How many of you out there in the blogosphere are hunters? Hunting is one of the most noble sports in existence – it goes back to the kings and royalty of nations past. While for millennia before that hunting had been a subsistence act, meaning that hunters would shoot and kill animals for food and for their own protection, it later turned into a act of sport and vermin control. One of the first cases of fox hunting can be traced back to the 16th century where farmers would use their dogs to get rid of the “vermin.” Hunting as a social activity in Britain was well developed over the next several hundred years. By the Victorian era, it became very fashionable for noblemen and women of the British wealthy upper class to would go on hunting expeditions for a social activity. Additionally, hunting has been very popular among the British royalty – it is even said that King George V (the father of the current Queen Elizabeth II) shot over one thousand pheasants in a single day in 1913.
Nowadays, hunting is less of a royals-only sport. It’s now more about camouflage and strategy than about hounds and hunting parties. Now, it is about hunting permits, and specialty rifles, and bag limits. While the times may have changed, the sentiments behind hunting remain the same. Hunters love the camaraderie, the beauty of the outdoors, being a part of a long tradition of similar individuals. There is little that is better than waking up early in the morning and hiking out in raw nature to a hunting cabin. And then, when you spot that first game (whether it is a deer or a duck or anything in between), you know why you’re there.
Many men and women have had a long love affair with hunting. Even as hunting regulation becomes stricter and stricter, the core values and experiences remain the same.
Are you a hunter? What is your favorite game to hunt? What is your favorite spot to hunt?