On Becomming a Huntress....

This year has been marked by my transition from taking a relatively Buddhist-minded approach towards other organisms (since there is always an exception, mine is spiders....) to becoming an 'Along-for-the-Ride" Huntress. Let me explain this a little.

In college I began to really form my first opinions about hunters, befriending one of the few males on campus, a local to the area, a farmer, and an avid hunter (of many things). My Grandparents have hunted since time began, so I am not sure why this was the defining moment, but it was. It was like the scene from “Alice’s Restaurant” when Arlo Guthrie jumps up and down at the Army Recruiting office screaming “I wanna Kill!” This boy was out for blood. He knew the best time during each season to get the species he was looking for. He knew the best spots, where they would be crossing the road, how many were here, there, everywhere. Although this knowledge amazed me, for I have never known any place like that, I was also somewhat saddened by the desire to hunt these beautiful critters. Squirrel, rabbits, raccoon, deer, pheasant…you name it, he shot it. I preferred them where they were—not in my freezer.

Over time and through my formal and non-formal education, I began to see the need for hunting: a source of food, a source of income, a way to control populations of species that boomed due to our mismanagement. While in Iowa, I worked for a couple who had a sign in their living room that read: “Don’t let your love of nature blind you to the needs of man.” We had many discussions about the meanings of this saying, and even today I am still on the fence about the degree of intrinsic value I assign something, but I do know it is a culmination of these events, and many others, that have allowed my perception to expand and become more realistic. Yes, we need to hunt. Yes, there are people who rely on their skills in this area to provide a living. Yes, when done with a conservation minded approach, hunting is an art and I don’t want to be removed from this aspect of life any longer.

Why did I shy away from hunting for so many years? Was it a fear of facing my own mortality? I definitely wouldn’t put that notion out of the realm of possibilities, but I think it was more a displaced act of compassion—I was allowing my love of these animals to taint my views of my fellow man who were, and are, surviving utilizing this way of life. The friend I talked about earlier, his chin would drop if I told him that I recently entered the world of ‘Coon hunting, and love it. I should specify—I love the hike, the crispness of the night air, watching the stars while we wait for the dogs. I love how magical the landscapes are at night, hearing the dogs when they tree a ‘coon, becoming part of this nocturnal world, and I love just listening to the night. When I think about what I am learning about this art, I am somewhat amazed that for as much as I love hiking and nature, I never thought to do this sooner. So, I call myself an “Along-for-the-Ride-Huntress” because 1) I don’t do any of the shooting or skinning, and 2) because I say I am going for the hike, when, secretly, it is the whole way of life that has me captivated, and perhaps I am not ready to admit that yet.