Why does one wake-up at 3:00 in the morning, drive for an hour or so, then walk for miles in all kinds of weather to be in a hunting stand before daylight? I’ve done that many times. However, those days are over due to age and physical limitations, plus I am simply not motivated enough to make the effort anymore. It’s hard to get motivated when you can no longer get to where you like to hunt and buck sign is almost non-existent. But still at times I feel guilty, disappointed and discouraged when I’m not in the woods during hunting season. What is that drive or instinct that makes me want to hunt? Through extensive research (Yes, I googled it!), I found that I’m not the only one that struggles to understand this urge.
I have always felt at home in the woods. No one had to teach me to enjoy the outdoors. Even as a kid I loved to explore all the nooks and crannies of the nearby woods, and I knew every riffle and pool in the stretch of Crab Run near our house.
Hunting for me is a physical and mental challenge and gives a sense of individual freedom. There is a feeling of accomplishment in going through the process of studying topo maps, scouting-out a new hunting area, and tagging a nice buck the next fall. The drag out, skinning and processing the meat, the taste of fresh tenderloin and the stories to tell only add to the experience.
Of course, our ancestors hunted to survive, and recently in our Sunday School class I noticed several passages in the bible about hunters. After the flood God gave Noah the provision of animals for food (Gen. 9:2,3). Before the flood they apparently had a Mediterranean diet of veggies and fruit and lived for a very long time. Nimrod was “the greatest hunter in the world” (Gen. 10:8-10). And Esau “became a skillful hunter” (Gen. 25;27), but he was either very hungry or not too bright when he gave-up his birthright for a bowl of soup. So, I guess you can say hunting is biblical.
However, hunting can bring on all kinds of conundrums. How can you admire an animal and yet take its life? How can one experience sadness and joy at the same time after a quick clean kill? Some might say hunting is cruel, but it’s not as nearly as cruel as nature itself. Animals don’t die in bed surrounded by family. It’s survival of the fittest. Animals, if they make it past their prime, often die violently, painfully, and alone, either by disease, starvation or predators. I’m sure you have seen the nature documentaries on TV.
Another thought brought to mind is the difference between hunting and other outdoor activities. Hiking, bird watching, wildlife photography, are wonderful pass times that allow you to enjoy the beauty around you. But you are only observing. When you hunt you are more a part of the environment around you. Walk into the woods and listen to the chipmunks chirping and the squirrels barking. They are saying, I see you and now everyone else knows you’re here. It takes a while for the critters to access your threat level and go back to their normal activity. You are now the predator, a part of their world.
So, why do I hunt? I think it’s the combination of a deep-rooted instinct, a love of the outdoors, along with the challenge and sense of achievement after a successful outcome. As for why I have lost my motivation? I know my inability to get to my favorite hunting areas is a factor, and a lazy streak doesn’t help any. As I get older, I have become more of an observer and that’s often not enough to get me out in the cold.
R.D. Cullers
Graduate of Bergton Elementary (Class of ’65)
