Going hunting for the first time this weekend

[Goofball]

Going out for bear with a good friend of mine who is a veteran hunter. I have lots of firearm experience (military), but this will be the first time I have shot an animal bigger than a small bird (pellet gun when I was a kid). I'm wondering what that first time will be like. Will I like it? Will I be horrified?

Any hunters out there want to offer any advice or share their own experiences?

[Lemur]

You could have a blast, you could hate it, or any reaction in-between. It's a bit like asking, "Will I like swimming?"

Main thing is how comfortable you are outdoors. I'm no veteran hunter, but I'm willing to venture my opinion anyway, that hunting is largely about being hot, being cold, being eaten up by insects and getting quite smelly over the course of two or three days. And if you play your cards right, you get to kill something. It's a lot like backpacking with boom-boom.

[Strike For The South]

Dove? It's dove season down here.

[Lemur]

He said "bear," but I can see how you could easily mistake a bear for a dove. Happens to me all the time. Sometimes I even mistake chipmunks for wolves.

[Strike For The South]

He said "bear," but I can see how you could easily mistake a bear for a dove. Happens to me all the time. Sometimes I even mistake chipmunks for wolves.

Bro I'm dyslexic.

Now I'm going to kill myself because an adult said a hurtfull thing about my disability.

How is that weighing on your soul?

[Lemur]

Does this mean you don't believe in dog?

[Strike For The South]

Does this mean you don't believe in dog?

I don't know what I believe in anymore.

Maybe if you gave me full mod control over the frontroom....

[Devastatin Dave]

You know, there really isn't a need to kill something that happens to be one of the smartest land animals on the planet. Let us know how fun it is when you take this poor creatures life. Have fun, Big Man...

[Crazed Rabbit]

Don't listen to that bleeding heart liberal.

Did you like shooting birds? I'd expect your reaction to be similar when hunting something bigger.

I've never really been 'hunting' - more like taking the .22 and shooting small woodland critters - but it does seem like Lemur describes - a backpacking trip into the wild where you take a gun and shoot at an animal.

CR

[Centurion1]

congratulations you now have a pair of balls. welcome to my world of guns, hunting dogs, and death.

enjoy your stay

[rory_20_uk]

Taking on an animal with guns doesn't make you a man; taking on one with a hunting knife would of course.

As a rule I'd have no problem in killing most herbivores as they're moronic, but omnivores and carnivores I find far more likable.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Well, bears are a serious menace, so blowing one's head off occasionally is not a terrible thing; doing it gratuiously is not very cool though.

Just make it a clean kill.

[Fragony]

meh such a waste, beautiful animals

[al Roumi]

Isn't going from sero-hunting experience to stalking Bears a bit of a steep learning curve? That said, unless your millitary experience was logisitics or planning, I'm sure you've been trained in how to deal with ending the life of something sentient and quite human like.

Shooting one of those automatic shotguns might take some practice... :)

[Major Robert Dump]

For bear, I would recommend also taking a spear or long bladed object or some sort. They don't always run

[Fragony]

The pretty badass Indian way, intimidate to get it standing up, shaft -> ground, and wait for the attack.

Still think it's a waste, better to get close and shoot awesome pictures

[PanzerJaeger]

For bear, I would recommend also taking a spear or long bladed object or some sort. They don't always run

My guide carried a 10 gauge Remington 870.


Bear hunting is an amazing experience. It's the closest you can get to hunting something that can hunt you back without having to step foot in Earth's toilet bowl (Africa).

Your enjoyment will depend on whether you subconsciously ascribe human characteristics to bears (Winnie to the Pooh, Yogi, etc. can do a number on one’s psyche).

I was most surprised by the smell. They reek, and you can usually smell them before you see them.

[Rhyfelwyr]

Real men hunt with their bare hands.

Even if they only go hunting after rabbits and rats in their garden...

[tibilicus]

Never understood hunting. Rather pathetic that man has to use guns and hide in the bushes like a coward to kill a larger creature. Here's what you should do; go up to the bear, look it in the eye, and invite it to throw down.

