Rediscover Masculinity: Learn How to Start Hunting Series Part 1

Rediscover Masculinity: Learn How to Start Hunting Series Part 1

Hunting can help jump start your journey to healthy masculinity

The discipline of mind and body, mastery of self, awareness, and a sense of wonder are all crucial to a hunter.

These are also components of positive masculinity.

Bringing those elements under control and mastering them leads to a healthier sense of self and power which creates a positive AOE for your community.

Hoteps are an example of how self-mastery as men and women have a disproportionately positive effect on those around them.

But where is a young man supposed to learn healthy masculinity in a world that seeks to neuter and strip their very literal manhood away?

Man with a musket walking towards the mountains in the early morning.
Early morning hunt catching the sun rising over the mountains of California. Photo courtesy of @heesnap Instagram

Soft Men

Until the industrial era, hunting was not only crucial to the family’s table, it was a rite of passage, the last remaining primal vestige of ancient man.

Hunting in times past demonstrated physical prowess, indicated survival for the family unit, preserved the safety of the clan and village, and prepared men for hard times.

Those hard men and women built our modern world and erroneously deprived their descendants of opportunities to learn the very skills that made them successful.

Now hard times have arrived, and young men struggle to find tools to face this new era of challenging times.

Break free from the social media and grift prison return.

Return to this primal pursuit and you will witness an almost overnight change to your creative being.

Am I Too Old To Start Hunting?

After 13 years in Korea, 13 years away from hunting, 13 years of a soul starved of nature, I returned to the woods of my youth.

I had to start over.

I had to learn how to hunt all over again.

Like picking up an old game the muscle memory was there but the skill had deteriorated.

Just as I started again from the beginning I will help you on your journey to healthy masculinity and hunting.

Don’t worry. You are at the perfect age for masculinity.

You have what it takes to return to the woods and I am going to walk you through it step by step so you won’t get lost.

When deciding to become a hunter, before we start talking about hunting gear and weapons, all very important,

every new hunter needs to answer two questions for themselves.

Why do you want to hunt?

Why do you harvest animals?

Hunter with a musket looking for deer in the foggy morning
A man and his musket chasing the elusive coastal blacktail of California. Photo courtesy of @heesnap Instagram.

Why Do You Want To Hunt? Learning How to Hunt: Step 1

My girl never understood why I wanted to hunt until she went deer hunting with me.

She wanted to see what it was all about so we took a drive and hiked up the mountains in the early morning.

She spotted the first deer before I did!

Afterward as we were having dinner she said,

“I never understood why you wanted to hunt, but now I get it. You came alive on that mountain. There was joy and light in your eyes. That was really cool to see.”

Although partner approval isn’t needed, it’s always great when your girl gets it and supports masculine endeavors.

Next time should I share my secrets to a happy relationship hunting balance?

My Reasons for Hunting

It's not enough to say I love the outdoors. It’s not enough to say I feel alive when I am in those hills.

It's rare that I actually harvest an animal to bring home to the table. So why do I really hunt?

I hunt to celebrate the beauty of nature.

To smell the brush as the sun rises.

I hunt with the hope of a successful harvest. To find peace with myself and the world, to celebrate the life and breath granted to me, to see purple mountains majesty as the sun sets, to see the doe leading her twin fawns to the spring, to see the turkeys parade before the hens hoping to get lucky, to hear God’s voice in the wind as it runs through the oak leaves, to see the elusive, damn frustrating, quail as they speed off into the valley, to smell the dew in the wee hours of the morning when the earth rejoices to see the sun.

I hunt because my very soul rejoices in the wonder and awareness of the beauty of wild nature.

This is the answer that I have found for myself. As a beginning hunter it’s fine that you don’t have an answer yet. I hope you cherish your own adventure and find your own reasons for enjoying this ancient endeavor.

Hunter with a flinklock musket harvesting a black tail deer
After a long season of climbing these hills every day, finished the season of 2021 with a beautiful forked horn.

