Give up Hunting and just fish?

[aero320]

Have any of you older contributors to this forum previously hunted and fished and decided fish only? I am 62 years old and have archery hunted for over 20 years. For some reason, I am not looking forward to hunting this year. Fishing has been really good lately. Thinking of skipping the hunting season and fihing more!

[Buccaneer]

Well, I'm 53 and no longer the spry and agile climbing stand bowhunter I used to be although I still have the bug and love to hunt. With that said, for the past few seasons I have found that I would rather fish until the weather was consistently in the 60's or less during day and 40's at night. Up to now that has meant late October at the earliest and archery season coming to an end, unless you bowhunt year round. For me the optimal scenario is putting one or two in the freezer early in Archery season and then stayig on the water until prime rut breaks out.

[Trealtree]

I would keep both hobbies. You can never have to many hobbies lol it's great being on the water and its also great being in the woods I enjoy both sports even when I don't kill/catch something.

[Transplanted Sportsman]

Well, I'm 53 and no longer the spry and agile climbing stand bowhunter I used to be although I still have the bug and love to hunt. With that said, for the past few seasons I have found that I would rather fish until the weather was consistently in the 60's or less during day and 40's at night. Up to now that has meant late October at the earliest and archery season coming to an end, unless you bowhunt year round. For me the optimal scenario is putting one or two in the freezer early in Archery season and then stayig on the water until prime rut breaks out.

I totally agree with Buc, I'm 40 yrs old and although last year my arthritis got so bad in my shoulders that I could not draw the bow without some intense pain, that took away the joy of shooting and hunting with stick and string, this year Ive shot a couple of times with less pain but because of family, work and chores constraints I think I'm with you Aero and I'm going to skip bow season and just fish when I can, last year I also skipped the whole smokepole season and hunted only once with a rifle, killed one doe, so I went 100% for the season!! :D

[Tnriverluver]

52 here and bad back which now means bad legs force me to give up hunting. Actually had to give up fishing for 10 years also because I had a tendancy to fall out of the boat into 45 degree water LOL. Started back fishing about 3 years ago now since my legs are working better and fish year round. This past winter was some of the best fishing I have had in a long time. Always a bunch of nice halfway warm days to get out around here in West Tn.

[aero320]

I am still fairly healthy and can certainly use a climbing tree stand. The land I hunt is hilly so that makes it more challenging. A couple of years ago, my elbow got swelled up when I used a compound bow and the doctor diagnosed it as bursitis. I switched to an Excaliber crossbow for the past two seasons and have killed both deer and turkey with it. Guess I better get the crossbow out and see it it still shoots OK in case I hunt one more season.

[Alphahawk]

I am 62 and had to give up hunting back in 1994 when my mom passed away. She had a farm in north Sumner County. I not only could hunt on her almost one hundred acres but all the adjacent land owners also. Probably my last hunt in TN would have been in 1975. There were no deer or turkeys in the late 60's and very early 70's. I hunted rabbit....dove.....quail and squirrel. I had a great bird dog. My nephew and I spent many a day quail hunting behind a dog....I loved it. The simple reason I gave up hunting was no place to hunt. I do miss it. I gave my guns to my sons. When I was out in the South West there was lots of public land to hunt on....just not that much here. So I fish and I guess if I could still hunt I would go broke....LOL.



Regards

[agelesssone]

Agelessone here. 65 and still healthy and active, but lost the desire to hunt. Hunted deer with rifle and bow, killed lots of deer, got two record book bucks with the bow, but somehow it just quit exciting me like it did years ago, so I gave it up in 2004 and haven't missed it since.

[Trealtree]

Well Im only 22 and still love to fish and hunt and still learning on both. I have been three years in a row and killed two decent eight points in lewisburg. I love it. Can't wait for this year! Ill be doing both either way.

[hogdawg]

I gave up hunting because it is just too hard to find anywhere to go. I had a couple of really bad experiences on public hunting land so I just fish now. Fall is probably my favorite time to fish because I can go out there and sometimes my truck is the only one at the boat ramp.:)

[aero320]

Ageless one, that is exactly how I feel, the excitement is not there like it used to be.

[StriperFan]

The main reason I hunt is fresh venison. It is lots more work and I prefer to fish, but...

[Fishaholic]

Aero, don't know if you fish Old Hickory or not but if you do there are seveal huntable tracts of land that are only accessible from the water so you can do both if you are up for something new that may excite you because its different and more challenging to stop fishing stalk a deer from a boat run up the shoreline and drop it. I've not been successful in doing that yet but maybe this year I will succeed.

