The Link
Image from The Department of Veteran Services
The link between hunting and fishing is relativity obvious, they are both means to gather a form of sustenance from nature. They are also both activities that are throughly enjoyable to engage in. When I was a kid and someone asked me what I liked to do, I would respond with hunting and fishing, almost as if they were the same thing. They both allow you to engage and interact with nature and take you back to your roots. They also allow you to gather some amazing ingredients for a pretty spectacular meal if you are in to Cooking. Hunting is a form of gathering food that has been around as long as fishing and something that is just as enjoyable to partake in as a hobby or pastime.
Throughout the years I have come to enjoy both for nearly identical reasons, and I believe that there is no purer form of consuming meat than meat that you have harvested yourself. In the words of Joe Rogan, “The life of a wild animal is infinitely better than that of a caged and domesticated animal.” If done properly, hunting for wild game will result in a painless death and will provide you with meat that is untainted by GMO’s, antibiotics, or other impurities often found in farm raised meats. There is no pen that wild animals are forced to live in, walking around in their own waste, no Abuse suffered at the hands of callused farm hands, or cruel slaughter methods at a filthy slaughterhouse. There are many Benefits to hunting, but here are a few that I think relate to fishing the most, and are the most enjoyable aspects.
Hunting also allows you to appreciate the food you are eating that much more. When you are biting into that venison burger, you remember the countless days spent scouting for deer sign, planting food plots, checking trail cams, hiking the mountains in an attempt to find your elusive query and sitting in the cold or freezing rain. Every bite you take, you remember the innumerable hours put into that split second when you pull the trigger and take down what you have been chasing for days, months, and sometimes, even years. It makes every bite that much more satisfying, infinitely more so than going to the store and buying two pounds of burger from who knows where.
The final and, in my opinion, best part about hunting and its link to fishing, is the bonding that occurs. Every hunt is a memory, some more interesting than others, but a memory nonetheless. For example, every year of the first day of buck, my entire family comes to my grandparents house to hunt together. Every year on thanksgiving day, we all meet up and and go pheasant hunting. There is nothing like the bonding moment you have with your dad, your
grandpa, or your uncle, when you kill your firstdeer, or get your first pheasant. For those that have experienced it, you know the feeling I’m talking about, for those who don’t, I recommend trying it. This links to fishing in the fact that it is a similar feeling to catching your first trout. You will forever remember the moment. I was 10 years old when I shot my first deer and I can tell you everything about that day, just like it was yesterday.
Hunting and fishing are means to an end, gathering food, but the journey to obtain that end is one of the most enjoyable and satisfying journeys I have ever embarked on.
I did not realize before how many benefits that are both physical and mental come from hunting and fishing. Your blog did a really good job of giving me a glimpse of what it might be like to have a hunting or fishing tradition with family. It reminds me in a way of family traditions in general, and how much they always stand out in my memory, as well as passions and the different memorable milestones you can reach. Similarly to how you will always remember your first deer, I will remember my first soccer goal and my first dance competition. I will also vividly remember the traditions I have with my family. From big things, like Thanksgiving dinner at my house, to smaller and simpler things, like board game nights with my big family. Overall, your blog reminded me of these valuable memories and also showed me what satisfaction can come from hard work rather than just an easier shortcut.
When describing how hunting allows you to appreciate your food, I think you do a good job in justifying that point through how descriptive you are in explaining each step of the hunt. As you explained the process from setting food plots all the way to taking a bite of the burger, I felt like I was able to experience each step because of the vivd imagery that you used. I also appreciated the way you ended this post by giving a reason why both hunting and fishing are important while also incorporating how satisfying your own personal experience with hunting and fishing has been.