9781422283165

11 Today, people who hunt usually don’t need to do so in the same way our ancestors once did, but responsible hunters still hunt only what they can eat or use. Usually that means helping to put food on the dinner table. It’s amazing how good a meal can taste when you know you’ve had a part in finding the meat to make it! You may even see food from the grocery store in a new light when you remember the effort that went into the food from your hunt. Connecting to Nature unting helps people connect to the source of their food and to their history as people, but it’s also a way just to enjoy being outdoors in nature. Spending a day in the woods on a hunt puts you in the middle of the natural world, surrounded by trees, fresh air, and wildlife. You’ll learn a lot about the animals you hunt—about their habits and behavior, about how their senses work, how they move, and how they interact. While you wait for your quarry, you’ll also see many other species in nature, from songbirds to chipmunks, even mighty eagles and hawks. A quiet perch in a blind or tree stand offers the perfect opportunity to observe life in the wild, and even take a picture or two to remember the species you’ve spotted. You can also take notes or make sketches of the plants and animals you see—a great way to pass the time and record your surroundings. You won’t just be using your eyes: you’ll become aware of how the wind carries scent as you take your position, how a duck sounds in flight as your ears become extra-sensitive in the quiet of the blind. The senses become highly tuned during a hunt, when they are your best tool for spotting your quarry. You may learn about tracks and scat, or droppings, that offer clues about where wildlife has traveled and when. You might memorize the calls of different animals. Tracking and luring animals can be like detective work—calling on keen senses and smart thinking, and training your mind to be its sharpest during the hunt and well beyond.