What is your definition of a true hunter?

[Huntress308788]

Hello! I am doing a persuasive essay for speech class and also an essay for my English class. I really want to knock my professors' anti-hunting liberal socks off, ha ha. I would love to hear yall's definition of a hunter in your own words particularly from the heart.

For example my personal definition of a hunter would be: A person that holds true value in the animal that they are hunting, they hunt for food not always a trophy, big horns are just like chrome on a car not need but they sure are nice to look and talk about. They hold themselves responsible for making a clean shot making sure that the animal is harvested humanly and fairly. A hunter has immense respect for nature and thoroughly enjoys watching the woods come to life in the early morning and is not unhappy after a hunt even if no kill is made. A hunter is someone that passes on their good traits to younger generations so that the tradition of hunting your own food is passed down.

Thank yall very much and happy hunting!

[Milldawg]

Seems like you kinda summed it yourself. And for some folks it's not about hunting it's about spending time with family and friends away from the hustle and bustle of rest of the world. I took my daughter this weekend for the first time. Well first time she carried a rifle and was serious. She didn't get one but we both enjoyed ourselves and it made memories that will last lifetime. I have grandsons that I'm chomping at the bit to take and pass along the traditions. For me it's about teaching the youngins things they can't learn in school or off them dang phones. You can learn a lot in the woods about life if you pay attention to what your doing. And enjoy the whole experience. I just got done cutting up backstraps from the buck I got on thanksgiving evening. It's a very satisfying feeling to see a pile freshly cut meat that you know where it came and you went and got it. Hunting is not something not everyone can do. And being a good hunter has little do with big horns or antlers. I take pride in being able able to get close to quarry. I also take pride in being a good shot. Be it close or far away. It gives you something to work on and improve challenge yourself to be better. For most of who do it I'm going to quote another user. " hunting is not something that I do a hunter is who I am." I'm not really sure how to put into words I'm not a writer. But there are some other guys on here who can describe it better than I can. Good luck with trying to argue with a liberal. If your teacher is anti-hunting show him a slaughter house video. Doesn't matter who pulls the trigger if you eat you are the cause of its death. At least I. The woods the animals are relaxed not standing in a line watching the one before go.

[country road]

Hunting is essential to my connection with the world. Too often, people mistakenly associate hunting with the taking of trophies and that is wrong. I like to hunt small game such as squirrels and rabbits, which are delicious, but I really don't need them to feed myself---it's just that when I exercise a modicum of skill and woodcraft to kill, prepare and eat them, it strengthens my connection with the natural world. I am a working part of the whole.

When I am hunting, nature fills the empty parts of my soul with its sounds, smells and sights, and I don't mean just the pretty days. Most people never experience sitting quietly while being soaked by an icy rain or listen to the haunting squeal of a dying rabbit just caught by a predator, but I have, and I have reflected at length on how our ancestors took all such things in stride and never thought much about them---just the way life was. It's sort of like being grateful for the difficulties in life that cause us to grow stronger spiritually. Still, the reason I am experiencing these things is because I am a hunter and my quarry is often more available during adverse conditions.

Of course on good days in the woods I am often so filled with the beauty around me that I regret that it goes on without me when I can't be in the woods, like the flower, "That blooms unseen to spend its sweetness on the desert air."

As a hunter, I manage my land with a strong consideration of wildlife, and not just for the game animals but for all the greater and lesser creatures that make up the life in the woodland. I want my grandchildren to be able to experience the things that I have in the wild, and I pay my dues to make it so. Those dues are often paid through such mundane channels as taxes on my outdoor equipment, buying licenses and paying for membership in conservation groups. These are things I do as a hunter, as well as killing (some think this is too harsh a word and should be replaced by 'harvesting' or other euphemism) the very creatures that I admire---the psychology of this is way above my pay grade.

I have always admired Tom Kelly's view of hunting in his book "The Tenth Legion":
"Let me begin by admitting that any participant in blood sports is an anachronism. Any man who hunts, hunts in order to kill, no matter what he says about it. Regardless of the ceremonies that surround a spore, regardless of the complexities, and some of them are most remarkably complex, and despite the artificial rules the participants erect for one another, the ultimate aim of a blood sport is the death of a beast. A great many of the participants in blood sports, the honest ones, not only recognize this, they enthusiastically embrace it. They neither make specious rationalizations about the inherent cruelty on nature, nor about the necessity of harvesting excess stocks of birds or animals. They submit to game laws and to closed seasons and they pay their money only in order that there may continue to be huntable populations. They approach the killing with anticipation and in the event the kill is successfully made, feel absolutely no remorse---only a sensation of satisfaction and fulfillment. Men who deny this basic truth lie. Men who do not wish to kill need only to stop. The ultimate difficulty that you can build into the game is not to play it at all.
"We who do play it, must play in on our terms and under our own conditions and it must be within our rules. There may be so much difficulty built into it that in the end it becomes rather formal and stylized. But no matter what some of us may say, all of us hunt primarily to kill.
"If this admission makes us blood minded and heavy handed barbarians, so be it. It is always best to begin honestly."

