Why are some people driven to fish and hunt while others don’t like either and some just go when convenient a few times a year? Some of us want to spend all out time in the woods or on the water. It is an obsession for many.

There are many kinds of hunters and fishermen. They range from dedicated deer hunters that spend all year planning, scouting and working to find their trophy buck. Most of those hunters seem to be solitary types that don’t really brag or show off their kills. They do it for the personal satisfaction.

At the other end of the group are the ones that don’t scout before season and don’t put much effort into planning. Some even bait deer illegally. They sometimes luck into a big buck that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. They seem to be more likely to put any big buck they kill on display, parading it around town showing off to anybody that will stop and look.

Many hunters just go for the meat. We are more likely to shoot any legal deer for the freezer and hunt only enough to fill the freezer each year. They are careful with the carcass, making sure the meat is the best it can be when processed.

Fisherman have the same range. Some go a few times a year and don’t put much effort into it. They may have the best equipment money can buy but they don’t really know how to use the electronics they spent thousands of dollars on, their reels are not cleaned and kept in good shape and they seldom change line on the reels.

If they are bass fishermen they might do well in a tournament and everyone around the weigh-in that will listen hear in great detail how they outsmarted every fish they caught. But more likely they are explaining how they could have won the tournament if they had just gotten one more bite or if the time didn’t run out by the time they figured out what the bass were doing that day. And they explain how they missed every fish they didn’t catch.

Some bass fishermen are very careful with their equipment and keep it in top condition. They study their electronics and know how to use it to its maximum. Bass habits and patterns are studied and a lot of time goes into planning every tournament. And when they do well, as is usually the case, they are understated at the weigh-in, saying they lucked into the fish they caught. But those that know them know it was not luck.

Many fishermen go just for the food, too. Those fishermen are happy catching any edible fish in the water and keep what they catch for the frying pan. They usually know many ways to cook fish and take care to keep them on ice and clean them quickly to preserve the fresh flavor.

Most hunters and fishermen respect their quarry, but some don’t. If they catch a bass too short to keep in a tournament they may throw it in an arch back into the water rather than easing it back into the water to make sure it survives to grow bigger. They get mad when they don’t catch much, blaming everything from other fishermen to the weather.

Slob hunters bait deer and don’t make much effort to find a deer they wound. A good hunter will spend hours trailing an injured deer but they are more likely to make a good killing shot in the first place. They make sure their gun is zeroed in before season and take time to make a good shot, and they know how to shoot accurately. The other kind of hunter never checks his rifle to make sure it is accurate, takes shots they should not and then blame the gun.

Most of us fall somewhere in between the extremes. We spend enough time to be in a good place during deer season and might kill a big deer. Little bragging is done since we know killing a trophy buck was more luck than skill. And doing well in a tournament is a combination of luck and some skill, but we don’t feel a good day makes us an expert.

Professional fishermen and guides are a whole different category. They work at their passion so others can do well in the case of guides, or they can get sponsors and win money in tournaments if a pro. Some are slobs on the tournament trails, getting mad when they don’t win a tournament to the extent of kicking equipment, blaming other fishermen for “stealing” their spots, and generally making fools of themselves. Those types don’t keep sponsors long and don’t gain respect of others on the tournament trails.

These types of people are not limited to hunters and fishermen. You can find them in any sport from golf to football. What kind are you?