“Alone far in the wilds and
mountains, I hunt, wandering amazed at my own lightness and glee. In
the late afternoon, choosing a safe spot to pass the night, kindling
a fire, broiling fresh killed game. Falling asleep on gathered leaves
with my dog and gun at my side”...Walt Whitman
The above quote has always rung
true for me. It makes my senses stir, paints a picture in my mind. It
makes me wish I were in the scene and describes perfectly how I feel
about hunting. I can almost see the stars in the sky and smell the
blue smoke from the campfire as meat sizzles on a spit...
The extreme cold, snow and ice
of recent have me thinking too much as cabin fever is setting in.
I've passed some time fiddling around outside when I can, but short
of ice fishing, the polar weather isn't welcoming to many outdoor
activities. It is, however, just the kind of weather to hunker down,
read a book or a few magazines and while away the long nights...It's
a good time to think, to ask yourself questions and to look for
answers. Of course for me, hunting isn't far from my mind and it
always gets back to that old question, “Why do I hunt?”...I've
been asked and answered many times, some right here in “Along the
Trail”, but each time I ask myself that same question, a new or
different answer, another reason reveals itself...
I hunt because I love it in the
simplest of terms. It's an inherited instinct rooted deeply in human
history. In nearly all cultures across the world, there is an
undeniable urge to hunt that awakens in boys. A boy will throw rocks,
sharpen sticks, make a weapon. Studies have shown that the predatory
instinct will appear spontaneously in boys, even without any prior
experience or coaching. Sadly, many in today's society want to take
the “boy” out of boyhood and eliminate that predatory instinct
from our so called “civilized” society. But, somehow even in all
of our political correctness, hunting manages to hang on...
For myself, hunting is an
almost spiritual experience. It is when and where I feel close to
God. Hunting is how I fell in love with nature and the outdoors. It's
something that can't be experienced on a golf course or soccer field
or in front of a television. Hunting and fishing connect us profoundly with nature and wildlife. Hunting teaches woodsmanship
and skills lost on many of today's youth. It teaches the power and
beauty of nature. Hunting teaches us at a deep, emotional level about
a hunter's inseparable relationship to nature and his responsibility
to defend it. It teaches us that we are participants in something far
greater than ourselves and our own selfish ways. It teaches us extreme alertness and we feel
alive and connected to the environment.
From an outsiders view, a
hunter might appear to control nature, but the truth is, it's the
exact opposite. The hunter identifies with the animals, with the game
he pursues and feels tied to it. It is, and should be deliberately
humbling for the hunter as failure far outnumbers our success in the
field.
No true hunter revels in the
death of his prey or any animal for that matter. A hunter knows that
“life lives on lives” and hunters participate directly, much like
farmers, in the fundamental process of life. And that, my friends, is
without question, why hunters have been and still are, the premiere
conservationists of wildlife and wilderness to all of our benefit.
Now, to throw another log on
the fire and wait for the thaw and the green of March and the booming
gobbles of turkey season...
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