Why do you harvest animals? Learning How to Hunt: Step 2

I want to separate the conversation of hunting and harvesting into two conversations. As I said its rare that you harvest an animal every hunt. I went on over 30 hunts, almost 100 hours of hunting time before I finally harvested this beautiful fork n horn. There is great joy in the harvest and it deserves its own attention.

Harvesting an animal, the take, the kill, the taking of a life has many facets. There is the anticipation of the joy of bringing food home to the family, dreaming of seeing the big buck. We experience the adrenaline-packed moment of pulling the trigger or letting the arrow fly after many hours of disciplined practice and hope. The nitty-gritty of processing the animal and maximizing your use of its life-giving body. There is the joy of learning how to cook all portions of your harvested animal to maximize its flavor and usefulness.

For the entirety of man, many would say millennia, these moments were natural, healthy, appropriately honored and the animal was celebrated. It was only in the last few decades that society has let the least productive members of society demonize and delegitimize our ancient birthright of masculinity.

Can I take an animal's life?

Can I properly process this animal?

Will it taste good?

What will people think of me?

Harvesting an animal for a first-timer has to be a heavy decision. For some, it may even be a moral dilemma. Part of recovering and discovering healthy masculinity is to discover our own answers. Many people, simps, and their masters don’t get it. The natural is a challenge to the unnatural. But you are here today because you seek something. Something you feel lost, missing, or maybe even stolen from you. It’s ok if you don’t have an answer to this question yet, but hopefully, my story can help.

Make your own decision. Learning How to Hunt: Step 3

I am a vegan.

I am also a hunter.

They can’t exist. At least that's what those of little brains think.

When a hunter says they live to hunt, they mean they live for the life-giving joy of being in the great outdoors and the trials and rewards that come from that endeavor. We hunt to eat and eat to live.

But we do not live to eat. We leave that for simps and their masters.

Our lives are precious. My life and the life of those I love are most precious. Bringing them life-giving sustenance is an act of love. The most expensive, the healthiest, the most local, the most organic, the highest quality food I have directly sourced. To honor the animal whose life I have taken, I eat everything I can, I utilize all that I can, and that which I can’t, I return to the forest where the birds and beasts of the field will find their sustenance.

Ideally, I would love it if the only meat I ate for the rest of my life was harvested by my own hand. I live as a vegan for my health. Hunting is for my health. I have found my balance and if that bothers those of little brain, so be it.

Your life is precious. Value it. Cherish it. Learning to safely harvest an animal will help you reach that place.

Sign up for Hunter Education Certificate. Learning How to Hunt: Step 4

Now that you have prepared your mind for this primal adventure the first place to start is hunters' education. Hunting in all states is highly regulated with diverse limits on the take of animals, the animals available for harvesting, and the rules defining how animals may be taken.

Hunters' safety will acquaint you will all the laws, safety, and hunting basics like shot placement and animal processing. Most states require hunters' education before you can buy a hunting license and any additional tags or stamps needed to hunt each species of animals.

Another benefit of the hunters' education is the chance to learn about the unique species of animals available for harvest in your state.

How much does it cost?

Hunters' education ranges from 0$ to $30 and varies by state. You can take offline and online classes

How long is my Hunters Education Certificate Valid?

Congrats! Your Hunters Ed Certificate is valid for life.

Which states are my Hunters Education Certificate valid in?

Your certificate is valid in all 50 states so even if your state does not require it, its good to have in case you wish to hunt out of state or move to another state.

Where do I sign up for the Hunters Education Certificate?

Visit Hunter-Ed to get started.

Hunter heading into the hills with musket.
The Vegan Hunter heading into the hills with his trusty musket. Photo courtesy of @heesnap Instagram

Where do you go from here?

Your journey as a man and hunter is just beginning. There will be many challenges and joy-filled discoveries. I look forward to your adventure.

By the time you finish all these steps, the next article will be out to get you started on the next part.

Step by step I will guide you along the way until your first big hunt this fall.

We will talk about gear, weapons, how and where to hunt, what animals are the best ones to start with and so much more!

In the meantime read up on why I went vegan here and still hunt.

Back to blog