I first began this page as a way to journal my own path towards becoming a hunter- something I could look back on and say, “Oh right, that happened.” I’m not a great writer, but I do love the outdoors and sharing that love with others, especially those who’ve never experienced it. I hope this blog can act as a resource for someone that might want to get outside more, or maybe wondered even just a little about hunting and fishing, because I know how intimidating- and perhaps a bit scary- it is to go out and do it on your own.
The past few years, I’ve really been trying to get back in touch with the outdoors, and go as much as I can (but still not as much as I’d like) on backpacking and fishing trips. Recently, I discovered an interest in hunting. I wish I could say that interest was sparked by a profound shift in ethics or values, but it really wasn’t. In all honesty, I was just hungry, browsing food shows on Netflix when I saw some guy with a weird accent cooking a tasty steak in some beautiful wilderness. That was Steven Rinella of the “Meateater” show and after a few hours of binging, I was had a crazy urge to go out and hunt my own meat.
That was surprising at first, because up until then I had absolutely no desire to hunt anything at all. In fact, I was mostly neutral to the idea of hunting, leaning slightly towards anti-hunting, based on a few conflicting thoughts and feelings. I mean, why would someone in our day and age, with such easy access to commercial food options, ever want to spend the time, money, and effort just to shoot and kill an “innocent” animal? It just seemed cruel and unnecessary. On the other hand, I ate meat and I knew on some removed level that industrial farming has ethical issues too, but it’s not like I was personally killing anything. Kind of counter-intuitive, I know. Then factor in the many negative preconceptions and stereotypes of the hunting community, and I was pretty much OK that hunting was happening, but certain I would never be a part of it.
Rinella presents hunting in a holistic, educated, and transparent way, which appealed to me as a non-hunter. The series brings to light the vital role of hunting in wildlife and environmental conservation, while stressing the importance of ethical hunting that demonstrated a deep respect for the animal- something I really appreciated seeing. He features various wildlife scientists and biologists that hunt alongside him, and even took non-hunters out in a few episodes, totally changing my perception of what a “typical” hunter looks like. Plus he has some killer recipes.
The final push that really drove me to hit the “Go” button and pursue hunting was a conversation I had with my wife’s colleague few years back. When it came up that I might want to give hunting a try, he casually mentioned his family farm in central California, and invited me to hunt ducks on his property. Well that (and the thought of pan-seared duck breast) sealed the deal for me and it was the foot-in-the-door I needed to get started.
The Sunday Hunter 