Does this make me a bad hunter...

[Pantharen]

I'm not a hunter however.. I just like to target shoot, I went hunting once when I was a kid, and had my dad's 30-30 and had a beautiful deer in my sight, I just couldn't pull the trigger..

This is my idea of hunting deer:
https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3682/9144352552_1a5a30be82_c.jpg

[Ozone]

Lots on here shoot different weapons, yours just happens to be a camera. Looks like a lawn deer though, so not much of a hunt.

[Pantharen]

Lots on here shoot different weapons, yours just happens to be a camera. Looks like a lawn deer though, so not much of a hunt.

I fish much the same ;)

[J_T]

You might try bowhunting. Lots of catch and release in that approach.

[boxhitch]

Is that a Mind Meld or a Neck Pinch ?

[M.Dean]

Your lawn need's cutting! Looks to me like you could pull a few weeds in the flower garden too!

[Ozone]

I fish much the same ;)
You have lawn fish?

[Island Idiots]

It doesn't make you a bad hunter. It makes you a photographer. Hunting is the precursor to Killing / Harvesting. The precursor to photography is searching for something to take a photo of.

[Jagermeister]

I can tell you're a vegetarian.

[Beachcomber]

Doesn't make you a bad hunter, it makes you a non-hunter. I hear there are a few of you about...

[itsy bitsy xj]

YES!!!! It makes you a bad hunter and a very horible person you should be locked up...LOL just kidding

[835]

lol,, yes it does make you a bad hunter,,, good hunters kill stuff.
BUT! if you dont want to kill a deer, that is ok! you can shoot them with cameras.

My cousin was brought up in a hunting family,,, i took him out and he drilled a spike buck... he said after that he will never kill anything again,,, tho he loves to eat the stuff,, he just cant kill it...

[Barracuda]

nothing wrong with being a photographer and a target shooter instead of a hunter.

[Above the Treeline]

Nice picture! Nothing wrong with enjoying wildlife. Bow, gun or camera whatever gets you out!

[monasheemountainman]

pet deer? that's a cool pic....just a question why do you belong to a hunting forum if you don't hunt? Just curious is all I have nothing against people who don't like to kill things

[BULLNUTTS]

I know a group of avid hunters who have wives that love to get out too, but just cannot kill- it just simply is'nt in them.They love the outdoors however and the gear , camo everything [ one fella tells of his wifes awesome camo night wear even!] the camping ,sights, sounds ,smells and just being in the great outdoors.They have a great love of the wildlife[as do most of us all ] and love to watch game.Did'nt take them long and that group of gals had awesome cameras n gear and started their own "style" of hunting.They even have their own side of the game room with expencively framed pictures of totally wicked wicked dream bucks n bulls and critters of every descriptions.Its become quit the friendly competition as they are all mostly troghy hunters- with the ladies winning almost always now!!!What with those let go getting bigger an bigger instead of killed it makes it tough to beat for the guys." More than one way to skin a cat " as the ladies say! An it aint easy getting good footage of those big guys no matter what.
Myself I think "Photo-hunting" is every bit as hard as anything if done in accordance with hunting rules and areas and times [ not parks or strictly posted lands and nonhunting areas] what with the "kill shot" being only 1% of the actual hunt.Just try picking up a camera instead of your gun one day,try to get a pic- dont take long to see the facts.Jus my 2 cents lol Good Huntin BULLNUTTS

[Pantharen]

I lived on the mainland for 30 years, and the best I ever owned were pellet rifles & BB guns. They were fun, until I moved to Northern Vancouver Island and met a bunch of guys out in the places I 4x4, and they let me fire off an entire 110 round drum of .22's, and then I fired single shots out of my pellet rifle, they're not very exciting..

So all in all, I had to get a gun license.. I wanted a Ruger .22, I traded a broken 4x4 for my Ruger, and my dad bought me my Maverick 88.

[Foxtail]

Honestly, it would make you a pretty deadly hunter being able to summon deer into arms reach. Hey man, what do you hunt with? I hunt with a gun... I hunt with a bow... I HUNT WITH A JUDO CHOP!