[sbrison]

Gave up hunting 20 years ago as soon as I learned how to catch fish year round. Once I figured out the wintertime sauger, crappie, and bass it was no more sitting in a stand waiting for Mr. big rack to pass by.

[Transplanted Sportsman]

I can go out there and sometimes my truck is the only one at the boat ramp.:)[/QUOTE]

hd, aint that the truth!! come fall or winter you can't throw a rock in the woods without hitting a hunter!! very few people on the water and no yahoos what can be better???

Aero, those excalibur crossbows are built like a a tank, fast, simmple, accuratte, quiet IMHO those are the best crossbows period!!

I agree wit you Alpha, I had a tract of land that I could hunt as my own for a decade, when the old man who own it passed away a couple of years ago lost permission to hunt it, then tried public land which is not abundant and filled with rude hunters who just don't care for other hunters, so i decided I would fish instead, kind of lost the fire to deer hunt, very different story when it comes to duck hunting though!!:D

[GO-OKFISHIN]

I still love to Dove hunt, Turkey hunt and Duck hunt but I gave up Deer hunting also. Once you pull the trigger the work begins. Or as my Father in Law says " I am not as mad at them as I used to be". I still go maybe once a year just to be in the woods and probably will go squirrel hunting a couple of times. Maybe pack my .22 in my kayak and get a little of both done. Have had many successful floats hunting and fishing. We used to kill a ton of wood ducks on the Little River in Maryville Tennessee and then fish for smallmouths after we got our limit.

I have seen some huge deer killed by people floating rivers in canoes. There are a lot of places that cannot be accessed by land but a river will get you there. Just make sure it is not private property.

[MNfisher]

very different story when it comes to duck hunting though!!:D

We might have to meet up this winter to chase some waterfowl!

[jaysouth]

I still go to a family deer hunt and a social dove hunt every year, but I usually don't take any meat home. If I shoot a deer, it will be one that needs to be culled and I give it to Hunters for the hungry. In my youth, half of our diet was mallards, venison and catfish. I guess I got enough of game.

Fish, on the other hand, I can't catch too many or eat too many. Not very many fishermen get shot on the water either.

Feral hogs are another matter, I go to AR a couple to times a year to help out with thinning the hog population. If a hog will fit in a 5 gallon bucket, it is usually very good to eat after brining for a couple of days.

[aero320]

Well, I have decided to hunt again this year. Not because of the meat (although my family's rule has always been if you shoot it, you eat it) but because of the exercise. Walking up and down the hills is a pretty good workout for an old man plus being in the woods is very relaxing. Going squirrel hunting in the morning! Thanks for all of the comments.

[tacklemake]

When I was a kid of 8 yrs a stranger showed me how to use a spinning outfit and at 16 yrs I started fly fishing and making tackle. I tried hunting but my folks would not let me have a gun in the house because of the smaller kids in the house. So I have been fishing year round ever since and making tackle and I'm 66 yrs and loving every minute.............woody

[cat-tales]

I'm 65, a transplant from MI., ( 7 yrs. ago) , on Lk. St. Clair the Fall fishing was always the best for Musky, Walleye, & SM . I did some hunting but couldn't concentrate on it, always thinking I could be trolling up a 40 + Musky or catching a limit of Walleyes.

Finally just gave up hunting, the wife would rather fry up walleyes than venison anyway. LOL

[MNfisher]

Well I LOVE to fish, but at 32, I still have the hunting bug! Here is my new toy, bought a used Winchester Model 70 in a Rem 7mm Mag, put a Nikon Monarch 3 3-12x42 on her. Cant wait to sight her in this weekend! Also gonna toss some arrows from my bowtech and hang 2 stands this weekend!

My dad is in town, also hope to post some pictures of him holding some type of fish on monday! We might hit below old hick dam on saturday evening.

[Alphahawk]

Well I LOVE to fish, but at 32, I still have the hunting bug! Here is my new toy, bought a used Winchester Model 70 in a Rem 7mm Mag, put a Nikon Monarch 3 3-12x42 on her. Cant wait to sight her in this weekend! Also gonna toss some arrows from my bowtech and hang 2 stands this weekend!

My dad is in town, also hope to post some pictures of him holding some type of fish on monday! We might hit below old hick dam on saturday evening.

Nice looking gun. Amazing how times change. In the early to almost the late 60's there would have been nothing to use that on in Mid-TN. Had to dodge a young buck for about 50 yards this morning on way to Pickwick.


Regards

[cat-tales]

Your right Alphahawk, I remember back in the 60's the only thing we used a high power rifle (.243) was groundhogs !

The TWRA has to be given alot of credit for maximizing the resource, not just the deer, but the turkeys too.