On Being a Carnivore
As I left my driveway for an early morning walk this morning, I immediately spotted Orion’s belt, a bright constellation in the winter sky. It is part of a larger constellation known as Orion, the Hunter, a figure in ancient mythology. I, too, am a hunter, although not a particularly skilled one. I spent this past weekend in the deer woods. I didn’t get a deer, but I did help my son track his down, first in the dark and then in the early morning light. He was ready to give up, convinced that he had missed his opportunity, that his aim wasn’t true, when he spotted the large doe. She was lying in some dense brush a few hundred yards from where he had been hunting.
We paused for a moment out of respect for her, to appreciate the magnitude of taking her life to sustain our own. I am, at least in part, a carnivore, and hunting has never been a sport for me. Instead it is a visceral connection to what it means to be a meat eater. I am reminded of that connection whenever I am at the grocery store, although tears don’t come to my eyes in the meat aisle as they often do in the deer woods. After field dressing the doe, I helped my son drag her out to the nearest trail. I didn’t break a sweat or get out of breath. In years past I would have done both just walking that far through the woods.
I was a little sore this morning from yesterday’s deer dragging efforts, but that soreness evaporated as I walked and my muscles loosened up. After a mile, I turned back toward home, Orion at my back. I thought about my son, who seems to be a more skilled hunter than I am and who carries a similar reverence for the animals we hunt. He is planning to transfer to an out of state school next year and we will likely miss spending the next few Novembers in the deer woods together. I will make sure to send him some homemade venison jerky and hope that it brings a smile to his face. Maybe Orion will be smiling, too.
RP
While I am not a huge fan of 'hunting' for the sake of 'hunting' (an unpopular view in MN), I truly appreciated your comments on respecting the life given up to sustain your families. If all hunters had the same conscience the world would be a better place.
Hayley
semi vegetarian, organic and sustainable farming supporter!
Thank you for your comments. I think that most people don't want to acknowledge what all is entailed in getting the food they eat to their table, especially those of us who choose to eat meat. Collectively we seem to take for granted the bounty we have. So much effort is focused on short term profitability that we overlook the long-term costs of modern food production, from the poisoning of our soils to insulating us physically and emotionally from the slaughter of animals. Also, I am glad to hear that you are a sustainable farming supporter....my sister is a member of the MN Sustainable Farming Association.
RP
You're right - I want no part in acknowledging where my meat came from. It's too horrible of a thought. I'm not a fan of hunting either - especially how they do it down here. They sprinkle corn on the ground, wait a small ways away and then shoot them. There's almost NO sport in that . Ridiculous.
But I'm glad you enjoyed yourself and you and your son spent some quality time together. Kudos for that!
Please spay and neuter your pets!
I'm going on 20++ years supporter of organic and sustainable farming/agriculture. Although sometimes I think people believe it to be a fad, I am a true believer that we should know how our food is produced and where it comes from and most importantly of all...was care taken in producing it.
We eat locally produced foods as much as possible and no GE foods at all.
In the USA so much of our food is manufactured by only a handful of conglomerates...yet people don't seem to care enough to demand better.
I don't oppose hunting for food as long as it is done with humanity and integrity which seems very much to be the case here. Kudos for teaching your son those values.
Good for you!! I am working toward what you are already doing and it does cause some budgetary tension at home on occiasion. I have noticed that the more organic/sustainable harvest foods I consume, the better I feel, which is the most important thing as opposed to the grocery budget being the priority. Again, thanks for your comments and for inspiring a shorter timeline on my dietary goals.
RP
