Whitetail Deer Hunting

As a whitetail deer hunter it is hard for me to realize the full complexity of our hunting heritage. We are only given brief glimpses of legendary deer hunters from the 1800′s. Some books worth noting that tackle exactly this, the author Robert Wegner tackles to bridge that every increasing gap of the modern day hunter to legendary hunters of the past. In his one book Legendary Deerslayers the foreword is by James A. Swan Ph. D. explains how society through media has come to view the hunter as a villainous character portrayed in countless movies whether it be the hero being Bambi’s father was maliciously killed by a hunter or the returning soldiers from vietnam hunting deer that brings up bad memories and flash backs of the war. As James A. Swan noted the intent of these movies are not or were not meant to be anti-hunting movies but they certainly give overtones of whitetail deer hunting being evil.

At that time when the movies were produced it is hard for us hunters to realize that our hunting heritage was at its peak. With plenty of hunters afield. Family members participating in hunting and fresh game for supper was part of a yearly ritual. I can remember stories of my father talking about how him and his brothers would go out hunting rabbits in the freezing cold. They would chase the rabbit out of his hole and try to catch them with their bare hands. I will definitely make sure I write the full accounts of those stories before he passes on, to share with the rest of you. But it seems like society as a whole is detached from the meaning of hunting and what peace and solitude it brings. The shared hunting stories is what Robert Wegner reverberates and gets across very romantically throughout his book. Of how a hunting story cleanses the soul and digs deep inside to reflect and understand our primordial past as a predator.

The Life of a Hunter: Catching a Tartar

I have not known no other man to be so passionate about the prey he hunts. Robert Wegner has dedicated his whole life to hunting deer. He is considered the father of all deer hunting historians. Rightly so if you ever get a chance read his other books the deer and deer hunting trilogy. When I first fell in love with hunting he is one of the pivotal charachter in my life that taught me what it means to be a hunter. It is not in the act of shooting game that I get my most enjoyment but just the climax of the hunt. It is kneeling down to God and thanking him for the hunt. Which ever God we pray to it is of utmost importance we do not lose our way as the predator. It is what has molded and shaped our society to who we are without hunting stories we have no way to cleanse our souls as our ancestors have.

I would like to thank Robert Wegner for writing from his heart. He is the true hero of our hunting heritage. I hope to one day to watch a film that uses his research as the primary catalyst to save and promote our ever diminishing tradition.

Check out my latest article I authored found at ezine articles called Whitetail Deer Hunting Decline.