This post is going to be long, and for that I apologize, but I have strong feelings on this subject. Obviously, if you prefer, don’t read it.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – It is all about the killing. I think that if we’re honest with ourselves, we may find out some pretty ugly stuff that maybe we don’t like, well, at least not at first. Maybe some things we’re not comfortable talking about. Things we fear may separate us from – the others…

All of the hunters that I know, are in my situation. Not exactly, but really close, meaning – We don’t NEED the venison to survive. Sure we like it and have found some really good recipes to use it in, but there is beef, chicken, turkey and pork in the freezer. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that most of us spend more money on our hunting than we gain in saving on meats from our kills. So why are we there, in the woods, money spent on calls, scents, camo, guns, bows, boots and etc. and possibly wasting time? I say wasting time because all of use could probably make quit a bit of money if we spent all that time working – right? And probably make enough money to not only buy the meats that we’re hunting, but have some left over, for other things.

Many say – “I just like being a part of nature”, “it’s a tradition”, “I’m not sure, I just know I enjoy it”, “for the food” and all of these are fine answers, but lets not pretend that it isn’t about the killing. To me, hunting is a celebration of my existence. It is a way for me to reflect on mankind and be thankful for his accomplishments. Hunting is to mankind’ what the 4th of July is to the USA. We used to be scavengers. Then we became hunters. That may sound relatively simple, but it was the single biggest accomplishment of man, of course in my opinion. I think it is bigger than fire and the wheel. It was the transition point for humans from dependence to independence. It is about the killing, because we are killers. I know that may sound bad, but it is completely natural and is what got us to where we are now. Sure it may not be politically correct, but who really wants to be politically correct anyway? As creatures, we stand above all others and that is obvious, but instead of denying our emotions and desires why don’t we embrace them? We don’t have front teeth with sharp edges on them for nothing. They are designed to cut meat from bone. Our K-9 teeth weren’t an accident either, they are made for griping so that a animal of prey cannot escape while we kill it. Further, they were not placed there intentionally, but natural selection has played its hand in who we are today. We are the offspring of the “successful killers”. The unsuccessful ones and their would-have-been offspring are gone.

I respect the animals that I hunt, and I try to use my hunting to help the animals that I pursue, as odd as that may sound, but I do embrace the killing part, and maybe more so than any other aspect of the hunt. I feel that if you don’t think about this and also accept it for what it is, we’re being dishonest with ourselves. I’d rather understand where I come from and who I am, than pretend to be something else. I’ve even heard people say that they don’t like the killing part. I find this very odd. Not odd that it made them uncomfortable, because I don’t think “comfortable” would be a good adjective to describe the emotions associated with killing. But odd because they are either not being honest with themselves and can’t seem to rationalize their own thoughts, or they are putting themselves through an ugly display of aggression repeatedly and intentionally that they do not enjoy. Why would they do that? I don’t think that they like the venison so much more than the beef that they just have to go out and take part it this task that they find very unsettling. I think it is deeper, much deeper, and it is ugly too, so we avoid it.

I have had to finish killing some with a knife. I found this unsettling at the time, just as some seem to feel about taking a life with the bow or firearm, but I’ve found that of all my experiences, these are the ones I reflect on the most. I think it has a lot to do with the amount of adrenalin in your body when you place yourself in a situation that is dangerous with a wild animal and you kill it with your hands. Trust me, it is way more than buck fever.

There is a naked ape lurking in the forest and he’s dressed in a vegetation suit. Sometimes he’s in the trees; sometimes he’s on the ground. Sometimes he lets his prey live, and other times they must die. Sometimes they know he’s there and other times they don’t. Once he’s killed them he’ll hold up their beheaded skull and scream out loud, in an almost ritualistic display of success he circles, showing all the living creatures what he has done. He then hangs their skull in the tree of shame. It lets all the creatures know that the killing season has begun and he is there, waiting. He is a killer primate.

Good luck to all, I will be out in the woods until Saturday evening, when my killing season comes to an end.
Respectfully,
KP