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Not really sure when it happened to my hobby, scratch that my lifeblood, but I do remember a time when all I was, was a “hunter”. And under such title I got to do it all. Groundhogs, small game, birds, archery, rifle it was all there and had a great possibility in any given Fall of happening and it was all looked forward to with the same zest, not just by me but by the whole group that cycled thru it with me. The bounding of bunnies in front of beagles, the squirrels in the oaks, the cackling of the unexpected hedgerow rooster, the colored leaf indian summer hunts with the bow, the echo of someone’s rifle as you tear thru the tangle for them.
About 10 years into my now 29 year hunting career, for some reason I started to see the need to grab a title and put it in front of “hunter “in order to gain respect with the others that do that particular kind of hunting. If not you could feel unaccpeted to the ranks they represent so proudly and take so serously. I guess it was early in my ego-filled 20’s that really brought forth this need for me to try to define my one true passion in the sport, and be able to have some kind of specialty where I excelled, so I could gain that respect with just mention of the title. “that guy is a diehard grouse hunter, bowhunter, stillhunter, duck hunter, turkey hunter…I mean just fill in the blank , one time or another in that era I gave myself the title, equipped myself to the T for it, buckled down to try to learn the game and specialized in my pursuit of that one or maybe two things.
Was I alone in this need? Well it does not appear to be. Today the category of hunter you are seems to be just as important as the fact that you do hunt. Almost like a political party that via affiliation, you are instantly molded to be “for” or “against” something. This is certainly is seen in the conservation organizations , the shooting clubs, and also what seems to be a growing need for a weapon specific lobby, in addition to those that need to take sides on just how well our sport is being governed by the PAGC.
Changes over the years have changed the face of hunting and will conitnue to do so. Be it the marketing of a product, redefining a season, regulation and harvest changes, or just the increase of other activities that may compete for that one Saturday a week to hunt, oh so many things to take sides on and put your passion behind.
Be that as it may, there is still one common thread in all those titles we give ourselves to define our specialty, “hunter”, It used to be good enough to define us all.
As my boy turns 12 and this lifestyle is passed on and everything gets explored once again , I look forward to becoming once again, just a "hunter" , thinking back that is when I was happiest.
Be well, Enjoy it all. No days are allowed to be done over in the end.
RB
About 10 years into my now 29 year hunting career, for some reason I started to see the need to grab a title and put it in front of “hunter “in order to gain respect with the others that do that particular kind of hunting. If not you could feel unaccpeted to the ranks they represent so proudly and take so serously. I guess it was early in my ego-filled 20’s that really brought forth this need for me to try to define my one true passion in the sport, and be able to have some kind of specialty where I excelled, so I could gain that respect with just mention of the title. “that guy is a diehard grouse hunter, bowhunter, stillhunter, duck hunter, turkey hunter…I mean just fill in the blank , one time or another in that era I gave myself the title, equipped myself to the T for it, buckled down to try to learn the game and specialized in my pursuit of that one or maybe two things.
Was I alone in this need? Well it does not appear to be. Today the category of hunter you are seems to be just as important as the fact that you do hunt. Almost like a political party that via affiliation, you are instantly molded to be “for” or “against” something. This is certainly is seen in the conservation organizations , the shooting clubs, and also what seems to be a growing need for a weapon specific lobby, in addition to those that need to take sides on just how well our sport is being governed by the PAGC.
Changes over the years have changed the face of hunting and will conitnue to do so. Be it the marketing of a product, redefining a season, regulation and harvest changes, or just the increase of other activities that may compete for that one Saturday a week to hunt, oh so many things to take sides on and put your passion behind.
Be that as it may, there is still one common thread in all those titles we give ourselves to define our specialty, “hunter”, It used to be good enough to define us all.
As my boy turns 12 and this lifestyle is passed on and everything gets explored once again , I look forward to becoming once again, just a "hunter" , thinking back that is when I was happiest.
Be well, Enjoy it all. No days are allowed to be done over in the end.
RB