Sometimes the sport of hunting becomes a “dog eat dog” world filled with pride and selfishness.  Most hunters who have been at it long enough have stories to share about their frustrations related to this.  They may even have to admit their own shortcomings on occasion as the pressure to succeed or “show off” builds.

I’d like to propose another approach based on my experiences that takes a detour from the negative aspects that oftentimes taint this amazing sport.

Let’s start with a story about farmers in years past who when tilling their fields, would occasionally drive up on a turtle in the field. Knowing that the hard shell of the turtle would dull their blades, and not wanting to needlessly harm the turtle as well, the farmer would pick up the turtle and carry it to the nearest fence post. If the turtle was placed strategically on the post, it would be unable to get down. This guaranteed that the turtle would remain out of harm’s way, and would also allow the farmer to finish his work without damaging his blades.  Anybody walking by the fence post would have known the turtle clearly didn’t get there on his own.

The moral of the story: Sometimes, we find ourselves where we don’t expect to be.  We may not even be sure how we got there, but perhaps someone or something was looking out for us and helped us along the way.  The picture of a good shepherd comes to mind. There’s One who would leave the 99 to seek out the one wandering sheep who might be in harm’s way. And so it may be our responsibility to shepherd others entrusted to our keeping, whether wildlife or more importantly, our fellow man.

All of the things I know about hunting, I can point to other skilled hunters who willingly shared their knowledge with me. I did not actively hunt growing up, so I had no idea what I was doing when I moved to Ludington at age 24. Thankfully, I was able to develop friendships with some guys who helped me learn what to do.

My friend Jearred sold me my first compound bow and helped me learn how to sight it in. I harvested my first White-tail buck that next fall. (That buck is hanging on the wall in my office at this very moment.)

I harvested that first buck out of a tree stand my friend Jon helped me hang. He showed me how to climb the tree, hang the stand, and reinforce it. He then talked me through some tips for stopping deer and getting the shot off from standing and sitting positions.

My friend Eric taught me how to properly cape a deer and then process my own venison. His skill and knowledge now save me hundreds of dollars every year on processing fees.

I can point to time after time that I’ve benefitted from someone else investing their knowledge and time into my hunting abilities. And you know what? I’ve now had the privilege of passing that same knowledge on to hunters trying to learn what to do. While I still have a strong passion for hunting and fishing, I’ve begun to see the joy that comes from watching those you’ve invested in starting to enjoy those same wonderful outdoor adventures.

Hunting is one of the great joys of my life. Sitting in a tree stand, watching the sunrise and listening to the woods come to life is an experience I hope every person gets at least once in their life. And like the turtle in the opening story, I know that I owe a debt of gratitude to several others for helping me grow on my hunting journey. 

Tim McGraw wrote a song several years ago titled “Humble and Kind”. I believe the secret to being a great hunter lies in those two words. It will require being humble: humble enough to ask questions, humble enough to learn, humble enough to make mistakes and try again. But being a great hunter also requires kindness: kindness to answer the questions of the beginner hunter, kindness to allow someone to sit in your stand, or kindness to give up your time to teach someone a new skill.  

As hunters become more successful, it can be easy to allow pride and territoriality to creep into our lives. That is counterproductive to passing along the skill and love of hunting to another generation of hunters. While I don’t always get it right, and neither will you, let’s try to live out the closing words to Tim McGraw’s song:

“Don’t take for granted the love this life gives you

When you get where you’re goin’, don’t forget turn back around

And help the next one in line

Always stay humble and kind”