Monday, November 17, 2008

The Great Outdoors


For as long as I care to remember, I’ve been a hunter. Hunting is (generally) cold, windy, sleep depriving, hard work. Most people wouldn’t dream of sitting nearly motionless in a tree for hours on end. I consider it fun.

Now before I continue I would like to clarify something. The following scenario is not hunting. It is not even close to hunting. And people who claim this is hunting should really be embarrassed. Having a guide, whom you pay fist-fulls of money, to hold your hand the whole time as you casually walk through a game farm, picking from your ‘prey’ as if they were produce at the supermarket. “Should I shoot that one? No… I think I’ll shop around for one of the other 30 awaiting trophies.”

There are so many things composing hunting that appeal to me. I’ll highlight a few that really grab my attention.

First and foremost, I view hunting as a challenge. It’s not certain that you will be successful. It takes dexterity, patience, stamina, will, endurance, and above all, LUCK! You haven’t lived unless you’ve woken up in the dark, put on frozen pants, and walked miles through the snow to weather the elements in the hopes of seeing that prized buck.

Second, every time I go hunting it’s a new adventure. No two times are the same. I have enough stories to write a book… or flood the pages of this blog until all but my fellow hunters are driven away. A show of hands: how many people know from experience that you can float a deer across a river? Anyone?

Finally, there are so many amazing things I’ve seen while hunting. I’ve seen so much wildlife and nature. I’ve seen the most amazing northern lights swirling right above my head, meteor showers that have lasted for hours. I’ve seen tons of wildlife; I’ve been 20 yards away from a wolf, and 5 yards away from a family of lynx. The boost of adrenaline you get from an experience like this is intense.

So that is a quick overview of why I hunt. If you want to hear some of my stories; all that is required is a campfire and beer. I’ll be waiting.


Oh, for all you people out there that think hunting is bad and evil and gross… I’d take a look at yourself. I bet that chicken club sandwich tastes good. Just be careful to not get anything on your leather shoes… hypocrite!

2 comments:

Veasy said...

I wish deer tasted like cow. If cows were deer I'd hump that.

BLaZE said...

Nice, im suprised we never talked more about hunting stories in college. I don't have many cool ones. I saw an eagle grab one of my duck decoys once, start pulling it out of the water until the weight hit, then it let go. Haha.