The Eagle Outdoors

Why do you hunt?

Over the past 53 years, during which time I've called myself a hunter, I've answered that question a thousand times; or, I've at least attempted to answer it. To me, to an extent, it's akin to 'why do you prefer blue' or 'why do you put your left shoe on before your right?' It's this, that, and the other thing, but we'll get to that soon enough.

First, I'll give this disclaimer. I'm not trying to convince you that hunting is something you should do, something you should support, or an activity you should like or condone or protest or ignore. Hunting, like the color blue, isn't for everyone. In the not so distant future, hunting, for any number of reasons, might not be for anyone. Hunting, like so many things, is simple on the outside and complicated within. I'll stop short of the well-worn 'like an onion' cliché by simply saying it's multi-layered. Hunting is an individual endeavor as is walking in space. It's the man or woman in the mirror, asking, "Why do I do this" or "What happens if I don't?"

This, I reckon, is my annual opportunity to say it aloud. To tell you, the reader, why I do what I do, so that you might better understand who I am. All that being said, let's get into it.

The Five Stages

Wildlife researchers and social experimentation experts have documented what they refer to as the Five Stages of the Hunter. It's important to note that the stages can and often do apply differently from one person to the next. Some, and I've known plenty, bog down in Stage Three. Others, at a surprisingly young age, progress through all quite rapidly. People are the ultimate variable, so one never knows. Still, human beings love categorization. You fit here, there, or between here and there. That's what this is, but we'll quickly discuss.

The Shooting Stage

Here, the hunting experience and the overall quality is based on the amount of shooting opportunities that are had. It really doesn't matter if game is bagged; only, that there's a high volume of shooting. This is typically the younger or newer, less experienced hunters.

The Harvest Stage

The harvest matters. A limit of ducks, a limit of doves, a deer, an elk. To be a good experience, game must be bagged. Otherwise, it has not been a "good day."

The Trophy Stage

Seven drake mallards, a 370-inch bull elk, a harlequin duck. This is the Trophy Stage. Now it's a matter of the biggest and the best. Some might call it bragging rights. For many, this is an individual achievement. For others, it's a Facebook or social media moment. I'll just say I'm not big on the latter, but I do try to live my life by the mantra "to each his (or her) own."

The Method Stage

What's significant now is the how. To harvest an elk with the bow and arrows that you made yourself. To hunt ducks using a call you've turned on your own lathe or over decoys that you and your grandson carved and painted. The shooting, limits, and trophies. They don't head the list; rather, this stage deals with the journey to an uncertain end result.

The "Another Sunrise" Stage

This, I reckon, is where I find myself after more than five decades afield. I can sit in the marsh underneath the painter's palette promise of an oranged-tinged dawn, never touch the trigger, and be perfectly content. Maybe eat Julie's homemade chocolate chip cookies with my grandson, Tristan, knee-deep in the tide. Maybe watch him point out a kingfisher or hear him say, "I don't wanna shoot that Mama Teal" and feel an unimaginable sense of pride. I've seen things you'll never see. I've heard things, touched things, found things, and lost things. They're just things, but they are the things that have made me. So why do I hunt? Because I can, and that's who I am.

Next week, let's lighten the mood and take a look at the results of both the 'Hook the Hawg' salmon derby and the annual 'Warriors and Widows' derby at Elochoman Marina. Both are always lively events. The 'Warriors and Widows' derby is a tremendous opportunity to thank our military men and women, their families, and the local first responders and law enforcement professionals who keep us safe and secure night after night.