Why do I hunt?

I've been asked before about why I hunt and I give them the short answer "for meat." But, there's more to it than that. The definition for hunting is: "the activity of hunting wild animals or game, especially for meat or sport (Oxford Dictionaries)."  That is true, but only in part, I see it as much more.  It's being out in God's country and reconnecting with nature and our past.  It's the joy and excitement of seeing that giant elk or the smallest of fawns.  It's the fact that you get to know and respect the animals better than many that you know.
It's the camaraderie of family and friends.  The sharing of stories and the passing on of knowledge.  It's a part of you, it's in you. You cannot wait for the next fall to arrive so you can get back out there.
It's the indescribable feeling as you walk up to an animal, and you realize that God let you take this animal to nourish your own.  And the feeling of what a blessing it is to be able to hunt.  You realize that after all the disappointments, all the missed shots, all the times it just didn't work, don't matter anymore.
That is what hunting is.  It's the whole experience.  That's why I hunt.

Summer Fun

During the summer, it's useful to put out some camera's along with some time in the woods looking for sign and all.  If your lucky, you might even see a fawn.  By now though, most fawns are able to go with their mother wherever she goes.  But here are some things to do during the summer:

• Swimming: Swimming is a great way to have fun and exercise as well!
• Fish: Everyone knows how great fishing is, need I say more?
• Scouting: It's a cliche, but it's always useful.  The cool thing about this time of year is you get to see what time and where those fawns are out with their mom and how big those bucks antlers are getting! I've been lazy so far and I want more pictures of Missy and her new fawns!
• Management: Predator management anyone?  Not to mention habitat and deer herd management (seeing what bucks are there, which to target/take, how many does to take, if any.  And so on).  But not just deer.  Out west, it's elk (or pronghorn!) management!  If your up north, that could include moose as well!

There are many more things I could mention, such as: treestand placement/maintenance, target shooting, bow tuning, sighting in a scope, setting up mineral sites, trail cameras, and more!

With all this mentioned, have fun!