Cavemen Were Much Better At Illustrating Animals Than Artists Today

[Pyrrho]

Well understanding animals back then was really a life or death situation.  I think the vast majority of humans today take animals for granted and even the ones that are really into animals today don't study them as closely as hunter/gatherer groups did in prehistory.

I agree with this, we as hunters do not need to get as close to animals to kill them and people want to see the pretty animal without getting to know them as they live. However there is a group of people that I am a part of that do get to know the animals of their preference, dog breeders/ show people. We need to know all about the dogs physical make up, even it's precise movements because we are breeding for these very things.
I love to deer hunt and observing them is important and I especially like to bow hunt because the deer needs to be very close to have a responsible shot, 30 yards is my personal outer limit. I love the challenge between myself and the deer, getting one in close enough to shoot is exciting, sometimes it can be a long waiting game ( even though the deer do not understand the game), it's all about being better than their natural protective skills and I like to eat venison. With all this said I still do not know the deer and their movements as well as I should.

GC

However much you may enjoy hunting, your motivation is less than what it was for many ancient hunters.  They, too, may have enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, but for them, it was also a life and death matter.  For you, if you fail to kill a deer, you go home and eat anyway.  So there really isn't the same sort of situation at all.  If you wanted to experience something more like what ancient people experienced, you would need to get far enough away from civilization that you cannot easily get back, and not take enough to eat while you are away, so that it will be life and death for you whether you manage to find food or not.  Even that will be somewhat artificial, as you would be choosing it when it suits you, rather than having the situation forced on you continuously.  But that would give you a closer experience.