FromTheForestSlater
New member
Greetings!
I will start by saying that I am a hunter, husband, and father who is blessed to live in the forests of beautiful Central Oregon. I’m also long-winded when I sit down to type something, so leaving my introduction there simply doesn’t feel right to me.
A friend recently referred to me as a “first generation hunter” and the more thought I’ve given that, the more it truly is what I am. I come from a family with British ties who do not hunt, do not own weapons, and at times probably don’t know what to do with me. My only relative who was an active hunter was a Great Uncle who sadly passed away around the time I started down the path of adventure. I am blessed to have received from him a handful of firearms, an amazing elk rack, a black bear rug, a whitetail deer mount, and a mountain goat mount, but I regret never getting to hear the stories behind these treasures.
Regardless of my roots, I have always felt there was some level of “destiny” in me becoming a hunter. Next to our school photos growing up, my parents hung documents in calligraphy that explained the meanings of each of our first names. Mine stated: “From the forest” They had no way of knowing when they named me just how much I would live up to my name, now as an adult spending every moment possible in the forests.
Being a “first generation hunter” has not come without immense challenges. My first mentor taught me some very good lessons in hunting, but alas also taught me some very bad (and at times unethical and illegal) lessons. I pressed on, however, and jumped into new challenges with both feet, sometimes not realizing how completely unprepared I was for these challenges.
My adventure over the last 15 years has extended to DIY hunts in Oregon, Kentucky, Minnesota, Alaska, and Colorado. I’ve had far more failures than successes. I’ve spent money my wife reminds me of regularly on hunts that brought back absolutely no meat from states some people only dream of going to. I joke that I am the unluckiest hunter ever, but the truth is I think I’m just still learning and growing (at least I hope that’s the case).
I look forward to interacting with all of you through this amazing “family” of Hunt Talk and hopefully learning a few more lessons from some of you so I can make a few less mistakes myself.
I will start by saying that I am a hunter, husband, and father who is blessed to live in the forests of beautiful Central Oregon. I’m also long-winded when I sit down to type something, so leaving my introduction there simply doesn’t feel right to me.
A friend recently referred to me as a “first generation hunter” and the more thought I’ve given that, the more it truly is what I am. I come from a family with British ties who do not hunt, do not own weapons, and at times probably don’t know what to do with me. My only relative who was an active hunter was a Great Uncle who sadly passed away around the time I started down the path of adventure. I am blessed to have received from him a handful of firearms, an amazing elk rack, a black bear rug, a whitetail deer mount, and a mountain goat mount, but I regret never getting to hear the stories behind these treasures.
Regardless of my roots, I have always felt there was some level of “destiny” in me becoming a hunter. Next to our school photos growing up, my parents hung documents in calligraphy that explained the meanings of each of our first names. Mine stated: “From the forest” They had no way of knowing when they named me just how much I would live up to my name, now as an adult spending every moment possible in the forests.
Being a “first generation hunter” has not come without immense challenges. My first mentor taught me some very good lessons in hunting, but alas also taught me some very bad (and at times unethical and illegal) lessons. I pressed on, however, and jumped into new challenges with both feet, sometimes not realizing how completely unprepared I was for these challenges.
My adventure over the last 15 years has extended to DIY hunts in Oregon, Kentucky, Minnesota, Alaska, and Colorado. I’ve had far more failures than successes. I’ve spent money my wife reminds me of regularly on hunts that brought back absolutely no meat from states some people only dream of going to. I joke that I am the unluckiest hunter ever, but the truth is I think I’m just still learning and growing (at least I hope that’s the case).
I look forward to interacting with all of you through this amazing “family” of Hunt Talk and hopefully learning a few more lessons from some of you so I can make a few less mistakes myself.
