What I love most about hunting is being outdoors (I'm a career desk-jockey), but more than that, it's having all my senses tuned back in.

I spend so much time tuning things out--noise, visual distractions, unpleasant smells, etc. etc. I think a lot of people do the same.

But hunting, everything is back on. I really get a chance to listen to everything, and see as much as I can, and really pay attention to what's going on around me. It's just wonderful, and I mean that literally. I am full of wonder at the beauty, complexity, and variety of the natural world.

As far as killing goes, I admit to getting that weird feeling that a lot of hunters get, a mixture of thrill and sadness. It's an accomplishment to kill a bird/hog/whatever, but I can't help but feel a little sadness at the deliberate death of something.

But death is a part of life, and I can't be tuned in to the life around me without having that part of it, too. So it's okay.

Coming home safe and exhausted after a long day out in the field; I'm a fortunate man indeed when I can do that.