Why do you hunt - Kids?

[wyoelkfan15]

My nephew recently posed a question to me of "Uncle Wyoelkfan15, why do you hunt?" I explained to him the food aspect and it's a good excuse to get out in nature. He's only 3 1/2, so topics like conservation, management dynamics, firearms safety, etc. are a little above his head at this point. My sister-in-law, bless her heart, but she's mostly vegan and very anti-hunting and 2nd amendment. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can tactfully explain to my young nephews the reasons we do what we do?

I think he understands the food aspects, most of the red meat the kiddo has consumed has come from my freezer in the form of elk/antelope steaks (My brother actually called last week and said "Hey, your nephew was wanting some more steak"). Any suggestions on explaining the broader aspects of why we hunt to youngsters?

Thanks for the responses, hope the season is going well for everyone!

 

[Schaaf]

For the instagram likes.

 

[cgasner1]

My nephew recently posed a question to me of "Uncle Wyoelkfan15, why do you hunt?" I explained to him the food aspect and it's a good excuse to get out in nature. He's only 3 1/2, so topics like conservation, management dynamics, firearms safety, etc. are a little above his head at this point. My sister-in-law, bless her heart, but she's mostly vegan and very anti-hunting and 2nd amendment. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can tactfully explain to my young nephews the reasons we do what we do?

I think he understands the food aspects, most of the red meat the kiddo has consumed has come from my freezer in the form of elk/antelope steaks (My brother actually called last week and said "Hey, your nephew was wanting some more steak"). Any suggestions on explaining the broader aspects of why we hunt to youngsters?

Thanks for the responses, hope the season is going well for everyone!

Im supper happy im not the only guy using his real name on here

 

[mtmuley]

For the instagram likes.

There is that. mtmuley

 

[Flatbrimmer]

Unfortunately I’m worried that anything you say will get misconstrued in his upbringing by a person who does not agree with people wielding guns, (2A) let alone using them to kill and eat animals. (Vegan)

I think the best way any of us can describe it is that protein is a major part of our nutrition. Protein can be found in a number of foods but is most readily available in the form of meats. With different beans and nuts being next in line. The meat that people offer you may sometimes be fantastic, but it also may be filled with nasties that we don’t know about. Our ancestors ate the meat from the animals they found on this continent. Wild animals! Not ones that are kept in a pen with a stamp in their fur! No no! Wild ones! So we try to carry on that tradition because it’s the only way to know it’s truly organic and is of the highest nutritional standard. Red meats can also be good for mental health, memory, behavior etc.

 

[geetar]

Because it's woven deeply into who I am. My dad was a very busy man. Truck driver, welder, volunteer firefighter , raising beef cattle you name it. He always seemed to be working and didn't have a lot of time for me. However come hunting season he would go and he would take me as I got old enough. It was something we shared and I have never forgotten that and it happened at an early enough age that it became an inseparable part of me. My mom's side of the family were musicians and my dad's more into the outdoors. I've been a musician for 20+ years and been hunting for longer than that and both are so much a part of me that I don't see that ever changing.

 

[BAKPAKR]

It is all explained here:

 

[44hunter45]

I was visiting my nephew in California 13 years ago. I know that years exactly because his daughter was 3 at the time and she is now 16.

So my nephew says to his three kids, " Uncle Mark is a hunter and he goes in the woods and kills all the meat his family eats. Isn't that cool?"

Well, this precious princess walked across the room and smacked me right in the mouth. I'm pretty sure she would do it again today.

 

[ignorethefringes]

For the vegetarian/vegan/self-righteous crowd:

“There is no better way to be directly connected to the source of food for me and my family. All eating results in death, and in this case I am solely responsible for the death I create so that I can be fed. I don’t push the death and responsibility off on others, I take the responsibility for myself. And I know exactly where my food came from and what it is that I’m serving to my children.”

 

[Steelsearchin]

"If I don't go hunting, my freezers wouldn't know what to do!"

 

[Duck-Slayer]

I get this question all the time from my wife's side of the family that does not hunt much if at all, there city folks lol. My simple answer is, did my Native American or Danish blood line back in the day not live healthier better lives than we as in all of us do? Other than disease's that were incurable back then, I mean they were active/healthy almost 0 contaminates in what they consumed. I think that harvesting a free range wild animal still provides a piece of what and how our ancestors lived. I may take it to the next level with Pack Goats and processing my own meat with no added beef/pork fat etc. I believe hunting brings all of us back to our roots that some of us don't even know of. Look at how many middle aged men take up hunting later in their life. There is no better way to get in touch with Mother Earth and Nature than being out there harvesting the great abundance of food that she naturally provides. A bit deep, but I think you all get the gist of it. Another simple answer I use is, hunting/Outdoors is one thing that will never die while I'm alive, every other thing will change but some type of outdoor activity will always be there, that is why it is the number 1 thing in my life. I will Die, everyone in my life will die eventually but hunting/outdoors will always be there.
Matt

 

[Nick87]

Because golf is gay.

 

[cgasner1]

Because it's woven deeply into who I am. My dad was a very busy man. Truck driver, welder, volunteer firefighter , raising beef cattle you name it. He always seemed to be working and didn't have a lot of time for me. However come hunting season he would go and he would take me as I got old enough. It was something we shared and I have never forgotten that and it happened at an early enough age that it became an inseparable part of me. My mom's side of the family were musicians and my dad's more into the outdoors. I've been a musician for 20+ years and been hunting for longer than that and both are so much a part of me that I don't see that ever changing.

Is the profile pic from like a county fair or something?

 

[OntarioHunter]

I didn't know it was legal to hunt them. What's the daily bag limit on kids? Do I have to use steel shot? Are they considered migratory? I wanted to shoot a couple of foul ones screaming at McDonald's tonight. Argh!

 

[Doublecluck]

I go hunting to find god. Don’t matter which one you believe in, whatever created it is out there not in here. I go hunting for the experience, the trophy is in the pursuit, in the freedom, in the chase, not in the animal.

 

[Nick87]

I go hunting to find god. Don’t matter which one you believe in, whatever created it is out there not in here. I go hunting for the experience, the trophy is in the pursuit, in the freedom, in the chase, not in the animal.

This.

 

[cgasner1]

It seems the older I get the faster my life goes right now. Between work and kids and everything else I just want the world to slow down. That’s it for me I wanna live on mountain time the one where I move with the critters im hunting gotta get up early but the rest of the day is just a wander. I’d settle for a evening behind my 18s by myself right now

 

[Dsnow9]

Because they eat and poop on all the vegan’s food!

In all seriousness though my wife is extremely health conscious. We don’t have a name brand cleaning product or a pharmaceutical in our home. Our pantry is full of the least processed food we can find and organic or better. She wants the game meat because it is the best quality meat we can get. I hunt to make the wife happy!

If she ever goes vegan maybe I’ll turn into a trophy hunter, but until then my job is to not come home empty handed.