Why do you deer hunt, Josh?

Find the deer.

I had this question asked of me yesterday. Not from an anti-hunter, but from someone who genuinely wanted to know what it is about hunting that makes it engaging. I was going to write two sentences and make my reply concise, but once I got writing I realized I had too much more to say. Here was my response to her...

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Such great questions...and I can't think of any questions I would rather answer right now :)

Here it is for me:

1. Time in the woods was sacred for my brothers and I growing up. It was "man time" and we could only go a few times a year with our uncle...so every time mattered a great deal. It has sentimental value.

2. I see God in creation better and more vividly than anywhere else in my life. He meets me in the trees and I spend time just praying and talking with him in the quiet of the woods.

3. The time with my brothers is irreplaceable. No other time during the year do we get time together without anyone else around.

4. I love to watch nature when it doesn't know I'm there. I like to learn about all the animals and how they survive... I see the amazing way God wove creation together when I watch their instincts. Nothing more fun than watching deer do what they do. So few people actually get to see it.

5. I love deer. Everything about them. The grace and beauty. The speed and power. The way they blend into their environment. The way they seem to be "smarter" than I am.

6. The hunt. I love watching deer knowing they have no idea I am watching them. I watch many of them and shoot very few. I think there is something primal about taking one. There has to be. The way your blood pressure rises and your heart beats fast when you know you are going to take an animal has to go way back in our make-up.

7. I actually eat all the deer I kill. I won't kill it if I won't eat it. I am (believe it or not) sad for a minute after each deer I kill. Thankful to God for the food, but sad to have sacrificed a life of an animal for it.

8. I believe God gave us animals for our use.

9. The thrill is in the hunt. I have had many more thrilling hunts than kills. A close encounter with a massive animal is the coolest thing I could hope for.

That's it. I realize it may even seem confusing, but I absolutely love it.

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Genesis 27:7 Bring me venison, and make me savory meat, that I may eat and bless thee...