Central Maine Hunting Report: December 7, 2007

I was reflecting the other day on how blessed I am to have been born and raised in the USA. I have been fortunate enough to travel the world, and this perspective comes naturally after spending considerable time in various countries, some which are rife with poverty, corruption and despotism. I was thinking how the world would be a much better place if it had more deer hunters. When I mentioned this to my best friend Rick, he busted out laughing and accused me of being off of my meds. I allowed that the world doesn’t need more dead deer, it needs more of the qualities that most deer hunters embrace. That caught his attention, and he waited for my explanation.

Deer hunters are by their very nature self-reliant. They generally are an independent lot, not inclined to wait for someone else to get the job done for them. They generally don’t mind being alone and are not afraid to take out across the landscape no matter the terrain or weather, trusting implicitly in their own abilities and judgment. They are used to providing for their friends and family, and bringing home a winter supply of meat is the natural extension of their self-reliance. Who doubts the world could use more self-reliance?

Deer hunters are the embodiment of patience. The sport teaches them the ability to endure waiting, delay, or provocation without becoming annoyed or upset. They persevere calmly when faced with the difficult and uncomfortable conditions often experienced while deer hunting. Hours of sitting and waiting are passed without complaint. Quiet reflections, while waiting and watching, are a deer hunter’s hallmark. Think the world could use a little more patience?

Successful deer hunters have learned cleanliness leads to success. Deer hunters now have fancy soap to hide their scent. They wash their clothes in special soaps in order to enter the woods as free and clean of noxious odors as possible. Cleanliness is next to godliness, enough said.

All hunters, but especially deer hunters are the original conservationists. They understand the vast difference between conservation and preservation. They understand the concept of sustained yield and recognize that wildlife must be managed in a manner that utilizes the interest without jeopardizing the principle. They recognize you can’t stockpile wildlife populations and get a positive result. They intuitively know that nature is resilient and bountiful when managed properly. Today it seems that the preservationists have convinced the ignorant that nature and specifically wildlife populations are like fine porcelain, fragile, only to be observed, never utilized and rarely enjoyed. Deer hunters know better than to believe that fallacy. Without question the world needs a lot more conservation and a little less preservation.

Deer hunters are committed to their sport and the wildlife they pursue. Maybe not as committed as bear hunters but certainly a close second. They schedule vacations around the deer season. They spend money they can’t afford on accoutrements designed to increase their chance of success. They rise early, hunt hard and come home late usually without success, only to do it all over again. Most deer hunters I know have been deer hunting all their life and will likely continue as long as they are able. This ability to commit to an inspiration naturally extends into other facets of their life, work and family. Could the world use a few more people committed to their passions?

I could tell Rick was skeptical of my hypothesis. “It is a just a theory” I said, “I might be all wet”. “Possible” he replied, ”now get your boots on and let’s go scout that new piece of land, deer season is only eleven months away”.