A lot of hunters don’t know how to answer when people ask “Why Do You Hunt”? The person asking the question is often not a fan of hunting, mostly because of the “horror” of killing an animal. This is commonly known as “Bambi Syndrome”. They have no concept of hunting, the knowledge that is needed and the skills that are required to successfully harvest a wild animal from the forest. 

But what do you think when you ask yourself the question? 

The best answer that you can have is that it is good for your mental and physical health. The other possible answers include, wild game meat is better for you than domestic meat, it is an excuse to spend time in the forest, or hunting is a cost effective way to put meat on the table. 

So lets look at the argument that hunting is a cost effective way to put meat on the table. In order to calculate the true costs of wild meat, you have to take into consideration the following;

• The cost of the gun or bow that is used in the hunt. 
• The cost of the ammunition or arrows and broad heads.
• The cost of the truck to get to the hunt.
• The cost of the hunting license and tags.
• The cost of the auxiliary equipment like knives, backpack, camouflage jacket and pants, gloves, ropes, winch, bone saw, and all of the other gadgets you carry with you when you go hunting.
• Then there is the specialty gear like a boat and motor, tent, tent heater and all of the other camping gear, and if you have to travel to another area there is the food and lodging along the way.
• Oh and I forgot about the camp food, a couple of drinks and the fuel for the truck, the boat, the quad, and the chainsaw. 

In 1979 I lived as close to Moose country as you can get and still live in a town and at that time I estimated that moose meat cost me about $700.00 per pound. I am pretty sure that price has now increased substantially. Just the cost of the truck has gone up by 10 times. 

The best reason that we all hunt is that we all enjoy taking time to tramp around in the woods. The experts say that spending time in a place where trees grow is good for our health and well being, but most of us simply feel better after spending time in the fresh air, mostly noise free environments filled with trees, water, hills, fields, camp fire smoke and mud. The fact that wild game is organically fed, low fat, protein of the highest quality is a secondary reason to go big game hunting. 

So take some time to get out in the woods and enjoy the fresh air. It doesn’t matter if you bring home some wild game meat, or if you even see game, you will be better for the experience. 

If you have never been in the woods, go find a forest and go for a walk. Contrary to what TV would have you believe the forest is not full of packs of wolves, or bears waiting to eat you and there is no such thing as zombies. 

So the next time someone asks “why do you hunt?” tell them that you enjoy it and don’t apologize for doing something that you enjoy and that is good for your health. If they object, offer to take them along on your next trip.