Have we lost the art of hunting?

Raised for a good portion of my life in the big city, (not by choice but by circumstance)I loved what some call the art of tracking. Growing up I could tell by the footprints who's dog or cat was crapping in our yard. Maybe tracking isn't so much an art but a skill. That said, I do miss it a lot. (Thus the tracking the neighbourhoods canines when younger.) And yes, blasted_saber 100 years ago it wasn't an art but a way of living and a means of survival. Unlike today where someone else does the killing and "processing" for you so you can scoot down to the grocers and get that pound of ground beef and feel you're doing your part to save the environment. Thats a subject for another day though...

I think there can be an art to hunting. Some people just seem to be more instinctive at it in a way that can't be defined or quantified. I think a lot of this has disappeared because for a long time a solo hunter had to rely heavily on reading sign while in the bush. These days it's all about reading trail cam memory cards.

Done both.

17+ years on foot hunting the ridges and natural clearings of North West Ontario.
That is difficult hunting.
Dragging deer, sometime over a mile to the road.
Ratio of probably 50:1 that ran flagging tails vs. deer that stood still to shoot.
Positive aspect-- you are hunting areas that no one else is wiling to do. Plus you get to see some big deer that are not stupid enough to walk out to the road.

8+ years on tree stands on private land in Div 10 (Northwest Ontario).
This can wear you down like any other hunt.
Sitting dead still on one one spot is deadly dull if nothing comes in.
But it is very effective when animals walk through.

I can not recommend one as better than the other.
Hunting on foot is way more difficult but gives serious satisfaction and bigger chance of seeing a big animal.
Hunting in tree stand is way easier but less chance of seeing something big.

I think just like anything else....the art changes with time. What I think has really changed the hunting (and fishing) scene for some, more than anything else is the change in technology. This has allowed us to more quickly and easily pattern game without even being present to increase our odds AT BEING IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME, AS WELL AS IMPROVE OUR MEANS AND METHODS OF ACCESS TO REMOTE AREAS WHERE ONE WOULD ONLY BE ABLE TO GET TO ON FOOT OR BY CANOE PREVIOUSLY. (sorry....wasn't trying to yell....hit the caps lock by mistake). Some "hunters" harvest their game by never getting off a road these days. May become the new art form of hunting but not for me.

I tend to agree with Boiler. I don't think he was crapping on tree stand hunting. Still Hunting (walking then stopping for substantial time) is my favorite type of hunting, and over the years has been quite successful for me. Also it allows for increased enjoyment of the hunting environment - for me. I believe it takes a degree of skill that tree stand hunting doesn't require. I do at times hunt from a stand but this year I am going to build a ground blind against a stump with brush from the area and use it as a home base for my Still Hunting forays in the area.
I suspect bow hunting would require a tree stand more than shotgun or rifle.

Enjoy the season Boiler.

I think much of the art of old-school hunting is no longer prevalent. Times have changed. Some of it's for the better, some not.
My Dad or grandfather would hunt a good moose or deer area, and knew much better than I do where to post someone, where to push and at what time. In my opinion, they were better hunters than I. Lots of us now depend on our gear; how many moose hunters now set up to watch 600-yard clearings with a .300 or .338 Magnum that they may....or may not....shoot well enough to hit the boiler room at 600 yards.
There is a middle ground too. My Dad used to sit on a log and wait by trails for deer, then shoot them at 25 yards with his .351 Winchester. There is not a lot of difference between doing that, and sitting 15 feet above the same log, really.

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Originally Posted by fratri

Waiting in a tree stand is a good way to hunt deer, nothing wrong with it at all but there are a lot of guys that like to hunt deer by still hunting too... Many different ways to hunt, so long as you are doing it legal and enjoying it, why poop on the way somebody else is doing it?

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Perfectly said Frank. So may arguments are started on here because people think it needs to be done the same way they do it...

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Originally Posted by JeffBondar

Perfectly said Frank. So may arguments are started on here because people think it needs to be done the same way they do it...

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...and you're less of a hunter if you don't :)

I agree with the sedament we are losing the art of hunting with the new technology, scents, camo, ground blinds, ect... That we are seeing on the market these days.... But these are items that hunters want! The primal urge to stalk and harvest a wild animal lives strong in each and everyone of us, so really the hunting industry is just keeping up with the times, it'll always be about man fooling the quarry. I have no gripes with that.

To each there own. I am not a fan of baiting deer but dont look down on those that do, I happily bait for bear and dont get mad at people for telli g me I am a cheat. ( yes it happens , even amongst the hunting community) I have taken deer being pushed by hounds as well as man doggers, also have taken deer while being a dogger.only taken 3 deer still hunting and that was quite a thrill as well , the only thing I refuse to do is drive for any game animal I may be hunting, regardless if its a moose, grouse ect , thats just F,n lazy , I am aware its legal and an accepted practice but it burns my when I hear about some tool cruising around and sees some critter, gets off the quad or outta the truck then brag about it.
But thats just me,,, to each there own I guess.