(3.) Hunting

What is hunting? 

At first glance, this might seem like an easy question to answer. After all, to hunt is simply to kill. Or is it? Hunting is a rich and deep subject with many facets. It might not be what you think it is. In fact, it is much, much more. 

March 2, 2023

Over the course of this month, let's explore the many aspects of hunting. We'll start with the obvious. People hunt to feed themselves as well as their friends and loved ones. 

This is my uncle and I with the back leg of a moose I shot. My uncle was a very proud person who never asked for help, but when this picture was taken he was struggling financially so I told him I didn't have enough room in my freezer for the moose meat. This was a cover story so that he could maintain his dignity and so that I could give him enough meat for the winter. It took two days to butcher the entire moose. There were hundreds of pounds of meat. 

Jocelyn Baillargeon, left, and his wife Nathalie Delmaire are butchering Jocelyn's first Saskatchewan deer. The Quebec native went hunting in the Wheat Province for white-tailed deer and was successful. Providing their family with nutritious meat gives husbands a feeling of satisfaction. 

Jocelyn is preparing to remove the ribcage from the hind leg. Before doing so, he'll trim some of the excess fat. 

Jocelyn has detached the ribcage and placed it on the table. Now, he's cutting individual ribs. You can see one in his left hand. His friend is cutting meat in the background. Two experienced hunters can butcher a deer and wrap the meat in a few hours. 

The archetype of the lone hunter is a romantic notion, but hunting is a lot of work so it's often a team sport rather than an individual effort. Apart from the effort and physical strain, hunting is a social activity. In fact, some hunters prefer the camaraderie between friends and family to the pursuit of wild game. A hunt is a way to spend time with the people who are closest to you. 

Jim Brown, right, scans the Great Sand Hills in southwest Saskatchewan for mule deer as the Prairie sun sets behind him. Jim and son Robin, left, drove six hours from their home in southeast Saskatchewan to hunt together. 

The Brown Brothers drag a mule deer back to the truck after a successful stalk. That's Robin on the right and Kent on the left. Animals are heavy so dragging them alone is very difficult. Many hands make light work. 

When hunting in extreme cold, it's not safe to hunt alone. Here, the Browns are hunting elk in the Cypress Hills. Facing adversity together cements relationships. 

Hunting isn't just a sport, it's a heritage. This heritage or this tradition is passed down within a family from generation to generation. As a father, Jim can pass his knowledge of hunting on to his son Robin. Jim received his knowledge of hunting from his father who received it from his father and so on. Therefore, hunting is a way for grandfathers, fathers, and sons to remember the knowledge they acquired from their ancestors and to keep the memory of their departed loved-ones alive. 

This is hunting: it's a way to share resources with loved-ones and to spend time with family and friends. 

Of course, the question many non-hunters have is why does an animal have to die just so people can spend time together. We'll explore that question in the next installment. 

March 6, 2023

A few days ago, I asked why an animal would need to die simply because hunters want to be with his family or friends. The short answer is that no animal needs to be killed to bring people together. However, both humans and species as a whole benefit from hunting. 

Hunters don’t just kill animals. They also provide habitat for them. For example, when a hunter buys a hunting licence, a portion of the revenue goes toward purchasing land for habitat conservation. This land is in ecologically important areas. Some of the more well-known organizations how purchse land for animals include Ducks Unlimited and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Some land, such as the Cypress Hills, are home to many species. Protecting that land for elk benefits a large number of other species of animals, plants and insects. 

The goal of these groups is to purchase land where animals can live. Some cynics might say that the only reason members buy land is because they want a place to hunt. In that sense, habitat purchases facilitate killing. In reality, hunters realize that they need a place to hunt and that animals need a place to live. Without habitat, there can be no hunting. Therefore, hunters make sure there are always more animals than they can hunt. If a species declines, it may no longer be possible for hunters to hunt them. Yes, habitat purchase does provide more opportunities to hunt. Some individual animals will die as a result of this, but the entire species benefits because it has more land where it can live and mulitply. 

Of course, this is a transactional approach. Opponents would favour the establishment of national parks or preserves where hunting is prohibited. Others would prefer the photo safari model to the actual safari. These are valid approaches. However, as of yet it is hunters who’ve invested more money (their own money instead of taxpayers’ money) into habitat preservation. This model might not please everyone, but it has proved effective at maintaining or increasing game populations at no increase to the taxpayer. 

Let's switch to another benefit of hunting. Despite the stereotype that hunters are rednecks and therefore lack respect for other cultures, in reality a person would be hardpressed to find a hunter who doesn't have considerable respect for First Nations' ability to hunt. 

Modern hunters use the latest equipment (rifles, trucks, GPS etc.) and still a week spent hunting is physically demanding. The many miles tracking deer in the snow or hiking high in the mountains in pursuit of big horn sheep take a heavy toll. Historically, the Natives could make all their hunting equipment themselves and were skilled enough to get within mere yards of their quarry. The modern hunter has none of these abilities and is in reverential awe of those who do. 

