A lot has been written about hunting. The history of hunting, the psychological underpinnings, the practical need for hunting to feed families and eventually the reduction of the need for hunting with modern agriculture and food distribution. Because we now grow our own food and keep animals, hunting has become a specialized task and recreational sport.

Hunting to this writer was a right of passage and an activity that forever bonded me to my Grandfather who taught me to be a good hunter. It didn’t matter if we came home empty handed. The success of the hunt was not measured by the game bagged, but instead by the time we spent quietly walking through the woods or hours spent in one position waiting for game to pass by.  It was the conversations about the care of weapons, the actual time spent cleaning and oiling guns and the enjoyment of spending time in the outdoors together.  This is what makes hunting important for son’s and daughters, and their parents and grandparents.