Recently I read an awesome article on hunting in the African Sporting Gazette. Written by Paul Peters, it inspired me to think about why I hunt and how my thoughts have evolved over the last 20 years.
Most non-hunters can’t relate or understand why we hunt. It’s difficult to describe exactly but we’ve all tried with sayings like – ‘it’s not about killing, it’s about the thrill of the hunt’ or maybe ‘I enjoy being out in nature and hunting is one way of being there’ but as we all know these phrases never quite convey the full reason.
The first time I went hunting was in high school. I went duck hunting on the Illinois River with my Uncle Harry, a highly decorated WW II veteran. It was an experience I will never forget. We froze our asses off and had no success. It didn’t matter.
I too asked the question – why would there be any glory in taking the life of a beautiful animal. After 12 years of Catholic education, I couldn’t quite understand how people rationalized the act of killing wildlife. To this day, I still remember the first pheasant I shot and I vividly remember my feelings at the time and praying for the life of this bird.
From that day forward, I somehow understood that this was a part of me that will always be there and that I was ‘a hunter’. Hunting was about bonding with older family members, hearing their stories, learning their techniques, exploring nature, surviving the elements and enjoying life in the fullest.
I really stopped trying to explain why I hunted because if you’ve never experienced it, you’ll never understand why hunting will forever more be part of our existence.
Since that time, I’ve introduced my son to hunting and am happy to report that he appears to be genuinely engaged in the sport. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he shot his first Chukkar. Excitement and sadness at the same time. We recently agreed to say a prayer after every bird we shoot. Very cool.
In the article ‘There are three kinds of hunters’, Peter’s quotes Chilton Williamson by saying that your view of nature directly corresponds to the distance you are from its reality. The only activity that allows an individual to experience this reality to its fullest is hunting. Only hunters accept the danger, chance, insecurity and uncertainty of an unsubdued world, of the unforgiving truth of an unsentimental nature.
In the article, Peters describes three types of hunters; first is meat-hunters, they exist today as they did in prehistoric times. In many African countries, meat-hunting is the only source of protein for natives. Sadly, the government of these nations has mismanaged wildlife populations to the detriment of their citizens. In fact, hunting is illegal for most natives and reserved for the fortunate few with lighter skin.
Most non-hunters can’t relate or understand why we hunt. It’s difficult to describe exactly but we’ve all tried with sayings like – ‘it’s not about killing, it’s about the thrill of the hunt’ or maybe ‘I enjoy being out in nature and hunting is one way of being there’ but as we all know these phrases never quite convey the full reason.
The first time I went hunting was in high school. I went duck hunting on the Illinois River with my Uncle Harry, a highly decorated WW II veteran. It was an experience I will never forget. We froze our asses off and had no success. It didn’t matter.
I too asked the question – why would there be any glory in taking the life of a beautiful animal. After 12 years of Catholic education, I couldn’t quite understand how people rationalized the act of killing wildlife. To this day, I still remember the first pheasant I shot and I vividly remember my feelings at the time and praying for the life of this bird.
From that day forward, I somehow understood that this was a part of me that will always be there and that I was ‘a hunter’. Hunting was about bonding with older family members, hearing their stories, learning their techniques, exploring nature, surviving the elements and enjoying life in the fullest.
I really stopped trying to explain why I hunted because if you’ve never experienced it, you’ll never understand why hunting will forever more be part of our existence.
Since that time, I’ve introduced my son to hunting and am happy to report that he appears to be genuinely engaged in the sport. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he shot his first Chukkar. Excitement and sadness at the same time. We recently agreed to say a prayer after every bird we shoot. Very cool.
In the article ‘There are three kinds of hunters’, Peter’s quotes Chilton Williamson by saying that your view of nature directly corresponds to the distance you are from its reality. The only activity that allows an individual to experience this reality to its fullest is hunting. Only hunters accept the danger, chance, insecurity and uncertainty of an unsubdued world, of the unforgiving truth of an unsentimental nature.
In the article, Peters describes three types of hunters; first is meat-hunters, they exist today as they did in prehistoric times. In many African countries, meat-hunting is the only source of protein for natives. Sadly, the government of these nations has mismanaged wildlife populations to the detriment of their citizens. In fact, hunting is illegal for most natives and reserved for the fortunate few with lighter skin.
Wildlife beauty and human egos brought on the second type of hunting– trophy hunters. Trophy hunters go to great extremes to shoot the biggest specimen of hundreds of exotic species only to brag to their friends about who has how many trophies in the record books.
The third type of hunting the author called ‘experientialism’ where the hunter wants to be one with the natural world in the fullest sense. These types of hunters (which I consider myself to be) are acutely aware of the imprint he has on nature. They are not about killing animals but partaking in nature – both life and death.
The following statement is an truism that I deeply believe.
“The well placed shot is owed not to the creature hunted but to the God who created the animal and gave it to the human to hunt.”
If this subject intrigues you, I encourage you to explore the book Meditations on Hunting by Jose Ortega y Gasset, a Spanish philosopher. I haven't read it, but it looks great.
The third type of hunting the author called ‘experientialism’ where the hunter wants to be one with the natural world in the fullest sense. These types of hunters (which I consider myself to be) are acutely aware of the imprint he has on nature. They are not about killing animals but partaking in nature – both life and death.
The following statement is an truism that I deeply believe.
“The well placed shot is owed not to the creature hunted but to the God who created the animal and gave it to the human to hunt.”
If this subject intrigues you, I encourage you to explore the book Meditations on Hunting by Jose Ortega y Gasset, a Spanish philosopher. I haven't read it, but it looks great.
Happy Hunting!
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