If you can use any part of this you are welcome to it. I'm sure you already plan to point out that without the conservation efforts of HUNTERS, there would be precious species of wildlife left. We push for the laws to conserve and put our money where it needs to be---damned little help from the other side.

I wish you the best with your paper and your hunting.

[PigHunter]

Hunting is essential to my connection with the world. Too often, people mistakenly associate hunting with the taking of trophies and that is wrong. I like to hunt small game such as squirrels and rabbits, which are delicious, but I really don't need them to feed myself---it's just that when I exercise a modicum of skill and woodcraft to kill, prepare and eat them, it strengthens my connection with the natural world. I am a working part of the whole.

When I am hunting, nature fills the empty parts of my soul with its sounds, smells and sights, and I don't mean just the pretty days. Most people never experience sitting quietly while being soaked by an icy rain or listen to the haunting squeal of a dying rabbit just caught by a predator, but I have, and I have reflected at length on how our ancestors took all such things in stride and never thought much about them---just the way life was. It's sort of like being grateful for the difficulties in life that cause us to grow stronger spiritually. Still, the reason I am experiencing these things is because I am a hunter and my quarry is often more available during adverse conditions.

Of course on good days in the woods I am often so filled with the beauty around me that I regret that it goes on without me when I can't be in the woods, like the flower, "That blooms unseen to spend its sweetness on the desert air."

As a hunter, I manage my land with a strong consideration of wildlife, and not just for the game animals but for all the greater and lesser creatures that make up the life in the woodland. I want my grandchildren to be able to experience the things that I have in the wild, and I pay my dues to make it so. Those dues are often paid through such mundane channels as taxes on my outdoor equipment, buying licenses and paying for membership in conservation groups. These are things I do as a hunter, as well as killing (some think this is too harsh a word and should be replaced by 'harvesting' or other euphemism) the very creatures that I admire---the psychology of this is way above my pay grade.

I have always admired Tom Kelly's view of hunting in his book "The Tenth Legion":
"Let me begin by admitting that any participant in blood sports is an anachronism. Any man who hunts, hunts in order to kill, no matter what he says about it. Regardless of the ceremonies that surround a spore, regardless of the complexities, and some of them are most remarkably complex, and despite the artificial rules the participants erect for one another, the ultimate aim of a blood sport is the death of a beast. A great many of the participants in blood sports, the honest ones, not only recognize this, they enthusiastically embrace it. They neither make specious rationalizations about the inherent cruelty on nature, nor about the necessity of harvesting excess stocks of birds or animals. They submit to game laws and to closed seasons and they pay their money only in order that there may continue to be huntable populations. They approach the killing with anticipation and in the event the kill is successfully made, feel absolutely no remorse---only a sensation of satisfaction and fulfillment. Men who deny this basic truth lie. Men who do not wish to kill need only to stop. The ultimate difficulty that you can build into the game is not to play it at all.
"We who do play it, must play in on our terms and under our own conditions and it must be within our rules. There may be so much difficulty built into it that in the end it becomes rather formal and stylized. But no matter what some of us may say, all of us hunt primarily to kill.
"If this admission makes us blood minded and heavy handed barbarians, so be it. It is always best to begin honestly."

If you can use any part of this you are welcome to it. I'm sure you already plan to point out that without the conservation efforts of HUNTERS, there would be precious species of wildlife left. We push for the laws to conserve and put our money where it needs to be---damned little help from the other side.

I wish you the best with your paper and your hunting.

Wow Country Road, there's not much room to add to what you wrote. I'm pretty much of the same mind. A true hunter is a killer without remorse, plain and simple. But there's still room for mercy and restraint.

