Thoughts on the Hurricane

Hurricane Sandy - Why I am Grateful Today and
Why I "Don't Know"

I am so grateful for so much.

That hurricane was crazy. I am very grateful my family came through the hurricane completely unscathed (except for some felled trees). We didn't even lose power. However, many did not come out unscathed. It is with them that my thoughts and prayers go. I spent the day chopping up trees that fell and sending messages to my friends and neighbors offering help if needed.

People lost their lives in this storm. Some more lost loved ones. Many more lost material possessions.

I am grateful that I was self-reliant today. However, I understand that the difference between self-reliance and being in a position where one needs assistance is only a "hair's breath." I am grateful I didn't have to call a tree-service, or call first responders, and that I have a chainsaw and where-with-all to do many things myself. That is a blessing. It is a blessing not everyone enjoys.

Today as I was working on the trees I was grateful for something else: the fact that my nearly 40 year old body was completely up to the task. Just last year I am not sure that would have been the case. Dealing with those trees would have been much more difficult had I not gotten into shape.

                                                                 Last Year                                       This Year

30 lbs makes a difference

As I write this though, enumerating the ways I am so blessed, even looking at my weight loss, I feel a serious sense of guilt. My children's only complaint was "it is boring inside" (and I do NOT feel guilty about that). I do feel guilty about the fact that I did not lose power, that people suffered a great deal, and that I did not. I felt guilty as I went up and down the street tonight to knock on neighbor's doors to see if they needed anything, no one did.

Is that normal, or healthy? Is it co-dependence?

This question too must be answered: Why? Why did I come out unscathed while others did not?

The standard answers (theodicies) feel textbook and unsatisfactory. "What is a theodicy? Let me enumerate" says the theologian in a stuffy voice. He goes on to talk about things like "free will" and that God does not cause the disaster, but allows it, and that it is all a part of "soul building." He talks about the Cross and how if Christ suffered so greatly, how can we expect not to, and wraps it all up with fancy words about mystery.

Well, that stinks, because it doesn't answer my immediate and pressing question, at least not on an emotional level, not in a way that satisfies. I thought this being a believer thing was all about relationship. Well, if you have a relationship with someone, and you love them, do you say to them when they are suffering and you are in a position to help them: "Hey, buck up! I know you just lost everything, including your loved one, but it's for your own good! You know, I went through this once, and worse, so you really ought not be complaining. I mean, it doesn't do any good if you do! Am I right? Am I right!? Plus, it's a big mystery, so who really knows anyway?"

With respect to the "theodicies," poppycock. I don't treat people I am "in relationship" with that way.

How come "not me," and why "someone else?"

It was just a Hurricane, nothing "huge" in the grand scheme of things (except for those people's whose lives have been completely upended), and you know what? I don't know why me and not someone else. Tomorrow is a just a day off. All I have to do is stack some free firewood that fell in my yard and play with my chainsaw.

I wish more people would say "I don't know" every once is awhile. It isn't a sign of weakness.

I don't know.

That is where it will have to sit.

Sorry this one wasn't about hunting.

Faith and Hope

Faith and Hope

Why do we go hunting after a stretch of seeing no harvestable deer?

As I type we are awaiting the arrival of Frankenstorm: Hurricane Sandy. Work has been cancelled for two days, and as I look out the window I wonder why I am not up in a tree stand.

Obviously a tree stand is not the place to be during a hurricane, but right now this just looks breezy. I am sure it will get nasty as the next two days progress, and I don't truly desire to be in a tree right now, but I do crave the interior quiet and sense of peace being in a tree brings. My only real concern is losing power: I have a freezer full of venison that I do not want to go to waste.

Being in a tree has special meaning for me. When I was growing up my family went through an especially dark period. There was a tree in front of our house and I would go outside, and climb that tree, and be up there for hours avoiding reality. Whenever the dis-function and verbal abuse and passive aggressive behavior unsettled the quiet (which was happening more and more)  I was up in my tree and it just didn't matter for a little while.

The beginnings of my clinical anxiety were present then. How could they not be? But the tree helped. Being up in a tree is a great place to be. The tree gives us a place to be quiet enough to process fears and anxieties, and even be free of them for time, while at the same time giving us space to exercise the virtue of hope. The cross of anxiety is a real challenge to developing the virtue of hope. If you suffer from this particular cross, you know it is something to work on.

A blogger I really respect recently posted this (a prayer by Cardinal Newman): "I believe, O my Savior, that you know just what is best for me. I believe you love me better than I love myself. That you are all wise in your providence, and all powerful in your protection. I am as ignorant as Peter was as to what is to happen to me in time to come. But I resign myself entirely to my ignorance and thank you with all my heart that you have taken me out of my own keeping. And instead of putting such a serious charge upon me, you have asked me to put myself into your hands. I ask nothing better than this, to be in your care and not in my own."

But if I am to be honest I must admit this: I lack this level of faith and hope. All too often, I truly don't have faith that God will take care of us. I see tons of evidence He has taken care of me and my family, and I am grateful, but also guilty. What about so many others who are suffering so much? Cardinal Newman references Peter. What happened to him?

We can ask these questions another way I think: why do we go hunting the weekend after we see or harvest no deer?

Because of hope. Whenever we get up and go out and do something hard in the face of an uncertain outcome, we are engaging in an act of hope. Aquinas calls the object of hope a future good that is difficult, but not impossible, to attain. If we are truly seeking something that is possible, and we keep getting up to bat in an attempt to gain it, we are acting out of a place of hope. I know I have a tendency to despair. That is not a good thing because fortitude requires us to keep to our task even when there is no earthly hope. Just look to the example of the Spartan 300 (not the movie... the real ones) or St. Peter above. Caravaggio drives the reality home with beauty somehow.

The hopeless don't get up to bat. And that in turn helps to make them more hopeless. In terms of hunting, they stop going out, or (if they are reasonably well heeled) they go out once a year on a guided hunt on some fenced in ranch where success is guaranteed. That's not hunting in my book, because it lacks the virtue of hope. One doesn't have to exercise the virtue of hope to go to the grocery store. To truly go hunting, one does.

That is why some hunters get annoyed about baiting (although I have no problem with it) and that is why some hunters only use traditional archery methods. These rare and brave souls are hooked, not just on the hunt, but on the exercise of the virtue of hope. If that transfers to other parts of their lives, they will be considerably richer (I am not talking about money here) for the experience.

Which is why I worry about my lack of hope. If hope is a virtue that needs to be cultivated then I definitely need to get to work cultivating.