[Pantharen]

Honestly, it would make you a pretty deadly hunter being able to summon deer into arms reach. Hey man, what do you hunt with? I hunt with a gun... I hunt with a bow... I HUNT WITH A JUDO CHOP!

This cracked me... thanks for the laugh :D

[gamehunter6o]

I can tell you're a vegetarian.

X1, but still in the denial stage.:lol:

[Pantharen]

pet deer? that's a cool pic....just a question why do you belong to a hunting forum if you don't hunt? Just curious is all I have nothing against people who don't like to kill things

I have nothing against hunters, and I have nothing against hunting, I might hunt ducks in the fall.. Man I love smoked duck.. I'm not big on venison, that "game taste" turns me off. My SIL & Brother keep asking me "when are you going to go hunting for deer" they like venison.. I keep tellin them Deer season aint until the fall..

Curious; what is open right now on Vancouver Island, where can I find hunting regs, and what does a hunting license cost??

[GoodPartner]

"Nature photography means different things to different people. But it is for all of us an acting-out of the instinctive urge to hunt and gather, even to claim territory" - Tim Fitzharris from National Audubon Society Guide to Nature Photography.

I identify with Fitzharris' statement in regard to my own photography. It feels very similar to many aspects of hunting. I have grown to deeply love both pursuits though I don't consider myself proficient at either yet.

I do not enjoy killing animals but growing up in the commercial fishing industry leaves very little room for anthropomorphism without feeling like a hypocrite. I don't think I always need to end with a kill to enjoy hunting, and I don't think the kill defines a hunter. I respect people who kill animals for their livelyhoods and to eat. I was raised to not kill anything I wasn't going to use. This doesn't give me any moral high ground over another person, it was what I was taught, so I act it out. I don't think it is always up to me to judge what is waste and what is not for another person. I am neither interested in vilifying wolves or saving bears. That isn't to say I don't have strong opinions about these animals. It depends on the context. What is the situation? What are my intentions? what is my agenda? It is almost always complex, it isn't rigid, it changes.

My recent experiences in the woods have taught me that there are no sides, no emotional attachments. Predators and prey are not friends or enemies, they don't have that luxury of time to consider this. They have to live in the moment and rely on their senses and opportunities to survive. There was a time when we needed to do this also. Reconnecting to this type of feeling is very powerful for me when I go into the woods. Arguing about the rights and/or abilities of user groups on the internet is about the furthest thing from connecting to that "moment" in nature which is why it isn't something I invest a lot of energy doing on this site. Hunter or non-hunter? Surely I am one more than the other only based on the situation?

Both photography and hunting have helped me to become more present and pay attentions to my senses in my day to day life. Hunting has giving me a deeper awareness of wind, photography has given me a deeper awareness of light. I consider these to be great gifts as I am someone who often gets caught up in my thoughts rather than grounded in my senses.

So to the OP I encourage you to shift your perspective when defining yourself as a hunter or non-hunter. Maybe you might find some room for yourself along this spectrum where you can explore both sides? Either way it is your journey and not my place to judge.

[fearnodeer]

I think it's great that you shoot with a camera, I prefer a gun but if this gets your motor running good on you, just let the rest of us know were they are LOL.

[Pantharen]

I think it's great that you shoot with a camera, I prefer a gun but if this gets your motor running good on you, just let the rest of us know were they are LOL.

I currently own a Ruger Takedown .22 & a Mossberg Maverick 88, and I plan on buying more guns. I also own a Fuji HS20, a Nikon L24 & an Olympus Stylus 8000, and I plan on getting a Nikon D5200 soon.

Camera's are a hell of a lot more expensive hobby than most guns are.. The 5200 body + lens starts at $650. and then the lenses kill you a Nikkor 70mm to 200mm zoom lens is $1500, a 200mm to 400mm telephoto is $7500. and 400mm and up start at $15,000 and go up from there..