credhot's blog: "Hunting"

Today a rude comment was made to me at work. I was talking about one of my pets and a coworker said to me "How can you call yourself an animal lover when you plan to try and go kill some soon?" If I hadn't been so shocked by their ignorance, I probably would have been hurt. I AM an animal lover and although it may seem as an oxymoron to some, it makes perfect sense to me. So, I felt as though I would put some of MY thoughts and feelings down about this topic and see what others think.

First and foremost, allow me to reiterate that I am indeed an animal lover. My entire life, I have had one pet or another - from cats and dogs to tree frogs and snakes. I've had birds and ferrets, gerbils and turtles. In fact, I have two tattoos, one of a sea turtle and one of a tree frog. Not only did I own these pets, I took good care of them and treated them with love and respect. I take a strong stance against animal abuse and I volunteer at the local animal shelter. There is a picture that my parent's used to have framed of me as a baby in diapers holding a frog and kissing it. It was important to my parent's to start me out young with teaching me the importance of respecting animals. And, I feel as though I have continued that legacy and will further continue it with my children someday. No, I don't feel the need for my children to own quite so many pets as I did and goodness knows that it would probably come onto me to take care of them, but I will make sure they have a dog or something of that sort.

With all that in mind, some of you may even be asking yourselves how I could "go kill an animal". I suppose it's because I was also raised to appreciate what nature has given us. My entire family consists of hunters and fishers and I am no exception. At 2, my dad was teaching me to fish. We'd go down to the river at my old house in DeWitt and we'd sit down there together, me and my dad, and we'd fish. We'd go to the Floodings, we'd go up to Canada...it was our bonding time. Being an only child, I grew up doing dad things and mom things. However, the dad things really stuck with me. Sure, I can cook a mean dish that will have your mouth watering for more but I'd rather be the one catching/shooting the game, gutting/cleaning the game and handing over the game for someone else to prepare. I feel like that is part of what it's all about. It makes it taste that much better and it brings people together.

I was also raised not to waste. With that in mind, when my father and I hunt, we do not hunt for just the sake of killing something. We do not shoot an animal just to shoot it, just to brag about the 12 point we got the other day...just to put the rack up on our wall. No, we hunt for many reasons and killing something is actually the last thing on the list, at least for me. Sure, it's a thrill to watch one drop but only if it's done RIGHT. I was raised to NEVER shoot at an animal unless you are as sure as you can be that it'll be a clean shot. Even then, sometimes the animal suffers and you have to track it for who knows how long, sometimes never finding it. I suppose watching my dad be crushed about that is why the importance of a clean shot is so ingrained to me. I hate the idea of wasting the life of an animal.

The kill is the finale of the hunt, it's the kind of gratification that can only come from knowing that you went into another world, one belonging to the one you are searching for, and you met with it, faced it and respectfully won.

I love being in the woods, especially in the fall. The smells are amazing, the air feels crisp on your cheek and the surrounding beauty is a site to behold. I love walking through the woods, with or without someone else, and just thinking. My father and I have a good conversation with each other each time we go and it's usually just a silent one, each feeding off of each others peacefulness. Two years ago while hunting, my father had a heart attack and if he had been alone out there, he would have died. But, that doesn't stop him. He's now in great shape and he's had his guns and bows out for weeks in anticipation for this season. The fun of tracking a deer is so enticing for both he and I that it's just something we can't help but love to do. Sometimes I go alone, too, but I prefer that time with him. In fact, I'm a member of Ducks Unlimited which was started by sportsman for their love and appreciation of the land and waterfowl who live there. However, I'm also a member of the NRA.

Another good reason to hunt is the that it cuts down on the population of deer. Some of you may be saying "yea, so, how is that a good thing?" Well, imagine if people here in Michigan didn't hunt. Think of all the deer that you see on the side of the roads and freeways...those can be death traps for cars. If people did not hunt, the deer population would be out of control and you would be seeing a significant increase of the deer on the side of the road. On top of that, there are now many issues with disposing of the carcasses since in most counties, animal control no longer does. It's an expensive process for the county. Because of disease, liability is high in regards to how deep the hole must be, how many can be buried together, etc. There really aren't many predators to deer here in Michigan to keep their population low. We can be and are those predators. Another reality of overpopulation is starvation due to human expansion and land loss for the deer.

I hunt deer, squirrel, and rabbit. When I started out as a little girl, my father would take care to hide the blood and mess from me but as I got older, it was not something that fazed me. We now gut deer together like it's nothing more than cleaning out the garage or something of that nature. Also, Venison is VERY healthy for you. It's full of vital nutrients and the protein levels are off the charts, not to mention it's very low in fat and calories.

I don't expect everyone to understand or accept hunting but I feel like a little returned respect is owed and that rude comments are uncalled for. I do not insult people who choose not to hunt, I would appreciate the same treatment back. I always enjoy hearing people's opinions and I love a good debate but the comment that was made to me at work today was startling to say the least.

Thoughts?