So listen, before you’re outraged, I want to start with saying that I’m NOT pro-trophy hunting, nor am I pro-sport hunting. I’m also not for shitty drunk hunters who are hunting for the fun of killing animals and trespassing on private property.
I do believe though, that hunting can be an incredible way to have access to wild-grazed meat and a really special way to connect with the land and nature.
I was brought up around hunting and fishing and camping. It exposed me to how things worked in terms of food but also in terms of biology. It made me want to learn more about how bodies worked and honestly was a huge factor for my desire to go into medicine.
My parents split up when I was 5 years old, and a huge part of my love of hunting when I was little was that it was time to spend with my dad who had moved to another province.
And although the winter camping wasn’t necessarily my favourite, it was time spent outdoors in the beautiful Alberta wilderness, time by a campfire eating tasty treats and often, time away from the busy-ness of city life.
It was a HUGE recognition though, that in eating meat, I would be taking a life. This was a big lesson to learn as a kid, but honestly, such an important lesson that I believe every single person who chooses to eat meat should learn.
It was being fully present for all that my meat-meal meant. I was part of and present for the hardest part of what it means to eat meat and I always wanted to make sure it was done PROPERLY and by my standards. Not to pawn the hard part off on someone else, whose standards and ethics didn’t match mine.
Hunting was also gratitude for all that was given and offered by the earth and the animal. I remember my dad shooting a mule deer and I was upset and crying that we’d taken a life. I was so grateful that he took the time to explain the process of what we had done, the life we had taken and how important and special that was. It was gratitude for the land that helped grow the animal, with appreciation and gratitude for the animal who sacrificed itself to allow us to eat. We took the time to be respectful, grateful and appreciative and it helped me to understand and to REALLY learn why it’s important to know where our food comes from.
It was a desire to cook better and utilize the meat in a way that made my food extra special…because it was. It wasn’t something to be wasted and taken for granted…it wasn’t just another meat slab that was conveniently packaged and sold in the grocery store.
It was learning about the animal, their habits, their desires, their patterns—it was learning about nature and have to be one with everything that meant.
It was a REALLY special way to intimately know my food and where it was coming from.
My question for you is, do you know where your food comes from? How it’s treated? How it’s raised? What its life looks like before it ends up on your plate?
I don’t want you to blindly consume any food, but this is especially true for meat.
This is why I’m pro-hunting. I want to know where my food comes from, I want to know the process, and I want to be eternally grateful for all I have access to.
I’d love to hear your thoughts.