As I grew older, I took it a step further. I was rehabilitating baby birds, nursing chipmunks back to health after our cat got a hold of them, and housing baby rabbits safe overnight to ensure a safe predator-free release in the daylight. Once in high school, I took a Veterinary Science class to learn about animal functions, health, restraint...everything anyone could possibly learn about helping animals in the veterinary field. I was always the first person my friends contacted when they had a question about their pets. My first job was at a pet store, my second job was at a dog grooming facility, my third was held in an equine veterinary facility, and to this day, I still am lucky enough to work with animals on a daily basis.No one in my immediate family ever hunted. I had always had an underlying interest in hunting, only because I wanted to get closer to nature. Closer to wildlife. But I never had anyone around to show me how to do it, how to go about getting started, what the laws are, or anything pertaining to the hobby. In 2010, I met my boyfriend who was a big time hunter, and the first thing on our agenda together was hunting! I finally had a mentor to teach me about the ways of the wild. Today, I bowhunt and shotgun hunt during the Virginia firearms seasons, and I've also taken up the art of taxidermy. Awesome!
I also own horses and have often ridden with a family friend since about the age of 11. I hadn't seen her in a while, so I called her up recently to get together for a weekend ride and she said something to me that weighed heavy on my heart.
"We certainly need to catch up! I hear you're hunting now, and doing taxidermy and all that stuff! What happened to you? You used to love animals when you were younger; you were the protector of all things living, now you're out killin' and stuffin' em! I guess it's true, people really can change!"
It nearly brought tears to my eyes. I felt my heart skip a few beats and sink deep into my stomach. Just because I hunt, does that mean I can't love animals at the same time? How do you explain to someone that you love to hunt, yet you still love the animals? Am I now known as a person who hates all things that live and breathe based solely on the fact that I enjoy being in nature, being close to the wildlife, seeing eye-to-eye with these creatures, and occasionally taking a few a year to put meat on my table? Does being part of the largest conservation group in the nation make me a stone-cold murderer?The answer to all of the above is absolutely not. I like to think I'm the best of both worlds. I'm living proof that a girl can have a deep burning passion for animals, yet can still be an active and successful huntress. There's a delicate balance, and I'm fortunate enough to have found that even ground. I hunt ethically, I wish a painless death upon my prey, but at the same time, I'd sure sink all my time and money into a sick animal to make sure it gets better again. I spend a lot of my time making sure my pets are warm, comfortable, and fed before I climb into my own bed at night. And I'm sure there are hundreds of thousands of others out there that are just like me.
So think twice before you tell a hunter or huntress that they are the worst people on earth; that they hate all animals and wish immense harm upon them. You never know if that same person is the assistant that helps your veterinarian treat your dog, the same person that volunteers their time at your local shelter, or that same person that pulled an orphaned fawn out of the road and traveled a hundred miles to the nearest wildlife rehabilitator to give that animal a fair chance at survival.
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