Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles What is a serious hunter?

Many folks do. One of the best "serious hunters" I met in my earlier days was a young guy my age who used a Savage 340 .30-30 with the issue open sights, but he was an excellent shot and a deer within 200 yards was dead meat. I went hunting with him after school one day (this was at Utah State) and we had to stop at a local gun store on the way to get a "box of shells". He was in Forestry School like I was but was a local boy and practically knew each deer by name...

Serious hunters go hunting. They may not know much about guns and shooting, but they hunt every chance they get. They may not hunt out of state, or in other countries, but they hunt, and Opening Day is better than Christmas. I think of our own Allen Day as a classic example of a serious hunter. He was as deep in the weeds on shooting as any of us but it was all in service of actually going hunting.

Frivolous hunters go to the woods for other reasons: to drink, lounge around camp, listen to ball games on the radio, smoke cigars, etc. Some of them don't even leave camp. In fact, when I get stuck hunting with one of these folks, I prefer that they don't--they don't spook the game and there's less chance that I'll have to go rescue their dumb asses.


Okie John

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i'll add that too many that i've seen this day and age
seem to think it's ok to drink and handle firearms.
myself, if i wanted to drink and smoke and listen to
music or watch television, i'd do it from the safety
and comfort of my house.

No, I don't think so. It's just that mohick really does seem to try to be as dickish as possible.

Yeah I agree that the campfire is composed more of rifle looneys than hard core hunters, but we do have our share of the latter..........I love new rifles but I dont reload anymore and that alone takes me out of the serious shooter crowd, I consider Myself a trophy Whitetail hunter thats also a new rifle whore........Lol........Hb

I started to post a similar post on the thread the OP refers to in his opening statement. I agree with these gentlemen. Last year, on THF, there was a guy who said that he could tell who the GOOD hunters were by looking at their stand, feeder, and firearm. It would have been funny if it hadn't stirred me up a little. It seems that many deem a "serious" hunter to be one who travels the world killing all kinds of game. When I was a child here in Louisiana, before hunting clubs and little posted land, there was an old gentleman who killed good bucks every year. He wore no camouflage, shot a single shot 12 gauge, and every year could tell you how many points his opening day buck would have before opening day. He is dead and gone, but he was a serious hunter in my book...as good as it gets.

I think you answered it already:

There is a "thread" that runs through your thread. It seems most post about someone else.

Before I went to the physical therapist I could hike and hunt less than three hours before the pain was so great I could hardly make it back to the pickup. I was still as serious as I am now that I can go all day. Hunting is my reason for being in the woods and fields. Some years I seriously hunt for a trophy and pass on lesser bucks. Other years I look for a big bodied deer. When I get a doe tag I try to shoot a spike because they have more meat even if they appear to be the same size. That means I pass on a lot of opportunities to kill something. Of course that changes the last few days of the season when I will take anything legal. Even though I am an old man I still want to fill my tags. That's why I hunt.

Here in Tejas,




whether at the range,


or at the lease






I keep a sharp eye peeled for "serious hunters"





ya!


GWB

[quote=geedubya
[quote]



Jerry

Geedubya,
Love the hot tub hunting pic.
You arent doin it right tho. Hot tub huntin calls for a stainless rifle.

A hungry hunter is a serious hunter.

That one's got teats!

I'm not serious enough about hunting to eat the horns!

ya!


GWB

I'm not sure I'd even shoot or reload if the thought of finding a nice buck wasn't continually creeping around in the back of my head.


Hunting(and the required practice shooting) is literally my only hobby and I guess I take it somewhat seriously.


$1100 rifle...check

$700 scope/mounts....check

$400 backpack...check

$3000 bino's and spotter...check

$300 tripod...check

$500 LRF...check

$500 GPS...check

$300 boots...check

$200 merino...check

$500 of misc chit....check


Walking around with $7500 worth of junk just to look for a stinkin' deer?!


Mildly serious.




But of course there are guys that have that wrapped up just in a rifle and scope so I guess they are REALLY serious....grin


But it's a drop in the bucket compared to my buddies with $50k walleye boats!

I know some serious and very skilled hunters who use some pretty plain Jane gear, but don't think a guy falls out of that category because he becomes a bit of a rifle loony.

Just means he's interested in learning about better tools.

And you could buy as much beef as you get from a deer for a few hundred bucks.


Okie John

what is a serious Hunter? I don't know.
All I can tell you is there are only two seasons..... hunting season and prep for hunting season.

I love the list Sam!...Mine looks very similar, but maybe the best hunter I know buy's almost all his hunting gear at Wally World.....lol......Hb

I agree 100%..........Hb