Why Do I Hunt?

I didn’t grow up hunting. My dad did some deer hunting when I was very young, but it wasn’t a big deal in our house. Hunting wasn’t really part of the culture that I grew up in. We never ate game meat – in fact, I don’t think I had venison until I was in my twenties! So I didn’t really “miss out” on it. About 9 or so years ago, I decided I did feel like I “missed out”. I’m not sure what the actual catalyst was, but I decided that I wanted to be a hunter. I wanted hunting to be part of my culture. I wanted to eat game meat!

A friend of mine got me on to his father-in-laws ranch and they took me out to hunt my first deer. Shooting that first doe absolutely hooked me. That was it. I was a hunter from then on. Since that first doe, I’ve grown a ton as a hunter. Not only in skills and techniques and gear (and costs), but also in my hunting philosophies. Initially, I got into it for the fun and the meat. Don’t get me wrong, those two reasons are plenty good for taking up the sport. But over the last few years, my reasons have increased.

One new reason to hunt was becoming much more conservation-minded, which has me much more concerned with being discerning in the animals I take. Very small does haven’t had the chance to reproduce and grow the population. Very small bucks (a) haven’t had the chance to grow the population and (b) are generally not legal (check your local regulations). So finding those bigger, more mature deer is advantageous to the population staying large enough that we enjoy fewer restrictions on the number of deer we can get in a season. Letting a deer walk is hard. It’s really hard. Especially if you’ve been sitting there since 4am and it’s cold and maybe drizzling and your fingertips are freezing. It’s also hard if it’s the last week of the season and you’ve only seen squirrels all season! But letting that little deer walk means you’ll not only have a bigger deer next season, but potentially more deer if they procreate.

Getting outside was another great reason to get out and hunt. We spend increasingly more time indoors. Home to car. Car to work. Work to car. Car to home. Most of us spend the majority of our lives in climate controlled spaces. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not cutting off the AC anytime soon, but the more I hunted for meat and fun, the more I came to enjoy the time outdoors. We joke a lot about posting sunrise or sunset pics when we get skunked, but there really is some truth to just enjoying being outside, whether your hunt is “successful” or not. When’s the last time you just sat outside in the pitch black until the sun got to it’s highest point? You really start to notice more the things you see, hear, and smell. It’s fascinating. Spending that time outside also helps you learn to see what you’re looking for. Unless you’ve seen a deer in the woods, it’s really hard to see a deer in the woods, but being outside more gives you more of those opportunities, which increases your chances of success next time you’re out actually hunting.

Another new reason to hunt was the challenge. In your early days, sitting in a blind with a rifle and staring at a feeder 75 yards away is how most of us start. While that is certainly an effective method for harvesting game meat, and a method I still employ on occasion, it presents less challenge as the years go by. So I’ve made it harder on myself by taking up the bow. Shooting with a bow adds in a whole new set of challenges (or magnifies existing challenges) – scent, distance, sound, accuracy, and more. But those extra and increasing challenges force you to work harder, practice more, and pay more attention, which all add to the experience. and fun.

The biggest new “why” was my kids. I didn’t grow up hunting, but I wish I had. If I had 30 years experience instead of 9, I’d be way better at this than I am. So I want to give my kids that advantage. I’ve spent these early years learning the basics so that when my kiddos are old enough, I can stay just ahead of their learning curve as I teach them what I’ve learned. In my experience, I’ve come to know that hunting teaches you so many lessons. all of which would be great lessons for my kiddos. Patience – sit and wait, then wait some more. Hard work – long walks, heavy loads. Discipline – practice and pay attention. Respect – for the animals, the land, and the craft. Adversity – bad weather and getting skunked. These are all lessons that not only make you a better hunter, but a better person.

If the beginning of my hunting experience has taught me anything, it’s that I’ll continue to come up with more and more reasons to hunt. It’s my favorite hobby. It’s becoming a part of my family’s culture. My kids are starting to take an interest. It’s even part of the conversation about our future when we talk about purchasing land. I’m excited to see where these adventures take me.