I am not a hunter but a lover of the outdoors - hiking, skiing and more. When I am planning an adventure.....sometimes I get overwhelmed with too much information, too much planning. Too much work when I was just want to get out there.
Years ago, we did not have digital maps, just paper maps. Maybe not even a paper map but just a sense of getting out there - following a somewhat marked trail. Life was so much simpler back then....seeing a trail and wondering - where will that trail take me? Let's go!
Yeah, I hear you, Jenn. Digital maps, especially, are dumbing us down in terms of our sense of direction/common sense (I’m guilty of it as much as anyone).
Good writing, Jesse. Your frustrated desire to be more “scientific” in your hunting made me think of Atul Gawande’s comment that “(Science) isn’t a normal way of thinking. It is unnatural and counterintuitive.” We humans are messy beings, relying largely on habit and emotion and short-term rewards. It takes an enormous amount of energy to push against our nature, and so we get tired and revert back. Oh well. Shifting our approach even a little can produce good results.
And may I join you in your tribute to supportive spouses whose good efforts provide us more space to play. I am also grateful for such a partner!
Market hunting ... when I was a kid, my neighbor, then retired, and I assume now having passed on, was a market hunter in his earlier days. One thing I remember, aside from his tales of killing his limit of 50 a day, plus the limits of 50 each of each of his customers who couldn't hit a thing, .... was how he could hit ducks. We hunted mostly over decoys in fairly compact situations. But sometimes, while walking to and from, V's of ducks would fly over. They were so high I wouldn't even raise my gun. He would pull up, pull the trigger, and the lead mallard would fold up, in instant death, and start its fall to earth. The bird's forward movement would put it's impact at least 50 yards away, and its first bounce might be 6 or 8 feet in the air. Gosh we had fun.
Science versus Art ... I love the art part, to hunt as I feel, hunch, maybe even intend. Sometimes the way I `want' is the way of `stupid' ... doing in repetition, or ignorance, something that doesn't work, hoping it will. But I'm out there for the wonder, adventure, the art of it all. It's not the grocery, where I grab a cart, go to meat counter, and make the predicted selection. If that cut isn't there, the disappointment is mild. But on the hunt, disappointment is magnified. My heart is in it. If I screw up, it was MY fault. The pain is only assuaged, and only partly, by demanding that I learn from it. Selah. Eleven years ago I moved from the West, Alabama. From open country, to the jungle. For the first year or so here, I got my ASS KICKED. One of the most crushing days of my life was when my new hunting buddy told me, "Jeff, you GOT TO SIT STILL!" You see, hunting in the West involves covering ground .... climbing a mountain, looking over the other side, if there's a deer, shoot! ... if not, climb the next mountain. And I swore I'd never get in a tree. LOL. So, slowly, I have been learning to hunt the South. Painfully. If I didn't love it so much, I'd have stopped long ago. But I'm a lover. I love the things I love. I'm an artist. I'm learning through hundreds (trillions) of mistakes, as there's no second chance with these jungle whitetail bucks. I learn the science. (I'm a career scientist/engineer.) I'm forced to! Ballistics. Stuff like that. I love the science behind the hunt, but the hunt isn't run by science. I run the hunt the way I want.
I am not a hunter but a lover of the outdoors - hiking, skiing and more. When I am planning an adventure.....sometimes I get overwhelmed with too much information, too much planning. Too much work when I was just want to get out there.
Years ago, we did not have digital maps, just paper maps. Maybe not even a paper map but just a sense of getting out there - following a somewhat marked trail. Life was so much simpler back then....seeing a trail and wondering - where will that trail take me? Let's go!
Yeah, I hear you, Jenn. Digital maps, especially, are dumbing us down in terms of our sense of direction/common sense (I’m guilty of it as much as anyone).
Good writing, Jesse. Your frustrated desire to be more “scientific” in your hunting made me think of Atul Gawande’s comment that “(Science) isn’t a normal way of thinking. It is unnatural and counterintuitive.” We humans are messy beings, relying largely on habit and emotion and short-term rewards. It takes an enormous amount of energy to push against our nature, and so we get tired and revert back. Oh well. Shifting our approach even a little can produce good results.
And may I join you in your tribute to supportive spouses whose good efforts provide us more space to play. I am also grateful for such a partner!
Thank you as usual for your thoughtful comment, Baird. The mind is a funny place.
I’m certain you know this better than me, but finding and building the new mental habits, and sticking with them, is a formidable challenge.
What a great Gwande quote; an incredible mind!
Market hunting ... when I was a kid, my neighbor, then retired, and I assume now having passed on, was a market hunter in his earlier days. One thing I remember, aside from his tales of killing his limit of 50 a day, plus the limits of 50 each of each of his customers who couldn't hit a thing, .... was how he could hit ducks. We hunted mostly over decoys in fairly compact situations. But sometimes, while walking to and from, V's of ducks would fly over. They were so high I wouldn't even raise my gun. He would pull up, pull the trigger, and the lead mallard would fold up, in instant death, and start its fall to earth. The bird's forward movement would put it's impact at least 50 yards away, and its first bounce might be 6 or 8 feet in the air. Gosh we had fun.
Wow- incredible image! Only a few places with that abundance and freedom left on this planet.
Science versus Art ... I love the art part, to hunt as I feel, hunch, maybe even intend. Sometimes the way I `want' is the way of `stupid' ... doing in repetition, or ignorance, something that doesn't work, hoping it will. But I'm out there for the wonder, adventure, the art of it all. It's not the grocery, where I grab a cart, go to meat counter, and make the predicted selection. If that cut isn't there, the disappointment is mild. But on the hunt, disappointment is magnified. My heart is in it. If I screw up, it was MY fault. The pain is only assuaged, and only partly, by demanding that I learn from it. Selah. Eleven years ago I moved from the West, Alabama. From open country, to the jungle. For the first year or so here, I got my ASS KICKED. One of the most crushing days of my life was when my new hunting buddy told me, "Jeff, you GOT TO SIT STILL!" You see, hunting in the West involves covering ground .... climbing a mountain, looking over the other side, if there's a deer, shoot! ... if not, climb the next mountain. And I swore I'd never get in a tree. LOL. So, slowly, I have been learning to hunt the South. Painfully. If I didn't love it so much, I'd have stopped long ago. But I'm a lover. I love the things I love. I'm an artist. I'm learning through hundreds (trillions) of mistakes, as there's no second chance with these jungle whitetail bucks. I learn the science. (I'm a career scientist/engineer.) I'm forced to! Ballistics. Stuff like that. I love the science behind the hunt, but the hunt isn't run by science. I run the hunt the way I want.
Damn, Jeff; this is a story in itself! And thank you for it.
I still struggle to sit still. By the time rifle & muzzle seasons come around, I feel liberated. Good luck out there.
And to you, Jesse. I head back into the woods shortly. Tonight has a good `feel'.