Hunting or Fishing?

[billmac]

If you like both, but could only choose one, which would it be?  I grew up hunting, fishing, and trapping.  I gave up trapping in my 20s.  I did it mostly to supplement my meager income and eventually it wasn't worth the time or effort spent.  I hunted for many years (mostly big game) but each year I grew older it bothered me just a little more to kill things.  And while I love being in the woods, I never found hunting terribly exciting, except for the .001% of the time a deer came walking by.  But I love every minute of fishing.  There is anticipation in every cast.  There have been plenty of times I've come home wishing I had caught fish, but I don't remember ever coming home wishing I hadn't gone fishing.

[Herbert Lorenzo]

Hunting would be my choice . There is something about being in the woods that makes you use your senses of sight , smell , hearing , to the max unlike any other sport . Failure to do any of the above could result in a ruined hunt or much worse . Fishing is a blast but hunting has a higher chance of encountering unexpected surprises both good and bad . These make for moments that you never forget .

[jbsoonerfan]

Fishing! I actually gave this some thought the other day after checking my trail cams. I got to thinking about the approaching deer season and pondered what I would do on the weekends once season starts. I have never owned a boat till now so I will be forced to decide if I want to sit in a tree and hunt or be on the water fishing. I love hunting and I love the thought and anticipation of that giant deer showing up and giving you the opportunity to kill a trophy. I also love being on the water and trying to see if I have the ability to catch those green fish that can be so elusive at times. Every cast is thrown with the thought that it could be your new PB or even a DD fish. For me, it has to be fishing. I always say, a day on the water is one of the most pleasant, relaxing days I have so I enjoy each and every one of them.

[Tatsu Dave]

For me its not a decision I have to make, If I was living where it could be either I would chose hunting without a doubt. Where I live they close down every place I bass fish on Sept 30, its the law up here. Now with that said I went out this morning to get some last fishing in, temp this morning was 27 degrees (yesterday morning was 25). Had to scrape the ice off truck windows and dress real warm even light weight gloves. Rod guides iced with line conditioner on them, line iced on reel and trolling motor water on deck froze. Eight days ago water temps where 62, this morning 55. Caught a few fish and then slipped on trailer tongue bringing boat in  

 

I'd say timing is pretty much right, time to clean the boat and trailer up and put away till next spring. Small game season started last Sat. but I don't fool with that, I'm focused on deer season now. Game cam is showing bucks starting to show up in hard horn so ready for season to begin. I get excited catching a big fish for my area but it happens a lot during season...........its not the adrenaline charged heart pounder that it is when a big buck walks out every so many years. I gauge everything by the pure exicitment rush and  fishing is a 5-6, hunting is a 10     Dave

[gim]

I'm lucky enough where I can enjoy both during certain parts of the year.  Since I don't ice fish, there is an actual off season from about November - April here because our lakes are locked up in ice.  Hunting seasons generally start in October here and end in November or December, depending on what the target is.  And spring turkey hunting is usually in April-May when fishing season starts to open up again.

 

I usually winterize my boat and hang up the fishing rods around mid October so I can be in the deer stand when that season starts in early November for 10 days.  I like to pheasant hunt after deer season until that season ends around New Years too.  Deer hunting can get really boring for hours and even days on end.  It takes a lot of patience and mental fortitude.

 

Really the only time of year where I would have to choose would be October.  By then, I've been fishing for months on end anyways so its sometimes nice to switch over to something else in the great outdoors.  Once the water temp drops below 50 degrees (which is usually October), the bite sucks anyways.

[billmac]

I'm far up North also, and don't really have to choose one or the other, but if I did, I would certainly choose fishing.

 

[lo n slo]

fishing 

[roadwarrior]

40 minutes ago, billmac said:

I'm far up North also, and don't really have to choose one or the other, but if I did, I would certainly choose fishing.

 

I'm so far down south and don't really have to choose one or the other, but if I did,

would certainly choose fishing.

 

Back in the day, the answer would have been hunting.

 

[A-Jay]

My approach maybe a little different. 

I use the term "Funting".

That's when I go fishing

while everyone else is hunting.

Good times.

A-Jay 

[12poundbass]

Years ago it would have fishing I’d give up for sure. Over the past few years I’ve started to lose the hunting bug. I still go for my son. I enjoy it, but I’m not bummed if I don’t get out. He harvested his first deer two weekends ago, which was really cool to see him do! I might get the bug again now that he’s able to hunt. 

[Bankbeater]

Fishing hands down.

[PourMyOwn]

Fishing without a doubt. Now that my springer is 11 bird hunting is pretty much overwith anyway, but even then I'd rather fish.

[slonezp]

1 hour ago, A-Jay said:

My approach maybe a little different. 

I use the term "Funting".

That's when I go fishing

while everyone else is hunting.

Good times.

A-Jay 

Already a word in the Urban Dictionary 

[.ghoti.]

Haven't hunted in close to 50 years. Guess that answers that question. 

[MN Fisher]

4 minutes ago, .ghoti. said:

Haven't hunted in close to 50 years. Guess that answers that question. 

Lost my shootin' eye almost six years ago - tried going 'off-hand', but never could get the hang of it. Sold my hunting weapons after that.

[Bluebasser86]

I love going hunting, but I'd rather go fishing.

[islandbass]

Fishing. I never hunted but I know I’d be attracted to the tracking and stalking and getting down to man vs animal. 
 

Don’t know if I could make the kill shot. I’m not afraid to, I just think everything leading up to the shot is more appealing. 

[DaubsNU1]

Grew up hunting ducks in the Rainwater Basin marshes and Platte River of Nebraska. Uncle had a ranch in the Sandhills...started chasing deer up there in 2011. 

 

Not much better than a morning in the blind with my Dad, Brother and our dogs. Or watching the sunrise over the Sandhills...

 

No question, I'd rather be hunting.  

 

 

[clayton86]

I go through phases. I barely fished this season and am kinda pumped for hunting especially duck and coyotes I gave up deer years ago but might get back into it this year. 
 

normally I would pick fishing over hunting easily just been in a funk the last two seasons so fishing doesn’t excite me like it used to.

[Bird]

We've had a deer camp for 50 years, of course many elders have passed but it's still going. 

It's simply the best 2 weeks of the year period. 

 

I spend more time fishing because the season is so much longer. 

 

The success rate for fishing is much greater than deer hunting, no doubt but I'd have to choose hunting over fishing because of so many great memories. 

[Jig Man]

I only like to eat quail so fishing for me because it is nearly impossible to do catch and release when hunting.

[N Florida Mike]

I like hunting but love fishing.

[Catt]

I love hunting...for bass ?

 

Down here we do what's called Blast-N-Cast, duck hunt in the morning & the breakout the rods by mid-morning.

[Fishingmickey]

I fish, there for I am.

[CountryboyinDC]

I don't get to hunt much since I moved to the DC area.  I only get a few days at deer camp, and there is a deer camp this year, I won't be going.  I've thought of buying a little piece of land an hour or 2 from where I live, but the thought of another thing to take care of is as much an obstacle as is the cost.  So there's no sense in longing after something you can't have, I'll just have to be grateful for the crowded fishing grounds here.  I could probably be happy hunting pronghorn out west, fishing inshore on the east coast, or with beagles chasing rabbits in Missouri.  It's all good.