My First Time Hunting in 20 Years: Appreciating the Sport

https://images.hive.blog/DQmf1Jj9y7nhNKrHsKbFNoervGrGerS4bmEdkhyFhZH35cQ/7102147300847100682.jpg
“I want some venison,” I decided. Yep, the health benefits and positive feelings of eating quality food tipped the scale for me to do something this year I hadn’t done in over 20—dear hunt. Of course, this was all within the context of my entire upbringing being surrounded by this cultural activity and rite of passage. My dislike for the cold and my never feeling invested or excited about deer hunting made the decision to not do so in adulthood an easy one. Over the years, though, I began to appreciate the sport. Ironically, this was helped along on by several high-profile cases of a public anger toward hunters posing with their kill, to which I reacted defensively. The psychology of accomplishment is a simple notion explaining why people pose proudly with a large fish or deer. Sometimes this accomplishment is all that is sought. For my family, though, hunting is about bonding and obtaining healthy food.

Something like 95% of Americans eat meat. So just about everyone should be able to appreciate the decision to eat healthier meat. And how about adding to this satisfaction of a healthy diet by going out and obtaining the food for oneself—like growing your own vegetables? Only in this case, the food is elusive—very much so. It takes a lot of effort, a lot of education about the animal sought, a lot of respect for its cunning. This is something critics of such photos miss. This isn’t posted out of disrespect for the animal. It’s out of reverence. And the challenge of going into the forest, going to where you think deer will come, staying ninja-like quiet while waiting up in your deer stand, and then aiming true when the opportunity arises—all this contributes to our smiles in this photo. After the accomplishment, you have to clean out the animal—cut it open and remove its guts. You become intimately aware of where meat comes from. We in the U.S. are good about ignoring what goes on “behind the menu.” We’d rather not think of slaughterhouses and factory farms. In the case of deer hunting, there is no farm. There is, however, the added appreciation for the animal whose life now contributes to yours. Hunting is an activity forged in humanity’s historic quest for survival. It’s in our blood. It bonds people in the present and ties them to ancestors since time began. It has become a coming-of-age challenge for many young people, which draws our attention to the elephant in the room: the boy in front with that monster. I’m in back content with my small buck. My big bro is in the center with his usual yearly success. Then we have his boy in front, whose first deer happens to be one most hunters dream about year in and year out. No buck fever for my nephew the stud. And no lack of venison for me and my brother’s family this winter.
Originally posted here: https://hive.blog/health/@fedoraonmyhead/my-first-time-hunting-in-20-years-appreciating-the-sport