The relationships we have with out food as hunters gathers and shoppers

In a previous episode, I talked about being in right relatoinship with people, the earth and plants and domestic animals.  In this episode you will her my opinions and some stories about hunting.  And how to call in your animal.

Transcript

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This is the Horse Human Connection. A captivating podcast where we extend into the world of equine assisted learning. Horse Training. and gentleness in working with these magnificent creatures. Captivating stories from the leading professionals and ordinary people alike unravel novel ideas in being with horses. The horse human connection is an idea, a place, and a voice. The idea is to support the quiet revolution and recognize the intelligence and true nature of the horse. The place is a destination farm near the Umpqua Forest and River that slows down visitors and patrons enough to experience the shift. The Voice is this podcast. Welcome to today's episode.

MacBook Air Microphone & FaceTime HD Camera: 1:04

Good morning. This is issue able with the horse human connection matrix. Part of this matrix is the rest of wildlife. A couple of weeks ago, I did an episode about being in right relationship, not just with people, but with earth and with plants. And today I want to talk about some of that right. Relationship with animals and hunting. I'm going to tell you a couple of stories that were told to me by an old friend. I'm going to tell you some of my opinions. I grew up in the city. You mentioned that maybe at some point. So when I moved to Oregon, And had more opportunities to be in wildlife and spend outside and in the forest. And notice things. I took full advantage of that. And one of the things that I noticed was all the dead deer on the side of the road, especially in the fall. And when I, when I first moved here, I had to reckon with a lot of different things and shifting beliefs and, and seeing things differently. It's one thing to hear about stuff when you live in the city. And it's another thing to experience living in a rural county. And. The ideas that people have and the differences. This friend told me in a conversation that. She had her husband, who is a hunter had told her that there were 3000 control hunt, dope permits issued for our area of town. And it's not even a city, it's just an area of town. And that blew my mind. I was like, wow, no wonder. There are so many deer on the side of the road. And I started thinking about the food and, and the competition and the. The cougars and the bears that hunt the deer. And it was just, my mind was suddenly in a completely different place. So I also started noticing that spring when I rode my bike. The bones on the side of the road, where the deer had been, and even the lines of powder where the bones had become powder after being there for so long and how the. Turkey vultures come in and clean up the mess and how, when you drive by it, it does stink as, as it's rotting before they finish their job. So, you know, we're all kind of. Predisposed to the Bambi thing. At least most of us in my generation were, and, you know, oh, poor Bambi. His mother died and you know, the evil hunters you know, there, there's some validity to that story that, you know, there's also another story of people that needed to hunt that people who. Grew up in a place where. Hunting supplemented their groceries, like in a serious way that they needed it. I'm trying to say is there's this full gambit of people's ideas and some of them very strongly opinioned about hunting. And I just want to talk about that because we all have our own relationship with each other, with the earth. And certainly our judgments, our practices and our beliefs are part of that. Now, this friend of mine, this old friend of mine, we're not going to mention names or we'd have to change the names to protect the innocent and almost innocence in these cases. But I'd read some about native Americans and I'd read about when they are successful at a hunt that they put grass in the animal's mouth, if it's a grass seeder, which most of what you're hunting is. And say a prayer, you know, that this animal is giving its life so that we can have life so that we can continue. And the, the spiritual aspect of that is important. It's important. If you're going to take a life. To eat. That you acknowledge it. And I think that's why people pray over their food. Right. We're acknowledging gratitude for our place in. The circle of life and. When we buy meat at the grocery store, we're so far removed from the trauma, the killing the process, the emotions that might be present that go into that. I think everybody that's going to eat meat should experience a hunt and a kill. At least if they're not killing, at least being near the process. Because it brings reverence. You know, it brings front center in your face that yeah, this animal is dying so that I can have. Animal protein. And that's important. And I know that there's some vegetarians. I recently am. Much more