Hunting: Why I Hunt

By most accounts, you could say that I fail at hunting. In all my time hunting creatures, I've only killed two deer, one elk, and a handful of pheasant. I just returned from turkey hunting for the second year in a row and still haven't produced a turkey. Hell, even on a lesser level, I haven't been able to catch a fish for the last three times I've been out fishing. One might ask, why do you keep hunting then? Why continue to pour money into something that produces little results? Furthermore, even when you are successful, it costs even more money to have that animal processed and packaged. So, why hunt?

I hunt for several reasons. First and foremost, I hunt because I enjoy hunting. I love being in the outdoors, in wild places, in the mountains, in the woods, by creeks, rivers and lakes. The fresh air and the cool breeze is enough to put a smile on my face. There are a lot of people who take the outdoors for granted, especially in this day and age. They would rather sit on their couch, point their nose towards a computer screen (ironic that I'm on a computer at this moment typing, lol) and never leave the comfort of home/the city. That's fine. If that's what makes you happy, then embrace it and find all the enjoyment you can. I find enjoyment being out in the wilderness.

The second reason I hunt, is because it is a great time to bond with family and friends. It's pretty rare that I strike out to go hunting alone. Generally I'm with someone and it is a wonderful time to talk, tell jokes, and just hang out and have a good time. Sitting around the campfire late at night shooting the shit, or even hiking around the wilds on your way to the next hunting spot. You're there together, sharing an experience and making memories that will last a lifetime.

I would love to be "successful" each time I go out and harvest my intended game animal. However, I know it isn't going to happen all the time. My advice, don't let it get you down. My family used to have a scale for success. First, just going out was a success. Second, seeing animals was a bigger success. Finally, actually harvesting the animal was the ultimate success. This recent hunt was pretty successful in those terms. We went out, saw turkeys, hell, we even struck up a couple of conversations with turkeys using my box call. However, we didn't harvest one. Still a success.

It would be easy to let things like not harvesting an animal get you down. My advice to you, figure out why you are hunting and enjoy making memories.