Hunters and hikers, who are better?

[rollingrock]

Today someone told me that hikers are way better than hunters at outdoor skills and are in better shape physically.:roll: While this guy doesn't know that I do hunt, I just sneered off.

[oldtimer]

Well there are two different things being compared.
Outdoor skills--- My opinion hunters by far
Physical shape-- My opinion based on myself and a lot of hunters I know --- Hikers by far. Mike

[Darren]

How bout hiking hunters?:lol:

[Shoey]

Hunters have guns so we win hands down. :lol:

[Marc]

I've got to say that for the most part, hunters don't look under nurrished.:biggrin: At least the last time I looked in the mirror I wasn't .:roll:

[rock]

I consider myself in pretty good shape, I sure I'd give them a good run for there money, Shoey love the answer.

[BuckFever]

Well it depends on if the hunter walks in the bush or if he sits in a tree stand all day or rides a quad.

[Shoey]

Well it depends on if the hunter walks in the bush or if he sits in a tree stand all day or rides a quad.

I don't know about that...I hike 40 kms a day sometimes in the bush, whether hiking or hunting, and I'm still a fatass! :roll:

Must be all that moose meat...

[Driftwood]

How does that joke go about hikers, pepper spray, whistles and bear sh*t?

[brotherjack]

I can hike till my knees give out without much trouble. Unfortunately, that's usually less than 20km (I can push a little further if I have to, but I'll be off my feet for several days if I do). :(

[ruger#1]

well i think this guy should shake his head, hunters pack things in and out ,and when we get our animal we don't call a taxi to pick it up, we do the hard work. i think this guy is stupid, you should tell him we do allot of hiking when we are hunting, or does he think we just sit in tree stands. out door skills OK. well maybe he should go in the woods with just a pack of matches, and lets see what skills he has.maybe a hunter might have to show him how to light the matches. i hope your joking.

[CamoChris30-30]

I Live in North Vancouver and I hear of people always getting lost on the local mountians without proper supplys. The mountians have well used and mapped trails. How often do you hear of hunters getting lost or being unpraperd or have darknes sneak up on them. With only game trails to guide us we do pretty dam good.

[Gateholio]

You have to look at the demographics.

While there are plenty of hikers over 35 in BC, most often you see under 35's.

There are alot of over 35 hunters in BC.

As far as outdoor skills, I find hutners to be beter prepared most often. Yes, there are alot of hard core hikers and climbers that can do the job better than most, but there are also alot of wekend warriors that would be lost without a full compliment of MEC gear.

I know plenty of hunters that have staye dout overnight with no sleeping gear, on purpose. Never heard of a hiker doing that on purpose.

Hikers, by definiton- HIKE. They have a differnet GOAL in mind. They want to put alot of miles on, and hutners are more concerned about killing an animal. So hikers are probably in better physical shape than many hunters.

[Shoey]

I Live in North Vancouver and I hear of people always getting lost on the local mountians without proper supplys.

Good point! All those yuppies are getting lost withing 10kms of the biggest city in BC!!!

Frikkin Yuppies. I'll bet the guy that said Hikers have better outdoor skills drives a Lincoln Navigator and wouldn't know a Racoon from a Skytrain! I have the same people tell me they were experienced outdoorsman, they get nervous when we leave the cellphone in the truck. I've generally found hikers I know to have a bit of a 'my-sh*t-doesn't stink' air to them. Makes me laugh...


Which brings me to my next point...Has anyone seen this show 'Survivorman' with that so-called 'Survival Expert'???

[PGKris]

I've seen some lazy ass hunters in my time so I'm going with hikers for better shape but overall hunters have to be better skilled in the bush. I do both so I guess that makes me one rung down from God and still climbing?:roll:

[kutenay]

I have been hiking since 1956 and hunting since 1964 and I have a lot of highend gear for both activities, some from MEC like the merino wool undies and top I just used on my solo hiking hunt in the Christina Lake country on the Remembrance Day weekend. Frankly, I think that there are very capable outdoorsmen/women in both groups and there is a considerable overlap as well; there are also loudmouths, posers and a**holes in both groups. I have, btw, spent many unplanned nights out, usually alone and am still here....but, I prefer to carry a light emergency camp when hunting, hiking or fishing.

I think that it is important to realize that hunters, hikers, anglers and naturalists have far more in common that we have against each other and we need each other to keep our respective activities viable in this time of land and resource grabs by so-called "first nations", mega-corporations and urbanization due to ill-conceived immigration policies. So, I take the time to discuss hunting with the staff at MEC and other hiking stores and I have been having great success with doing so; most hiker/climber/skier/kayaker folks are NOT whackos and getting to know each other and discuss issues is much more productive than slagging.

Also, MEC was getting just unbearable a few years ago, so I made a polite but firm formal complaint as did a number of people I know who had been members, as I have, since it's inception. I don't klnow if that helped, but, there is a far superior attitude there now and in the past year or so than has been evident since about 1985. I have an old friend in management there and he tells me that they decided to get real and it sure has worked. I also find Valhalla Pure on Broadway very pleasant and Mountain Magic in south Surrey is the best gear store I have ever been in and John, the owner, is a guy who has both climbed in Patagonia and hunted in Africa, where he is from....super prices and friendly, expert service.

As to physical condition, well, I practically NEVER drink beer so I can TRY to lose weight, sob, sob, sob...............

