bridger
02-11-2009, 11:24 AM
I thought this article written by my wife for a local publication might be if interest. It gives a womens perspective on hunting.
WHY HUNT?
Many of my friends and acquaintances are amazed that I have actually hunted and taken an animal. They wonder why I would go hunting and why I would want to kill an animal.
I am relatively new at hunting, but I have gone along on a good number of hunting trips and pack trips over the past 30 years. It wasn’t until the last 8 or 9 years that I have actually gone along with the intent of taking an animal. Prior to that time I had confidence that I could provide a moose for our freezer if there was ever a need but until that time I would let the men in the family do the hunting.
I’ve enjoyed the pack/hunting trips that we’ve taken as a family and with our hunting friends. I’ve loved seeing the wildlife and the scenery—and the wildflowers—and I’ve enjoyed the camaraderie and the adventure of the trips. I have to admit that often parts of our trips have been hard for me, but I’ve always had the support of family and friends who have been there to see me through any rough spots—like getting my horse down in muskeg or falling off my horse. It’s been very satisfying for me to able to meet the challenges that are involved in a 10-day pack trip into the mountains. And, with a husband who has a passion for wildlife, hunting, and the outdoors, there’s also the factor of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”. The two of us have had good times on our trips, and I look forward to more adventures in the mountains.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P3090047.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=12814)
So, if being a member of these hunting expeditions has been so great, why add the actual hunting experience to an already good thing? The first two times I went along prepared to hunt, I planned to take an animal just to help fill the freezer. Our sons weren’t living in the Peace country and didn’t often come up to go hunting with us; so, I thought that I could help with their meat supply. I didn’t kill an animal on that first trip, but a couple of years later, I did shoot my first moose, and I couldn’t believe the adrenalin and the excitement I could feel. Our two hunting partners on that trip, Barry and Doug, can vouch for me that I was some excited. After spotting the moose and dismounting to have a good look, it was decided that this was the one I should shoot. At that point I was in such a state that I couldn’t even find my own horse to take my rifle out of the scabbard! Fortunately, I was able to settle down, take some deep breaths and make a successful shot. I had often heard the guys talk about having ‘buck fever’, but I was shocked that something like that had happened to me. That experience was a turning point.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Copy_of_007100171.JPG
I’ve thought about this hunting business for a long time even before I shot my first moose. I still don’t have a complete understanding of why many of my friends and family are so passionate about hunting. It will probably never be the most important part of my life. I have found, however, hunting has added some kind of completeness to the mountain experiences that I already enjoyed. I like the challenge of being fit enough to be able to hunt and stalk the animal. I have discovered that there’s satisfaction in being able to make an accurate shot so that the animal suffers little. I like being able to help provide meat for our family. And being relatively new to the actual hunting, I am enjoying the learning process along with the help and advice my hunting partners give to me.
So, why do I hunt? I’m still not completely sure. The night before opening day, I can hardly sleep as I wonder if I’m up to the challenges of the next morning—will I be able to keep up? Will I be able to make a good shot? Can I do what needs to be done? For me, I think it comes down to the age-old idea of man--or woman--against the elements; hunting has proven to be one way of meeting my quest for adventure.
WHY HUNT?
Many of my friends and acquaintances are amazed that I have actually hunted and taken an animal. They wonder why I would go hunting and why I would want to kill an animal.
I am relatively new at hunting, but I have gone along on a good number of hunting trips and pack trips over the past 30 years. It wasn’t until the last 8 or 9 years that I have actually gone along with the intent of taking an animal. Prior to that time I had confidence that I could provide a moose for our freezer if there was ever a need but until that time I would let the men in the family do the hunting.
I’ve enjoyed the pack/hunting trips that we’ve taken as a family and with our hunting friends. I’ve loved seeing the wildlife and the scenery—and the wildflowers—and I’ve enjoyed the camaraderie and the adventure of the trips. I have to admit that often parts of our trips have been hard for me, but I’ve always had the support of family and friends who have been there to see me through any rough spots—like getting my horse down in muskeg or falling off my horse. It’s been very satisfying for me to able to meet the challenges that are involved in a 10-day pack trip into the mountains. And, with a husband who has a passion for wildlife, hunting, and the outdoors, there’s also the factor of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”. The two of us have had good times on our trips, and I look forward to more adventures in the mountains.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/P3090047.JPG (http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/showphoto.php?photo=12814)
So, if being a member of these hunting expeditions has been so great, why add the actual hunting experience to an already good thing? The first two times I went along prepared to hunt, I planned to take an animal just to help fill the freezer. Our sons weren’t living in the Peace country and didn’t often come up to go hunting with us; so, I thought that I could help with their meat supply. I didn’t kill an animal on that first trip, but a couple of years later, I did shoot my first moose, and I couldn’t believe the adrenalin and the excitement I could feel. Our two hunting partners on that trip, Barry and Doug, can vouch for me that I was some excited. After spotting the moose and dismounting to have a good look, it was decided that this was the one I should shoot. At that point I was in such a state that I couldn’t even find my own horse to take my rifle out of the scabbard! Fortunately, I was able to settle down, take some deep breaths and make a successful shot. I had often heard the guys talk about having ‘buck fever’, but I was shocked that something like that had happened to me. That experience was a turning point.
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/Copy_of_007100171.JPG
I’ve thought about this hunting business for a long time even before I shot my first moose. I still don’t have a complete understanding of why many of my friends and family are so passionate about hunting. It will probably never be the most important part of my life. I have found, however, hunting has added some kind of completeness to the mountain experiences that I already enjoyed. I like the challenge of being fit enough to be able to hunt and stalk the animal. I have discovered that there’s satisfaction in being able to make an accurate shot so that the animal suffers little. I like being able to help provide meat for our family. And being relatively new to the actual hunting, I am enjoying the learning process along with the help and advice my hunting partners give to me.
So, why do I hunt? I’m still not completely sure. The night before opening day, I can hardly sleep as I wonder if I’m up to the challenges of the next morning—will I be able to keep up? Will I be able to make a good shot? Can I do what needs to be done? For me, I think it comes down to the age-old idea of man--or woman--against the elements; hunting has proven to be one way of meeting my quest for adventure.