Here is a slightly modified version of my column that appeared in The News Journal last week. – SMK
Last week I hunted black bear in northern Maine and didn’t come close to harvesting a bear. In fact, after a year filled with anticipation about black bear hunting, I didn’t even see a bear. While some may complain about five straight days of soaking rain, lost vacation days, twelve-hour drives, or maybe even the lack of television, Internet, and telephone, I will not. To the contrary, I enjoyed every second of the hunt.
Since returning home Saturday, I’ve told my bear hunting story no less than twenty times. Some friends, family members, and colleagues quickly labeled my hunt as boring, a waste of time, or as a failure, which made me realize that many people have a skewed perception of hunting.
To most of us, an enjoyable hunt is not solely defined by the actual harvesting of your quarry. As most hunters will attest, far more time is spent actually ‘hunting’ than ‘harvesting,’ and in more cases than not, hunts end without any shots being fired. Hunters around the globe recognize these odds, but they still choose to hunt season after season. There is absolutely more to hunting than just harvesting an animal.
Firing a shot takes less than second, but the actual act of hunting – the planning, set up, stalking, etc. – can take hours, days, or even weeks. Initial feelings of success can quickly be replaced by feelings of finality since a filled tag can mean the end of a hunting season. What’s more, a filled tag can depress hunters who live for the spirit of the chase rather than the end of the pursuit.
I try to find enjoyment and enrichment in all aspects of my hunting experiences. In the case of my bear hunt, I was obviously disappointed that I saw no bears, but I was ecstatic that I saw several moose roaming free in their natural habitat. Likewise, I appreciated the uncommon sights and sounds of gray jays, red squirrels, and chipmunks that kept me occupied throughout my late afternoon hunts. And, to my surprise, I caught a glimpse of an animal that looked like a cross between a fox and a raccoon (that I later learned was a fisher). Combined with clean air, lack of litter, crystal clear streams and lakes, and the smell of evergreens, the time I spent hunting bear in the Maine woods was great.
As with all of my hunts, the quiet solitude is enough to make me keep coming back to the woods, fields, and marshes. It is amazing how a few hours in the woods can lessen the everyday tension, clutter, and noise caused by jobs, traffic, household chores, and the constant, multi-media bombardment from my iPhone and BlackBerry (yes, I have both). This ability to unplug from the material world and open my mind to nature is one of the main reasons I hunt.
Instead of viewing hunting as a lottery where I play in anticipation of the big pay off, I see it as similar to non-competitive weightlifting, running, or martial arts. Non-competitive weightlifters, runners, or martial artists enjoy their hobbies without winning bodybuilding contests, marathons, or karate tournaments. They train for the sake of training and don’t gauge their enjoyment by societal definitions of success. With hunting, I hunt for the sake of hunting. I love the thrill of the chase and the relaxing solitude of nature. The total hunting experience is what fuels and drives me.
For the record, although I do not base my definition of an enjoyable hunt on harvesting an animal, it doesn’t hurt to get what you’re after every now and then.