22 rifle (Marlin, Savage, others). Good used one can be picked up for $150. Use some inexpensive subsonic ammo and, with a little practice, you should be able to significantly reduce the rat population.

ilikebikes

Exactly, Im pretty sure if humans would stop screwing up the earth there would be no need for hunting for food or sport, but I honestly don’t mind people hunting for food, as long as the animal being hunted is not endangered and bought down as humanely as humanly possible. 😉👍

Seattle Forrest

My cat brought me on a hunting trip.

Zinger

Guys that fish a lot usually know where the game waters at.