Hunting and Fishing: What’s Your Take?

[SS Project Manager]

For some folks, hunting and fishing aren’t just hobbies—they’re traditions. They connect us to nature, fill the freezer with real food, and often come with stories that get told around campfires for years. Others see them as skills that go hand-in-hand with self-sufficiency and living closer to the land.

But let’s be honest—hunting and fishing also come with challenges. Early mornings, long waits, and sometimes heading home empty-handed (while the squirrels laugh at you from the trees).

So let’s hear from you

• Do you hunt, fish, or both?
• What’s been your most memorable catch or harvest?
• Do you see it as a way to save money, a sport, or more of a lifestyle?

Share your stories, tips, and even the “one that got away.” Who knows—you might inspire someone to pick up a rod or dust off their old hunting boots.

 

[flowerbug]

i used to fish when i was living up north in the UP of MI. cleaner water and more scenic. i walked streams most of the time and fished for brook trout and rainbow trout most of the time. once in a while we canoe fished different small lakes for pike and bass. we usually did catch-and-release and only kept a few for eating.

i don't fish down where i am at now, the water isn't very clean and is also slow moving and warm and it also isn't very scenic in most places because it's mostly all farm fields.

 

[FarmerJamie]

Don't do either any more. Been over 30 years since hunting. 8 of us were deer hunting on my BILs family farm. A little holler on where the Great Indian Trail ran (eastern Ohio native highway between what is now Pittsburgh PA and New Philadelphia OH. Blaze orange, all legal for deer shotgun season. Just at daybreak, all spread out along a fence row halfway up the hillside. I was the leftmost person. At sunup, we heard rustling in the brush off to the right. We sat there dumbfounded as some dude in full came (no orange), came bumbling down in front of us, carrying a crossbow. Once he passed me, his back completely to us, I bounced a rock off of his back between his shoulder blades. He whipped around and realized there were 8 dudes with shotguns staring at him. Took us 10 minutes to convince him of all of the errors of his ways, including trespassing, before he agreed to go back the way he came.

Later in the week on the other side of the farm, dingleberries on the next farm over were recreating a war battle at dusk. Luckily, I was able to put an old oak tree between me and the flying lead. Came roaring up with pickups and atvs with lights blazing yelling and screaming looking for their kill. 30 minutes of profanity later, they left in the dark empty handed. The next morning, I found a nice buck in the ravine 20 feet from where 2 atvs were stopped where they were looking.

Never went out again. Too many idiots

 

[Hinotori]

Too much hassle for hunting here. We fish and clam dig.

My family always fished when I was a kid. Especially kids because didn't need a license until 14. Rainbow trout from the river fed us regularly