[Ronforca]

I would say on the average hunters have more know how in the woods but
having said that I know a few hikers who are over sixty and would walk the axx of the average hunter and also have a lot of woods smarts.I for one having lots of time do a lot of walking 12 months of the year to try and keep in shape.I do a lot of walking in the bush also and unlike most hikers I do not walk on nicely laid out trails.I guess it depends on the hiker or hunter.

[huntwriter]

Personally I think that the comparison Hunter v. Hiker has not much value because the two are very different and need different skills. On the other hand I know of a few very good hunters who pack out an elk every year for miles over hill and dale. I also know hunters who get lost (temporally displaced) if they only go a mile or so away from the truck.

Some hikers climb mountains and run up a hill like a goat others call themselves hikers and hike around a small city park and then huff and puff. It all depends on the induvidual fitness. However I do strongly believe hunters are more nature savvy, they tend to panic less if something goes wrong and we are more in tune with our surroundings in the wild because we are hunters not browsers we actively sharpen our senses to spot prey. Whereas hikers are more like browsers in the wild looking for nothing particular other than to reach the finish line.

[youngbuck]

IMHO I would think that, on average hikers would be in better shape because ....they....well...HIKE.

Where as there some hunters out there that just drive "heater hunters" or hike in 1 - 3 km.

If you want to take this discussion into a different direction, I'd asy hunters are probably overall stronger hikers as we usually climb up difficult, steep terrain, carrying some good weight (not the spare tire around my waist:eek: ). We are going for distance as the hikers are.

As for overall knowledge of the the wilderness, I'd say Hunters are stronger.

BTW: Have you seen many hikers out in sub-zero temperatures?

As stated before, i believe we have alot in common with hikers.
Both are trying to get out of the daily hustle and bussle, enjoy a good walk and get a chance to be one with nature. It's just the results that differ.

[MichelD]

Yeah,

I'm afraid many of us hunters aren't really that physically active in the off-season.

But I don't know any hunters that do this:

A woman I know took her friend's dog on a hike up to the Spruce Lake area and let it run loose.

She thought it was so "cute' the way the dog ran around digging up marmot holes and chasing squirrels and God knows what else.

I was quite upset and shocked to hear her report of their nice hiking trip with Gladys the dog.


She's lucky Gladys didn't scare up a bear and come ki-yieing back at her with the bear in tow!

[steel_ram]

Depends on the definition. Many folks that call themselves hikers consider walking around the nearest park's groomed trails a workout. Others run up a mountain for fun.

Same can be said for hunters. There's lots of slobs that consider driving around in a truck or on a quad all day hunting, on the other hand there's those that chase hounds or hunt back rough country.

[MB_Boy]

BTW: Have you seen many hikers out in sub-zero temperatures?
.

I am going to have to go out on a limb and say as a whole "hikers" are in better shape than hunters. Sure when you look at both groups......there are "hikers" that call a walk in the UBC Endowment Lands aand call it a "hike"......which IMHO.....is a walk.....yet there are still many "hikers", that do get out there and push themselves. Although I don't consider it really a "hike" as much as a stair climber....the Grouse Grind or The Chief in Squamish are good examples. Yes there are a lot of morons on these "hikes" that don't know what they are getting into, but I think it is safe to say....."hikers" will win this one.....heck....there are more of them than there are hunters!! :wink:

Now in the same breath there are a lot of "hunters" that will get out and hike......many many km's, day after day through some tuff terrain (as do a good number of hikers). Now unfortunately for hikers.....if they use a truck, they become drivers......if they use a quad, they become "ATVers".....if they use a boat or canoe, they become "boaters" as opposed to "hikers". Hunters can use all of the above plus their "hiking boots" and still be called "hunters"......I think for the most part hunters have it a bit easier to stay defined as a hunter, and on average are not in as good of shape.

Now.....when it comes to "bush smarts"......I think that is obvious as a whole. Sure some hunters get lost.....but how many hunters do you see out in the bush wearing sandals and are km's away from a truck....(yes...there was one on this site some time ago :wink: ). I think "hikers" tend to do a lot more stupid things when out in the bush or on a hike and are much more ill prepared when away from their vehicle.

Oh and Youngbuck.....as to your comment.......I think you would be surprised if hunting seasons were scheduled in June-August......I would bet you would see a lot more hunters in shorts and hiking boots out there. Unfortunately......sub-zero temps just come part and parcel with the timing of "hunting" seasons.

Oh......and I am a wee bit hungover (family funeral yesterday) so this babbling rant may make some sense or none.....just trying to have a bit of fun looking at this discussion. :lol:

[Tarp Man]

Well, this hunter started as a keen hiker. I will say that hiking and mountain biking got me in pretty good shape to hunt. It is, however, a more conscious decision to stay in shape through the "thinner" hunting months. I use hiking in the summer as fitness training and scouting for fall hunting. Gotta love the combination. Also I am a professing gear head, and a common sense wife and tight budget keep the spending in check. BUT, Hikers have provided a lot of good gear for hunters. Think Gore-Tex camo, lightweight tents and sleeping bags, small stoves, etc. Kutenay, great post. Good for you to speak up at MEC. I too shop there from time to time and have gleaned a lot of good info once filtering through the hug the trees blab. I do smile when I start dressing an animal in my MEC shirt or pants.
-Tarp Man