One in particular that I'm beginning to wonder about is the hunt story. This seems to be something of a journalistic standard in the hunting and fishing genre. It's basically the story of a hunt, that a person or persons went on, sometimes to end-of-the-earth-exotica, sometimes right in the proverbial back yard. It tells the "amazing" or "exhilarating" or (my favorite) "heart pounding" story of what they did, how they did it, and how they felt when they were done. If I may be so bold - blah blah blah... Who cares!?! Really, if you've read one, you've pretty much read them all. I think that it is time to retire them, in favor of something better, and I've got a few thoughts on that that I will share later.
Now, at the same time, there are lots of people from the hunting world talking about the problems of the hunting world. Youth involvement is down, the so called anti-hunting mob is on the march , and maybe worst of all, society at large ignores hunting as a useless anachronism. An irrelevant artifact of a lesser past that if some yahoos still care to pursue, so what. Don't take my word for it, some of the best minds in the hunting world have said so, including Dwight Schuh, Editor of Bowhunter in this interview and (maybe) also in this article .
Many are of course suggesting to fix it. Allow me to throw my hat in that ring. I believe in many ways our problem is one of narrative, and specifically a problem that is reflected in the cadences of the hunt story. This may seem like an odd answer at first I know, but I believe it to be true, and I'll tell you why.
What is the hunt story, really? It is often, and almost always in my experience, simply bragging. The hunt stories I've read are banal, vainglorious, self-aggrandizing, piece of crap that offers no real value to anyone. What is the mistake? They mistake the kill for the hunt, when really, it is the quest that is the hunt.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Hunt \Hunt\ (h[u^]nt), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Hunted}; p. pr. &
vb. n. {Hunting}.] [AS. huntian to hunt; cf. hentan to
follow, pursue, Goth. hin?an (in comp.) to seize. [root]36.
Cf. {Hent}.]
1. To search for or follow after, as game or wild animals; to
chase; to pursue for the purpose of catching or killing;
to follow with dogs or guns for sport or exercise; as, to
hunt a deer.
[1913 Webster]
Like a dog, he hunts in dreams. --Tennyson.
[1913 Webster]
2. To search diligently after; to seek; to pursue; to follow;
-- often with out or up; as, to hunt up the facts; to hunt
out evidence.
[1913 Webster]
Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
--Ps. cxl. 11.
[1913 Webster]
To hunt is to quest, and the great quest stories, such as The Illiad and The Oddesy taught people values and virtues. Perseverance, patience, internal fortitude against the odds, and reverence for the effort itself. There is little to no recognition of this in any of the hunt stories I have found. Instead, the generally focus on the kill, which is I understand the moment of truth as it were, but is the least surprising aspect of any hunt. By that I mean, of course we can kill animals, we're highly technological beings with opposable thumbs and brains the size of grapefruits. There is no glory in the kill only the hunt, and the hunt story imparts no inkling of understanding that.
Notice that this speaks directly to one of the specific complaints listed above, that hunting is a "useless anachronism". To this our answer should be - "Well, yes, it is...but." We should acknowledge up front that there is no *need* for mankind to hunt any longer (at least in well developed societies) and by need I mean we are able to farm and husband just about any sort of beast we could possibly consume. But, here we tack the argument, and note that there is a real *value* in hunting. Hunting provides a person with a different, and more intimate relationship to the food they consume. (If you don't eat what you kill you probably shouldn't be hunting it) An understanding of the life and trials of a beast in the web of life, and therefore a greater perspective of man's place in nature. I don't know how many burgers I've had in life, but I think I will look at them differently after my first deer - assuming I do. I'll understand that someone, somewhere, killed an animal, so I could eat, and that is in itself an incredibly reverent notion. That understanding changes everything.
I realize this augers against sport hunting as an activity unto itself. If you are after trophy for trophy sake, I'm must tell you, at the time of this writing, I find it hard to defend that activity. Standing in a man made blind over a man made waterhole or bait, that really isn't hunting to me. If there is a conservation motive then perhaps I could understand, but if glory of the kill is all you are after, well, I'm not going to be terribly impressed.
But I digress. Let's return to the real argument.
So how to remedy this and there by save(1) hunting? Simple, talk about the things that really do matter.
Talk about the personal quest. Talk about the return to nature. Talk about the Why is the anit-hunting movement on the march? Because societies values have changed. Because we don't *need* to kill any more I'm planning on hunting for the first time in over twenty years this coming fall. Over the last few weeks it has been just an incredible, incredible journey for me. Getting a bow, learning how to shoot, trying to put in the hours of practice, trying to secure fertile hunting grounds.
Second, stress the role of the hunter as provider, and a provider working in balance with nature. Don't underestimate the regard people have for someone who provides them ten pounds of choice meat. This is a true gift, and one which all omnivores will recognize, that of highly prized protein. Even in contemporary times, the sustenance especially in conjunction with the story that will inevitably accompany it, will earn the respect for those whom it provides.
Lastly, there needs to be a real emphasis on the conservation role in hunting that I haven't found often espoused. The goal of hunters should be to provide nature with an aide-d-camp. Where we serve it, not the other way around. Our job is to make sure it has at the very least, a chance to maintain a balance.
Thank you if you've gotten this far, I'm hope it has been of some value.
1 - Note to self, get over yourself!
No comments:
Post a Comment