Why I Hunt…and Reasons You Should Hunt Too
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“Do you really like hunting? Doesn’t it bother you to kill an animal?”
“Yuk! Who wants to deal with having to butcher and cut up the meat and then package it? That’s a lot of work. Just go to the grocery store.”
“Eww…how can you stand seeing all the blood and guts…that’s just gross!”
I’ve heard all these and then some.
I suppose for some people it’s not the norm for women to hunt. According to both U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the National Shooting Sports Federation (NSSF) however, the number of women actively engaging in hunting has been on the upswing since 2000.
Of the roughly 15 million Americans who bought a hunting license in 2020, 22% were women (up from only 12% in 2003).
If you have ever wanted to learn to hunt but are not sure how to get started, here are a couple of suggestions.
Find a friend or relative that hunts and ask to come along with them and get a first-hand look at what it’s all about.
With any luck they’ll be so excited to pass along their knowledge they’ll want to teach you what you need to know.
All I’ve learned about hunting I’ve learned from my partner and best friend…he has the patience of a saint and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything.
If you don’t have a friend or relative who can teach you, then check out your local B.O.W. program.
The B.O.W. Program
USFWS promotes a series of workshops through their Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW) program that brings women from 18 to 80 together to learn various skills over the course of a weekend.
They have many classes to choose from including kayaking, trapping, outdoor cooking, bird-watching, outdoor photography, bow-hunting, gun safety and basic rifle to name a few. You can also obtain your hunter’s safety certification through the program.
Thirty-eight states and several Canadian provinces offer programs like this. What a great opportunity to travel and experience the program in different states across the country!
So if you’ve ever thought about learning to hunt or learn a variety of outdoor skills, check out the BOW program. Check here for more information on the program in Florida. Click here for tons of pictures from past classes.
Whether you’re a man or woman though, here are 11 reasons why you should hunt.
Why You Should Hunt – Whether You’re a Man or Woman…
(In no particular order…)
To Challenge Stereotypes
I enjoy learning and doing traditionally non-girly things.
But I wear makeup when hunting, and my nails are manicured.
I wear jewelry.
But I will also crawl along the ground, sit for hours in a tree stand, trudge through muddy bogs, and get my hands muddy and bloody and not think anything of it.
Just because I enjoy hunting doesn’t mean I don’t also enjoy being a female.
I wouldn’t trade being a woman for the world. It makes me think of Marilyn Monroe’s quote: “I don’t mind living in a man’s world, as long as I can be a woman in it.” That’s me. I make the world my own.
Provides a Reason To Travel
Hunting gives you a reason to travel to places you may not otherwise consider.
Case in point, we recently spent 10 days exploring and hunting in West Virginia.
If you would have asked me a year ago where we would be hunting this year, I guarantee you West Virginia would not have been on the list.
Not for any particular reason, it just wasn’t on the radar. Ohio, Georgia, Colorado, Alaska, Florida, Virginia…yes. But I have to say I love West Virginia and I would absolutely go back!
Speaking of travel, if you’re looking for holiday destinations, explore these 5 Magical Towns Guaranteed to Fill You With Holiday Cheer.
For Food
Simple, straightforward.
I enjoy the taste of wild meat over domesticated beef and chicken.
This includes deer, elk, rabbit, and squirrel.
Have you ever had fresh squirrel slow smoked in banana leaves? OMG it’s amazing. You aren’t going to find that in a restaurant!
Wild game meat is also healthier than domesticated, store-bought meat.You could argue for the grass-fed, grass-finished, no hormone beef from the meat counter in your local grocery store, but to me wild game still tastes better.
You don’t get any more natural or organic meat than wild game.
Gives You a Sense of Self-Pride and Accomplishment
Hunting is not as simple as picking up a weapon and heading for the woods (well, not usually!)
There’s a lot that goes into a successful hunt and the sense of pride and accomplishment you get after bringing home fresh meat is like none other.
To Learn and Practice Life-Sustaining Skills
There’s so much skill and knowledge that goes with hunting.
Knowing the animal’s habits, when they bed down, when they eat, the trails they follow, are all information a successful hunter becomes familiar with.
In addition to knowing the terrain you’re hunting in, mountains, desert, eastern woods, southern wetlands, you need to know the weapon you’re using and the method with which you use to hunt with it.
Hunting techniques are vastly different between a rifle and a crossbow for example.