vegetarian than I've ever been. I only eat meat about once a week. I'm I'm enjoying on Facebook. These. These clips of some people are, are hooking up. Microphones with electrodes to different plants where you can hear their songs. And how they sing. And I've always known that. That plants and trees and all living things communicate. If you're a vegetarian because your body doesn't need meat or because it makes more sense for your grocery bill or your culinary skills. Like that's great. But if you're a vegetarian, because. Of poor little Bambi. I'm sorry, but you're prejudice because the plants have feelings and voices too. And my point is that whatever we eat, but we're all here. The animals, the plants, the people, we all have to eat something. So let's just be reverent about our place. And being humans, there's nothing that's really eating us. So that puts us in a different position. But I don't believe that deer. On one hand mind because they know. The ones that are hunted with reverence? No. That they're part of. And I think going back to my interview with Rupert Isaacson, you know, he talks about hunters and gatherers. And the spiritual aspect of that and calling in a deer. I believe anybody can call in a deer. If, if you have the right heart. And if you put. Enough meditation into it. And that's what occurred to me. That was what other day watching these hunters was, is like, And I'm sorry, but a lot of times it just seems like people are doing it wrong. And I think that's part of my personality and part of the autism. We get to thinking that there's one way. And they call it black and white thinking. I'm not a black and white thinker on every regard, but a lot of things strike me, but oh, that doesn't seem right. And a lot of hunting practices don't seem right. Being in right relationship with the animals you're hunting. Seems more right. Maybe I can put it that way. It seems more right. So dear will. Circle back the way a horse will circle back. I don't know if I talked about the Monte. I don't think I've actually talked about the Monte Robert's story, because I think everybody that has a horse knows who Monty Roberts was and what he did. But I still like to tell the story. And I'll tell it later, but part of that Monte Robert's horse training story and learning the language of Equis. Is that they circle back. They're afraid they'll run a quarter mile and they circle back and we can use that. In their behavior. And in manipulating and training horses. The same thing is true of deer. My friend whose husband was a hunter. Told me about that, reading it in a magazine. At hunting magazine that they will circle back. And in my mind, most hunters know this, but maybe, maybe they don't. Maybe they don't know that a few scare of deer they'll circle back and see if there's still trouble. That's how a lot of hunters. Ambush it on the return round. So this woman. There was a friend of mine. She told me these stories from her husband, right. And they were crazy. And I said, no, we're not talking about names because. We're protecting the, almost innocent here and here. I'm talking about what's right and wrong and people needing food. And there are different belief systems. So I think at some points. And this man didn't follow all their rules. But in a way. He, even the chances for the deer and in a way I think he approached it with great, great reverence. So there's one story where. He and his buddy were hunting and they got a deer. And there wasn't a whole lot of blood. It was rather curious. It was a smaller deer. They put it in the back of the pickup and the pickup had a shell and the shell had a window to the cab and the window to the cab was open. So they're driving home. With this dead deer in the back. And suddenly. And it didn't have antlers and suddenly there's a little face in between them. And the deer wasn't dead. It had only been grazed in, in shock. So it got up and stuck. It's a little ahead. And through the window, right between them. These guys. So surprised. And, you know, there's a lot of ways that story could have gone, right. They could have. They could have stopped and opened up the back and let the thing out. They could have had a conversation with it. I'm sure that didn't occur to them. Or they could have done what they did and they opened up the back and they ended it for the creature. I really like it when people kill a deer. And they're reverent and they put grass in the animal's mouth and they say a prayer and they acknowledged their place. There's another story that she told me. Where her husband had shot a deer thought that it was down. And when he came upon it to cut the throat, the thing got up and this one had antlers and he grabbed the antler. With knife in one hand antler in the other. And they went around in circles like serious circles. Like this was a big strong man. Until finally the hunter prevailed, but. When I think about the story, it's comical, they're both comical, but there's an element of. Of of play. Not necessarily completely fair play, but. Of competition, maybe that's the best