WHY DO I HUNT? PART 2

That kind of question could fill libraries. Why? Because it has unlimited answers. Each person who takes to the field to pursue game has a different reason for being there. Sure there are all the common reasons, the thrill of the chase, the camaraderie, the desire to fill the freezer with fresh meat, the satisfaction of a hard day fulfilled… the list can go on and on. But beneath all those good and adequate reasons is something deeper, something as unique as every human heart. I believe it is in the outdoors, immersed in creation undisturbed, where our relationships often find the nourishment they so desperately need in our fast-paced world. And make no mistake, it is our relationships that give meaning to our lives.

We are meant to love. We are designed to find joy in love. And yet we take so little time to explore it in our daily lives. I too often fail to give my family the time and attention and gratitude they deserve. I too often fail to give God the same things He most assuredly deserves. But when I head to the woods and spend an hour or two beside a creek or a pond, I can begin to hear the whispers of that quiet voice within me that wishes to be heard. And it is precisely at those times when my relationships grow. Sometimes, my daughters, my son, or my wife are with me. Sometimes they are not, but those relationships grow just the same.

I was once told that God is found in communion. That statement has so many possibilities.  As a Catholic there is the obvious Eucharistic meaning for me. But there is also the kiss I share with my wife, the hug I share with my children, the first goose hunt I shared with my father, the understanding I share with the Cameroon Duru tribesman as we stalk an eland, a quiet sunset on the Nebraska prairie, the moment a four-year old buck steps out of the shadows. These are all part of finding God in communion for me. And when you find God in communion your relationship with Him can grow and when that happens all your other relationships will make a little more sense.

I am not sure I really answered the question or if I ever truly will, but I guess my maybe I hunt because I value my relationships. My relationships with the land, with the animals, with strangers, with neighbors, with enemies, with friends, with family, and with God. Is hunting the only way to enhance and grow these relationships? Of course not, but for someone who loves adventure and loves meat and loves God and tries to love others, it just makes sense.

Besides, hunting is the most honest relationship with nature I have ever had.