OPINION/COMMENTARY

Why I Hunt

“Why do you go hunting?” The lady was a casual acquaintance asking a question that truly seemed important to her. I smiled and said I had been doing it since I was a kid and that I really enjoyed it. She smiled but I could see she didn’t understand and vaguely felt sorry for me. The conversation twisted in other directions and soon was but a memory. Her question and my answer often come back to me when I put down a book or stare into a fire. Why do I hunt and fish and often think of trapping again? Could it be the memories of my father and long gone friends sharing a day of fellowship? Could it be all the books and articles and magazines and catalogues and plans laid to make the next trip as good as can be? Could it be the sunrises and sunsets and wild weather that composed a canvas worthy of Renoir? Could it be the guns and shooting and the smell of gun oil in the evening? Could it be all the dogs I have known and hunted over?....