Crossroads....

[BML]

The sport is changing. We are way more competetive, way more sophisticated, all that. I don't know you, or what motivates you...If I were to push hunting out of my life, something would be missing. I get the feeling that you would feel the same. Yes, we have to deal with all kinds of nonsense from anti-hunters, to slob hunters, to trail-camera theives to fights over water holes to regulations that seem outright stupid.

 

I think you are letting the darker side of things cloud your judgement. Instead, try to think about how you got started hunting in the first place. You've probably spent some early mornings waking up to the sights, smells and sounds of the desert opening up to you. You might have even pondered the old guys on mules who used to live out ther 365 days a year with nothing more than a mule, a rifle, and if they were lucky, some matches. You probably admired those old coots, as you explored deeper into the desert, hunting, exploring, and looking at yourself, why you were out there, instead of sitting on the freeway on your way to somewhere you didn't want to be.

 

Hunting is not a hobby. It's a conscious effort to get away from the world that sometimes makes no sense. I can't speak for you, but I spent years living in the valley, and I felt trapped. I felt like I was torn between providing for my family and actually living. I felt like my life had no meaning.

 

Breaking away from that grind opened my eyes, just enough to see something simple and true. When I take to the woods, I am free. The friends, the campfire, the sounds of laughter, the smells of fresh rain on aspens or a camp fire...

 

It's a special place, and I'd probably not be there nearly as much as if I weren't hunting. How much would I miss of the world happening around me if my hunting didn't force me to shut off the BS for once, and just live for a few days, as a human and a hunter?

 

I think a lot of people lead boring, dull lives. They are devoid of passion, ignorant of the simple pleasures of life, lonely, scared and wandering. I've been there, and sometimes go back to visit - that's part of growing older and dealing with our own demons.

 

To me, hunting brings the world closer. It makes colors brighter, sounds more distinct, my purpose more defined, my role here on this planet, as short as it is, more understandable.

 

I hope you won't lose faith. Hunting is a "source". It's a place where you can lose yourself and find yourself. If hunting has gotten stale because you don't have someone to share it with, PM me. I think one of the main causes of hunters losing interest, is losing the connection with the people who used to make it fun. I know what it feels like to go hunting solo, again and again, and lose the passion.

 

Just something to think about, I have a good friend who was extremely passionate about hunting, and ended up having his business ventures become really profitable. Here's a guy who now has the time and resources to hunt pretty much where and when he wanted to, along with being a skilled hunter. Eventually, he got really lonely on those hunts because his good friends had work and family obligations. The fun had somehow dissappeared. Hunting became work, or a prize to be won, or a hole on the wall left to be filled. While we envied him, he envied us because we had a life full of wives, children, stresses, all that noise that we sometimes take for granted.

 

I don't know exactly where you are coming from, but I would venture to guess that if you are truly considering walking away from hunting, it has more to do with the people who first brought hunting close to you, somehow separating their lives from yours.

 

If that is the case, there is a whole world of new faces, new places, and new adventures out there.

 

If hunting is truly part of your soul, you will never totally walk away from it. I admire your courage to come out here on a public forum and vet your concerns and frustrations. Don't lose faith. Reach out and meet new friends who share your passion.

 

Godspeed to you.

 

 

This post should be published in print somewhere.

 

I have gone through some very serious personal setbacks this year ranging from a failed marriage to loss of work to serious health issues. Through all the recent setbacks in my life, though, I have found my solace in the woods. This post relates more to my life right now than anything. Thanks Coach. You are welcome in my camp anytime..

 

[regge090]

Hunters arent quiters, quiters are sissys

[CouesWhitetail]

Coach, your post was right on. Thanks for taking the time to craft this response. I trust it was a cathartic for you as it was inspiring for me.

 

 

+1

 

Thanks for a great post Coach!