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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I grew up in a house with pets as a child. I have dogs and cats now in my own home. I was also raised into a family that hunted everything from rabbits, deer, turkey and grouse. My father was my mentor and he never forced hunting on any of us. If we wanted to go and see what it was like that was fine, but if we chose not to hunt that was fine as well. I did find the time spent in the woods with my dad and my brother more valuable to me. That's what I call quality time with my family. I feel that I play a part in Conservation by paying for my license and pursuing wildlife legally. I enjoy the unknown of what you may see in the woods.
ReplyDeleteI took my wife three years ago to Wyoming while I hunted Mule Deer. She had never been and was sure she would hate it, but while taking pictures and seeing the deer in the wild sparked an interest that she wanted to try. She has gone the past two years and loves it, not just killing stuff but the time we get to spend together. The animals we kill will be eaten by my family throughout the year. So I will say don't allow someone to deter you from doing something that you enjoy. And you will always love your pets just as much. There's nothing like the love you pet shows you when you get home from being away. That's what's important.
I grew up in a house with pets as a child. I have dogs and cats now in my own home. I was also raised into a family that hunted everything from rabbits, deer, turkey and grouse. My father was my mentor and he never forced hunting on any of us. If we wanted to go and see what it was like that was fine, but if we chose not to hunt that was fine as well. I did find the time spent in the woods with my dad and my brother more valuable to me. That's what I call quality time with my family. I feel that I play a part in Conservation by paying for my license and pursuing wildlife legally. I enjoy the unknown of what you may see in the woods.
ReplyDeleteI took my wife three years ago to Wyoming while I hunted Mule Deer. She had never been and was sure she would hate it, but while taking pictures and seeing the deer in the wild sparked an interest that she wanted to try. She has gone the past two years and loves it, not just killing stuff but the time we get to spend together. The animals we kill will be eaten by my family throughout the year. So I will say don't allow someone to deter you from doing something that you enjoy. And you will always love your pets just as much. There's nothing like the love you pet shows you when you get home from being away. That's what's important.
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That's an interesting reading!
ReplyDeletewhat are the best hunting times to go at? This is a very important question, because if you go at the wrong time, you can almost guarantee your hunting failure. Here
ReplyDeleteDifferentiating living with and hunting for animals
ReplyDeleteAs a child, I had always have a good love for animals, and would especially want to take them home as pets. I had some rabbits, cats, dogs, chicks, birds in my home, and I was the one responsible for taking care of them, and feeding them, and cleaning them. I grew up loving these animals as pets, and so it seems quite ironic that I would want to get into the sport of hunting. Much like myself, my family welcomed animals and took care of them, my father being a veterinarian as well.
None of them went into hunting, and I am the only one into this sport, and it isn’t so difficult especially because there are a lot of wild animals in the forests near us. Many people think it is ironic for me to suddenly have a shift in perception, but I would like to say otherwise. In fact, I am one of those people who actually wants to actively conserve deer and prevent it from overpopulation.
I take both aspects close to my heart, and I see them in different perspectives, but overall, I have strong empathy for animals, and would do a lot to protect them. Hunting for me is simply thinking about the greater good, which is to avoid overpopulation of an animal to create imbalance in the ecosystem.
I lived in a bush for 10 years know the feeling. Nice blog
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