Taking the ‘wonder’ out of hunting

ALBANY — Following various hunting groups’ posts on social media platforms, I have come to what is for me a disturbing realization: We are rapidly taking the “wonder” out of hunting.

Numerous posts focused on why hunters are not heading out to their stands. Some examples:

“I haven’t seen my target buck for five days; think I’ll sleep in.” … “Timber Company just clear-cut my 90 acres. Guess the seasons over.” …  “Dogs just ran through, so I guess I’m going to the house.” … “I’ve got five deer on this year’s hit list.”

Other variations are the condescending comments ridiculing someone’s proud post of their recent harvest, like, “It may not be the biggest deer, but it’s meat in the freezer.”

None of these statements contains any semblance of wonder, which as a noun is a cause for astonishment; as a verb is to feel curiosity, or as an adjective a feeling of admiration. Sadly, many now use technology in their hunt in the same manner that others use it to solve problems on the production line, through an efficiency study.

Modern cellular trail cameras provide real-time videos for review on our cellphones. We can now use this technology in tracking the movement of the deer, allowing hunters to know their feeding and travel patterns without leaving the comfort of home. Solar-powered feeders provide corn, flavored treats, or protein pellets at selected times during a 24-hour period in an effort to alter or control animals’ feeding patterns to those more conducive to the hunter.

Infrared drones scan the woodlands below, providing information on bedding and loafing sites as well as an overall census of the current population of whitetails on a given tract of land. It is no longer necessary to walk the woods in search of clues related to deer behavior on a property.

In and of themselves, these technological advancements are not illegal or even unethical. However, they are slowly eroding the essence of anything related to the hunt, which does not tend to focus solely on pulling the trigger and harvesting a pre-selected trophy.

It may be the fact that deer were rare, in fact almost nonexistent during my early years in the field. I am still fascinated to merely observe them. I can remember the first time I realized that the herd of doe in front of me were actually communicating verbally. I remember every detail of the morning hunt when I killed my first deer in spite of all my blunders. Wondering at the time where it suddenly came from.

When cameras remove the need to wonder about the deer on a property or the need to explore it during the preseason months, something is lost. Fewer hunters have the experience of slowly walking into a swamp and discovering all the other wonders it holds beyond the potential to provide deer sanctuary. Hunters lose the opportunity to marvel at the majesty of the surviving cypress … observe the nesting egrets and wood duck or the Pileated Woodpecker looking for a meal. They don’t explore the hardwood forests and discover a stand of massive White Oaks with their bounty of early mast.

Knowing the trophy is on the property is a fantastic thing, but for me it takes something away from the unexpected appearance of such an awe-inspiring creature stepping suddenly into a clearing. At the same time, the knowledge tends to diminish the thrill of sighting deer that do not meet the now heightened level of expectation when they are not trophy-worthy.

Timing a hunt around the settings of a feeder instead of trying to sit all day in a stand in hopes of catching that lone buck looking for love in new places, hunters not only miss that opportunity, they also miss the whole sideshow that contributes to the experience of hunting beyond the harvest. You miss a bobcat stalking a turkey. You miss wood ducks bobbing for acorns. You miss beautiful sunrises and sunsets. You miss so much that is such an important part of the wonder of the hunt.

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