Furthermore, it is through hunting that people come to understand the importance in First Nation's culture for giving thanks to the animals they harvest and to the Creator for supplying them. Taking an animal's life is not a benign experience. It leads to contradictory emotions such as the pride of accomplishment and yet the sadness of death. Often, it is the aspect of hunting that hunters dislike the most. However, it's not obvious if human's can really appreciate an animal's life until they've taken one.

This is where the Aboriginal tenent of not wasting a single part of the animal comes into sharper focus. Out of respect for the animal who died, the hunter recognizes the magnitude of a life lost and honours the animal by making proper use of its body. Thus, eating an animal can only be done after thanking it. 

By hunting, it's possible to gain a deeper understanding of how animals and reverance for animals could become the foundation of spiritual practices. 

Spending time hunting animals often leads hunters to want to understand nature more. In part, this is so that they become better hunters, but also because humans have a love of nature. The American scientist E.O. Wilson called this biophilia. Signs of this love of animals are everywhere. We keep pets in our house, we name sports teams after animals and we visit national parks to see them to name a few. This antelope lives in Wind Cave National Park in the United States. Although not as popular a destination as Yellowstone, which is known for its bison, wolf and elk viewing, Wind Cave is a premiere destination for seeing antelope. 

Hunters become keen observes of natures and notice when changes take place like when invasive species colonize an area such as the case with the Eurasian collared dove. This non-native bird has been expanding its range in Canada. 

Another advantage to spending time around wild animals is that we learn to think like them. Martha Nussbaum, the American philosopher, has written about the need for people to read literature as a way to deepen their understanding and acceptance of others. This same ethic of understanding can be applied to animals by spending time around them, getting to know them and becoming wise to their ways. 

If we can put our human-centred primacy aside, we can see that animals have a certain wisdom in the way they live. This wisdom has been refined over generations because animals, like us, are faced with burden of survival, but often in more trying circumstances. 

Also, we tend to think of species as being distinct from each other. Perhaps this is a result of science's approach to classify each species. Over time, hunters come to understand that species interact with each other in complex ways. For example, the warning cry of a chickadee can signal danger to a deer. 

Hunters become aware of these interactions and gain a more complete understanding of biology, of nature and of how species interact with each other. 

So far, we haven't exhausted the ways in which hunting can be a force for good and for growth. We'll explore more of them in the next installment. 

March 18, 2023

One aspect of growing up that often gets overlooked is that a young man transition between someone who needs his parents to take care of him towards someone who can take care of himself. This maturation is a key compenent of becoming an adult. That being said, we might not think of it until we are tested by one of life's challenges. For example, maybe you lose a job or go broke. If so, would you be able to feed yourself? If you know how to hunt, the answer is yes.  

The ability to feed oneself isn't the only one we should consider if we're looking at the road to adulthood. We should also consider the ability to take care of oneself in difficult circumstances or even to thrive in them. This is where bushcraft and survival skills can be valuable tools to foster maturation. Not all hunting trips require bushcraft, but some do, especially those in remote areas where elk, mountain goats and big horn sheep live. 

The ability to sleep outside in winter without a tent is not a skill commonly needed in the modern world, but having that skill gives people self-confidence in their ability to easily withstand the stresses of our pampered modern life. On the downside, however, people with a great ability to survive don't always take certain aspects of modernity seriously. Survival skills turn down the volume on respect for authority, especially unearned authority. After all, why would you listen to someone whose authority is based on their position in society instead of their ability in a wide range of situations?

Some hunts take place deep in the back country. Species such as elk prefer to live away from humans while big horn sheep and mountain goats live in mountainous terrain with few roads. To access these areas, some hunters ride horses into the back country and camp close to where they'll hunt. This type of hunting requires a knowledge of survival skills and an ability to live off the land. A canvas tent will be packed on a horse while the tipi poles will be cut on site and the tent floor will often be lined with spruce boughs to insulate against the frozen ground.

In other cases, such as with deer, it's usually possible to drive to their habitat. Most hunters use trucks although quads and side-by-sides aren't uncommon. Hunters often need to drive off road. Deep snow , steep hills and soft mud are common obstacles and hunters want to avoid getting stuck because they lose time, this is especially the case in the fall when the days are short. Losing even an hour or two wastes a significant portion of the available daylight. Therefore, hunters become more skillful drivers because they learn techniques to avoid getting stuck and techniques to get unstuck. They can apply this knowledge to driving in their everyday life. 

Apart from increased survival skills and better driving ability, hunters also learn about history. In even the most remote areas, there is evidence of previous human habitation. Tipi rings are relatively easy to find on the windswept Prairies when hunting plains species such as mule deer and antelope. In other cases, we can still find Metis cabins, such as the one shown below. It's in the Cypress Hills. My father and I explored it when hunting elk. 