What should we do when we, upon honest self-assessment, recognize that we come up short?  If I had all the answers, I would be much better off! But these steps have worked for me in the past, and I am recommitting to them here publicly when it comes to hope.

Step one: Pray. Ask God to help. "Dear Lord, I lack hope. Please help me develop this important virtue so that I can follow you more completely."

Step two: Exercise. Find someplace, anyplace, to exercise the virtue of hope. Pick something difficult, but not impossible, to do, and do it. (I hope you succeed the first time out). If not, immediately try again. Don't give up until you do get a success. I don't care how small the goal is. Hope for it, work for it, achieve it, and then pick something else).

Step three: Bring someone with you. People today think of everything in terms of the individual. But we are not isolated individuals. The hunters that keep hunting have hunting buddies. The hunting network over on twitter is huge. We do nothing in isolation. If you have hope, pass it on. If you don't, start at step one and make it your goal not just to develop hope for yourself, but pass it on to others.

Step four: Start over again at step one. Keep working.

Do not be too hard on yourself by the way. When I sought to get into shape, and have a healthy body, it was hope that made that attainable, so I am not truly without the virtue entirely, and neither are you. God made you and he does not make garbage. In terms of raw materials, everything you need you possess. If we are not where we want to be just now, and that I am sure is the case for most of us when it comes to the virtues, then follow the steps, but don't be too hard on yourself. You can kill the virtue of hope if you are.

Venison Meatballs Recipe

Venison Meatballs

Well, this is my first time posting a recipe. One of the guys I follow over on Twitter is a real chef. I am not, but I figure some folks might be interested in my cooking adventures anyway. I am an amateur, but I do love to cook!

I started with 2.5 lbs of ground venison from the doe I got the first day of the season.

I then added a liberal amount of Worcester sauce. It adds a nice flavor and the moisture is important because venison is very lean.

I then added a tablespoon of salt.

I then took one and a half cups of seasoned Italian breadcrumbs. My grandma used stale Italian bread and her own seasonings, but I just don't have time for that. But I do use her trick of adding milk to the breadcrumbs. This is very important because it adds moisture so the breadcrumbs don't dry out the meatballs. About a half cup will do it. Then mix the breadcrumbs and milk together with a spoon before combining with the venison.

Add two large eggs.

Then Italian spices. I broke my rule of no garlic during hunting season because I have hunter's toothpaste and hunter's breath mints. I wanted real meatballs. I added basil, parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, and oregano.

The next step is to mix it all together by hand, and then form the meatballs. I have a nice pizza stone that I use for my meatballs. I spray the pizza stone with olive oil Pam (but you could use regular olive oil in a spritzer) and I also spray the meatballs lightly with the Pam (or olive oil from the spritzer) as well.

The final step is to bake on 350 for around 15 minutes, and then flip them over and continue for another 15 minutes. (I checked after 10 minutes on the second side and they were cooked through). Just add them to your marinara sauce and you are good to go!

If you are like my grandma, you basically deep fry these in olive oil, but I am on weight watchers. This recipe yielded a meatball that was two weight watchers points per meatball, and they were AMAZING. Moist and flavorful.

Enjoy!

The Suburban Hunter.

Heath Benefits of Hunting

Health Benefits of Hunting.
Not to mention climbing, hiking, swimming, and camping

Confession one: I'm fat. However, I am no where near as fat as I used to be, and for that I am grateful to God, and hunting. Yes, hunting.

I was very fit when I met my wife. Confession two: I had been fat before that too. I got in shape. I met my wife. (see how that worked?) My wife is now, and has always been, pretty fit. She can eat anything, have a kid, and be slim again three weeks later. Other women must hate her. No one has ever said anything though. Neither did she ever say anything as the fit man she met at a frat party where there was too much drinking and stupidity going on steadily put on weight. The truth is I decided (pretty much that evening) that I was "off the market" permanently. Dating her and having her offer me her left-over-half-a-bacon-cheese-burgers over and over pretty much put an end to the whole fitness thing. Besides, I was too busy learning what a real college education looked like (My wife is a Mount Holyoke alum... Literature...) and I was quite frankly going through a bit of a transformation. My grades shot up through the stratosphere as I worked to be worthy of this woman who was dating me.

But the truth is, once I knew that I loved her, and wanted to marry her, (and I knew this after around a week knowing her) I simply lost all motivation to be in shape. I mean, why bother? My motivations for getting into shape back in college were obviously not related to my health. Thank God I met my wonderful wife, and did not instead travel down the path I thought I wanted to travel down as a concupiscent 21 year old. Looking back I can see how God prevented me from falling into serious sin at key times, and for that I am grateful to His providence. I did enough harm to others without doing any more...  (Thank God too for His mercy)

I have been married for almost 15 years now, and for 14 of those years I have been.... well... fat.

Last year something started to change in me though. Knowledge that 40 was coming up was one motivator. I have three kids and my lovely wife stays home and home-schools them. We have a mortgage and bills so there is a lot of weight on my shoulders, financially and otherwise. The reality is, if I die or stop functioning as well, despite making sure I have good insurance, there is a lot of suffering 4 people who depend on me to fulfill a certain role would have to go through. Last year I started looking in the mirror and having thoughts like that. My appearance? To be honest, I had no reason any longer to care. But when I considered the important stuff, when I looked at my reflection I thought: "not good." I knew that I was not as energetic as I used to be. I knew I had to keep on my toes at work, keep doing a good job, for decades into the future. Retirement quite frankly is not something I can afford ever to think about. My choice. Not whining. Glad we made it. But there it is.

Those realizations, and my doctor's scoldings, were still not enough though. Then I discovered this guy. Reading about a dude who climbed Everest in his early twenties, joined the SAS (the British version of our SEALS), and then became head of the world wide scouting movement not to mention a "survivalist" might have demotivated a younger me. Not so now. Watching his show and reading his books fired me up. I did not need to climb Everest. I knew that. But I needed an "Everest." I needed something, something challenging and real and physical and manly, to get me up off the couch and down to the cellar where the weights are. And I had to get a handle on my eating.

As a child I spent 4 years living in England, so I could really relate to Grylls' childhood experiences. The fact that he had three boys, and wasn't afraid to talk about Christ and his faith, was powerful too. I decided I wasn't above adopting a celebrity role model, and did so. He was about my age and in incredible shape and climbing mountains and rappelling and traversing streams. Why not me? Why not fulfill my childhood dream of going hunting, fishing, hiking, and wilderness camping? It was finally time to get serious. If this guy could kill a deer with his bare hands and eat the eyeballs and kidneys raw, I could get one with a bow and field-dress it and cook venison tacos. I mean... common!

