Because it is easier to tell people "I'm going deer hunting." than to say "I'm going to wake up in the middle of the night, drive 70 miles, walk into the woods, hike up a ridge, climb 20 feet up a tree and sit there for hours."
Hunting is a a good way to stay grounded, for me at least. A reminder that meat is not an isle at the grocery store, and we are not the title on our tax returns.
I enjoy being alone, and hunt by myself often. I love everything about it, from smelling the scent of rotting leaves as I lock the gate behind me an hour before the sun comes up on a weekday, and the anticipation that comes with knowing I have the entire place to myself that day.
I hunt for deer camp. 24-30 nights in my tent every season, at the same camp I grew up hanging around, with the same guys. Staring at the fire after a long day, completely exhausted and fighting to keep your eyes open at 7 in the evening as deer chili simmers on the Coleman stove.
I love everything about it. I would be a different person if not for deer hunting. There is not a day that goes by my thoughts don't drift to to a white oak tree on a ridge somewhere. I hunt because I am a hunter.
Well said, Ridge...