Inevitably, hunters wonder and inquire about the people who once lived in an area either generations or millenia ago. This inquiry process leads hunters to better understand the people who came before, how they lived and how they overcame challenges to survival. 

In the course of hunting, a hunter must often ask permission to access private land. This is where he comes into contact with the people who live in an area at present. Many friendships are formed between hunters and landowners, especially landowners who enjoy hunting, as well. An important element of hunting is to show respect for the land and for the landowners. 

Hunters develop a bond with the people who taught them how to hunt. As we saw before, this is often a father or other relative. There are also instances when this is a hunting instructor, such as with Charlie Blakely, whose monument is shown below. 

Charlie Blakely was a hunting instructor in Maple Creek, Sask. As a sign of appreciation for his dedication to the hunting community, some of its members installed this bench in a quiet part of the Cypress Hills, which was his favourite place to hunt. 

Hunters like to introduce new members to the hunting community. The next picture show my cousin Gabriel with his first deer. He got an outstanding buck. Even an experienced hunter would be proud to harvest a deer like this one. An added bonus of hunting is that it teaches young men to embrace their masculinity. The current political climate pressures men, especially white men, to be ashamed of their race and gender because of historical wrongs they didn't commit. Hunter can be an antitode to the poison of shame. 

In the picture below, we can see my friend Joel with his first white-tailed buck. He made a successful stalk in this wide open terrain by keeping the sun at his back to lesson the chance that the deer would see him clearly. Joel also advanced patiently, but methodically by hiding in the dips and low spots. He only needed one shot to anchor this buck. This experience was Joel's introduction to hunting and to the hunting community. It seems to have worked because he became a professional hunting guide. 

In all, Joel and I shot five deer on our hunting trip. This was enough for Joel to feed himself, his mother and two sisters for the winter and it was enough for me, too. 

To recap, hunting teaches skills that give a hunter confidence in the modern world or even when he's driving. Hunting strenthens his bonds with people both past and present. It also fosters a respect for people have dedicate themselves to the continuance of the sport. 

In the next installment, we'll look at hunting predators. 

March 19, 2023

One aspect of hunting that is often misunderstood is trophy hunting, particularily of predators. Hunting an animal that can hunt you sharpens your ability. When there is no room for an error, you must be sure of what you can and can't do. It's the ultimate test. For some, hunting predators is a way to keep livestock and other humans safe. In other cases, hunting a dangerous animal can help hunters experience the fragility of life, their own in this case, and that gives them a new appreciation for it. 

March 20, 2023

So far, we've explored many questions, but an important one remains; what are the downsides of hunting? Of course, there is the loss of an animal's life, which we've considered, but we haven't considered the question from a human's point of view. One major problem with hunting is the cost. Guns and ammunition are expensive. The amount of fuel needed to hunt presents a considerable expense, too. There is a risk of injury, even death, from mishandling a firearm, but this type of incident is rare because hunters have been told countless times during their learning process to treat a gun with the utmost respect. Carrying a shotgun or rifle is a tremendous responsibility. In fact, it could be argued that protecting human life is the greatest responsibility and hunting teaches people to successful manage this task so although there is a risk in this regards there is also a reward.  

Trophy hunting of non-predators is also largely about challenge. An animal with a trophy-sized set of horns, antlers or tusks didn't get to be so big by being stupid. Again, hunters must call upon all their hunting ability to obtain a trophy-sized animal. In other cases, trophy hunting is a display of wealth and status. At times, it can be a passion, an opportunity to travel or a life's dream. 

In terms of other advantages, hunting prepares us to be better photographers. In part, this is because we get familiar with optical devices such as scopes and binoculars. 

Optical devices get us familiar with concepts such as focus and zoom. However, these are minor considerations. What truly encourages hunters to become photographers is their exposure to nature's beauty. Hunters see beautiful sights and want to photograph them. 

For example, we witness amazing sunsets, such as this one taken in Saskatchewan, but showing the Sweet Grass Hills in Montana. Note the three dark bands reflecting off the hills. 

Sunsets aren't the only subject worth photographing. Hunters also like to record memories of their successful hunt. 

It's easy for hunters to integrate photography and hunting. The skills they use to get close to animals apply directly and often without modification to photography. If you can walk quietly through the forest with a gun you can do so with a camera. This ability allows hunters to photograph animals in their natural environment and leave without a trace. 

Also, hunters develop a keen ability to read an animal's body language and sense when an animal is unaware of your presence or when the animals feels you're too close. A skilled hunter knows how to get very close to animals, such as in the case of the junco picture below. The bird was about 5 feet aware from me, but didn't know I was there. 

In this instance, the mule deer doe knew I was there, but she wasn't concerned by my presence, which I could tell by the placement of her ears. Knowing that I had time to compose a picture, I opted for an artistic rendering as opposed to the realistic compositions and exposure often prefered in nature photography. Thus, it's possible to combine hunting experience with photography to create art. 

As we've seen, there are many reasons to hunt and many benefits. Of course, the best way to truly understand hunting is to try it for yourself.