I'm A Mountain Hunter and Proud Of It !

I’M A MOUNTAIN HUNTER AND PROUD OF IT!

 

by Randy Johnson

 

“Why do certain groups and individuals in today’s social circles view Mountain Hunters and our efforts to pass on the tradition of hunting that was given to us from our ancestors as nothing but blood thirsty killers”? Why do they seek to deny the Mountain Hunter his/her liberty and freedom to legally pursue wild game, to challenge our spirit and fortitude against nature and the instincts of untamed big game animals? Why do they threaten, attack and harass some of our more successful mountain hunters who are in the public spotlight with vile, filthy emails and messages? What gives them the right to attack hunting and threaten our families with inconceivable, warped, and filthy bodily harm when we are only pursuing a very legal and proven means of wildlife conservation?  

HUNTING IS A FAMILY TRADITION

MERLYNN AND JEFF JONES

 

  Perhaps the complicated, yet most simplified version of this answer is that society has became too soft over the centuries with its technological advances. Basically, the modern era of human societal evolution has turned the Mountain Hunter’s social counterparts into nothing but spoiled, self-serving, demanding citizens who believe that government and society should be responsible to take care of everything for them. They honestly believe they have the right in threatening to kill human beings to save wild animals in an uneducated, ignorant attempt to impose their beliefs upon others. Do these individuals truly believe in democracy and the constitution that our great country was founded on? Isn’t the freedom we enjoy today exactly what so many men and women fought and died for?   Well, I can honestly tell you that these socialistic earth muffins are not going to change our perspective on this subject nor will we alter their blind, close-minded thoughts. I just can’t foresee any delicate “truce” to be forged or hammered out in the future. Therefore, all that is left for us to express to these “free souls” who have chosen to sit on the other side of the fence is to “step aside and allow us our freedom.” Give us, as hunters, the right to move forward, to inhale the invigorating incense of adventure, to drink the elixir of the chase!  Give us the liberty of progressing ahead on our individual quests to promote and preserve conservation efforts that actually protect wildlife and wilderness. It would best serve the groups and individuals standing to the left of us to take a step backwards in asking themselves this age old question, “where would society be today if it weren’t for the explorers, the hardened Mountain Hunters and capitalistic visionaries of the past and future who have and will continue to lead civilization forward? If they are not willing to consent to the basic fact that we were given these God given human rights then they should take notice that we have a willing army who is more than ready and prepared to go to battle with these groups and we will not lose the fight! Through dependence upon ourselves, the Mountain Hunter learned long ago how to get the job done!

MOUNTAIN HUNTERS PROMOTE AND PRESERVE CONSERVATION EFFORTS THAT PROTECT WILDLIFE

 

My last point to anyone wishing to challenge us on this subject is simply stated, “game on,” let’s play ball right now on an open field of battle! Don’t hide behind your empty threats and messages sent through cyberspace.   Mountain Hunter’s truly are a different breed of men and women. They possess and characterize the strength, courage and unique qualities that our great country was founded on. I refer to one of these innate qualities as "Wanderlust.”  Simply defined, “Wanderlust” is a strong desire, an impulse to wander, travel and explore the world. As Mountain Hunters, we seek to investigate, to discover, to test and challenge the unpredictable behavior of Mother Nature and that of wild animals.  We view towering mountains, arid deserts and awe-inspiring wilderness as powerful beacons of light that draw us on adventures that many human beings will never appreciate nor experience? We see the glow of the sun rising above the eastern horizon and the orange radiance of a breathtaking sunset as an invitation of appreciation for nature and life.

“MOUNTAIN HUNTERS SEE THE ORANGE RADIANCE OF A BREATHTAKING SUNSET AS AN INVITATION OF APPRECIATION FOR NATURE AND LIFE”

The unmistakable freshness of the forest after a thunderstorm or the small puffs of frosty breath exhaled from our cold mouths on a bitter fall morning invigorate us with a passion that is difficult to describe. The startling boom of thunder and awesome power in the jagged bolts of lighting crisscrossing a jet black night sky only stimulates the Mountain Hunters thankfulness and respect for Mother Nature! It doesn’t dampen our desire and appetite to live and learn from the land or the animals that inhabit it. The awe-inspiring fury, raging waters and relentless power produced by a cloudburst in the geologically ageless sandstone canyons and plateaus of the southwest serves to only stir our dreams of exploration.  Perhaps these very elements were what injected the adrenalin addictive spirit of hunting into primitive man, driving them to develop the intellect, senses and Mountain Hunting survival skills to live in the harshest of environments.

“THE RAGING FLOOD WATERS AND RELENTLESS POWER OF A DESERT THUNDERSTORM ONLY SERVES TO STIR THE IMAGINATION OF THE MOUNTAIN HUNTER”

    In the solitude of the wilderness I have ask myself on countless occasions, “Why, as a Mountain Hunter, do I willingly sacrifice my hard earned financial resources to risk life and limb to cross a raging river or to drink the stale, bug encrusted water of a pothole for survival while chasing desert rams in uncompromising heat?  Why do many of us choose to climb rugged mountain peaks that stare down at us in sub zero temperatures, laughing at their insignificant human challengers,” when we could be relaxing in an easy chair watching T.V? Perhaps the answer rests in the simplistic, invaluable lessons that we glean from such pure experiences.  This is what I hope to bring you over the next couple of weeks at Alti2ude Outdoors in my personal “Out on the Mountain” blog with a series of "Lessons Learned as a Mountain Hunter".

“IN THE VASTNESS OF A DARK SKY HIGHLIGHTED BY THE BRIGHTNESS OF AN ENDLESS ARRAY OF STARS THE MOUNTAIN HUNTER HAS DREAMED FOR CENTURIES”

    I wish to express my sincerest appreciation to each one of you as an integral part of the Mountain Hunting Community for allowing me your time and consideration. Thank you for reading my opinion on such a “thought provoking” subject.   It is my hope that the experiences I share with you in my "Lessons Learned as a Mountain Hunter" on my Alti2ude Outdoors blog will prevent a future accident or mistake. I strongly encourage each one of you to post the thoughts and lessons you have learned out on the mountain over the years with all of us at Alti2ude Outdoors. Randy Johnson HIGH DESERT WILD SHEEP GUIDES www.highdesertsheepguides.com iReview Gear Lead Field Editor www.ireviewgear.com Alti2ude Outdoors Pro Staff