I also was spending time on facebook and watching my friends' running and weight loss successes, and I found this highly motivating.  Everyone now is a runner. It is unbelievable. I tried that. I even did 5k. But you know what? Running is for a certain type of person, and it's not me. I know it's all the rage, but I have to lift things, climb, hike, and shoot stuff. For me, if there is no danger at all it just isn't.... I dunno... doing anything. If I'm running I want it to be away from a boar or something else interesting and dangerous.

I knew all this was coming to a head when I went shopping for camos this summer, but I bought big ones anyway. I had "sort of" resolved to get in shape before. Why would this time be any different? But it was different. Training for hunting season had become my motivation. Being able to safely use that climbing tree stand (and not look like a camo ensconced walrus in heat while using it) was my motivation. Being outside with the bow and killing difficult quarry had become my motivation. Finally, after years of being pretty significantly overweight, I have managed to drop thirty pounds with the help of Weight Watchers. I have been lifting and doing squats for the exact purpose of being able to get up the tree without breaking a sweat, and it is amazing to see the work paying off. Now, I am quickly approaching my goal weight.

Venison instead of beef is another part of the reason I have been so successful. Do the points. You can have almost two venison burgers to one beef burger. The stuff is healthy and better for you. I know that the science is somewhat inconclusive, but for me, grass-fed and organic is superior to the modern "farm" raised alternative any day.  That is for another blog entry however.

What concerns me here is health, and the health benefits of the outdoors. Hiking, camping, hunting: these are not just pass times, they are core parts of what it means to be a human being. Every time we engage in one of these activities we are getting in touch with our roots. We are tapping something primal. Our adrenaline runs so much when we see a buck or kill a deer often get a case of the shakes. All of this has had a cumulative effect on me. The best runners know this too. The fact  is we homo-sapiens run distances well. We can't catch a deer. But we can chase it for a day or more and keep it running away until it overheats and just stops. Then we can throw spears and rocks at it at close range and get a feast. That's how our ancestors did it. Running, at it's core, is about killing, or not being killed. My running friends just remove the fun parts. Hunting and the outdoors are the fun parts.

The fact is hunting, hiking, climbing, camping... these are the things that have motivated me more than anything else to be in shape, and I bet they can motivate other guys too. Let's get out there and hunt, fish, hike, camp, and enjoy and preserve the outdoors. Let's be men and stop apologizing for it. Why not?

(yes... I know women enjoy hunting too... so if the last two sentences annoyed you read this)

God and Creation: The Privilege of Being a Hunter: Answer 2

The critic though might not be entirely satisfied with my response to the arguments against hunting for the Christian in my previous entry. There are several more arguments to be considered that Christians who oppose hunting make. 
Some argue that hunting is an example of the vice of greed. Look to history and we can see example after example of species being over-hunted to the point of extinction. It is only by bringing significant pressure to bear, and with the use of the coercive power of the state, that these excesses can be mitigated. Christians are called to be stewards of creation. Therefore, they should be among those who seek bring pressure to bear against hunting, and advocate for strong laws, to mitigate against the excesses of those who do hunt. They therefore should not be hunting themselves.

Furthermore, there are those who argue that hunting is destructive. Christians are not called to be destructive of nature, but to nurture it and preserve it. Therefore, they argue, Christians should not hunt. Some argue that hunting is offensive to God. It is self evident, after all, that God loves his creation, and his creatures. Deer are smart, but even if they weren't, they would still be loved by God. They are beautiful. Therefore respect for God's creation means having respect for the deer. Ho can we respect them and hunt them? Aren't the two goals mutually exclusive? Therefore, Christians ought not hunt.

But the truth is that it is hunters (and re-population efforts supported by them) that brought White Tail deer back to my area of the country after they were virtually extinct. Since hunting and tagging have started, populations continue to thrive. If hunting contributes to a healthy population, how can it be wrong for a Christian to do so? It is not greed to participate in an activity that helps us steward creation and bring populations back from the brink and then keep them at sustainable levels, nor is it destructive to do so.

Anyone who hunts a species to extinction or takes more than they legally are allowed to take is indeed guilty of the vice of greed. Yet tag systems take care of this problem, and in fact enable hunters to harvest deer in a responsible sustainable way that benefits the entire herd. I am not saying the government necessarily needs to be involved. I can easily imagine private agencies (akin to accrediting agencies for example) taking over the task of regulating our herds of game and doing a better (and cheaper!) job. Yet, so long as we work with the legitimate authority to make sure we are not over-harvesting, we are, in fact, doing the herd a service by keeping populations sustainable given their amount of habitat. Therefore, hunting legally is not greed.

Responsible hunting makes for a healthier deer herd, not the opposite, and therefore responsible hunting is not destructive.

If it is true that responsible hunting keeps herds sustainable, and healthy, then the dual goals of respecting the deer, and hunting them, are not mutually exclusive. Since we can hunt, and respect God's creation, hunting is not disrespectful of His creation.


Therefore the Christian hunter can pray as Father Pacwa suggests:


Prayer for honest hunt
Lord, may I make an honest count of game, respecting the legal limits of game in order to preserve the balance of life and death among the animals. May I so love the truth that I always give an honest recounting of the hunting stories while keeping them interesting to my friends. May I also listen to my friends’ stories with enjoyment and without envy.

Prayer against selfishness
Lord, I do not need to take every animal in the forest, nor must I take the best or nothing. Guide me to seek the best and to accept what I get. May I never take more than my limit and let me always help maintain the balance of nature in relationship to the environment and the numbers of animals there. Keep me aware of the needs and desires of other hunters while I always try to hunt at my own best skill.
Father Mitch Pacwa

Imprimi Potest,Very Rev. Father Edward Schmidt, SJ

source: http://stlouisreview.com/article/2009-10-29/saint-hubert-archer-intercedes

God and Creation: The Privilege of Being a Hunter: Answer 1

In my first entry on this topic I asked what I hope are some challenging questions for hunters of faith. Here I want to examine the first two of them.

What does it say about hunting that it is something that enters our life only after our fall from grace?

Should we seek to return to the more holy state of the garden, eschewing meat and hunting, now that the market makes such a lifestyle possible?