All this knowledge is not only useful but imperative if you want to be successful and bring home food to feed yourself and your family.
And what about processing? How long do you let deer hang for? How do you process birds as opposed to moose or elk? What parts should you use for steak, for grinding up, for roasts?
And what about tanning the hides and utilizing every part of the animal possible?
There’s so much you can learn and the skills you can use in everyday life.
To Be Self-Sufficient and Support Yourself and Your Family
Another reason why you should hunt is to not have to rely so much on your grocery store or butcher.
Meat prices in the grocery store have only continued to rise in the past year.
What does wild game cost? Do the math.
But I can guarantee you that the 500lbs of deer we brought home last month and processed, when compared to store-bought beef, is a WHOLE lot cheaper (and healthier, and tastes better!)
To Reconnect With Nature
One of the things I like best about hunting is the chance to just get out in the woods and breathe.
To sit at the base of a tree and listen to the breeze rustle the leaves, watch the squirrels scamper down one tree and up another is so peaceful and relaxing.
Work and bills and everyday stress melts away and the only thing you’re concerned with is where the animals/birds are and planning for your next shot.
There becomes a spiritual connection between you and the animals and helps to reconnect yourself to nature.
For the Bonding and Camaraderie
Rarely is hunting a solo endeavor.
I know when I go out it’s always with my best friend and at least one or two other of our close friends.
Working together for a shared goal brings people together.
I can tell you from experience that sharing the work load of hauling hundreds of pounds of meat back to the vehicle creates stories we still tell years later.
The processing of the meat too can be a family bonding experience.
My sister-in-law’s family is a prime example. Each fall/winter the whole family would come together to hunt and process the meat. Some would carve the steaks and roasts, some would grind the meat for burger, and others would be in charge of wrapping and packaging. They would all share in the labor, and the rewards.
Talk about makin’ memories!
To Teach the Next Generation About Wildlife Conservation
Hunting plays a large part in animal resource management.
Hunting seasons and bag limits are established with the well-being of the animals in mind.
Hunt too few game and overpopulation occurs, creating disease and food shortage for the herd, flock etc.
Hunt too many and you run the risk of decimating the population.
The money raised from hunting and fishing licenses goes to support many conservation organizations and programs as well.
It’s also important to learn and teach how to hunt ethically and responsibly.
To Learn About and Stay Proficient With a Variety of Weapons
Hunting can involve a variety of weapons.
It’s purely the hunter’s preference whether they choose to hunt with a rifle, shotgun, muzzleloader, recurve bow, compound bow, or a crossbow. You can also choose to hunt with several dogs as my grandfather did, or a single retriever as is usually the case when duck hunting.
Each has their pros and cons and each requires a different hunting technique.
Choosing which weapon system you prefer is part of the fun and makes learning interesting as well as challenging.
And there’s also a variety of ways to hunt including tracking, using a tree stand, a blind, or some combination.
Each method has their advantages and disadvantages and depends on what type of hunting you want to do.
Photo credit: The Traveling Dragonfly.
For the Personal Challenge
I love the personal challenge of going out and overcoming obstacles to succeed.
You need to put all the skills I’ve mentioned together, from knowing your target, to reading their tracks, knowing their habits and where to find them, your weapon system, and being able to read the weather and knowing what the animals will do.
And, you can have everything set up perfectly and do everything right and even then you may still not be successful.
That’s what makes a successful hunt all the more exhilarating and rewarding, knowing you overcame dozens of obstacles to succeed.
These are my 11 reasons why you should hunt and I hope you take a chance and embrace your inner dragonfly by spreading your wings and trying something new.
What if you try it and find that you DO enjoy it, or better yet, have a natural talent for a bow or rifle? Or, if you give it a try and find that you just don’t like to hunt, fine – at least you tried and hopefully learned something about yourself in the process.
But consider this, if nothing else, time spent with friends outdoors is just plain fun and relaxing…and out there, no one expects you to cook, or clean, or run to the grocery store!
If you enjoy experiencing nature and visiting our national parks take a look at these itineraries you won’t want to miss! 13 Tips for Visiting Yellowstone National Park, the Ultimate Arizona Itinerary – Three National Parks in Three Days and The Best 3-5 Day Itinerary for Grand Teton National Park!
If you have a great hunting story to share, leave a comment below! Or if you have any questions, please feel free to comment or send me an email. I’d love to hear from you!
