For those of you who eschew hunting of any kind, this blog is not for you.
It is hard for non-hunters to understand hunting, and equally hard for hunters to explain it. I wrote an article for Deer & Deer Hunting magazine while I was in Africa titled, "I am a Whitetail Snob."
Before I went to Africa, I had visions of hunting. I had 10.5 months and connections with a top-notch professional hunter in northern South Africa. When I got there and started seeing a lot of animals most of the appeal was gone.
A few years back, Bobby made arrangements for us to hunt elk in NM. We drove out and in a couple of days Bobby killed an elk. The next day I killed one. It wasn't my idea of hunting. The guides did the majority of the work, and all I had to do was stay calm and make a good shot at 256 yards. I made the shot and greatly enjoyed the elk meat.
In Africa, hunting is similar to that elk hunt. The guide finds the game, and says, "Shoot that one!" It takes some shooting skill, and it must be thrilling for the moment, but I veiw that as mostly shooitng with a little hunting.
With the Whitetailed deer, Odocoileus Virginianus, it is a LOT of hunting with just a bit of shooting. This past season was cut short due to late return from Africa combined with some terrible weather. I had some great thrills nevertheless.
Over the years I have given away quite a few horns to friends. One of our friends just started an antler-art business, and I found out about it today. Consequently I gathered up a few horns to trade to her in exchange for a bit of antler art. Here is what I had.
This collection is missing a few of my favorites which I don't want to give away. Each set of horns represents a great memory of a hunt gone by. A few of these, like the one on the center right, I recall very clearly. Many of these I cannot recall, but I can think back to many a hunt including the majority of hunts where the only thing harvested is another pleasant memory, and that is more than enough.
Yep, hunting is hard to explain.
It is hard for non-hunters to understand hunting, and equally hard for hunters to explain it. I wrote an article for Deer & Deer Hunting magazine while I was in Africa titled, "I am a Whitetail Snob."
Before I went to Africa, I had visions of hunting. I had 10.5 months and connections with a top-notch professional hunter in northern South Africa. When I got there and started seeing a lot of animals most of the appeal was gone.
A few years back, Bobby made arrangements for us to hunt elk in NM. We drove out and in a couple of days Bobby killed an elk. The next day I killed one. It wasn't my idea of hunting. The guides did the majority of the work, and all I had to do was stay calm and make a good shot at 256 yards. I made the shot and greatly enjoyed the elk meat.
In Africa, hunting is similar to that elk hunt. The guide finds the game, and says, "Shoot that one!" It takes some shooting skill, and it must be thrilling for the moment, but I veiw that as mostly shooitng with a little hunting.
With the Whitetailed deer, Odocoileus Virginianus, it is a LOT of hunting with just a bit of shooting. This past season was cut short due to late return from Africa combined with some terrible weather. I had some great thrills nevertheless.
Over the years I have given away quite a few horns to friends. One of our friends just started an antler-art business, and I found out about it today. Consequently I gathered up a few horns to trade to her in exchange for a bit of antler art. Here is what I had.
Yep, hunting is hard to explain.
No comments:
Post a Comment