A few years ago, I was your typical office-worker: stressed out, uneven energy, overweight, and inconsistent complexion. Now I'm just your typical 28-year old urban hunter-gatherer on a quest to be healthy, and having a few adventures along the way. See my full bio.
Things I learned today:
- Women are the fastest growing population of hunters. (Read this great NYT piece by Betty Fussell, who bagged her first deer at the wonderful age of 82. She attended Jackson's NYC talk with us a couple months ago.)
- It takes brains to hunt deer. The only reason deer haven't been hunted to extinction a long time ago (like many other wild animals on the east coast) is that they are smart, stay hidden, and avoid humans.
- Bow hunting is hard. Only 30% of bow hunters tagged a deer last season in Virginia.
- Bambi, the movie, is wildly inaccurate as to actual deer ecology and behavior.
- Don't wear blue jeans to hunt. Deer see blue (and ultraviolet), but not the red side of the spectrum.
- Deer use hearing to detect predators, then confirm using smell and sight .
- Supposedly I am a natural with a pistol. (Not bad with a rifle, but need some work.)
Tomorrow we'll be field dressing, butchering, and cooking a deer.
Comments
This sounds like so much fun.
This sounds like so much fun. I have wanted to do something like this for a while but like most had no idea how to proceed. It was like you either grew up in a hunting culture or were SOL. I often think the hardest part must be getting the heavy dead weight of the carcass to your vehicle.
Great website, John; found it
Great website, John; found it by way of Robb Wolf. I'm looking forward to this year's season of bowhunting---last year, the deer were indeed savvy, and I had the unfortunate winter of no deer jerky, ground meat, or steaks. I do own a rifle, but I much prefer to hunt by bow. It require many more skills than just point-and-click.Looking foward to tomorrow's post!