It was a cold, frosty morning in November of 2015. I was awake at 4:00 am, lethargic at first from lack of sleep, but was soon spry as I realized what awaited me. I had won entrance into a controlled hunt, sponsored and controlled by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. It was a free rifle hunt at the Cherokee County Game Management Area, an area normally reserved for archery hunting.
My Dad and I had braved the blistering heat in June, July, and August in order to scout out the area. We had even been bow hunting the area a month earlier, only targeting does, giving us the opportunity to patten the local deer. By the time November rolled around I knew what deer were in the area, where they were, and when they would be at different locations.
Finally, the morning of the hunt had arrived, after taking a scent killing shower my Dad and I were out of the house at 4:45 am. After a hour long drive we had arrived at the check in to the Game
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Next thing I knew there were two does feeding on the other side of the field about 200 yards away. They were pretty good sized does and I several opportunities to take a shot, but I was pretty sure which does they were, and I knew that a fairly decent buck had been following them, so I decided to wait for it. We waited for about 15 minutes waiting for that buck to appear, suddenly I looked up and there was a third deer. At first we thought it was a young doe, but we soon realized it was a young spike buck. I wanted to let it grow, so I wasn’t going to shoot it. I almost decided to go ahead and take one of the does when the spike buck ran off. Out of nowhere a massive mature buck stepped out of the woods, I couldn’t believe it I had only seen it once before on a game camera in another location, and that photo was taken in August when it still had felt on it’s
A point has to be made about hunting and outdoor life in Illinois, which is a common interest throughout Illinois. Though it may not interest everyone, the livelihood and a portion of income is g...
...sed the cross hairs on its chest and took a shot. The deer jumped straight up in the air and then started running right at me. I racked another shell in the chamber. At less than ten yards I took another shot. This time the deer did two somersaults and landed about seven feet from me. Excited I got up to take a look, the deer was definitely dead. He laid there on the ground in front of me with the nerves in his massive body still twitching. He was a nice ten point, this really made me happy because he was bigger than my brothers. My first shot had hit him in that shoulder, because I was probably shaking when I shot and this threw my shot off. My second shot went threw the neck and into the chest. After sitting and enjoying the moment I gutted him and drug him up to the house. This last season turned out to be my best ever because I was persistent and never gave up.
It's five a.m. when I get to the dirt road winding into Ocala National Forest. I park my car in a clearing gather my gear and head into the forest with my eyes to the trees. By five-thirty I'm set up in a tree, my rifle is loaded and I'm quietly sipping hot coffee from my plastic thermos cup. I'm well concealed by tree limbs, and I have a clear shot at the ground below within my line of sight. My camouflage pants and jacket keep me hidden from the poor eyesight of the deer below, and my height above the ground keeps the smell of a human away from the sensitive noses of animals on the ground.
The short story Hunters in the Snow by Tobias Wolff depicts three men that go on a hunting trip that changes the course of their lives. Each character lies to himself to accept his actions in his life. Kenny, Frank, and Tub need to successfully fool themselves before they can deceive anyone else. Each of the men are immature and selfish. They don't realize how their decisions impact other people's lives. They justify their lies with their own insecurities about their lifestyles. Their lies impact the situations they encounter and change their lives forever.
The “Bucks only” laws passed years ago to help in re-establishing the dwindling deer herds now work against the deer by resulting in an overabundance of does. Even with the overabundance of does, many hunters refuse to shoot a doe. They believe in the old saying, “It takes a doe to yield a buck.” This is entirely true, but it ignores the basic law of nature that any piece of land, and the food and cover in it, can support so much game. If the excess game is not harvested by hunters or killed by predators, nature will take over and exterminate enough animals as needed, or more through disease and starvation.
Sometime the buck will be running the doe out of the woods. We have trees that buck had hit when they run through the woods they will be big deer. We got a two point on camera and dad seen it but didn’t shoot it he let it walk.When I go hunting I go to wal-mart first and get some stuff in a can for deer to come out and it works.Last year we killed an eight point out there it's horns from one side to the other side was nineteen inches
As we knocked our arrow in the bow we strolled into the woods as quiet as a mouse. Kevin showed me where the stand was and i went into game mode. I climbed in the stand and i started to look around. Less than 30 minutes a 4 pointer came at 23 yards but since it was small i let him walk. I had about 10 minutes of light left and it has been 2 hours since i seen him. Crashhhhh. A doe was at 20 yards. I drew back and looked threw the sites. I seen that she had no idea i was there and i felt bad if i would have taken her life. I diss drawn and let the doe walk.
The journey back home was full of singing and celebrations of winning the tournament. Although it was the early afternoon that we arrived home, I was exhausted. The remainder of the day was spent telling everyone about the days gone past. Then life went back to normal.
