The Wild

History

Where I grew up hunting was a part of life for many people. My parents generation was the first for whom it was optional, and prior to that hunting and trapping was a necessary part of survival on the harsh Canadian prairies.

As a boy I was given my first pellet gun at the age of 8 or 9. My father passed it on to me, as it had been given to him, and to this day it bears the mark of his craftsmanship. He did a full restoration and had my name and date engraved into a brass plaque above the trigger guard before passing it down.

The sole purpose of a pellet gun is for learning how to shoot and handle a rifle at a young age. I took to the lessons, and became quite proficient with the gun. Seeing this my father expressed some plans to take me hunting when I was older, and had me practice with both the .22 and .410 on occasion.

If not for the economic crisis in the 80’s I might well have become a hunter. Fate, however, had other plans. Driven by hard times our family relocated to the city when I was just 12. Outdoor activities were forgotten, and the guns went into storage. I would not fire a weapon for many many years, and hunting was completely out of the picture.

In the city I turned my attention to creative and academic pursuits. School was not something I enjoyed, but I managed to get through primary, and then secondary education. I did my best to become a good urbanite, but the great outdoors kept calling me away.

Hiking, camping, foraging – these were the activities I enjoyed. Hunting never really appealed. Only in recent years has it come to my attention once more. So why the change?

Modern Reality

I began to learn about the modern food system. The more I learn, the more I am convinced that we are in a great deal of trouble – as evidenced by our poor overall health in North America. At one time I felt that empowered to make healthy educated choices when it came to the food I was eating. Now I’m not so sure.

Every year I learn about new food production and processing practices that gradually seem to be replacing healthy food with low cost, low quality alternatives. Nutrition and flavor are being neglected for profit, and adulteration is rampant and under reported. In addition to this is the blatant gouging of the consumer by producers and distributors and we have a grim picture. For more and more people the decision to eat real food is simply out of reach financially, even if we can figure out what is truly healthy.

What is a motivated and health conscious person to do?

My Approach

In “Ultra Processed People” Chris Van Tulleken suggests that we should not eat anything that has an ingredient label on it…

For me it began with an education in horticulture with an emphasis on vegetable production. In November of 2024 I completed a Certificate in horticulture, and began to implement my learning into daily life. I seek out food crops that are proven in my climate, and always opt for heirloom (organic) varieties where possible.

Working with family (Love you Mom) we have begun to recover some of the old ways. Not only the growing of food, but also the processing and preserving of produce using methods like drying and canning.

In addition to gardening I have always felt that wild foraged foods can be a good supplement to a healthy diet. My training in horticulture helped me to understand that while food crops can be grown with only a dozen or so essential elements, such produce may not actually carry all the essential elements our complex bodies require for optimal health.

This says nothing of the pesticides, fertilizers, fillers, preservatives, colorants, and other chemical garbage that is being added to nearly every item we consume. Not even meat is free from the taint.

This is where hunting comes in. If I need to consume meat, then wild game should be my first choice. I say this from both the ethical and nutritional standpoint. If I choose to hunt it is not out of a desire to kill or collect trophies. Its not about dominion or power. It is about honoring our true nature, and the connection we have to the living earth. To do this we must face the reality of our environment and what it demands of us.

What do you think? Is hunting barbaric? Is it worse than what is done to animals raised on factory farms?

Stay Wild!