Behind the Rifle By Alexander Stortz Many people have never hunted in their lives, even those who boast about their trophies or their furs. Those who have to proclaim what they killed aren’t really hunters. Similar to if a king has to proclaim that he is king isn’t really a king. Hunting is not only a state of mind, but a moment in life where the fellow human being returns to the natural order of things for that small amount of time in the span we call life. A hunter becomes the forest, the desert, the grasslands, the tundra. A hunter knows what he does, and what he kills. Despite my prior description, a hunter is only part animal since he still has the sentience of a human, and understands right from wrong, which is a good trait. A hunter doesn’t kill an animal that is still a child, at least not intentionally. Even though such events tragically happen, the hunter normally tries to kill the more mature animals, giving the child a chance to enjoy life a little while longer. A hunter also understands that as a skilled professor of the ancient art, it is his unwritten duty to help with the thinning of herds, and the promotion of helping wildlife live within the circle of life. This helps keep the balance between predator and prey. Understandably, there are people against the ways of hunting, and prefer not to harm animals nor kill them for their meet, furs, bones, organs, and other useful materials, but hunting helps with population control, and reduces the spread of infectious disease that may decimate a herd or pack. Plus there are nutrients within meat that can’t normally be found in protein tablets and alternatives. Vitamin b12, creatine, vitamin d3, carnosine, and DHA are five nutrients the body needs that can only be found in meat. Vitamin b12 is a water soluble nutrient that aids in the help of keeping every cell in the body functioning. Without it, we would gain many illnesses and irregularities especially brain damage, which would eventually kill us. Creatine is a muscle building nutrient that creates ATP also known as the energy currency transferred in cells. Although this nutrient isn’t a necessity, it helps with brain functions, and aids in building skeletal muscle. Vitamin d3 is the usual vitamin d, except in its strongest form, and it can only be found in meat. Carnosine is a nutrient that helps with not only the muscles and brain, but also in keeping proteins where they’re supposed to be, helps with anti-aging, and reduces damage caused by elevated blood glucose. People with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease have a terrible deficiency of carnosine in their bodies. Perhaps carnosine may be a link to finding the cure to these diseases, but we would have to tear into some flesh for the components. Finally, Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA) is the nutrient that gives the body Omega-3, the essential fatty acid everyone needs. Omega-3 helps with proper functions of the brain, and we can only get this fatty acid through DHA since our bodies can’t convert ALA (The plant source of Omega-3) to DHA(The animal source of Omega-3, which is the one we need in order to use the Omega-3). Being a hunter is experiencing nature to its core. We become the animal that hunts, and the anime that is hunted, which is the way of nature. We are aware of our surrounds, and appreciate it for what it is. The truest form of naturalist is the hunter, in my opinion, because the hunter studies the environment, finds his favorite ground to wait in, and knows what animal he prefers to hunt. Such is the way of a predator. Many hunters have different styles. Some are like bears who walk within the woods with confidence and poise, while others are like wolves who hunting in packs and prowl the grounds for the best kill, and then there are some who are like tigers and sit in one spot, waiting for the prey to come along into his line of sight. The hunt gives us time to reflect about our more natural lives as we take moments in the wild to sit or lie down, and use our senses to understand our surroundings. We may fall asleep to the birds who sing songs in the distance or feel refreshed by the wind helping the trees converse with each other through the ruffling of their leaves. We smell the wild berries and flowers close by, and feel the floors of the grounds beneath us. In that moment we fall into a state of peace not found in human society. We are relaxed and in our own elements until we finally find our prey. When we do find our prey, the heart jolts us awake, and fuels our primal instinct. When I find my prey, my eyes become fixed on them. I can feel my pupils dilate, and my eye lids becoming stiff with anticipation. The hardest part then is to life the rifle up to my shoulder, and into my vision. My arms shake with the adrenaline rushing through my veins. Once my eye goes into the scope, I can hear my heavy breathing, and then it happens. My mind begins to speak. I am still as a stone. I am the wolf of the falling winter. I fix myself for the right time to attack. I let my mind slip back for a moment to let me focus on this one chance. My eyelids begin to slowly relax. My breathing lessens until I bare draw breath. Every muscle in my body shapes my form into a stone-like structure. My hearing becomes selective, only focusing on miner audible details. Silence. No noise is heard. No feeling felt. My vision is at maximum, seeing even the finest hairs on my prey’s coat at even two hundred yards away. One muscle moves. Was it my eye? Did it twitch? No. Did I swallow in anticipation? No. Alas, it was the simple tip of my index finger; my trigger finger. The muscle moves back, squeezing the metal curve, cocking back the hammer until an accentuating click could be heard. BANG! The shot rings through the ears, and returns time to the world around me. My prey falls to the ground; a clean kill. He didn’t feel any pain or anguish. Instead he fell to the ground, and let death come for him. All emotion rushes back into me, and I gain control of myself once again. My mind would continue to play the scenario repeatedly in my head while I walked to claim my kill. Hunters understand the meaning of life and death in its pure and simple form. We see life everywhere around us, and we deal death so we could eat, and craft items with the materials we gain. In return, what is left over feeds the earth, and brings more life, thins the herds, and prevents tragic disease. Hunters are a dying people. Many forget the trade, and forget why we still do it. To hunt is to fully take action in the life we were meant to live. The hunter is the perfect balance between humanity and nature. When we die, we become a part of nature, returning what we claimed in our lives well lived. In the end, we become the trees that speak when the wind calls, we become the deer and the grass they eat, and we become the mountain lion, and the flesh it feasts. Ultimately, we become all that is natural, and become a part of the force that keeps nature alive.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 07:01:11 +0000
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