The First Journal Entry
(My first journal entry. Perhaps some repeat material.)
Some time after being a part of a buffalo hunt in the summer of 2018, I decided to teach myself to hunt. It was, and continues to be, a hard choice, as I've spent my life caring for animals of all kinds. In the past, my perception of hunters was based on the myriad of shows where they seem to glorify the kill above all else. Where they smile over their dead "trophies" and always seem to be looking for something to hang on their wall. I've always found trophy hunting to be deplorable. I doubt my opinions of that will change much. But I understand hunting to eat. After seeing the Lakota ceremony after the buffalo kill, being a part of it, it made a huge impact on how I viewed sustenance hunting.
Hunting for food. Using every part of the animal. I'm ok with that. Not celebrating death, but being thankful for the sacrifice of the animal so that my family can eat. That rang true to me.
The fact is, I like eating meat. I'm unapologetically omnivorous. So it only makes sense that I learn how to make my own meat. Just like I've learned to grow my own fruits and veggies, harvest my own honey, and forage for wild edibles.
Being able to teach my children these skills is very important to me as well.I don't know what the future holds, but I want them to be as prepared as possible for whatever may come.
I hope it is always a simple thing for them to just head to a store and purchase whatever foods they please. But there's simply no guarantee that this will always be the case.
The Meat Eater series also deserves some credit in my desire to hunt. Steve Rinella does a fine job of presenting not just the hunting aspect, but how to skin and gut and clean the kill, and most importantly, how to use most of it for food. It's even a good show for seasoned hunters, as he teaches them how to use parts that are otherwise left in the woods, discarded by hunters. His philosophy lines up closely with some Lakota ways, and both of those have helped me shape my own philosophies of hunting as I learn.
There are also a number of good websites devoted to cooking wild game, so I at least have a shot at creating meals that taste good. Wild and Whole comes to mind. Plus, more and more "regular" cooking sites are touching on wild game. I think this will help win my family over. My wife is a bit iffy on the whole chicken fried squirrel idea, although the kiddos are ready to at least try everything.
So. I've borrowed the family rifles. One is a Remington Model 33. A bolt action .22 built in 1932 that belonged to my Mom's dad, who we called Opa. So I call that rifle 'Opa'. The other is a Savage 24D series M break action. Built in 1973, it has a .22 magnum barrel over a smooth bore 20 gauge shotgun - called an over/under - that Dad bought and gave to his Dad, who we called Grampa Peach. So I call that rifle 'Peach'. (Family story - When Grampa first met Grandma, she was not impressed and threw peaches at him to drive him away. The nickname stuck, and I always knew them as Grandpa and Grandma Peach)
Both have fixed sights, but the Peach was able to mount sights and a sling, which I'll get to later. This journal will somewhat chronicle my experiences as I learn to hunt and teach my children along the way. Hopefully at the end of my life, this will be pretty full of the Adventures Boyo, Sweet Pea and I have out in the woods.
More Later
Some time after being a part of a buffalo hunt in the summer of 2018, I decided to teach myself to hunt. It was, and continues to be, a hard choice, as I've spent my life caring for animals of all kinds. In the past, my perception of hunters was based on the myriad of shows where they seem to glorify the kill above all else. Where they smile over their dead "trophies" and always seem to be looking for something to hang on their wall. I've always found trophy hunting to be deplorable. I doubt my opinions of that will change much. But I understand hunting to eat. After seeing the Lakota ceremony after the buffalo kill, being a part of it, it made a huge impact on how I viewed sustenance hunting.
Hunting for food. Using every part of the animal. I'm ok with that. Not celebrating death, but being thankful for the sacrifice of the animal so that my family can eat. That rang true to me.
The fact is, I like eating meat. I'm unapologetically omnivorous. So it only makes sense that I learn how to make my own meat. Just like I've learned to grow my own fruits and veggies, harvest my own honey, and forage for wild edibles.
Being able to teach my children these skills is very important to me as well.I don't know what the future holds, but I want them to be as prepared as possible for whatever may come.
I hope it is always a simple thing for them to just head to a store and purchase whatever foods they please. But there's simply no guarantee that this will always be the case.
The Meat Eater series also deserves some credit in my desire to hunt. Steve Rinella does a fine job of presenting not just the hunting aspect, but how to skin and gut and clean the kill, and most importantly, how to use most of it for food. It's even a good show for seasoned hunters, as he teaches them how to use parts that are otherwise left in the woods, discarded by hunters. His philosophy lines up closely with some Lakota ways, and both of those have helped me shape my own philosophies of hunting as I learn.
There are also a number of good websites devoted to cooking wild game, so I at least have a shot at creating meals that taste good. Wild and Whole comes to mind. Plus, more and more "regular" cooking sites are touching on wild game. I think this will help win my family over. My wife is a bit iffy on the whole chicken fried squirrel idea, although the kiddos are ready to at least try everything.
So. I've borrowed the family rifles. One is a Remington Model 33. A bolt action .22 built in 1932 that belonged to my Mom's dad, who we called Opa. So I call that rifle 'Opa'. The other is a Savage 24D series M break action. Built in 1973, it has a .22 magnum barrel over a smooth bore 20 gauge shotgun - called an over/under - that Dad bought and gave to his Dad, who we called Grampa Peach. So I call that rifle 'Peach'. (Family story - When Grampa first met Grandma, she was not impressed and threw peaches at him to drive him away. The nickname stuck, and I always knew them as Grandpa and Grandma Peach)
Both have fixed sights, but the Peach was able to mount sights and a sling, which I'll get to later. This journal will somewhat chronicle my experiences as I learn to hunt and teach my children along the way. Hopefully at the end of my life, this will be pretty full of the Adventures Boyo, Sweet Pea and I have out in the woods.
More Later
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