[PigHunter]

Seems like you kinda summed it yourself. And for some folks it's not about hunting it's about spending time with family and friends away from the hustle and bustle of rest of the world. I took my daughter this weekend for the first time. Well first time she carried a rifle and was serious. She didn't get one but we both enjoyed ourselves and it made memories that will last lifetime. I have grandsons that I'm chomping at the bit to take and pass along the traditions. For me it's about teaching the youngins things they can't learn in school or off them dang phones. You can learn a lot in the woods about life if you pay attention to what your doing. And enjoy the whole experience. I just got done cutting up backstraps from the buck I got on thanksgiving evening. It's a very satisfying feeling to see a pile freshly cut meat that you know where it came and you went and got it. Hunting is not something not everyone can do. And being a good hunter has little do with big horns or antlers. I take pride in being able able to get close to quarry. I also take pride in being a good shot. Be it close or far away. It gives you something to work on and improve challenge yourself to be better. For most of who do it I'm going to quote another user. " hunting is not something that I do a hunter is who I am." I'm not really sure how to put into words I'm not a writer. But there are some other guys on here who can describe it better than I can. Good luck with trying to argue with a liberal. If your teacher is anti-hunting show him a slaughter house video. Doesn't matter who pulls the trigger if you eat you are the cause of its death. At least I. The woods the animals are relaxed not standing in a line watching the one before go.

Well said Milldawg. Even though you've tried, you've never been able to fool me into thinking you're not a writer.

[dewman]

Hunting: It is living part of our being, maybe even soul. It changes all the time looking for a comfort zone within ourselves that balances the drive for success with the contentment of participation. The hunter sitting alone on a remote mountain peek glassing is not the same as the hunter in the back 40 with his friends and family hoping for an opportunity before they freeze to death. The hunter listening to his pack hot on the trail, knowing the distinct sound of each hound, is different than the hunter coming back after trudging quietly behind his favorite bird dog. Some shy from companionship, some seek it out. It becomes your primary description, one you are proud of and guard jealously. You feel the pain, anguish, the suffering of a creature you are seeking to end the life of. How do you explain it? Because you know that you, like that which you hunt, are a temporary and renewable part of a cycle that will never end unless you allow it, and you will never let it. All true hunters know this. We love the animals we pursue. We admire them, respect them and their place. We fight for them to exist as hard or harder than we hunt them. Hunting is who I am. Hunting makes me, human.

[DakotaMan]

You did an exceptional job in your definition. In addition I would say that a true hunter is driven by instincts to be outdoors and to find and capture food much like a cat would be attracted to birds. It's human nature for them after millions of years of genetic imprinting. A true hunter is drawn to the hunt and carries many natural instincts of patience, appreciation of the wilderness, cunning, tolerance of the many challenges presented by elusive game. A true hunter spends most of their life refining their abilities and learning more about the behavior of their prey and the environment in which they live.

Above all, the true hunter, as you said, has the utmost respect for their prey. Their prey is almost sacred to them as the center of their focus and carrying not only the ability to evade capture but to provide sustenance to the hunter and their family. That is why it is important for a true hunter to ensure a quick and painless death for his/her quarry and the utmost care for the meat that is harvested so that nothing goes to waste. A true hunter will harvest only what they need and do their best to conserve and promote the welfare of the game they hunt.

As much as some people might like, hunters won't disappear over night. This instinct is deeply rooted and may be with mankind for millenniums to come. Not everyone has these instincts and that is normal. As a matter of fact, true hunters are a distinct minority. They carry those instincts for survival, providing for others and the utmost respect and appreciation for nature. You will typically find them going above and beyond to help animals survive in the wilderness and to conserve them for future generations.

Many native Americans were true hunters and a few from among the anglosaxons were hunters. As we assimilate people from all nations and all cultures, the true hunter is a minority in America. Most have descended from hunting nations and hunting tribes of the past.

[Treestand]

Hunting did not start as a sport, but need to feed your self and others, The great Teddy Roosevelt made it in to a Sport. With all his great hunts And teaching Boy Scouts of America Camping Fishing/Shooting /Tracking Skills of Mountain Men, and Trappers. The greatest amount of sportsman were right after WW II, with skills of Jungle & Woods Fighting, turned in to Deer Hunting/Fishing/Camping.The Greatest Generation passed there skills on to their Kids of whom i am one of (76) and passed on to my Sons in there Mid(40s) to there sons. The skill level has dropped off for the younger generation(I want to shoot a deer NOW) jmo~ It do to single parenting!! The Women of today are not the woman of yesteryear.

[steve182]

I think you're on the right track. Hunting isn't about the kill it's about the chase. I eat everything I shoot but would not starve if I shoot nothing. For me the time in the woods is like time at the spa for some people.

