- Outdoor columnist Ben Smith writes that he believes God made all of us different, saying he’s at his best when alone in the woods.
I sat in the truck a little longer than usual after pulling into the garage. I’d been at the camp for a few days and for the first time all year returned home with enough meat in the cooler to be satisfied with the trip. But upon arriving at the house, something inside of me didn’t want to get out of the truck. Part of that could be attributed to the cold, but it was more than that. I wasn’t ready to be home, yet.
It’s not that I don’t miss my family when I go on these trips. Trust me, I do. I wish there was a way they could go with me every time I went. But, missing them isn’t enough to send me running back home. That sounds horrible and probably neglectful, and maybe it is. I don’t see it that way, though I’m sure others do. It’s deeper than what’s on the surface. My wife calls it an obsession, but I’m not even sure that’s what it is.
I sat around the house for the next two days watching the kids play in the snow. A lot of southerners hate the cold and the snow, but I’d be lying if I said that I did. Truthfully, I was so disappointed when I woke up on Tuesday and there wasn’t snow already on the ground. Fortunately, by lunch we had plenty to play in. The problem with having a couple of days to sit around is my mind starts to wander. I get bored and restless, especially during this time of the year. I start wandering what the deer are doing at the moment. Would I be seeing bucks galore if I were in a stand right now? The thoughts of going back hunting creep in and won’t leave. But is it an obsession or something more?
I started to wonder, “What makes me the way that I am?” Is it normal? Did something happen in my childhood that made me this way? Or is it ingrained in my DNA to long to be in the outdoors? For starters, I don’t have some weird bloodlust to where I feel the need to kill everything walking in the woods. I know guys that do and let me tell you, they are a little strange. I can honestly hunt for days on end and never pull the trigger. My wife will attest to this because I think she expects me to bring home meat every time that I leave for the woods.
As for me, I’m usually pretty content just being there. I love the sounds and the smells. The feeling of a cool breeze in your face and the sun at your back. It relaxes me and gives me peace. I love the views of the sun coming up in the East while the sky is still dark to the West and the way it slowly works its way from the treetops to the ground. I love hearing the rustling of leaves and the wonder of whether it’s a deer or something else. But even with the sights, smells, and sounds there has to be something more fueling this desire.
Humans have been hunters dating back to our creation. Food being the main reason for the practice. But we have grocery stores on every corner, so food can’t be the only thing driving this bus. I’ve caught myself passing up deer early in the season when our freezer is nearly deprived of deer meat. If my wife reads this, she’ll probably throw a fit, but I cannot tell a lie. There have been plenty of days where I just enjoyed watching the deer as much as anything else.
The only other reason for my so-called obsession is ego. If you know me well enough, you already know I’m pretty much fueled by an ego large enough for more than one person. I’m a task guy. I like to conquer whatever is ahead of me and move on to the next challenge. I know that part of what gets me in the woods is the opportunity to potentially kill something bigger than what I’ve killed before. So, in essence, I’m somewhat of a trophy hunter, I guess. Trophy hunters get a bad rep in the media, but I don’t see anything wrong in attempting to kill the biggest, most mature buck on your property. It’s obviously the most challenging thing you can do as an outdoorsman, so why not? Plus, I like to come home and brag a little to my friends about what I’ve killed.
I believe that God made all of us different. Some of us are built to enjoy life in big cities amidst the chaos and the noise. Some of us thrive in an office setting surrounded by other people. Some are built to entertain in front of large audiences. For me, none of those things are appealing. I am at my best when I’m alone in the woods. When I sit and think about what drives me so hard to be in the woods, it’s all of those things combined that I just talked about. Not a single one of them is enough to make me keep coming back as often as I do, but when you combine all three (nature, meat, and trophy) it’s enough to make me shake like a drug addict when I can’t go.
For those of you in the same camp as me when it comes to hunting obsession, you don’t have much time left. The good news is that the MDWFP extended the season by a few days, so you’d better make use of your remaining time. It’s a long time until October!
