Why hunt?

There are many good reasons why we hunt but sometimes when we are put on the spot, it is hard to explain.  Back in the early days it was always for food and/or clothing.  In our modern times that is not always the answer.  When I was a young boy growing up in West Virginia many people used and needed the meat.  My immediate family always used the meat but it was not a necessity.  It was mainly a tradition passed down by my ancestors.  It is in my blood, part of my DNA.  It was being in the woods with friends and family and a challenge of the chase, the climb, the stalk or to harvest a bigger or older animal.  It is just what I do.  My wife says she can tell who that kind of hunter is by looking into their eyes when they are talking hunting.  Their eyes seem to glaze over.  They seem obsessed.   That’s me.  It is not always about the killing it is about being there with the animals. When I first started hunting in Alaska it was about taking my first of a specie, then the biggest, then getting friends their first trophy, then guiding clients and now it is hunting with my family.  Introducing hunting to my grandkids has been my highlight in my older years.  Still being up for the challenge in this beautiful world God has created.  This is why I hunt.