Around the Homestead: Going Hunting for the First Time

Growing up in Alaska, I am used to seeing deer hanging in people’s garages or in the trees by their house, or even on a stand they built specifically for that purpose. I have seen them skinned and butchered and it is no big deal in the sense that it is a normal thing. Well, other than the incredible meal I know will be coming! Going hunting is an experience I have yet to go through and while I am excited about filling my freezer, the process of getting ready for the trip itself has really changed my way of thinking. Not only in terms of gear, but of what we are doing when we go hunting and the mental side of taking the life of an animal so that my family can eat has my mind going a million miles a second. Let me explain.

Mr. Dreamer and I are avid ‘car campers’ and go several times a year. We absolutely love it and have our systems of setting up and breaking down camp to a science. Living in a rainforest, we always tie up a large tarp up over the top and then tie additional tarps down the sides of the larger one for walls. It ensures that we will not wake up in a puddle and helps to buffer against the wind that always seems to be blowing in a coastal town. We generally camp in Summer and early Fall but since we are going to be tent camping on the hunting trip, there are so many more things to consider and plan for on keeping warm and dry since we normally don’t go in November. That is when the big storms start to roll in and the forecast already says freezing rain! Wool blankets, hardier sleeping bags, a larger tent for a longer trip, more firewood than usual…the list goes on! Cold weather camping alone will be a new experience but when you add in the hunting side of things, you add a whole new level of newbie for me.

Things I don’t normally worry about packing: Multiple sized knives and sharpener, a processing table, extra rope to hang deer, guns, ammo, bleach for cleaning surfaces, freezer paper, vacuum sealer (ours is made to take in the field to process your meat right there! LOVE IT!) and bags, not to mention the heavier clothing and rain gear. The safety aspect of a hunting trip versus a regular camping trip is off the chart! We will also be carrying our hiking packs with us that will have emergency food and survival supplies including some pretty hefty first aid kits that are packed to handle possible gunshot wounds, cuts, and broken bones. Of course the usual stuff for minor injuries such as burns, small cuts, etc. are covered as well. I am extremely grateful to our friends who are going with us on this journey. One is a seasoned and avid hunter who goes to the island we will be on to do his own hunting and his girlfriend who is studying to be a nurse and already works in healthcare. Win-win! Overall, the gear will be covered and handled due to my penchant for making lists upon lists. The part that has me a little…concerned is my mentality. It is no small thing to take a life. Even the fish we get every year is not something to take for granted but to me, it isn’t the same as going hunting for deer (or any other meat animal).

I have respect for the animal and will honor it by using as much of it as I can. I will share it and be thankful for it in my freezer. But to stare down the barrel of a gun and consciously take that life is something else. I worry I will bawl like a baby (unlikely but possible), or lose my lunch when I gut my first deer. Even though I am more connected to my sources of food and where it comes from than many people, I myself have not butchered anything more than a fish. Deer are ‘pretty’ and ‘majestic’ but, dagnabbit, they are also delicious! Of course, it could go the other way and I get buck fever and feel like the queen of the mountain and am completely hooked. I would like to think that it is a combination of both. I think it is normal for people to be at least a little repulsed at seeing the insides of an animal, let alone being the one to do it. The girly side of me shudders just typing it but the ‘tough’ Alaskan side of me says, “SUCK IT UP! You need to learn this stuff and being a wussy is not an option!” It is a survival skill that is crucial, in my opinion, and I am lucky to live in a place where I even can go hunting. Our deer here are so darn good that I didn’t know until I was an adult that people soaked their deer in buttermilk or saltwater to get the ‘gamey’ taste off it. I don’t remember anyone doing that here. They just pulled a package out of the freezer to thaw and cooked it up! There is something about it here that tastes more like a beef to me. Sure, there is a slight tang difference but a lot like beef.

I’m really excited, but nervous. I hope we get our limit (4 each) but I worry about having freezer space, or enough bags and freezer paper, or running out of bleach. The idea of having super fresh venison sizzling in the skillet with onions and garlic sounds absolutely amazing and will smell so good but then I worry about the bears. Finding the balance can be hard when you try something new, especially something like harvesting meat but you will never get anywhere or grow as a person if you let the nerves and fear of the unknown hold you back.

I promise I will post about the trip with lots of pictures…hopefully one with Yours Truly with her first buck! C’mon 8 pointer! 😉