A time for Thanksgiving – Hunting a Lesson in Gratefulness
 

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/2...-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.

I feel the same way you do. Getting away from everyday routine helps me recharged. Shooting an animal is great too but the quietness, tranquil feel of the woods is what I really like.

I work with the public 5 or more days a week---hunting especially bow hunting is my relief ! No toys, no cell phones ! just me and nature ! example sunday am I had a flock of turkeys fly about 15 feet over my head then land on ground and trees about 25 yards away what a ruckus what a sight- amazing--did not even know the turkeys were around !

There's no point of feeling guilt, or badly for the "kill" part. It is not about "killing things". It is about hunting... It is the process of scouting, stalking, having your "territory", killing and eating. It is about being a predator. It is instinctive, for us humans, to enjoy what we have been doing for thousands of years. I would go as far as to say, that some of us truly need to hunt to be happy, they can't take it from us, it is what we are. predators.

I often find it a little bit easier to explain when someone has a cat, specially one of those avid hunter cats. I ask, why do you think your cat enjoys so much to chase and hunt prey? do you think your cat is simply a psychopath who enjoys killing? and often, the answer is, no, it is their natural behavior to hunt. And then I say, well, I am like your cat, nature wired me as a predator, it wired me to enjoy and NEED to hunt prey, not to kill; to HUNT.

I have a theory that some of us have a stronger instinctive need to hunt than others. Just like some people have a desire to express themselves through art, or poetry. People who don't understand, they might simply not have the "hunter's gene". But it is ignorant, and rude, for them to criticize us for being what we are. Predators. It is like criticizing a cat, or wolf, or lion, for their behavior.

We shouldn't have to be telling people "we just enjoy being in nature" cause even though we DO enjoy being in nature, we know that's not the only reason... If we liked that, we would just be out there taking pics of wildlife, or skiing, or mountain biking, or wtver. We enjoy being predators, and we should be proud of it. While society is out there, living a complete lie, and forgetting how life works, we are out there, doing the most instinctive thing we can do, and being connected to the cycle of life.

That can easily be dismissed by the # of people here on this site with you. The sheer amount of members here should reinforce the fact that what we do is really quite normal. If anything is weird, it's the fact that some people have lost their innate instincts and have become overly domesticated. Happy hunting!

A lot of good points here, and I will likely steal your cat analogy for future use.