The First Hunt
The First Hunt
As the temperature dropped and the snow started to fall, all I could think was, “What am I doing out here?” For many years my uncle and cousins tried to talk me into going hunting with them, and for many years I would put it off or come up with an excuse. What was different about this year I am not really sure. I knew it was still going to be cold and that I was going to be out in the middle of nowhere and not be able to shower for the entire week. So I’m not really sure what made me decide to go this time. I guess something inside of me was telling me to just do it, and I’m glad I did, it was one of the best times of my life. There was excitement, the adrenalin rush and most of all the power of bonding with my family that made the decision to go on that hunting trip, led me to find a new joy in my life.
After we set up camp and got ready to eat our dinner the night before opening morning, we set around the table discussing what we were about to embark on. I had no idea what to expect or how to feel about it all just yet. I had never been here before and didn’t really know what exactly to do. All I had to go on was what I had seen on television and stories others had told me. As the night went on and we got ready for bed, the excitement started to grow. I wasn’t really sure what was ahead of us, but I was like a kid on Christmas Eve, I couldn’t wait to see what the morning would bring. The next morning and as the week went on the excitement grew, from the hiking in to try and find our hunt, to the thrill of actually seeing wildlife. This all lead to an adrenalin rush I hadn’t felt in many years.
Waking early in the morning, to prepare ourselves, our packs, and rifles to go out for the day, my heart would start pounding so hard, I could feel it in my ears. That was just the start of it, as we pressed on throughout the day the rush would grow. Each time we looked across a field and saw an animal in a meadow, the rush would reach new levels. The rush didn't peak until the last hour of the last day, and it came apparent that we weren’t going to get a kill. However the kill isn’t really what it was about. It was more the fact of being there with my cousins who I have always been close, and my uncle, a man I have looked up to all my life.
This time spent in the wild, “just us guys”, was one of the best weeks of my short life. In the year since I have been hoping to reach this level again, but have not been able to. Not to say I don’t enjoy them, they just don’t compare. The excitement that built in anticipation of waiting to see what was to come, the adrenalin of the hunt or the search, but most of all, the bond I felt between myself and my great family, will probably never be matched. I will continue to go each year.