Some folks I have spoken to think that hunting is an inappropriate exercise for someone who proclaims to be a Christian. The commandments say "though shall not kill," and hunters are by definition killing an animal. Therefore, they argue, we should not hunt. Others think that hunting is merely a recreational activity and therefore is merely a distraction. In the early mornings, fathers and mothers ought to be preparing to spend time with their families when they are not at work and priests and religious out to be preparing for a day of prayer. There is no necessity to hunt. Hunting keeps people away from what they should be doing, and is at best a distraction. Therefore, they argue, we should not hunt.

Some are concerned that hunting causes an animal pain and would argue that modern slaughtering techniques are extremely efficient and therefore more humane. Since we can buy our meat in a store there is no need to hunt, and given the above two points, it seems problematic to hunt anyway. As Christians we should not cause pain. Therefore, they argue, we should not hunt.

In the garden, before the fall, there was no hunting. We should seek to be holy and live as we lived in the garden, before the fall from grace. Therefore, some argue that we should not only eschew hunting, but perhaps take up a vegetarian or even vegan lifestyle as a result. I have heard (online, at dinner parties, at family get-togethers) variations on all of the above. I have vegan family members, family members who still hunt but have left the Church, and hunting seems to bring out emotional (and at times reasonable) challenges.
Yet, I know that these arguments all fall very flat. Hunting is not only good, and holy, but is also quite frankly necessary if we are going to have sustainable and healthy populations of deer, bear, moose, and other species. There are few activities as healthy, wholesome, or as necessary, as this one. 

When God instructed us not to kill, he was telling us not to kill our fellow human beings. This is evident from the context, and the commandment cannot be taken in its simply literal form. Part of "thall shalt not kill" also means being kind to our fellow man, not destroying their reputation, or bullying them. If it meant "thall shall not kill anything" human beings would simply starve, as plants and animals have to die for us to eat. Merely recreational activities are not unnecessary as recreation is a necessary part of a well-balanced life. Yet, hunting is not merely recreational. In many areas several game species no longer have natural predators. A doe for instance will drop two fawns in a season. Without natural predators deer populations would continue to grow, and deer would starve to death. Well regulated hunting, with tags and management by DEP, means that species can continue to thrive at sustainable levels. Since hunting is not merely recreational, but necessary for ecological balance, then someone has to do it. Yet, even if this were not so, recreation is a necessary part of a balanced life and the recreational hunter also fulfills an ecological purpose.

It is true that hunting an animal causes it pain, but all killing of an animal causes some pain. Furthermore, in modern animal farming, animals live very strange lives, with very little movement, unnaturally fast growth rates, artificial inseminations, and a life of inevitable slaughter. Game species get to live natural and happy lives, and harvesting by a hunter is not an inevitable result of their existence; they have a fighting chance against the hunter. Therefore, it is not at all clear that hunting is more cruel than the modern industry: quite the opposite may be true.

Returning to the garden is an impossibility. Just because, before the fall, Adam and Eve wore no clothing should we consider attending nudist colonies? The fact that Adam and Eve had to do no work to eat should have no bearing on our current reality. Therefore, I think Christian hunters ought to pray as Fr. Mitch Pacwa advises:

Prayer to be an honorable hunter

By the grace of God may I always honor, thank and adore the Lord God who created the animals and saw that each species was good. Let me love the God who made humans in His own image and likeness and set them over the whole world, to have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth (Gen 1:26). By my honorable conduct as a hunter let me give a good example and teach new hunters principles of honor, so that each new generation can show respect for God, other hunters and the animals, and enjoy the dignity of the hunt.

Father Mitch Pacwa

Imprimi Potest,Very Rev. Father Edward Schmidt, SJ

source: http://stlouisreview.com/article/2009-10-29/saint-hubert-archer-intercedes

God and Creation: The Privilege of Being a Hunter

God is everywhere, even when we hunt, even with the creatures we hunt, and it is good and holy. Explaining this to people can be very hard, but I think it is incredibly important. In the Book of Genesis, as part of the Covenant with Noah, God says: “fear and dread of you be upon all the beasts of the earth, and upon all the fowl of the air, and all that move upon the earth: all the fishes of the sea are delivered into your hand. And every thing that moveth and liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herbs I have delivered them all to you.” (Gen. 9:2-3) Given this, it would seem that hunting the creatures is more than just acceptable. It seems like almost a mandate.

Yet, several considerations temper this. In the garden hunting did not exist. God delivered the “green herbs” to us for our food before the fall, and God’s plan seems very different from what we find later in Chapter 9. “And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat.”  (Gen 1:29) In the next verse he gives the same food to the animals.

Therefore, before the fall, we can conclude that God had a different view about our relationship to the animals. Adam and Eve had all the food they needed, with no need to plant or hoe or hunt, and it was there for the taking whenever they needed it. What does it say about hunting that it is something that enters our life only after our fall from grace?

Should we seek to return to the more holy state of the garden, eschewing meat and hunting, now that the market makes such a lifestyle possible? Is hunting good and holy, or something to be undertaken only because of our fall from grace, and impure as a result? Can it be marred by greed? Is it destructive? It is self evident, after all, that God loves his creation, and his creatures. Deer are smart, but even if they weren't, they would still be loved by God. They are beautiful. Therefore respect for God's creation means having respect for the deer. Can we respect them and hunt them? Are the two goals mutually exclusive?

Furthermore, God wrote more than one book. Science is the study of God’s “other” book: observable creation. What does science tell us that might illuminate our discussion of hunting?

A priest who reads my blog wrote: “Question: the act of hunting not as a predatory activity but as a spiritual or religious or Christian act?” It is an excellent question, and given everything already said (just from Genesis) it is a question that demands a thorough answer. I will seek to answer it systematically over the course of the next few blog entries.  

Asking Permission to Hunt Private Land

Thoughts on Asking Permission to Hunt Private Land

First let me say welcome! It was thrilling to visit the stats page for this blog and find readers in Germany and Russia. You live in stunningly beautiful countries, with wonderful and open land, and amazing hunting traditions that go back millenia. It is an honor that with such rich hunting legacies and traditions of your own, you would take the time to read an American's thoughts on the subject. On my mother's side, my grandma was an immigrant from Italy, and my grandpa was born here to Italian immigrants. Hunting was a way of life they brought from "the old country." Thus, even though Ishi and the native Americans were hunting here with the bow from the very beginning, and I consider myself as hunting within that tradition, the reality is that we European Americans will always be usurpers of that tradition to a degree. I do not feel that is case with you, blessed to live on land your forefathers and their forefathers have handed down to you.  I am humbled and grateful you would visit. Thank you for reading, and I can only hope for the privilege of hunting with you in your beautiful countries some day.

