The reasons we hunt can be as different as the people that do so. Although there are different reasons for hunting, at the end of the day it's all about one thing.
I have been blessed to have the Meek family as friends. Jared Meek and I hunt and fish together all the time, but this year things have changed a bit. While our past outings were mostly all boys, this year Stephanie Meek, Jared’s wife, decided to join us in the field. She got into fishing with us a couple years back, and has caught the bug bad. It’s a good thing for Jared. He now has her asking to go on outings, rather than having to ask to go himself. We have had many great fishing trips, and now it’s on to a new chapter.
I have talked in the past about today's women becoming involved in the outdoors more than any time in previous history. I mentioned that the influx of women in the field was likely due to a more accepting male society that now can see women as being equal or even better at sports such as hunting and fishing. The fact is most women I have met can outshoot many of our braggart hunting buddies. This is without years of practice and field experience. They just tend to shoot better!
Needless to say, I was excited to join the Meeks on a turkey hunt this past weekend. She has not shot at a bird as of yet, so I was interested to see her reaction if we got one. We set up before sunrise and listened to the woods come alive. After the hunt was over, she mentioned how amazing it was to hear all the song birds wake up and usher in a new day. I knew at this point that she had the right idea. Some hunters get caught up in trying to harvest a bird and forget to enjoy the rest of the experience. You see, to real hunters it's not about the kill. A good hunt consisted of the experience had and what you choose to consider a success. A real hunter learns that harvesting an animal is a rarity, so you must learn to enjoy the little things or the fun will be lost. Hunting can be hard, stressful, annoying, frustrating, exciting, amazing, and rewarding all at the same time, although most of the time it's only a couple ranges of emotions. What I'm getting at is if you don't learn to smell the roses, you might miss the best experience of your hunt.
We heard no gobbles from the roost, but called for a couple hours anyway hoping a bird would make its way into hearing range. No birds were heard and we started to realize this hunt was turning into more of a hike. About that time, the cows and their guard horses made their way up the hill. They were on the other side of the fence, so we decided to get up and say hi. We petted them for a while and fed them some grass. They were so friendly we had to get a few pictures with them, and they turned out great. After we finished hanging with the horses, we decided to make a loop uphill and call our way back to the truck.
As we made our way up the steep hill we all started to heat up. By the time we reached the top we were all tired and drenched in sweat. We all whined a bit about the hot and humid conditions, but had to carry on to the vehicle. We were definitely experiencing the downside of hunting, but still remained positive. At the top of the hill we located a large shale shelf that had dropped off and made its way down the slope. (Another great family photo location in my mind.) I asked the Meeks (Evan, their son was on the outing, too) to pose for a picture by the rock, possibly for this week’s column. It turned out as good or better then that of the horses, so it was likely to make it into the column. Feeling as we had at least experienced a great sunrise and took some nice pictures, the day was a complete success.
Before making it to the truck we noticed tons of spotted efts on the trail. Hunting has many rites of passage, and this sighting brought on one. Some years back we were after a bird, and found one of these little lizards. After kissing it for good luck, we promptly harvested the bird. It became tradition that if one of the little guys were spotted, the hunter must kiss it for good luck. We told Stephanie about this rite of passage, and she reluctantly decided to do it. The lucky lizard didn't work, but we ended up with the best photo possible.
It's no surprise that Stephanie's reason for hunting is to spend more time with her husband. He drives truck for a living and is on the road a lot, which leaves little time for interaction, especially during hunting season. They have made hunting and fishing a family affair and have included me in the action. I mentioned how nice it's been watching their kids grow in the outdoors and thanked them for sharing the enjoyment with me.
We never ended up getting a bird, but we had a great time and the lizard luck hasn't washed off yet, so there's always next weekend. We have already made plans for a September goose hunt, and I know she will get to shoot then.
I'm not worried though because she has already learned that hunting is about family, friends, and enjoying the great outdoors, not just taking a life. The fact is in the millisecond it takes to pull a trigger, the experience has typically went on for hours, days or even weeks. The trigger pull is the most short-lived part of a hunt, so if you don't learn to enjoy all parts of a hunt, you will never enjoy it to the fullest.
Good wishes and get the whole family outdoors.