Seeing a neighbor coming down the woods trail, I winced. There I was, dressed in camo with a bow in hand, headed home after a morning hunt. And here he came, walking his dog. I suspected that he, like most of my friends and acquaintances, wasn’t keen on hunting. I could hardly blame him. I … Read more
He loved the woods, the animals, and the hunt. What he didn’t count on were the hunters. Following his boyhood dream, he earned his license as a Registered Maine Guide and landed a job with an outfitter. Then came the group of hunters who returned to camp bragging about how they had chased a moose … Read more
Two weeks ago, I got an email from Michelle Scheuermann, a spokesperson for The Sportsman Channel. Hunt.Fish.Feed.—a project Michelle works on, bringing donated game and fish to the hungry—was getting some bad press. She wondered if I would take a look and share my thoughts. Given my journey from veganism to hunting, she thought I … Read more
Even with the leaves damp and quiet, I heard the buck coming. And even through the branches and brush, I saw enough antler to know he was no off-limits spikehorn. When he stepped around the big hemlock twenty yards away, my rifle was up. In the periphery of my mind, the antlers registered: maybe six … Read more
Hunters and anglers, writes Marc Bekoff in Animals Matter, “often like to hang signs that say ‘Gone Fishin’’ or ‘Gone Huntin’.’ But what these slogans really mean is ‘Gone killing.’” When I opposed hunting, I would—like Bekoff—have objected to the euphemisms. Even catch-and-release fishing, with its professed intent not to kill, often does. Now that … Read more
The word “hunting” or “hunter” catches my ear. Then I hear my name. I’m at a gathering of neighbors and a friend has just told a couple acquaintances that I hunt. Catching a few more words, I can sense their astonishment from across the room. He seems like a nice enough guy, I imagine them … Read more