That's my grandpa up at top of this entry back in the 50s. I have that recurve in the basement still even though as kids we totally ruined it. I just can't bring myself to get rid of it. When my country had more civic life, more real connections between people, more social capital, large get together's at my grandpa's house were regular occurrences. By the time I was born, that had already begun to cease.

Where my great-uncles and grandpa are standing, there is a house today. When this photo was taken, behind my grandparents place there were about 5 or 6 acres of woods owned by a neighbor. No one complained as we kids played and "hunted" back there. There were no concerns about liability, no "keep out" signs posted. I am pretty sure grandpa hunted back there. He certainly hunted all over town, where wide open space was readily available.

That is no longer the case today where I live, just one town over from where my grandparents lived, and down the street from where my grandmother went to school. It is amazing to look back on the fact that as a child I lived in England, out in California, and have been virtually around the world, and yet as an adult I settled right back where I came from, and took up the same sort of life my grandfather had. He had three children, I have three children. He supported his wife and children and grandma stayed home with the kids. That is my lifestyle. It is what I am desperately trying to do for my own children: to live a traditional life with traditional values so that my children can experience a stability, sanity, and connectedness that I never had.

As much as I look to the past though for a more authentic, more real, and better way of life, times change and to an extent we must change with them (not our values of course!) If you are going to hunt suburbia in the US today, here is a fact: unless you own 6 acres or more with a water source on it or near by with plenty of cover there is no way to be successful on just your own land... assuming you own any at all. Lots of guys, especially in this economy, are not homeowners, and even if they are, their chances of seeing a deer on their own land on a regular basis are not very good. Public lands are notoriously difficult, especially for bow hunting. The only real solution is to be able to hunt private land.

But getting permission to hunt private land can be difficult; and it is especially hard if you are shy, want to avoid conflict, and don't like potentially difficult conversations. I hate these sorts of conversations, and thus I tend to hunt my friend's land, as opposed to asking strangers' permission. I consider this one of my weaknesses, and thus it is something I am working on rectifying. Some of these strategies have been gleaned from other places on the internet and hunting videos, and this list is by no means comprehensive. I hope readers will add suggestions in the comments section or send me a message. You don't necessarily have to be a hunter by the way to add suggestions about how to be brave and ask someone's permission. How do you get up the courage to start conversations with people? What strategies do you employ?

When it comes to asking permission to hunt, here are mine:

1) Be professional. 

You are asking a favor, and the property owner will start out thinking that there is no reason for them to say yes. To increase the chances of success you must have a solid presentation; the fact is the homeowner can and will benefit from your presence hunting his land and it is your job to let them know that. Does the landowner have a deer problem? Ask. "Pardon me, I notice you have a beautiful garden, and I am wondering if you have a deer problem?" Have a business card printed with your contact information for the homeowner to have. "Your Name: Deer Management Specialist." Inform the homeowner that there is absolutely no charge for your service, that you keep the meat from the deer you kill, and that is your payment, and that for every deer you take on his property, there will be some sausage or ground venison gifted to him (or her). This approach has gotten me a permission already. (I would only hand them the business card if you get the feeling that they are receptive though. Contact information could just be your email and your cell number)

Talk about safety in your presentation. Explain that you are using a bow and arrow, NOT a gun, and that there is no threat to life, limb, or neighbor. Explain that you will hunt from an elevated position, and if you miss, the arrow will simply go into the ground around the deer, and thus there are no acreage requirements for hunting on the land (this is the case in my state, check your local laws. This is good public policy, so if your state is stupidly restrictive, write a letter to your representative).

2) Be civil and know when to just walk away.

Don't get dragged into a debate. If the homeowner just isn't interested, or doesn't want to believe you about the law (this happened to me once... the guy just muttered: "that isn't allowed. No. That isn't allowed.") don't force the issue. Smile and move one.

3) Know the law

My state indemnifies from all liability homeowners who allow the use of their land for recreational purpose (hunting) from ALL liability. The permission slip is easy to fill out, and includes the hunter's conservation ID number and the slips are good for one year. Explain the law and know the statute.

4) You are selling something. Don't run from that.

You are not trying to take advantage of the property owner. The fact is deer management is incredibly important for the health of our herd. Management on your homeowners property will protect his vegetables (if he plants them) and his family from ticks and lime disease (which the deer carry around). At no cost to the homeowner, you are managing deer for him, and helping him keep his property up. You are also giving him some free meat (not a ton... but free meat nonetheless). That is a win win proposition. You are selling something, but something that costs the property owner nothing, and will give information and service that will be of benefit to him.

5) Be prepared.

Scared to start a conversation? Practice on your friends first. Once you've a got a permission or two under your belt, start to spread out. Take what you learned from your conversation with your friends, and pitch it to strangers.

6) Assess the conversation afterwards and ask yourself what could have gone better.

After having gone through the conversation ask yourself what you learned from the process. What could have gone better? What went well? Do you need to tweak your presentation at all for the next homeowner.

7) Commit to it. Do it. 

One of my role-models says this frequently, in what are often nearly life or death situations. To not decide is to make a decision. Either do this, or only have very few spots to hunt for an entire season. You need to just get up the courage and take action.

I hope you find these 7 steps to getting permission helpful, but I am not writing this blog to only help others. I am hoping readers can help me! Do you have ideas for how to get permission? What has worked for you?

Thanks again for reading!
The Suburban Hunter

A School of Disappointment

A School of Disappointment

Lets face it. Most times we go hunting with the bow, we don't get a deer. As great as Ishi was, it was only after his death and that Saxton and Pope managed to take a deer using the techniques he taught them, and even then, they chose to use the superior English Long Bow, rather than the bow that Ishi taught them to make. If we got one every time we went out, we would quickly be out of tags. Failure is a big part of hunting; getting the big buck is so exciting and intense precisely because it is so difficult to do, even with our superior bow, tree climbing, and scent management technology, this is anything but easy. When 30 yards is a long distance shot, deer hunting takes on a level of difficulty rifle hunters simply don't experience.

We protect our children from failure today. It is virtually impossible for them to fail. If they do poorly in school, their teachers are disciplined (especially now with "education reform"). There is no responsibility for children, and as they get into the real world, the transition to accountability can be a real shock for them as a result.

Hunting is a wonderful antidote to this: by taking our kids hunting we are teaching them to deal with failure, for failure is a huge (and frankly the biggest) part of the lifestyle. It has been like this from the beginning. The feasts hunters provided in hunter gathering societies were incredibly important, but most of the tribe's food came from the gatherers. Later, most of the food came from agriculture.The hunters were important, but they didn't have the best "batting average."

