Why do you hunt or fish?

[GooseCommander]

I was recently watching a video titled Thanksgiving Day Buck in Ohio on YouTube produced by The Push Archery https://youtu.be/tNGeTcBC00s

At the end, it had a quote that resonated with me greatly

"I hunt because my Father hunted, and he took me with him,
and so we built a bond that I still cherish.
I hunt because it links me with the boy I used to be
and the young man my Father was then.

I hunt because it keeps my passions alive and my memories fresh
and my senses alert even as my beard grows gray
and because I am afraid that if I stopped hunting I would instantly become and old man
and because I believe that as long as I hunt I will remain young."

- Willaim G. Tappy

The quote seems to be a summation of the prologue for Tapply's book "Upland Autumn: Birds, Dogs, and Shotgun Shells".

So in spirit with the quote why do you hunt and/or fish?

[Overland]

I've come to realize that I'm an "experience" hunter. I don't particularly need the meat and I never seek out the easiest possible harvest. I put in several hundred miles each year scouting, spend a tremendous amount of time pouring over maps, and truly utilize the entire year to shape my hunts for the upcoming season. I'd much rather shoot a deer deep on state land and spend a good portion of the night dragging it out than shoot one in my back yard. The effort I put into the harvest, which is a combination of prep work, scouting, approach, and time in stand is directly proportional to the satisfaction I feel afterward.

The experience is more important than the harvest and many of my best days in the woods or on the water are days I've gone home empty handed.

[Ziffystriperchum]

I love to get out in early Spring to fish the Striper migration in the Hudson river. The river (and surrounding area) slowly comes alive, with a great variety of wildlife arriving to the party. . . from beaver and otters swimming by, to bald eagles and many birds diving for a meal, to deer coming for a drink. . .
you never know what you will observe and you never know whaaat you might catch. . .catfish, eels, blue crabs, sheepshead, herring, shad, tiger muskies, needlefish all seem to show up as well ( to name a few) The smell of fresh Spring air after a cold winter is indescribably refreshing, getting outside again, helping to clear the cobwebs in a way that is most welcome and inviting!
The fact that fishing the waters offers one opportunities of hope and helps one escape some of mundane realities that are experienced on land, draws me in habitually each year.
I fish, . . . therefore I am!!!
 The fact that you can turn these great experiences with folks you enjoy spending quality time with into fantastic meals is an extra bonus!
I feel heaven really CAN be found between the skin and bones of a properly prepared striped bass!”

FISH ON!!!

[ruck]

For me it's hard to describe. It's not a social thing because I much prefer to fish alone. It's more the challenge, I'm a goal oriented freak, it's a sickness really. Like in the past, as a young guy I always had to get the hottest girls, or achieve promotions at work. Whatever the example I need a challenge, I always have to be pushing toward a goal. So now fishing gives me something to pursue, a goal to achieve, like catching the biggest fish. 
 It's all that, plus there's just something about being in the woods, or on the water, with nature, that just feels right.

[WEM144]

I was introduced starting with deer hunting mainly gun season, and squirrel hunting by my father at a young age 6 or so and loved every minute of it. I ventured out on my own with the bow as I got older and then we began spring turkey hunting. I was very fortunate and had a few uncles and a cousin who did a lot with me as a kid, pheasant hunting , rabbit hunting, trout and Striper fishing.  I knew i had a passion For the outdoors and it and it never went away. I love every aspect of the entire sport to this day and it keeps me outside lol. I have introduced my kids to what I was exposed to and I can see the passion in they’re eyes already. I use the hunting and fishing as leverage with listening and behavior at home as well as school. My kids do everything with me outdoor related and  I also have to say that as a teenager most kids were partying and I went to bed early so i could get up at 4:00am to fish or hunt and I truly believe that my passion for the outdoors also helped keep me out of trouble as a teen. I hunt and fish because I love it and hope to pass my knowledge and experiences to my kids. 

[LouieM]

I hunt and fish because I like to be outdoors and I was always into it growing up.  I always loved watching hunting shows and even played the old Deer Hunting games but I did not come from a hunting family.  I learned how to shoot in the navy at 19. Fast forward to 27 after spending most of my outdoor time hiking and biking, my father in law said come hunt turkeys at his property.  I had a month to prepare so started reading, listening to podcast, learning calls and buying what I needed. My brother and I both got birds that spring. I've been all-in since.  I am 30 now and have had success each year with deer on private. I bring up on private because I lost access to that private land which was actually a blessing.  Got my first public land deer this past nov. and scouted enough to have spots to hunt all around the area.  I now spend most of my hiking time not on trails but scouting public land. 

Hunting for me is combination of being active outdoors year round, the challenge and most of all obtaining the meat.  Yes I want to get the most mature buck in a forest but at this time in my life, almost any legal buck down the road from me in Sullivan County is a trophy (antler restriction area). Legal doe too for that matter if bow/muzz/dmp.  Whenever I hit the woods now it is most likely to an area I have done some scouting and usually not close to a trailhead.  I love getting back there and just trying to figure it all out.   The rush of seeing game out there, even squirrels when I have the 22lr, is like none other. Adding being able to make amazing meals with that meat even better! Venison replaces so much beef/pork from the grocery store. Every year since I started the meat has lasted until the following season.  I just made corned venison last month for family dinner. I love making and sharing summer sausage. I would have never even considered buying a meat grinder and making homemade sausages without hunting. 

Looking forward to ice fishing - love frying up perch and sunnies.  I'll go anytime there is fishable ice but some of those late ice early march days are hard to beat. Fishing is definitely about the whole experience from the solo days on the ice to summer time with 2 rowboats of friends out there with a few beers and the bass are biting rubbers worms making us wish we had more time all out there together.   
 

[walkabout]

This was a good topic I missed I'll have to write something in here when I get a chance..