I was too excited to sleep that night so I just stayed up and read. It was finally 4:30 in the morning and time to get up. After a quick bowl of cereal. I jumped in the pickup and drove to where I was going to hunt. It was still dark when I got there so I grabbed my stuff and started up the mountain. I got to where I wanted to glass from, and waited for it to get light, so I could start looking for elk.
It is early in the morning; the majestic Elk bugles in the distance. The sun is kissing the tops of the peaks with the most beautiful gold, and painting the clouds rose red. The men and women who enjoy the outdoors whether it is hunting or just hiking help make these types of moments possible. Hunting and the ecosystem is tied closely to conservation of land and animals. The articles of “Hunting and the ecosystem” written by the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Department (SDGFP), and “Facts and statistics on wildlife conservation” written by Roger Holmes, director of the Fish and Wildlife, touch on how hunting is important in the environment to keep a good balance in the ecosystem. They also point out how hunters do more than any other organization for wildlife and environment. Our country was created by outdoors men who hunted and they passed their knowledge of the outdoors to their kids. Hunting has worked its way down from the generation and we should learn to “pass it on” Hunting is great for the environment and wildlife and should be preserved for the ages to come.
Hunting is a very expensive sport to get into. From guns, to tree stands, to even hunting clothes, hunting can be costly. On average, hunters spend $1896.00 per year on hunting (LaBarbera 1). Equipment and expenditures alone in 2001 grossed $24,708,970,000 (for all types of hunting) and $10,673,990,535 of that was of deer hunting (LaBarbera 2). These expenditures then “ripple” through the economy generating three times more impact for the U.S. economy. For many communities, hunting dollars keep them afloat. This money made can also be pumped back into funding wildlife and conservation foundations. In good times and bad, hunters set their sights on spending more time in the fields and forests. Even when economic recession and uncertainty over homeland security have the nation and the economy recoiling, hunters continue to aim their leisure time and money toward shooting sports activities. For example, since 1991, when the nation was mired in a similar recession and war, retail sales have grown nearly 17% (adjusted for inflation). Many just do not realize the positive impacts generated by hunters. A recent report released by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation highlights that Americans spend more on hunting equipment and dogs than they do for ski equipment. If that’s not enough, the $2.4 billion in federal income tax revenue generated by hunters
There are different regulations regarding hunting in different states, and in Minnesota, the times for hunting run from 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m. on opening day and at sunrise for the remainder of the season. Although this doesn’t seem like a lot of time, the ten of us made some memories I will never forget. We arrived at our blind at 10:30 a.m. The sky was swarming with ducks before we even got things set up. Everywhere I looked I saw ducks swooping in and out of decoys. It wasn’t going to take long to bag our limit, and I knew we were going to get the season off to a great start. All we had to do was wait until noon!
It was the middle of October, and it was finally time for my long awaited moose hunt. I have waited ever since I was a little girl for this opportunity, and it was finally here. So, my father and I packed up our stuff and left the warmth of Phoenix. We were leaving the "Valley of the Sun" and headed for a place called Wyoming. After two days and fourteen long hours of driving, we made it to our hunting unit.
It’s a brisk November morning like any other day, but today isn’t any other day, today is the first day of firearm deer season. Shots are going off everywhere like world war three declared on deer. I’m wrapped in every hunting garment I own but winters cold embrace always finds its way in. My cheeks are rosy red and my breath was thick in the air. As I raise my shotgun and pull the trigger, my heart races and my hands shake. As I race after my prize, the sounds of leaves crunching beneath my feet are muffled by the ringing in my ears. I’m walking face to the ground like a hound on a trail and then my eyes caught it, my very first whitetail. I will never forget my first deer and the joy I felt sharing it with my family. Hunting is a passed down tradition for my family and friends. Throughout the world, millions of people participate in the spoils and adventure of the hunt. Hunting has been a pastime since the beginning of man. Hunting is one of those things either you like or you don’t like. It’s hard to explain the joys of hunting ,because it’s something one must experience for his self. Hunting does have laws and regulations you have to abide by. Are hunting regulations benefiting the hunter or the animal? This paper will discuss some of the regulations and laws, types of game, disadvantages of regulations, the pros of regulations, poachers, and ways to preserve wildlife and there habitat.
I was nearly finished with my cigarette when behind me I heard the sound of something moving through the grass. I quickly but quietly extinguished my cigarette in the palm of my gloved hand and turned around. My eyes scanned to see exactly where the sounds had come from, and I only hoped that the smell of my cigarette hadn't spooked whatever was walking behind me. After about ten seconds I saw the ears of a deer sticking up above the tall grass about thirty yards from me. I slowly reached to my right to remove my bow from a hook in the tree. The deer was now moving towards me through the long grass, and behind it was another deer. I knew that the rut (the peak mating season) was well under way and this second deer may be a buck. After what seemed like an eternity the second deer came into view. It was a buck, as I had thought, but it was bigger than any deer I had ever seen.