In stick and ball sports (my least favorite kind) failure is basically a 50/50 proposition, all things being equal. A team that wins only 50% of it's games is said to be "fair to middlin'." Yet, if a hunter got a deer 50% of the time they went out, they would be considered a genius of tracking, stand placement, and food-plot management. The freezer would be perpetually full and the local food banks would benefit from a constant stream of meat from the hunt for hunger program.

The same is true for auto racing, or for the batter in baseball. That is why watching these activities is so comforting. As a metaphor for life, these activities are actually akin to reality. Yet, unlike auto racing or baseball, hunting actually is life. It is part (along with gathering, and planting) of what we were put on this planet to do. It is why God (or nature) put our eyes in the front of our head, and not off to the side. Homo-sapiens are predators: omnivorous, smart, and capable of moral reasoning, agriculture, and civilization, but predators nonetheless.

So, why do hunters keep doing it? It is cold up in a tree stand, especially now as we enter the fullness of fall, and deal with the approaching winter. Sure, we have fancy scent blocking camos with all sorts of insulation, yet cold is cold. What makes someone go out in the sleet, when snow is on the ground and the wind chill below zero, to climb a tree and sit and freeze for hours on end waiting in the hope that a deer's path will cross his?

I am sure everyone has their own reasons. No matter what they are however, when one perseveres in the face of failure holding fast to the hope that they can succeed, they are displaying fortitude. This is assuming of course that they are constantly looking at their failure and attempting to learn from it. Just doing the same thing over and over again and failing is the definition of insanity. That said, if one is constantly working on getting better, studying, and putting new ideas into practice in search of success, and keeps going out in spite of failure, one is, most assuredly, on the road to success. It may not feel like it mind you, but that is where they are.

If remaining brave and working hard in the face of failure is essential to success, then fortitude is essential to success, and thus it is a special virtue to say the least. We are called to display this virtue even when the stakes are far higher than a mere job, or career path. We are called to display fortitude even in the face of death. Given that, if we have a streak where we don't see any deer, do we simply give up and walk away? Is that the solution? Or is the solution to revisit our scent management, recommit to leaving food, re-check our game cameras, re-check the wind, move our stand based on our findings, and get back out there? If we want to get deer, the solution needs to be the latter.

Fortitude is essential to life, and essential to hunting. If you have a streak where you don't see anything, recommit to the basics. Check everything, paying careful attention to scent and stand placement, and keep trying.

It also helps to remember this: no time in the tree stand is wasted, unless you choose to waste it. The zipper pouch on my climbing tree stand does more than hold the strap that goes around the tree for my safety harness. It also holds a book. As being up in a tree surrounded by nature and quiet is a sure way to get closer to God, my book relates to that.

What book would you most want for your tree stand? Whatever it is, never waste the time up there. Show fortitude, and whatever you do keep hunting...  but don't waste the quiet. It is precious. 

Don't Write. Do.

Why write a blog? Narcissism?

One thing about hunting, it brings up interesting conversations. If done right, it can be an antidote for narcissism. Politics not so much. That is why I am trying to make politics hold zero interest for me (unless some politician is trying to make bad public policy on hunting). For me, this is hard. I  have convictions. But there is something else that is true: somethings are just not worth discussing. Hunting is always worth discussing. Anything we do out in the real world is worth discussing. Did you build something? That is worth discussing. Did you go hunting and get a critter? That is worth discussing. Did you achieve something special? That is worth discussing (so long as we're not bragging). Are you like my wife who does real things all day long? That is worth discussing.

One guy I really respect just wrote a book. His facebook status was classic. "My sons are doing (x, y, z) and experiencing life altering and important events. I just sent off another book to the publisher that probably didn't need to be written. Don't tell the editor."

I don't name names, but if there is a good university library near you, this guy's books are on the shelves.

The dude is smarter than me plus the five other people I may be around at any given time put together. You know what he puts on the internet? Stuff like the above, pictures of dead deer (yeah...more than I have...), and "Go Pack" when the Packers play. That is the guy we should seek to be like.

What we "think" about this or that topic, our opinions, our "values," our stances, etc. etc., really isn't that interesting to other people, and that is as it should be. Just who are we to think our opinions matter? They really don't. "No one cares" is absolutely right. If our opinions mattered that much, we would write books... and people would buy them.

Or they would at least end up on some library shelf...

So why write a blog? Is it narcissism run amok? There are people out there with way more deer to their credit than me. Let them write a blog. This guy is already out there, the journey already undertaken.

The other day I was at work, and the subject of hunting came up with a coworker. Dangerous. I should have known better. But before I knew it I was talking about these amazing venison tacos my wife cooked last night, and we know where that conversation leads. This particular colleague I respect highly, and on everything that matters: the things she does (her job, her job performance, her ability to have her colleagues back if necessary....) she does well. Her political opinions I respect, but I don't agree with a single one of them usually. I was nervous as can be as hunting came up. What was I DOING!?

As the topic came up, something happened that was just amazing. She began to talk about organ meat, and how good Venison Kidneys were. Her father was a hunter, and took her shooting starting at the age of 13. I had just written about this! She knew about field dressing, the importance of eating what we take (or donating it to the food banks), the intricacies of fire-arms (I am a bow hunter). We had an extremely interesting, and edifying conversation.

It struck me then that hunting is about doing something real, like building a deck or starting a business, and it's always okay to talk about doing, so long as we are actually doing (and not pretending or bragging). How often do we really come across a vicious anti? Not often... and even if we do, anti's really aren't worth our time anyway. If someone has calmly told them that a doe will drop two fawns a season, and that the deer have no natural predators, and that to keep populations thriving, successful, and healthy, hunters need to use their tags, and they still don't get it, chances are they probably won't. The key here is to learn when to walk away from those conversations. You won't convince a died in the wool vegan anti that you are anything but a murderer. Just move on and don't antagonize.

But if you are passionate, have a hint of co-dependency, just have to have to have to prove that you are right, then you will have difficulty walking away from that conversation as it turns away from doing, and turns into an ideological battle. You will try like hell to convince the anti, and, especially if the conversation is online, all you will achieve is alienating a bunch of people. It just isn't worth it. Trust me, it is a lesson I have learned too many times the hard way. Telling yourself "no one cares" is really good medicine. It keeps you in check. You will only fight fights that really need fighting that way. Who wants to anger someone to the point where they are accusing you of murder?