[Gary Devine]

Hunting to me is a break from civilization. Being in the woods to experience the sounds, the sights and the smell of the forest. Leaving the cell phone turned off and leaving work behind. Using all your knowledge to look for signs from the game animal you seek. To relax and enjoy your day off from work. Take everything in from a squirrel or a song bird in a nearby tree. Seeing a black bear or a whitetail deer and to decide if it's a shooter or not. Withstanding the cold windy snow storm and refusing to quit and go back to your warm vehicle. I love hunting and the kill is not everything to me. I enjoy being out there in nature trying to outsmart an elusive game animal with all my knowledge and experience. God I love it !!

[FirstBubba]

A little more "fodder" for your endeavor!
Good luck on "knocking his socks off", but my experience with intellectuals tells me you're setting yourself up to be ridiculed and mocked. Not just by the prof, but by the entire class as well.
Liberals don't take kindly to having their "ideals" mocked...and fact or not, they will see it as being mocked.
Best of luck!

A "hunter" is a "conservation tool".
Hunting reduces herd populations. That in turn reduces stress on the habitat and solves overbrowsing and overcrowding.
Removing select animals from the herd increases the survival rate and overall health of, not only the herd, but their immediate environment.

[Dougfir]

Most of our interaction with the natural world is as an observer, an outsider. When we go for a hike, or a paddle and watch wildlife, we're on the outside of the fishbowl, watching something that is separated from our own life and our own livelihood. Hunting (and fishing) allow us to actually participate in our local ecosystem, to feel like a real part of it. This personal interaction and dependence, is, I believe, where the original ethic of conservation comes from. It's no accident that our own conservation movement saw its beginnings in the community of hunters.
I live and hunt in NY, so I have plenty of experience trying to explain hunting to more urban, liberal, intellectuals. In my experience, if you sound respectful of the animals, eat what you kill and demonstrate that there are strong, ethical boundaries involved, that you think about, most of them end up being respectful, curious and supportive. Good luck!

[MattM37]

Fellow users have already said most of what I think of, in answer to that question, but I will add this: Along with the satisfaction of acquiring your own meat through effort and skill, and the satisfaction of participating in the science of wildlife management, it's immensely satisfying to have at least one aspect of my life that is not sanitized, dumbed-down, or fed to me by a talking head. A true hunter is one of the few human beings still connected to something more meaningful than what passes for meaningful in our culture today. And along with the primitive joy that comes with a kill, I also feel honest regret and sorrow. There are already far too many parts of my life, and our culture as a whole, that come without price. I am glad that within me there still exists a connection to the wild, that I have not been reduced to being a person who takes food for granted -- or worse, feels entitled to have it without paying an emotional and spiritual toll. Most often when I hunt, I don't kill anything. When I do kill an animal, I'm elated to have the meat and to have had the experience. I thank the animal for what it's given me, and regret that it had to die in order for that to happen. Then I butcher it and eat it, and don't waste an ounce.

[Huntress308788]

Y'all have absolutely made my day! I got chill bumps reading all of your comments. I believe I nodded my head to everyone of your answers lol. I love to connect with people that are on the same "wave length". In today's society, we are the peculiar people, the hunters, that fact makes me proud to know that if something ever happens to this world and food/meat stops becoming "magic" we will be the ones that survive. God bless y'all and again, thank you kindly for your insight and perspective. Oh and most importantly.. happy hunting!!

[country road]

Fellow users have already said most of what I think of, in answer to that question, but I will add this: Along with the satisfaction of acquiring your own meat through effort and skill, and the satisfaction of participating in the science of wildlife management, it's immensely satisfying to have at least one aspect of my life that is not sanitized, dumbed-down, or fed to me by a talking head. A true hunter is one of the few human beings still connected to something more meaningful than what passes for meaningful in our culture today. And along with the primitive joy that comes with a kill, I also feel honest regret and sorrow. There are already far too many parts of my life, and our culture as a whole, that come without price. I am glad that within me there still exists a connection to the wild, that I have not been reduced to being a person who takes food for granted -- or worse, feels entitled to have it without paying an emotional and spiritual toll. Most often when I hunt, I don't kill anything. When I do kill an animal, I'm elated to have the meat and to have had the experience. I thank the animal for what it's given me, and regret that it had to die in order for that to happen. Then I butcher it and eat it, and don't waste an ounce.

Huntress, thank you for instigating some really good soul searching on the forum. Please let us know how your project comes out and don't forget what FirstBubba said about persuading the unpersuadable. There are people who have firmly locked their minds and I don't think there is a key to open them. They use their insecurity as a bastion against new information and possibilities---usually on an emotional level and be damned to the facts. They think cartoons are real.