STORY OF A REAL OUTDOORS WOMAN – March/April 2022

HUNTING AND FISHING ARE simply part of the culture when you grow up in the Piney Woods of East Texas.

Along with agriculture, hunting and fishing are a huge part of my family’s heritage. Between my grandparents, parents, brother, and uncle, I began learning the basics of hunting and fishing before I even started school.

Some of my earliest and fondest memories are associated with spending time outdoors, whether it be gardening, walking in the woods, exploring, camping, hunting, fishing, or shooting. I remember getting to hunt with my dad in our infamous “pine tree stand.”

That was when I was much smaller, Dad was much younger, and we were both a lot nimbler and more flexible. Looking back, we shared some awesome memories up in that old loblolly pine, including my first ever whitetail deer.

The older I get, the more I appreciate still being able to deer hunt with my dad and brother, and chase ducks with my crazy cousins each Fall. The fellowship and quality time doing something I love with the people I love is the main reason I hunt.

It’s hard to beat making memories in nature with family and friends. Regardless of age, gender, religion, background, or political beliefs, one of the beautiful things about the outdoors is how it brings people together. Throughout my childhood and formative years, hunting helped teach me perseverance, patience, discipline, and responsibility, as well as instill a deep respect for animals and the environment.

With everything going on in the world and our country today, many people are panicked about food shortages and uncertain on how to provide for their families. Regardless of how people may talk about those who live in rural small-town USA, I can tell you one thing – the country folks know where our food is coming from.

People in urban areas especially are often found searching for a reliable, healthy, locally obtained, sustainable food source. Most modern-day meat-eaters are all too familiar with outsourcing the dirty work. The ease and inoffensiveness of dropping by the grocery store and grabbing plastic wrapped meat is much preferred to the process of having to hunt, harvest, clean and process your own food.

Although hunting can be a time- consuming and labor-intensive task, I have experienced firsthand how the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. Wild game is healthful, natural meat, free of hormones, steroids, and antibiotics. You know exactly where your food came from, its diet, and exactly what’s in it.

You can also rest easy knowing the animal lived a humane, free-range life in the wild. When a hunter follows ethical practices, most animals pass away much more humanely than if it were left up to mother nature’s fate.

Spending time active in the outdoors continues to heighten my appreciation for nature and wildlife. One of my favorite things in the entire world is watching the sun rise over the water while duck hunting and getting to witness the new day as the world wakes up right before my eyes.

When you’re immersed in nature, it is impossible to be stressed or worried about the hustle and bustle of everyday life. The impact the outdoors has made on my life motivates me to help educate others and get them involved whenever possible, aid in conservation efforts, and set a good example for the next generation of hunters and fishermen.

 

—story by BROOKLEE GRANT

 

< PREV Return to CONTENTS Page NEXT >