So, one of the reasons, not by far the only reason, but one of the reasons that I am not outdoors more is that I am taking college classes. Due to this fact, my available time for pleasure reading (and every other thing I like to do) is severely limited. Last night I procrastinated on my Logic Exam (which is due tonight.) and I sat down with the October 2010 issue of Backpacker. In it there was a very well written article by Bruce Barcott titled "killer hike" (sic). In it, Mr. Barcott describes his first experience at crossing over from a hiker to a hunter. It is a very good read so if you get Backpacker, or can find the article reprinted somewhere else, I highly recommend reading it.
Now, I grew up and still live in a rural area of Northeast Ohio . My Dad and Grandfather at one time both hunted. I learned how to shoot at a pretty young age and am in no way a stranger to firearms. I have killed rabbit, raccoon, opossum, skunk, squirrel and mourning dove. I had a hunting license at one point in time, but I have never really considered myself a hunter. My Dad quit hunting long before I was old enough to join him and I never had any close, long term friends that were serious hunters. (Actually the reasons for the decline in hunting that Mr. Barcott lists in his article are very familiar to me.) So hunting is not something I am unfamiliar with, nor is it something that I have an issue with. I don’t hunt, mostly because I don’t have time or money to invest in it.