Or, if you want to live dangerously, read this and put it into practice: fair warning, you won't have many friends. Unless you really really truly don't care what people think about you though, it my be a very tough road to embark on. It can be hard on a spouse trying to fit in with some friends who don't like hunting for instance.

So what is the solution? Hunting is the solution.

I am serious here. Hunting is real: like building a deck, starting a business, planting a garden. Hunting is doing. It isn't fake. It isn't an argument about our worthless thoughts and opinions, no matter how dearly held. It isn't an ideological struggle. It isn't wasted time typing at a keyboard (This advice only applies to "writers" who are not "writers...." like me... Writers DO at the keyboard.)

Whatever you do, forget politics. It is evil, like a disgusting emotional quagmire.

It's time to stop the nonsense. BREATHE. Do something real and authentic.  Get up and do something. Hunt, fish, hike, start a business, build something, achieve something, and maybe then write about it... maybe.

Who knows, perhaps someone will care enough to read your words then, because they will be about something real. Get out there...now... and hunt.

That is where I am going first thing in the morning on Saturday.

And for goodness sake, if you are going to vote (NO ONE is saying you have to), vote for the guy or gal less likely to take away your freedom to DO things: build, hunt, plant, and do something real... if you can find such a candidate... I don't think either party makes them.

Yes, I said I would include my kids... even the girls...

My first controversial blog entry! I feel like I should get a prize, and it was entirely unintentional.

Before I start, allow me to say this. I am not interested in writing a political blog. I will defend the right to hunt, and advocate for good and smart hunting policy, but I am an apolitical guy when in this space. I am going to mention some politicians in this entry... it isn't an endorsement.

Over on my facebook page I received some gentle criticism, ranging from reasoned arguments about gender roles, to outright statements of "are you NUTS?" when I mentioned that I wanted to take my children (two of whom are daughters) hunting. This surprised me. But when people I respect bring up concerns, I tend to listen. I do not have all the answers. Writing is a part of soul searching. Do they have a point? Should I refrain from taking the girls?

In all things I look to role models for help discerning what is right, and wrong, and I tend to eschew things like cultural norms in favor of objective truth. Are there objective reasons to take sons, but not daughters, hunting? Are there gender roles, norms of dress, ideas about the nature of masculine and feminine, that we ought not play with or alter, and that are threatened when we take our daughters out in the woods in pursuit of the big kill? How have people I respect approached these questions?

Then there is the million dollar question and loaded word: feminism. In the circles I travel in, feminism is a dirty word. Most of my friends are really... really... really conservative. But here is an uncomfortable truth for some of my readers: I consider myself a feminist. Not the sort of feminist most feminists would recognize as a feminist... but definitely an authentic feminist nonetheless. I hope we can still be friends, but there it is. Here is something else to keep in mind, something which I hope we can all agree on: everything that is good and true in feminism has always been good and true. Everything that is wrong about some segments of modern feminism has always been wrong. Truth is immutable. If we don't agree on that, we really can't agree on anything, so there is no use reasoning anyway.

I'll come back to that. First: role models. Most hunter role-models I have strongly encourage us to take our children hunting with us, passing on our knowledge and our way of life (this really what it is) to the next generation. Some of the hunting celebrities out there right now are women. Some prominent figures in American public life seem to have weighed in. Paul Ryan is taking his daughter deer hunting driving the anti's into a frenzy of illogical ranting. Sarah Palin has a big buck to her credit. Every where I look in the sportsman culture I see women making tremendous inroads. Archery, target shooting, hunting, fishing, you name it, women are making a mark in it. Is this a bad thing? Is it an example of how our culture is losing its way. Is it new and modernist and dangerous?

Annie Oakley Takes Aim

A successful Sarah Palin

If I look to the world, I can see tons of example of women who hunt, fish, mother, are feminine and beautiful, and do all this consistently and well. So why not my daughters? Well, my few readers know me and know that I do not consider the world, and whatever everyone else does, to be an authentic measure of what is right. For that I tend to look to more important role models than Annie Oakley and Sarah Palin.

You can tell a lot about what people value by looking at what the names they consider for their children. My wife and I had two names in mind for our youngest daughter while we awaited her arrival: Joan, and Gianna. Joan of Arc is one of my all-time favorite role models. She was a soldier, leader, and fighter. She both led, and killed, men (leaders give orders, and thus people die). Some of the churchmen (beholden to country not God... what else is new...) put her on trial. These were "French" "Bishops" who sided with the King of England and worldly concerns over the witness of a great messenger from God. One of the charges was that she cut her hair short, dressed as a man, and waged war, and that such things were unnatural and wrong for a woman. They argued that God would never inspire one to do what is unnatural and wrong. Therefore, Joan was a heretic, not a saint and a prophet. They burned her: tied her to a stake and lit her on fire. The data are pretty clear that they raped her as well.

The trial was later revisited (one thing the Vatican does is keep good records) and she was exonerated. She is now a Saint, and a very great one. So compelling was her story and her witness, so complete were the details of her life preserved by the trial, that none other than the great modernist skeptic Mark Twain wrote her story in the form of a novel. That book is worth the read.

If God never wanted women to be strong, to lead men, to stand up and fight if necessary, He would never have called Joan. If it is somehow objectively wrong for women to dress in camo, shoot at animals, or bear arms in pursuit of what is good and Holy, the so-called "French" "Bishops" would have been right. They weren't.

What if Joan had said to the angel who appeared to her: "no thanks. I won't go see the King and put on armor and get a sword and lead men into battle. I am a woman, and that would be improper. Go call a man?"

I think of Joan of Arc as a role model for my daughters. Taking them hunting seems pretty consistent with that witness.

Of course, the name that won out was not Joan, but Gianna. Gianna Molla was a pediatric surgeon in Italy. She worked as a doctor the whole time she was married. Until her time, having a woman being a doctor would be atypical to say the least. Men are doctors. Women are nurses. Right?  Ummm... not anymore. Dr. Molla is a Saint. Was there something wrong with her breaking down that traditional gender role? Nope. We have an objective standard saying so.

Given the witness of Joan, and Gianna, am I concerned about my daughters going hunting? Is Sarah Palin a raging modern feminist who eschews traditional family life? Say what you will about her, the answer to that is no. There she is, up there on this page, sitting next to a big, bloody, buck of an elk. Is Paul Ryan leading his daughter astray while encouraging her to do something against her nature by buying her camo's and a rifle? Umm... don't think so. Say what you will about his budget or his positions, I don't see any argument that taking his daughter into the woods to shoot would be a bad thing. He should tell her about Joan of Arc before he takes her out next time.

