I suppose it started when I was young with fishing trips Up North, and half-hearted deer hunts behind my parent’s house.  In those early days I enjoyed being outside immensely, and I craved it like nothing I had ever felt before.  Any given night during the fall you could find me in the fields near my home, looking for and hoping to catch any sign of a whitetail.  Back then, getting one within range was the farthest thing from my mind – I just wanted to see one; to catch a glimpse of their tan coat glimmering in the evening sun.  At that point in my life, simply spotting a whitetail was a victory.

During this time in my life, you could also find me, along with Jeff, begging our dad to take us fishing.  I craved the feel of a tug on the line, and the sound of a largemouth – with such animal tenacity – breaking the still surface of the water.  It kept me grounded.

And here we are 20 some years later, and I still find myself craving the same things:  the heart-pounding intensity of having a whitetail within bow-range; the feeling of a 8lb steelhead on the end of my fly rod; the crashing sites and sounds of a largemouth breaking the surface in order to consume my Jitterbug; a fall sunrise and sunset; a tom’s piercing gobble; and all the beautiful things that come with being in nature.

I believe all of these experiences, and living this particular style of life, have made me who I am; they have provided me with a positive outlet, and I shudder to think about the person I would have become without them.  Hunting and fishing were the perfect outlet for a teen struggling with self-esteem, what my future might hold, and what I needed to become in order to rite the ship I was on and get it headed in the right direction.

There are some who say that killing animals makes us sadistic and evil killers, and that hunting and fishing cannot possibly be a positive influence in a child’s life.  But I think that all of us need to have a relationship with nature in order to understand who we are, where we’re going, and what we need to do in order to be positive, contributing members of society.

And I’m going to take it one step farther, and say that to truly be at peace with oneself you have to have a connection with the flesh that you consume – or at least an understanding of where the flesh comes from that provides fuel and energy for your body.  I was an active participant in nature from a young age, and it helped to form the person I am today.  But I wasn’t truly aware of my place in this world, or of my ability to be a good person, until I held my hands in the blood of an animal that I had supplied for the table; or ran my hand along the scale-covered body of a fish before gutting it and preparing it for the freezer…..to be consumed later.

Possessing a deep connection to nature makes us humble, provides us with a deep spiritual connection with the land in which we walk, and connects us to our Creator.  Providing flesh, and having contact with it, makes us understand how important life is, and allows those of us who are troubled to find the right direction.

Thankfully, I was consumed by Mother Nature from an early age, and ultimately connected to the blood of the animals I consume.

It helped a young man to find his way – and it still guides me today.

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