As an exercise of thinking out loud, to convey a collection of thoughts, please take my observations as a very personal perspective of my passions that I care so deeply about and in some ways define us and our roles in the natural world. It is not all inclusive nor singularly about me, as from many of your expressed views, you and I share a deep bond in our love of our great forests, and the game we pursue, even those we do not.
Like our political division we are in one way or another sucked into the “mean season.” In my humble opinion it has splashed over into other aspects of our lives. In particular the fraternity of hunting is of my concern. The social media hunting pages show this continuance of mean season in startlingly bold ways. Whether it be a trophy buck, a small buck or doe to fill the freezer, young turkey, old boss gobbler, how it was taken, where, by a woman, first time hunter, or a young hunter, the comments made fall very short of congratulations, or any sense of civility. Very divisive, disparaging remarks by hordes of “master hunters” or more correctly, keyboard warriors in full internet bully mode. Post after post of trashing successful hunters, trespassing, stolen stands/equipment, hunter harassment, lack of courtesy, embolden displays of disregard for the quarry, game laws, and land owners. Are we as part of the hunting fraternity willing to idly watch our ranks stoop to such depths or poor behavior, especially towards each other?
Personally I think we could do much better than what I currently observe in the public purview. I’ll stick my neck out in that it is doubtful this is the impression we wish to convey to non-hunters as to our love of our favored passion. How are we to be taken seriously when we berate each other in such fashion?
Like each of you, I have methods, choice of implements, and preferred strategies that I employ while chasing deer or turkey, other quarry. There are just as many other choices I may not be so keen on. Where it be illegal or unethical, I may speak out. Otherwise, why not enjoy the success of other hunters? Do our ego’s require that only ourselves have our hands around the biggest set of antlers or spurs? Like many of you, I have experienced, and admired the lengthy pursuit of an exceptional quarry spanning an entire season or in some cases many seasons. Not all of these epic adventures end with a happy hunter posing for a hero photo. The memories I’ll submit are for the love of the hunt. Yet after stating this, do we not also enjoy the brief alignment of the stars and fate for a chance encounter that comes and goes in a brief instant? Even as a professed admirer of “preparedness meets circumstance,” you can talk me into buying a 100lb bag of dumb luck all day long. Does it make it a lesser experience, or any less of a hunter for experiencing the hunt in this way? Of course not. Each of us experience the hunt in just as many different ways, and even more over time.
Admittedly I have some advantage of perspective with 32 seasons worth of memories to reflect on, to learn from. Fair to say I am in the phase of being a hunter that savors the hunt every bit or more than that actual taking of game, and find every bit of enjoyment and satisfaction in learning the experiences and successes of other fellow hunters. This is the lens I see through.
It would be a shortcoming to make these points or the case without some resolve to improve upon it, to make it a perceivable amount better. I’ll continue to admire, like and make positive comment of the successful hunts of my hunting brothers and sisters. I’ll continue to be fond of first time hunter success and especially young hunters. I can assure each of you, should we meet on a ridge, in the middle of a deer drive, I’ll not ask for your voter ID card, but I’ll ask how your season is going and offer congrats or encouragement. At the butcher shop or the taxidermist I’ll be quick to congratulate and admire a good day afield. Lastly in the public forums, I’ll be just as quick to enjoy your successes as my love of the hunt extends to the hope that you enjoy and love the hunt as I do.
-MJ
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