Hunters

These are my interviews and observations, which was my primary research method. This is really how I found out most of my information, because I actually experienced hunting and what it is like. I will start out with my observations from the day I went hunting, so you can also experince what I did.

Hunting Observation- Date- October 25, 2009 (elk and deer season). Locations-My house, Nane and Papa's house, "Round Hill," in the mountains and hills, in and outside of my dad's truck.

1) Time- 5:30-6:25a.m.

• Wake up.
• Go wake up Dad and Nico.
• Get dressed and ready to go. I had to make sure I had lots of orange on.
• Pack up the truck with guns, warm orange clothes, and food.
• Left my house to go pick up my Papa.
• Arrived at Nane and Papa's house.
• Ate breakfast at Nane and Papa's house- bacon, rolls and butter.
• Went outside to get all of Papa's stuff.
• Got all of Papa's stuff into the truck- he brought coffee, rags, a lunch box, his gun, and some extra food.

2) Time- 6:30-7:00a.m.

• It is still very cold and dark outside.
• We want to make it to a watching spot by the time the animals are waking up.
• We left my Nane and Papa's house to start for the mountains.
• My Dad, Nico, Papa and I start our drive to "round hill."
• We just left poncha springs.
• On the drive up we saw many other hunters.
• We just turned off the road to get into the mountains.

3) Time- 7:00-7:30a.m.

• We just passed a group of hunters with a camper, 4-wheeler, truck, and a huge metal thing that was hanging their dead skinned deer.
• It is still very dark out.
• It is also still cold outside, but my Dad and Papa said it's a lot warmer than it's ever been.
• There are a lot of other hunters there also.
• We are trying to take turns and paths where there isn't any other hunters, but at that time in the morning we just had to look for lights on trucks.
• Papa and Dad both have their windows down and are looking very intensely outside and around for anything.
• On this day we were looking for an elk.
• Dad, Papa, and Nico have already got a deer and an antelope this season.
• We have chose another very bumpy turn off, because the road we were on had three other trucks on it.

4) Time- 7:30-8:00a.m.

• We just turned on to a different path to get away from other hunters.
• We start going up a rocky mountain path.
• All we are driving on really are up and down rocky mountains and hills.
• It is still pretty dark outside.
• My dad keeps telling me to look for elk but it's very hard because I can't see anything.
• I think it is freezing outside and I am wearing two big sweaters, but my Dad, Papa, and Nico all keep saying it's really warm out.
• My Dad thinks he finally found someplace to stop.
• The sun is about to come out so it is a good thing we have found a place to stop.

5) Time- 8:00-8:30a.m.

• We have just found a good place to stop and get out of the truck and look for elk.
• The sun has just peaked over the mountains so the elk should be waking up and going to find water and food- this is why we get there so early, so we are there by the time they are moving to find food and water.
• Everyone gets out of the truck except me.
• My Dad is really walking around the truck looking all around us.
• Nico is following my Dad's every foot step.
• I am still sitting in the truck watching ahead of us for something.
• My Dad gets a radio from the truck and is going to walk a really long ways from the truck.

6) Time- 8:30-9:00a.m.

• As the day goes on it is getting colder outside.
• My Dad and Nico start on their very long walk down the top of the hill we are on.
• Papa and I stay at the truck.
• Papa continues to walk around the truck watching for elk.
• I continue to stay in the truck.
• My Dad walks down into these bushes and scares out two deer.
• My Dad calls for Papa on the radio and tells him to watch for him and Nico.
• After about 20 minutes my Dad and Nico turn up from behind us.
• They went down the hill in front of us and circled around the bottom of the mountain, (in a path an elk would take) and came up behind us. Papa and I were never able to see them so we realized we weren't in a very good spot.
• We decided to get back in the truck and move up to another hill right next to us.
• It is a very bumpy, steep ride up there.
• We finally get up there and get out and look more.

To get some insider information, I went on interviews. These interviews were on people that I knew and felt comfortable with because I really didn't want to have to interview some strange person I didn't know that has a gun. I interviewed my Dad, my Grandpa, my brother, and Richie Cahill.

1.   How long have you been hunting?

2.       Have you caught a lot of animals?

3.       What do you do with the animal after you catch it?

4.       If the animal you catch has antlers, what do you do with them?

5.       Approximately how many animals have you caught?

6.       What is your favorite thing to catch? Why? Favorite thing to hunt? Why the difference?

7.       What is your least favorite about hunting?

8.       What kind of a gun do you use?

9.       What equipment do you bring?

10.   Where is your favorite place to hunt?

11.   Explain the first time you went hunting.

12.   Why do you like hunting?

13.   What was your first animal you ever shot?

14.   How much money does it take to make your own meat?

15.   Can you taste a difference in store bought meat and meat that you shot?