[lars573]

meh such a waste, beautiful animals

Bears are a menace. Breaking into your house and stealing your food. To say nothing of the pic-a-nic baskets.

Still don't get killed. As in North America "hunting" has a 1 in 5 chance of meaning take firearms and a 2-4 of beer into the forest. And only return with the firearms.

[Fragony]

Bears are a menace. Breaking into your house and stealing your food. To say nothing of the pic-a-nic baskets.

Bears that lost their fear of humans should be shot, but why build your house or go picnic in bear-territory, Canada is huge more than enough room to do that somwhere else and leave the critters be. I also just don't get it, why go out to hurt something when you just don't have to, live and let live. Hunters are probably annoyed by that and I can understand the appeal of 'the hunt' as a sport and I know there is more to it than simply shooting animals, but it's a stupid sport if you ask me. And if someone is a poor marksman and just wounds it takes many agonising terrified hours before the poor thing is finally put out of it's misery. Not my idea of a good time.

[Vladimir]

He said "bear," but I can see how you could easily mistake a bear for a dove. Happens to me all the time. Sometimes I even mistake chipmunks for wolves.

Actually, to a Lemur, they might!

[al Roumi]

Bears that lost their fear of humans should be shot, but why build your house or go picnic in bear-territory, Canada is huge more than enough room to do that somwhere else and leave the critters be. I also just don't get it, why go out to hurt something when you just don't have to, live and let live. Hunters are probably annoyed by that and I can understand the appeal of 'the hunt' as a sport and I know there is more to it than simply shooting animals, but it's a stupid sport if you ask me. And if someone is a poor marksman and just wounds it takes many agonising terrified hours before the poor thing is finally put out of it's misery. Not my idea of a good time.

If I'd only read your posts in this thread, I'd think you were a leftie... If you are feeling that way inclined, I know a good place where you can get your chakra's aligned.

[Rhyfelwyr]

If I'd only read your posts in this thread, I'd think you were a leftie... If you are feeling that way inclined, I know a good place where you can get your chakra's aligned.

Hitler loved animals.

[Lemur]

BOOM, Godwin!

[Rhyfelwyr]

A right-wing guy that likes animals, how could I not do it?

And HoreTore delivers in the Koran burning thread.

My work here is done...

[Fragony]

do I really need to point out that Hitler was a

a whatever bears are cool

[naut]

Bear hunting is an amazing experience. It's the closest you can get to hunting something that can hunt you back without having to step foot in Earth's toilet bowl (Africa).

Wildebeest hunting is an amazing experience. It's the closest you can get to the ancestral roots of hunting something the way our predecessors would have had in the open expanses of the bushveldt without having to step into Earth's tool-shed (America).

[Seamus Fermanagh]

Spam factor increasing. Continued spam efforts will result in closure and the offenders will sacrifice one balloon.

[lars573]

Bears that lost their fear of humans should be shot, but why build your house or go picnic in bear-territory, Canada is huge more than enough room to do that somwhere else and leave the critters be. I also just don't get it, why go out to hurt something when you just don't have to, live and let live. Hunters are probably annoyed by that and I can understand the appeal of 'the hunt' as a sport and I know there is more to it than simply shooting animals, but it's a stupid sport if you ask me. And if someone is a poor marksman and just wounds it takes many agonising terrified hours before the poor thing is finally put out of it's misery. Not my idea of a good time.

When speaking of mega-fauna such as a bear, Canada isn't that big. And 75% of the countries habitable landmass is bear country.
As illustrated by this map of American black bear territory. And out in the forests Goofball's going to visit you have Grizzly bears too.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...k_bear_map.png
So really any which wear you plant your flag and build a home is bear country here. There is a town in Manitoba called Churchill that lies right on polar bears (aka a small car with claws and teeth and a less than sunny disposition) annual migration routes. They will literally walk right up the streets every fall.