Why You Should Be A Hunter

A long time ago I talked about something I called the natural professions of man. Things that man was created to do in his soul and excel at and when he is barred from doing these things he often feels like something is missing. These two “professions” were the hunter and the warrior. In life a man must fight and a man must hunt. Why this may not apply literally (though it often does) it still applies to every other area of life.

Whether it’s business, relationships, raising a family, standing against the tide, or anything else a man has to both hunt and fight. He has to hunt for solutions, resources, and danger and he has to fight for those he loves, for himself, and against the things he is against. And often this can take place physically. It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of combat sports (participating that is, not that I don’t mind watching as well but I’m talking about participating here).

And the biggest reason is because it allows man to express himself in a way that he is often denied in the modern world. I can’t tell you how many guys I’ve seen who after a roll on the mat or a round in the cage/ring are sitting there spent and about to throw up yet say “Man this is exactly what I needed.” other wise people and even organizations (like Mission 22) are aware of this as well.

What Does This Have To Do With Hunting

Now you’re probably thinking this is all well and good but what does it have to do with hunting. Well obviously hunting is one of the professions and as we’ve seen we hunt through our lives all the time. But what I’m specifically talking about here is physically hunting animals with a bow or rifle (or I guess spear if you’re adventurous or trap if you’re efficient). Now there are a couple of main reasons that I think every man should do this, from practical to spiritual.

First off let me say that I’m against safe trophy hunting. You know where they take you to some big game you shoot it from a safe distance and it never has a chance to attack or kill you. If there’s no danger and it’s entirely safe then it’s not a trophy and you’re not worthy of the animal you killed. Whether that’s riding in some truck to some place where they beat the deer out the brush and you shoot whatever comes by or where they tag, find, and corner a lion for you to put the bullet in.

For me that violated the spirit of the hunt and doesn’t do anyone any good, plus it gives real hunters a bad name. This isn’t some ego trip, it’s something deeper and more practical than that. So when I say hunting that’s not what I’m talking about and that’s something I’m against. Any dork can shoot a line that’s been cornered and tagged for him. It’s a lot different when you’re on the ground face to face with one and have the high chance of it getting you before you get it. But now that that’s out of the way let’s talk about why you should hunt and be a hunter.

Practical & Spiritual Reasons For Being A Hunter

I’ll start with practical. Things are getting more and more expensive and the way the average job pays out just isn’t keeping pace with it and the thing is, it’s not going to. Because of this any way that a person can find to cut their costs and live more independently is going to be in their favor now and even more in the future. Protein isn’t cheap. There is very little cheap protein that you can find in the store and I don’t know about you but having tuna every night doesn’t sound appetizing (I did this for awhile and can assure you its not).

But with some basic cooking skills and apparatuses (like a crockpot and a big freezer) you can have almost endless meat with a few hunting trips a year. A hog or a deer provides a hell of a lot of meat for a relatively cheap price. Especially if you dress and butcher it yourself (though not always necessary). Going out hunting, killing a game animal, and then you can turn it into dinners for a month. Sure you probably won’t want the same meat every day but combine it with grocery store or farm raised animals and you got yourself a good deal.

Now let’s talk about the spiritual aspects of it. In my opinion the closer that man can get to nature the better off he’ll be in life for the most part. I believe that this is how God made man and how he functions best. When he is divorced from the primal world around him and his own primal nature is when so many things end up going wrong for him. You can see this in both the cities and the suburbs.

The modern world is not a healthy place and nature provides an escape from all of the nonsense that goes on in it. One reconnects with nature and with oneself. That might sound cheesy but trust me its not. It also serves as a form of meditation steadying the mind and calming the spirit. Our spirit takes blows in the modern world we get so used to we don’t even think about it. Getting out in nature helps to heal this.

Get Started As A Hunter

If you know someone with land that’s your best bet but there are also public places to hunt (though game will obviously be scarce). Follow all the safety and legal requirements of course. Provide for yourself and your family, get closer to nature and yourself, and connect with a proud tradition all in the process. Don’t mean to make this sound like a sales letter but it is something that I think every man should at some time and in some capacity. So get out there and get started.

If anything I said here interests you I’d highly recommend you check out The Ultimate Alpha Collection which is a compilation of 16 of my books for the price of 5. It covers everything from being a man to making money to getting the right mindset to getting girls to fighting and more and is a resource no man should be without. Pick up your copy today!

-Charles Sledge