Fieldcraft ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

[Trapshooter12]

A question for you guys that have Hunted all your life and joined the Military and went to an active War Zone. Do you think that being a Hunter has made your Situational Awareness more keen than those that have grown up in a City.

Another way of putting do you think you see more things because you have been a Hunter.

 

[JRB]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

I grew up hunting and I know that the time I spent in the woods here helped me in Viet Nam.

 

[deadly0311]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

yes and no, its made me look for things harder, but i dont think that i gave me more situational awareness. Combat and hunting have some varying degrees of situational awareness, but i do believe that hunting did help some

 

[cavscout1983]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

While I did not grow up hunting, I can say for sure that the guys in my various platoons who grew up hunting were generally more on the ball than someone who grew up in an urban environment.

 

[Grey Wolf Alpha]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

I would say yes. As the British would say you are more "Switched On".
I grew up on a dairy farm and when I wasn't taking care of the livestock I was hunting. We had a lot of trouble with poachers and other illegal hunting. Hunting season for my family during this time was close to an insurgency as one could get. The law in those days would do nothing and by law at that tome hunting was forbidden 100 yards from the boundary of the farm. Didn't matter to this crew. "Lost" several cows to these people and at $2000 a head was very expensive.
At the time I didn't know this would help save my life later on.

 

[earthquake]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

Not sure. I grew up in the suburbs, and grew up hunting in the woods. In Somalia, we "hunted" in the city. Totally different game. It's a good question, but since it's been 15 years since I was in the Mog, I can't say for sure. I would imagine that the answer is yes though, as I most likely learned about situational awareness during all those hours sitting in the woods waiting for game. Hope that helped?

 

[HillbillyfromAL]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

I think one thing that hunting big game helps with is taking the shot. Not neccessarily during a firefight, but on a target that is not an immediate threat to the shooter. For example a young private choking up, and missing a shoot on an IED emplacer. It could just be the adrenaline, hunters are used to it. Situational Awareness not so sure.If I had to choose inbetween a hunter, and a city boy watching my ass I'd take the hunter.

 

[sinister]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

Absolutely.

 

[BOLTRIPPER]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

motorcycle drivers are more situational'y aware.

pilots and skydivers are too

 

[Guest]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

As a hunter most all my life I always felt I had the edge. That ran true with me, until I was hunting for uncle in a city. Gang bangers can teach as well. Never under estimate your enemy, or over estimate yourself, you'll live to old age,...which sucks by the way.

 

[Ranger70]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

One skydiver forgot to put his paints on before diving

 

[Bazan]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

Never been big into hunting really but have been out a few times. I think the discipline you gain while hunting, being quiet, sitting still, doing nothing but watching for hours so on and so forth can help in specific tasks like a surveillance sight or in a hide but going on a patrol and sitting in a blind are two different atmospheres that I don't can really be compared. I think good training and the proper mindset are where you separate good from great. I'm one of the always paranoid types so I notice a lot of small things while out on patrol which mostly end up being nothing but I'd much rather look a 100 times and find something once than not look once and get blind sided.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

I did not hunt big game (deer, essentially) until I reached middle age, being a city boy until then. But I had spent considerable time as a Scout in wild country, so when I got into combat overseas, I was at least somewhat aware of how things went on in the woods, etc.; being relaxed and not getting spooked so easily.

When I reached middle age and moved to farm and hill country, I tried my hand at hunting, but wasn't really all that good at it until an old retired 1SGT suggested I make like the deer were Viet Cong, and could shoot back. It changed my attitude, and I became a lot more cautious and quiet in the wild.

It helped immensely.

So I guess it works in both directions...

Greg

 

[dj70]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

LOL, I wished deer were shooting back! There would be a lot less stupid hunters in the woods. I'm not against hunters, just stupid hunters.

 

[Christopher Rance]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

A hunter or not, its all based on the person's character. I've seen hunters with that Rambo attitude and they made piss poor snipers, usually by "winging" it instead of knowing how to apply proper technique to take a shot.

 

[Greg Langelius *]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

The local DEC officer and I have disussed this, and he has several public places he recommends to me to hunt. His only caveat, to wait a week until all the city hunters have left. He says they drive the game insane, shoot up the land, and make the place essentially unsafe for the more astute hunter, regardless of how much orange you wear. But let them leave, give the game a few days to get bsck their sanity, and you'll have the place to yourself, with plenty of game left. My only problem is that the access is at the top of the hill, and dragging game back to transport is all uphill.

Greg

 

[Advokaten]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

My answer not really,

it´s most a question of person,

however sure, hunting since the tender age of five has made me a more switched on person but then about 7 years worth of

security work, subway, bars and some light personal protecion work was what really drowe my awarness to new levels.


Hunting is one thing, enticipation problems, identifying in bar drug deals, fighting, protecting and so forth is an whole different game.

Shit I have but lost two fights on the job and the one I did not walk away from, I have never lost an arrest, but dam close.

Working in a law office today there is a world of difference and still it´s the same sort of game.

Best regards Chris

 

[OFIS]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

walk a mile in Baltimore at night... that'll get you pretty situationally aware.

 

[TOP PREDATOR]

Re: ? For Military that Hunts and Situational Aware

2 ways of looking at it...

as a hunter, i think there's a certain amount of cat and mouse that goes on, acertain amount of respect for the animal, and an option of passing on animals to gain a trophy. maybe even a little remorse before and after taking the shot

in an KZ it's shoot or be shot.

in an urban AO, the city dweller may have more of a situational awareness due to the familiararity of the setting, but good training brings a bayou boy up to snuff.

in a bayou the city dweller may be in a bit of trouble, as they may not have that lifetime of experience going for him, such as tracking, noticing that the birds may be acting differently, or why that tree has an odd shaped lump next to it.

as far as situational awareness goes, i'd give it to the hunter, as they are more apt to adapt to different situations, and more receptive to movement, shadows, little noises, "ambushing" game etc. knows how to be stealthy and actually does it for fun, and hones those skills quite regularly.