Gotten quiet in here, guess I'll poke the bears...
Here's something I wrote a few years ago as an FB post. I still feel the same. Every minute, every hard morning, every meltdown, every late start and early finish. Cold feet, lost mittens...all of it has been worth it.
Why do you bring your kids hunting? You should put them in a team sport or they'll miss out....what does hunting really teach them?
1. Teamwork. There is no success on a hunt such as this unless everyone is working as a team to achieve the goal. Unlike in sports where a selfish player can succeed, the whole operation falls apart if someone goes rogue.
2. Dedication to your craft. There is no success without constant practice and a commitment to better your skills. Shooting, calling, hiding, understanding where to be, understanding the habits and instincts of your quarry... all of these things are at play.
3. Respect. Respect for your "team mates", respect for your quarry, respect for nature, respect for firearms safety, respect for tradition, respect for your mentors.
4. An understanding of the sacred beauty of nature, life and all of creation tempered by the knowledge that in order for us to live something else needs to die (this is true whether you are a hunter or not. This is true if your diet is plant based. It is an inescapable reality)
5. An understanding of the seriousness and the finality of death. An appreciation that what we do (as opposed to hitting a home run or scoring a goal) has very real consequences in the real world.
6. Competition. There can always be friendly, respectful competition
7. Fun... yep, we have fun
8. A connection to and understanding of the food we eat. Meat doesn't just magically appear on a styrofoam tray at the grocery store.
9. Work ethic... yep, it's hard work
10. Later in life, a connection to the wheels of time. The change of seasons, the ebbs and flows of nature. Sowing, reaping,
11. Failure. There are no participation trophies in hunting
12. Success!
13. Conservation. A commitment to leave things better than we found them. To conservation of the species and habitats that allow us to continue. It doesn't take a hard look to see that NOBODY contributes more to doing the actual work of conserving species than hunters. Most of the anti - orgs are really just redistributing wealth to lawyers and B.O.D.s - selling a lie to make the cat ladies feel good about themselves.
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