These past two years since my dad passed away have been the two most difficult years of my life. Losing him unexpectedly has affected me in every way. I’d like to be able to say I’m better than I was a year ago but sometimes I question whether or not thats really true. One thing I’m sure of, is that if I didn’t have the opportunity to hunt or fish during this time, I would be in a much worse state of mind. As it is, I notice that if I go weeks without hunting or fishing, I become a mess inside emotionally. There’s something hunting does for me and when I’m in the water or on top of a mountain, it’s the one place in the last two years where my dad doesn’t feel so far away. I guess for me, it’s therapy. Some people will never understand why we hunt. It’s not an activity we do for fun. It’s not a hobby. I can’t even call it a passion. It’s a way of life. It’s hard to explain and tough to find the right words to describe why. What I’ve found is that no matter how I answer that question for someone, my answer makes perfect sense to another hunter and perfect non-sense to a non-hunter. I don’t think words will ever be able to convey what hunting means to us hunters. It’s one of those things in life where experience provides meaning. I’m okay with respecting that people can be non-hunters in modern times. The modern world has allowed people to obtain food in a grocery store and whether one wants to accept it or not, there is still life and death that took place to bring that food to the dinner table. I’ll respect a non-hunters choice and equally so, I hope that they can respect mine. The need to hunt wild food is no longer a necessity, but I would personally attest that hunting is much more than food to hunters. It’s therapy. It revives the soul from worry and stress, and for me, hunting provides this better than any other activity in modern times. When I’m in the woods or under the water, any worry on my mind disappears and for those moments, I’m reminded of why I’m living; and when you share the hunt with friends and family, the therapeutic benefits over time are exponential. The friendships last a lifetime and the stories live on forever to be told over and over again on future trips. I am extremely thankful for hunting. It’s one of the most rewarding activities in my life. I can’t name many activities that continually create new memories that last a lifetime and remind me how precious life is. It’s probably why losing my best pal hurts so much. Hunting becomes a way of life, and my whole life has been hunting thanks to my dad. It’s something I’ve been exposed to since diapers. I dont think I had much of a choice. If you knew my dad, you knew how much hunting meant to him. When I think about how much hunting has played a role in who I am, it makes sense why losing my dad has made me feel so lost the past two years. I struggle every day with emotions and thoughts of how much I miss him, but thankfully, there’s no better medicine than a dose of hunting with friends and family. It’s therapy. There’s no drug on this planet that can do for me what hunting does. I found this video recently and I know my dad would have loved it. It sums up exactly Who We Are. Thank you to all my dads best pals and hunting buddies for giving me a reason to keep going on hunting trips together and reliving stories of Scott Gattoni -- Brett Gattoni, Melissa Gattoni, Bruno Williams, Cathy L Warnack-Witt (Todd), Rick Mount (Ricky Boy), Chris Peterson, Glen Cheh, Richie Rich, Brian Crettol, Kip Ahner, Phil and Renee Steinberger, Drew-berger, Scott Woodland, Jack Ku, Jeff Monahan, Steve Kang, Frank Yetman, Jimmy McCollem, Dustin McIntyre, Greg McIntyre, Chadapiller,... ... The stories sure have helped me laugh and smile these last two years. Thanks Pops for being such a story maker. Listening to a story about you is my favorite part of each hunting and fishing trip.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 21:37:07 +0000
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