In the off season, when hunting is slim - or when you haven't been able to wrangle an elk license for the fifth year in a row - you can satisfy your lust for hunting from the comfort of your home office with a "virtual hunt" computer game. None really replicate the discomfort of wet clothes, soggy shoes, cramped leg muscles and lousy trail rations that accompany real hunting, but they can keep you occupied until the real thing comes around.
Atari's "Deer Hunter" series is popular favorite among computer gamers who enjoy simulated hunting. You can choose between six detailed, three-dimensional natural habitats, and hunt five different animals, including Axis and European Roe deer. Players manage herds with realistic genetics and herd growth beyond the hunting season and get to choose from an impressive array of weapons, ammo, vehicles and transportation to bring down prize game - and can even network with other players for multiplayer gaming. This computer hunting game has been among the most popular for good reason - it's one of the best.
"Cabela's Big Game Hunter" from Activision is part of a series of outdoor-themed games that allow players to hunt in a variety of conditions. This one strives to be realistic, with all that's good and bad about the real thing - your goal is to make it through five regions, hunting all of the animals in each region as you go, winning trophies, buying gear, and choosing from 16 different firearms. You also have to abide by the hunting laws of each region you visit, a dose of reality that most computer hunters would probably be happy to do without.
"Deer Avenger: Open Season" collects all three games in the popular hunting game series that turns the tables on humans - they're the prey and you, the player, are the deer. You'll lure the silly humans with mating calls and then blast 'em with an M-16 or a bazooka, tranquilize housewives and knock out victims by farting on them. It's crude, silly and a whole lot of fun for the deer hunter who has a sense of humor.
Electronic Arts' "Deer Hunt Challenge" focuses on hunting safely, while giving you a 3D world with 30 different hunting scenarios. The selection of weapons and ammo is good, plus you have a range of gear - including scents, calls, antlers, decoys, tree stands, and binoculars - that you carry carry with you on your virtual hunting trip.
It doesn't take the place of a real hunting experience, but computer hunting games can help you pass a few hours when you can't get you for the real thing - and for the cost of a box of ammo, these computer hunting games don't put a big dent in your wallet.