A time for Thanksgiving – Hunting a Lesson in Gratefulness

[Landon DeKeyser]

I have a lot of friends that don't hunt. Many of them don't understand why I do it. For a long time I have tried to explain why I like to hunt. It usually comes out in a short answer such as "I just really like spending time in the outdoors. You see all kinds of cools stuff out in the woods, and it makes me happier." Then I get a response that something like "well I just don't get why you would want to sit out in the cold for hours. Plus I really don't like to kill things."

I always find myself think "man they just don't get it. If they would just try it out I think they would enjoy it." Hunting is about a lot of different things to me. Its partially about killing animals yes. I do genuinely enjoy the time alone to think. It brings me a sense of peace. I love watching the animals. I find that I am always learning something new about them.

Its also about something deeper than that. Maybe I'm just weird, I don't know, but I really find it helps me to be happy in a way that almost no other activity can. I also love to fish, but hunting I feel has a greater lasting affect on me.

I would love to hear if any of you guys also share similar views. You can read an in depth article I wrote on this topic here http://lifestylelost.com/index.php/2016/11/22/hunting-and-gratefulness/

With hunting season slowly winding to an end, and Thanksgiving a few days away. I felt this topic was fitting and others may enjoy.

 

[Jamen]

Some of the best days I have ever had have been sitting on a hillside. I will say how I hunt and why I hunt have changed since I first started. When I started it was about the kill I always wanted my limit of what ever I was after. I would wade through chest high water in jeans to get my last duck.

As I have grown up I like to go outdoors and just be alone with nature. I'm with you on being weird. I do enjoy my time hunting with my family, growing up that was some of the best days of my life was hunting with my whole extended family at deer camp.

I would rather carry a camera with me more days than a gun or bow. I truly love just being in nature surrounded by what she has to offer. I do not get the same effect fishing as I do hunting. Something about the breeze in your face and that smell of fresh air when it fills your lungs it is almost intoxicating. If I could get paid to sit on a hillside and ponder life... now that truly would be dream job...

 

[Landon DeKeyser]

Some of the best days I have ever had have been sitting on a hillside. I will say how I hunt and why I hunt have changed since I first started. When I started it was about the kill I always wanted my limit of what ever I was after. I would wade through chest high water in jeans to get my last duck.

As I have grown up I like to go outdoors and just be alone with nature. I'm with you on being weird. I do enjoy my time hunting with my family, growing up that was some of the best days of my life was hunting with my whole extended family at deer camp.

I would rather carry a camera with me more days than a gun or bow. I truly love just being in nature surrounded by what she has to offer. I do not get the same effect fishing as I do hunting. Something about the breeze in your face and that smell of fresh air when it fills your lungs it is almost intoxicating. If I could get paid to sit on a hillside and ponder life... now that truly would be dream job...

I find that is true for me as well. The older I get the less about this kill it is. I think its because new hunters and fishermen want to prove themselves and thats ok! Through that process we learn the real reason for being out there.

I don't the same affect from fishing either. I spend a lot more time fishing than hunting though. I have found that river fishing while wading gives me a more of the hunting feeling.

My grandpa always used to say the same thing about carrying a camera instead of a gun. It wasn't until the last few years that I started to understand that. I used to hunt with him and beg him to shoot any deer that walked by as a kid. He would just smile and say "I don't need to shoot that deer." That was long before I killed a deer. I get it now

 

[jeffraines]

Being a new-ish hunter, sitting on a clearcut this past Thursday is when it really sank in. Light was fading, and I had seen 4 bucks earlier that day. Does and fawns were feeding into the cut, and watching them was awesome. Then, out of nowhere this deer comes barreling in - I knew from its determination that it was a buck. Finally got to see the 4" or so long spikes on his head, and this guy was chasing these does around. They were bigger than him! I got a good rest as soon as he came in(there was a piece of a log nearby) and at one point he was ~150 yards broadside. I had the safety off and the crosshairs on him and I just couldn't do it. I got so much more just watching him chase those does around than I would've gotten from him being in my freezer. Besides, there wasn't much of him there to put in the freezer.

As far as fishing, I switched to fly a long time ago and I'm almost purely C&R these days. Every once in awhile I'll keep one or two(when/where legal) for dinner. When I first took up fishing, it was all about limits though.

 

[Landon DeKeyser]

Being a new-ish hunter, sitting on a clearcut this past Thursday is when it really sank in. Light was fading, and I had seen 4 bucks earlier that day. Does and fawns were feeding into the cut, and watching them was awesome. Then, out of nowhere this deer comes barreling in - I knew from its determination that it was a buck. Finally got to see the 4" or so long spikes on his head, and this guy was chasing these does around. They were bigger than him! I got a good rest as soon as he came in(there was a piece of a log nearby) and at one point he was ~150 yards broadside. I had the safety off and the crosshairs on him and I just couldn't do it. I got so much more just watching him chase those does around than I would've gotten from him being in my freezer. Besides, there wasn't much of him there to put in the freezer.

As far as fishing, I switched to fly a long time ago and I'm almost purely C&R these days. Every once in awhile I'll keep one or two(when/where legal) for dinner. When I first took up fishing, it was all about limits though.

I know the feeling. I unusually have a handful of deer in my bow sights and cross hairs before I actually shoot anything. I love watching them more than anything. I'm glad you are taking up hunting. I actually prefer to fish most of the time, but hunting teaches some life lessons that fishing just does not capture.