There is one thing that every hunter hates more
than a slow day on the stand or in the blind and that is an empty freezer. As I
stand in the kitchen looking into the emptiness that is my icebox I cannot help
but think that I have one of two problems. Either I eat my catch or kill too
quickly or I do not get enough during the season because of my lack of skill.
I'm going to give myself the benefit of the doubt and say it is a little bit of
both. Even though I know that the needle is probably pointing a little more
towards the latter.
Although I am running low on meat I realize that
the season is not far away and opportunities to stock pile protein are right
around the corner. With hunting on my mind more and more each day, I cannot
help but think about my 'dream hunt'. Every hunter dreams of that perfect day
pursing the one animal that they have dreamt of harvesting since their
childhood. My dream hunt takes me to the island of New Zealand to chase the
majestic Red Stag with a bow and arrow. The first time I laid eyes on the Red
Stag I knew it would be my life's dream to kill one with a bow. In my opinion
they are the most beautiful creature walking the earth. From their lush dark
copper coat to the crown of antlers they sport on their head, they make it
clear that someone had a plan when they were created.
On top of being a beautiful animal its vocalizations make it seem prehistoric and stirs the primal
instincts inside me. They make a sound somewhere between an elk bugling and a steer about to be castrated. These animals make me think of a much simpler time when it
was just man and beast locked in a never ending game of chess, one trying to
find a meal and the other trying not to become one. In its purist form this is
really all hunting is. It all started with the need for sustenance. There will always be those people that hunt purely for sport and are not
concerned about what it means to hunt to live. I am not one of those people.
That is what makes this hunt so intriguing to me. It is about chasing a beast
in a spectacular landscape and getting back to what it means to be a man at the
top of the food chain.
Although hunting different species is what makes
hunting so attractive to some people, it is not always just about the animal
you want to pursue. Sometimes it is about the place you want to travel and the
terrain in which you will be hunting. In the United States, the southerner
dreams of traveling north to chase elk, moose, bear and giant bodied
whitetails. People from the northern reaches imagine themselves in flooded
timber with greenheads piling into their decoy spreads thicker than mosquitoes in
late July. Although I would love to go west to the Rockies and hunt big game,
there is something so intriguing about the ancient landscape of New Zealand.
The thought of hunting such a beautiful creature in a setting like that gives me
chills just thinking about it.
As hunters we all have to set goals for
ourselves, and personally I am always thinking about ways to try something new
and pursuing different species. This Red Stag hunt would obviously be the
pinnacle of not only my hunting adventures but most everyone who has ever set
foot in God's grocery store. I hope to one day reach this goal with my father
and brother by my side, but until then I will be chasing the North American
species and hoping to get a little red meat in the freezer.
If you have a dream hunt, as I hope you do, I
would like to hear about it. Where would you hunt if any option was possible?
Do you see yourself chasing dangerous game in Zambia? Maybe you dream of
stalking a Pope and Young whitetail along the banks of the Milk River. Can you
picture yourself standing atop a Rocky peak in Colorado listening to a rutting
elk bugle as the night slowly turns to morning? Whatever your dream hunt may be
think about it every day. Let it consume every minute of your day and do not stop
until it becomes a reality. When it gets down to it we are all carnivores in
search of new adventure. Figure out what you want and go get it.
Good Hunting
