Hunting vs. What I Do

When I tell people I don’t hunt its taken the wrong way by almost every group who hears it. Some get a great, stupid grin on their face thinking that I am like them and wouldn’t harm a living creature and I require consent from my food – uh, no. Others think I have some moral judgment issues going down like I am above harvesting an animal and look down on those who do – wrong again. Most hunters are really conservationists and are typically more at one with nature than social justice warriors who are never out in it. The truth is – I am just lazy. Let me explain.

Hunting is a huge responsibility and a lot of work. First, you need to find a safe place to hunt, true of all shooting really, but hunting also requires there be the type of game you’re looking for to be located there. Let’s throw correct seasons and limits or tags in for good measure. Then you must go to that safe place, with game, in season, and hang out quietly before the game gets there to make sure your paths cross. Once they do cross your path you get one perfect shot or maybe two if you’re lucky. If you happen to miss those few shots you may have wasted your time.

Let’s say it was a good day and all of that happened – now the real work begins. You must now take care of your game. Find it, dress it, take it back to camp (camping is a whole thing unto itself by the way) and make sure it doesn’t spoil before you get it home to the freezer or your local taxidermist. Guys, I don’t have anything against hunting – it’s just freak’n exhausting!

Here’s what I do. Find a place, setup a thrower, shoot till we run out of clays or shells. Clean up our brass, (often we mow over the clay bits with a riding tractor to clean those up if we are at Bwana’s place) have lunch. It’s not a moral decision, hunting just doesn’t let me run 150 shells through 4 guns in 3 hours and laugh with the old man about how many we did or didn’t miss.