Let's finally get back to the whole "truth is immutable" thing. Hunting is good. It is very good. It's not just that there is nothing wrong with it; it is a well ordered and healthy human activity, and it is a school for the virtues. If it was wrong to break down some traditional gender roles, God would not have called Joan, and the Church would not have canonized Gianna. If hunting is a positive good, and if it is absolutely not a sin for women to break into activities that used to be done mostly by men, then the conclusion I think is obvious.

So, no, I am not concerned about taking my daughters hunting if they want to go.

But there is one more compelling reason I will take my daughters... and my son... hunting should they wish to go. I don't want to leave them in the dark about just how incredible the outdoors, and the hunt, is. And I do not want to orphan them with this consuming hobby (lifestyle) I am embarking on.

As I said on my facebook page:

My grandfather was an avid hunter and a fisherman. He never took his girls (he had no sons) and his relationship with them as a result was somewhat impoverished. Most of the hunters I know are passionate about sharing the woods and nature with their children as a vehicle for passing down values and building familial relationships/bonds. My grandfather didn't do that, because of what were simply social norms. But, there would have been zero harm in taking his girls fishing, or even hunting. Heck, they wanted to go and spend time with him. He didn't do it. And in my mind he failed in his responsibility on that score. 

And its much more than just being about "food." It's about responsibility, and the outdoors, and yes, it is even spiritual, so I see no reason to exclude anyone who wants to be included. IF my son says "I don't like hunting" I would not force it on him, but if my daughter wants to do it, I am not going to dissuade her either. 

I will not repeat grandpa's mistake... and it WAS a mistake. 

Yes, my girls will hunt... if and only if they want to.  

Prudence Matters

It's a difficult thing to have to write about, but every hunter knows lots of folks who want to hunt with him. Sometimes these folks are relatives. Sometimes these folks are close relatives. And sometimes, the answer needs to be "no."

Let me be as plain as I can be here. Only go into the woods with those you trust. You can't mess around with this. Bows are dangerous things; safer to be sure than firearms, but still deadly. People who drink are not to be invited to accompany one on a hunting trip. I don't care how rich, well connected, or “smart” they are. Some people just don't get it. Dick Cheney's friend should have followed this advice: just say no! Yes, even if it is the Vice President of the United States calling. You don't want to be that guy who is getting talked about on T.V... "I feel horrible. I shot my friend."

If you are hunting together, you are going to talk. Ask yourself: is this person the sort of guy (or gal) that I want knowing me this intimately? If you are married, you ought not go hunting with someone of the opposite sex who is not your spouse. Ever. Ask yourself: if I share anything with this person, can they be trusted? Are they prudent? Do they keep confidences? If you have any question in your mind, don't invite them, and make gentle excuses when invited. This is too serious and risky to mess around with.

People you let in and share things with can hurt you, badly. You will talk with and share things with people you hunt with. Are you sure about this? Let an invitation to accompany you hunting be something rare, and coveted. When offered, let it be to a select few that you really trust so those you ask will feel special, and honored.

Aquinas has a lot to say about prudence. It is worth the time to check out. I don’t know much, but here is what I know: if someone lacks a head on one’s shoulders, don’t hunt with them. This has nothing to do with cognitive ability. One can have a PhD in astrophysics and have only a fraction of the prudence possessed by the bricklayer with 40 years of wisdom and calloused hands. You want a sure sign of prudence in a hunting partner? Disagree with him about something and see what he does. Does he carefully weigh what you say, consider it respectfully, but still hold his ground if he is right. More importantly is he willing to move if he is wrong? If that is the case, then he has prudence. Anyone else, don’t hunt with.

If the virtue of prudence is absent, keep that guy at arms length. You don’t need people in your life who lack prudence. It isn’t smart to share important things with folks like that. It’s okay to notice that someone lacks prudence. This isn’t being judgmental; in and of itself it is an example of prudence to take note of these things.

Now, here is the hard question we all need to ask ourselves. “Do I have prudence?” Here is what I know. Prudence is a gift, freely given, and inculcated with practice, and I need to work on it, because I do not have it naturally, and it takes faith AND work to get it and exercise it. That is part of what this blog is about: sorting out in an anonymous forum what is and what is not good, right, and prudent. There is no way I have all the answers.

Not sure if you have prudence? First rule: don’t sweat it. If you are concerned about it, that is a really good sign that you actually have it. If you are in doubt, here is the great news: all you need to do is pray for it. Then read, study, and think. What specifically are you weak on? Is it shot placement? Practice. Is it getting over your fear of knocking on doors ahead of time to inform people a property owner in the area has given you permission, and if you are successful, would they mind if you track through, and having the prudence to handle the conversation well? Prepare ahead of time and practice what you are going to say. Is it getting over a lack of concern about having proper paperwork, permission, and tagging procedures handled? It’s the law, and it is enlightened public policy in my state especially. Obey it!

All the above needs to be dealt with if you are hunting suburbia. It all involves prudence. And what about hunting with guys? Do you have the prudence to keep a confidence a confidence? Offer good advice? Be a friend? Handle a difficult situation? (Imagine an irate “anti” seeing you hunting their neighbors land, and going nuts.) Can you be the sort of prudent ally your buddy needs in that situation? Do you have his back? Are you prudent enough to deescalate in a difficult situation? Can your buddy do the same? Are you certain he’s got your back if necessary?

Hunting is a school for life. It isn’t some cute little activity that is done for food and a day out away from family, something that is somehow optional. If you are a hunter, you know this. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t hunt. If you weren’t this fired up, you would stop, and return to the insulated life of the modern. This is LIFE. Modern people don’t get it. They live in a fake little world where meat comes in packages and they can pretend nothing had to die for them to eat, and vegetables come wrapped in plastic with no labor but the energy it takes to throw it in the basket. Such people are disconnected, though not to be hated. You were one once before you took up the bow or the spade. They'll figure it out.

Not sure what to do? Plant a garden, or hunt, or do both, and reconnect with what is true, natural, real and good. Practice developing prudence in the process. Disconnect from this artificial life of “civilized” progress for a bit, and reconnect with your DNA. God put your eyes in front of your head, and not off to the sides, for a reason. Be at one with your nature, and develop prudence in the process, and grow. No more sitting around. Get up and do something. And for God’s sake get someone else up with you! (But only if you trust them)