Hunting Heritage

By Greyson Gilbert

      Earlier this fall, I sat on a hillside in South Texas watching a coyote and a deer stare each other down at less than 30 yards apart. The coyote was curious, and the deer seemed surprisingly unalarmed, as she soon went back to feeding on the oats that sprouted from the red dirt beneath her feet. My primary goal that evening was to watch for deer, analyze their travel corridors in and out of this oat field, and to become familiar with the area that I'll be hunting come December. In that moment, however, all I could focus on was this deer-coyote interaction. They seemed to have a mutual understanding - that they are just occupying the same space in that moment, even though that coyote could very well be eating that deer or that deer's fawn in the coming months. It was a testament to the fact that you can witness some pretty amazing things in the wild if you take the time to slow down, get outside, and be present wherever you find yourself. And that's what it's all about, right? Being present. Sitting there, I thought of what Aldo Leopold, pictured below, writes in his book of outdoors essays and reflections, A Sand County Almanac: "Perhaps no one but a hunter can understand how intense an affection a boy can feel for a piece of marsh..." In that moment, I was that boy and that oat field was my marsh.

        In between morning and afternoon glassing sessions, we built blinds along some of these known travel corridors. We found a lot of buck sign, including scrapes, rubs, game trails, and tracks in the red dirt. This is where we focused most of our attention. We found a picturesque grassy meadow amidst a hellish tangle of brush, where I will later in the year sit, rattling and calling - hoping for the opportunity to bag a mature animal with a bow...no easy task to accomplish in the peak of the rut (deer's mating season). The thought of dragging in a slobbery, angry, rutty old whitetail with some rattling antlers, and getting an opportunity to poke him with an arrow at close range...it's already making me chomp at the bit with anticipation. This is what I think about all year long, and the work and practice that I have put in will hopefully pay off. Getting the opportunity to tango with a brute of a rut-crazed whitetail is one of the greatest adrenaline rushes there is.

       There's value in putting the time and sweat into any pursuit. I've always adhered to the idea that hunting is A-Z meat acquisition. Currently, I'm in the A portion of the process. To truly appreciate not only the end product, but also the pursuit itself, I believe that you have to be present and hands on during every step of the way. A: Prepping, practicing, and scouting, all the way to Z: eating that trophy meal from an animal you killed, butchered, and prepared yourself. A to Z meat. That's how I like it.

       The value of hunting in my life is simple and profound. Not only does it provide me with delicious meat, but I love the pursuit and the challenges that it brings. Hunting often puts you in very uncomfortable situations, and can force you to think, strategize, problem solve, and attack a game-plan - only too often to be given the slip by whatever animal you are pursuing. That's the joy of it all. Spending time in the natural world makes me feel alive. I get this kind of overwhelming sensation, like, "man, I am just glad to be alive." Forget all of the things that I stress about. Forget all of the things that I over-complicate. Spending time pursuing whitetail, dove, turkey, or just some quality time in the wilderness seems to slow life down. It makes me think about things in a deeper way. Not only do I begin to philosophize about the complex and beautiful aspects of the natural world, but everything in life, outside of the wilderness, begins to become clearer. I don't know how, but what I do know is that it is good for the soul. 

       Hunting and Conservation go hand in hand. I've been blessed to spend my fair share of nights in some of the most beautiful public lands in the nation, including National Forests, National Parks, State Parks, and other managed Natural Areas. America, I believe, despite the ensuing tug of war over conservation, still has the greatest wildlife and public land system of any country in the world. In the early 1900's, Theodore Roosevelt helped to set a precedent for the kind of legacy that we, as a nation, desire to leave for the generations that succeed our own. Many people heatedly disagreed with Teddy's policy. His laws in favor of the conservation of 230 million acres of wild lands were not popular among everyone, but he knew what had to be done.

          
        On top of the management of the land itself, he significantly helped in the conservation of multiple species of animals, such as the American Bison, among other big game, small game, and birds. His various hunting regulations and conservation programs are critical in giving us the opportunity to hunt these animals today. If something wasn't done, many of these species would have soon faced extinction at the hand of man. 
       
         It wasn't just Teddy that accomplished all of this, but his influence over the nation's decisions was a huge one. Some other hunting and conservation giants handed us this hunting heritage and inspired my impressionable young self, and still inspire me today: Fred Bear, the pioneer of modern bow-hunting. Aldo Leopold, famed author and conservationist. Gifford Pinchot, dubbed in the early 1900's as the "father of conservation." Even guys on the scene right now, such as author and T.V. show host Steven Rinella. Army veteran and my personal hunting mentor, Josh Kinser. And my John Wayne-esque Uncle Jim, who I got to hunt deer and turkey with before he passed away on November 25th of this year. They have passed down to me this genuine love for wild places and wild animals, and I desire to take it head on, later to pass it down to guys and gals in the generations to come.

Fred Bear

       Roosevelt and all of these men were the kind of people who thought about the coming generations, not just their own, as we also have a responsibility to conserve wild places for our kids to roam and wander, and ultimately find what only the natural world has to offer. Not only is it the responsibility of conserving the wild animals and places, but also the heritage that comes with our ability to go outside and spend time in wild places. My Dad instilled that in my brother and I at an early age, and we plan to do the same for our children.

"Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now we face the question whether a still higher 'standard of living' is worth its cost in things natural, wild and free. For us of the minority, the opportunity to see geese is more important than television.” 

- Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac