Some things, my friends, are just hard to explain. The unconditional love of a mom and dad, the bottomless depth of the devotion and loyalty of an old hunting dog, and our culture and tradition of hunting and the outdoors all come to mind.
OK, that might be getting pretty deep to start off, but I will be trying to explain and clarify some aspects of bringing on new hunters and the importance of mentoring them.
A nonhunter may not recognize that hunting is not just a hobby, it is deeply ingrained traditions that have been passed down through generations.
Stay with me here for a minute. Think about our ancestors sitting around the fire, planning a hunt for the next day. The older, experienced hunters lay out the plan for how the hunt should go so they can be successful to feed their people. Hundreds of years later, here at home, our pioneer ancestors did the same thing: Experienced hunters guided the others on the best ways to bring home the meat and how to survive in the wilderness.
So we see that having teachers, mentors if you will, is all-important in the game of hunting. This transfer of knowledge and skills is vital to teach and guide developing hunters on the right path. Remember that hunting is a lot more than just pulling a trigger. At its best, hunting involves a deep understanding of the terrain, the environment, animal behavior, food sources, weather, firearms safety, marksmanship, tracking, meat processing and cooking — and I don’t know, maybe a hundred other things.