word of a competition in a way. That makes it better. I had the opportunity to talk to this hunter man at one point. He told me, I asked him questions about what he did and while he was laying there. In the pre-dawn on the damp earth. Waiting for the deer. He was becoming part of the forest. Like he really embraced his cammo. And. Did the fade. You know, and at that point when you make it a meditation and you do this fade into. The landscape into the earth. Into your place as a hunter on the earth. The joining that happens. I think is what brings the deer. And he may have called to them. I don't know. Like I say, he had some native blood. It's that attitude it's like when you're fishing and you're like, okay, there's a fish, there's a fish under there somewhere. Come on, fish, bite my hook, bite the worm on my hook so I can catch you. Come on fish. Where's the fish. It's it's a competition in a way that is entitled. Like fish. You need to jump on my hook versus. I'm hungry. And part of this earth it's time for me to eat. Could I have a sacrifice. Could an animal, a fish or a deer. Be my sacrifice so that I may thrive. There's a big difference. It's not an entitlement. It's. It's an asking. It's a. It's a respectful request. And I think that's what the difference is. And I think that's what people lose sight of. They. The trophy hunters. The people training kids. This is what I saw. All right. There's a place I hike. And I saw and hunters can hunt there too. And I saw this family and this was early in the fall and it was hot. You could tell they'd been out there a while because they were like bundled up, but it's like 70 degrees. And this little kid, his chubby little kid is like really red cheeks and he's. Got all this gear on. And the backpack and the Kemo coat and he's running after the men. And none of them look very happy. And. You know, either they'd been out there too long or they started at the wrong time or whatever, but it's very rare here just going to shoot him a deer in the middle. You know, Trump and down the trail, the three of you in the middle of a sunny afternoon, when it's 70 degrees out where other people are hiking, like that's probably not going to happen. You're way smarter than that. But it's also the attitude that struck me, like. I don't know. I don't know for sure what the attitude was, but. None of them looked happy. None of them looked purposeful. None of them looked reverent. And when people are successful by some means in a hunt like that. And there's this big trophy thing. And they don't even use the meat. I don't know the word for it. Irreverent doesn't cover it. But there are people at home like that they hunt for the trophy, not for the meat. If you're hunting with your heart and you're hunting for the meat. And you bless the meat. Then I bless your hunting. Well, I just think zooming out and looking at the big picture though. You know what safe way at the very end of the meat section, where they put all the stuff that doesn't sell. And if it doesn't sell that day, it goes out in the bin. That's your reference. A lot of animals died. To have their flesh rotting in a garbage bin, not even feeding the vultures, that's just so wrong. So, so wrong. I don't have an answer. But I certainly have that observation and I have that judgment and I have that opinion and I'll own it. Another like little pet peeve of mine is. I was. I was following a truck the other day. And. It hit a deer. And I watched the deer writhing on the side of the road as I drove by. And I thought to stop and put it out of its misery, but I was really angry that this person didn't stop. And so I chased him down, flashing my lights. And I pulled him over and I said, are you going to go finish that deer? Or do I have to do it? I had a sharp enough pocket knife that I could have. But you don't leave an animal to suffer. You wouldn't leave a dog to suffer. At least, I hope you wouldn't. And you shouldn't leave a deer to suffer on the side of the road. Yeah, I guess. I guess I made the assumption that where I live most men of a certain age. And the drive. Maybe a type of truck. Or at least going to have. What it takes to go. And end an animal's life that they. Basically killed. Now all these things are about being in right relationship to me. As well. If you get real quiet. Before you go hunting the night before you go hunting. And you imagine. That somewhere in between a dream sequence. From a native American movie where the Eagle calls and flies over and your Google earth. Somewhere in between those. You can imagine. Flying over. Your hunting area, your unit. And look for the deer with your imagination. If with your heart, you can feel that you're part of the earth. And that for whatever your reasons. And Congar needing to connect by eating deer meat. Or having that experience. If you can humbly. Connect and ask. And use your site. And drop into that quiet spot. You'll find your tear. And you'll know where they are the next day. In my mind hunting. Isn't so much a sport. As it is. Meditation. Way to be part of the earth. Okay.