While self-preservation and my own hunting success are incredibly important to me, hunting doesn’t end with me, and it doesn’t end with you either. In order to keep this train rolling, we’ve gotta have the fuel to do it. That means more numbers and that means more hunters. We are a dying breed and if we don’t think about hunter recruitment, we’ll suffocate beneath the surface we once knew.
Each year that has gone by I have been really fortunate to have been contacted by people looking for guidance in hunting. Many of them are what we now call “adult-onset hunters.” And I know exactly how they feel. It’s overwhelmed. It’s a wave of imposter syndrome or just embarrassment, that will oftentimes keep them from reaching out to more experienced hunters.
And there is a great deal of time that those more experienced hunters don’t give them their time. I know this because I was there. Hunting intel is hard-earned, and I completely understand not wanting to divulge “honeyholes.” From my experience, that’s not what they’re after. They’re after encouragement and a push in the right direction.
I’ve entertained a large number of these folks online, but have also, with caution of course, joined a few in the field. Our relationship went from a cup of coffee at a cafe to a cup of coffee deep in the backcountry together. Friendships forged through mountainous terrain, inclement weather, and…coffee.
Recently, I had the pleasure of being joined by someone on a bear hunt. The fella reached out over a year ago asking very reasonable questions about bears in Arizona. Soon, we grabbed that cup of coffee, and then it just worked out to where we could share a hunting camp. I don’t do this stuff lightly by the way, and neither should you. I mean, you’ve gotta make sure the person isn’t a weirdo right?
“the journey is not over, it’s just beginning.”
New Bear Hunter
We spent 6 days together pounding the mountains for bears. I ended up wrapping my tag on a great bear, but unfortunately, the gentleman did not. I felt awful, but he didn’t. His words were this “The journey is not over, it’s just beginning.” He may not have left with a bear, but he certainly left armed to the teeth with applicable knowledge for his future bear-hunting endeavors. From finding bears to breaking one down in the field. It was the full treatment short of bear meat in his cooler.
Hunting is oftentimes a selfish act. We’re out there trying to fill OUR tags. Embrace OUR adventure. Crush OUR goals. There isn’t anything wrong with this. It’s fulfilling, and what is life without being fulfilled? I do think there is something to be said about passing on some knowledge here and there to the newer folks. Even if it is just a one-time cup of coffee with zero honeyholes present.
My daughter is 3 years old right now. Of course, I have dreams of her joining me in the field. My fingers are crossed that she actually wants to because I will never force her to. In order for things like this to happen though, for all of us, hunting needs to be in good health. It needs positive voices behind it. Stewards of the land willing to share Mother Nature’s beauty. Like it or not, this is how hunting keeps going. It’s Hunter Recruitment and Retainment. The days of Mom and Dad bringing their child up into hunting are no longer the majority. Hence the influx of adult-onset hunters. Encourage the eager. Inspire the ignorant.
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