Over the next several days, additional
traffic may pass thorough the blog, as a result of the Maine Magazine
interview. Because of this, I wanted to welcome new readers to my blog! Thanks
for stopping by, I appreciate your interest and hope you will feel free to add
comments when and where appropriate. If you have specific questions and wish to
contact me directly, my e-mail address is: rabidoutdoorsman@yahoo.com.
Background:
If you are wondering, “who in heck is this guy”, access my “About Me” section as it provides a brief synopsis on who
I am and what I am all about.
If you are short on time and overwhelmed
by the shear volume of blather I have manage to create, since I started the
blog in February of 2008. Check out my “Popular Blog Posts” and “Published Stories” section as they highlight what I consider some of my favorite and best
postings.
The
Inside Scoop on the Maine Magazine “Interview”:
If you can believe it, an interview isn’t
half as bad as you might originally want to imagine. It was actually relatively
painless and not nearly as invasive as I had feared. I suppose, I was very
fortunate to have the entire session conducted by one of Maine Magazine’s skilled
editorial staffers as well as freelance photographer Ben Krebs (http://benkrebs.com).
Both individuals possessed style, grace and class vastly superior to my own,
just the type of people you want on your side to make you look good!
Provided below is the photograph chosen
for the magazine interview, my top 10 suggestions for a photograph title and
the extended version of the magazine interview. I hope you enjoy!
 |
| Kicking Bass and Taking Names |
My Top 10 List of Possible
Photograph Titles:
1. Photographer Ben Krebs and I wondering what the
poor people are doing.
2. Photographer Ben Krebs and I kicking bass and
taking names.
3. Photographer Ben Krebs and I doing what rednecks do
best.
4. Photographer Ben Krebs and I wondering why this
fish I am holding is so damn small.
5. Photographer Ben Krebs and I both glad I am wearing
briefs and not boxers.
6. Photographer Ben Krebs and I thinking that I might
want to consider getting a gym membership.
7. Photographer Ben Krebs and I very intoxicated and
playing rock, paper, scissors to determine who drives to beer store.
8. Photographer Ben Krebs and I hopelessly lost and
hoping that someone will eventually find our bodies.
9. Photographer Ben Krebs and I thinking we hear
banjos and preparing to paddle faster.
10. I Can Plainly See Your Nuts
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Maine
Magazine Q and A – Extended Version not Available in the Magazine Interview
For me starting to hunt was a relatively
easy endeavor, having grandfathers, a father, and an uncle who were all
registered Maine guides and passionate about the outdoors. From a time shortly
after I began walking, they helped me take the formal and informal steps in my
outdoors training that eventually led me to become interested in hunting.
What most don’t understand is that
hunting, is much more then handing a young man a rifle and pointing him in the
direction of the woods. A hunter is someone who has undergone years of
instruction and guidance in understanding a large number of individual skills,
eventually building to the mastery of a diverse tool kit of abilities.
Most importantly, before venturing forth
into the wilds, to be safe and comfortable in the woods a hunter must know how
to use a map and compass and what to do in a situation should they become lost
or injured. A hunter should also know how to dress for the bitter north winds
and blowing snow and how to start a fire in the wettest and direst of
circumstances. These are fundamental skills that should be learned early and by
all outdoorsmen, regardless if they someday intend to hunt.
To hunt game ethically and well one must
understand the animal he is pursuing, know its tracks, behaviors and where it
is likely to live and feed. A hunter must know how to accurately shoot from a
variety of stances, understand the inner workings of firearms and how to clean
and care for them.
To humanely kill game, a hunter must know
the animal’s anatomy and where to place a shot to quickly dispatch it. A hunter
must also know what to do should that bullet not be perfectly placed and an
animal need to be tracked. A hunter must also understand how to field dress,
butcher and properly care for a killed animal, so the meat is not wasted.
Lastly, it is the best of hunters who also know how to properly cook game and
prepare it for the dinner table.
Do
you make an effort to get young people outside?
The education side of introducing kids
and people who haven’t had a chance to get outside has really come full circle
for me now that I have kids. I have a three- and a five-year-old—two little
boys, and they are amazing. We started identifying animal tracks, going out in
the winter and chasing rabbits through the underbrush and stuff like that. I
don’t take them out hunting—I’m not killing anything in front of them because I
think they’re too young to understand that. We do have a garden, though. They
dig little holes and water the tomato plants and they understand that things
need to be cared for and nurtured in order to grow. I think that all of those
lessons are really important. They’re the basic building blocks of their
understanding of the outdoors.
Do
plan to take your kids hunting when they’re older?
Eventually? Definitely. If they get into
hunting and fishing, that’s great. And if they don’t, well I’ve always said
it’s their choice. I’d never force it on them. I will provide all of the entry
points, but if they don’t want to take it up, that’s up to them.
While
spending time growing things and hunting, you’re brushing up against some
really important concepts. This seems to connect to your interest in teaching.
We go to a supermarket and pick something
off of the shelf and we don’t think: “Where did this animal come from? Did it
suffer? Was it raised in captivity?” When a hunter goes out and shoots a deer,
he has a pretty good idea that that deer probably had a pretty nice life. And
then we have to actually take that deer and butcher it ourselves and package
it. Hunters understand what hard work it is to take an animal from the field,
clean it, and put it on the dinner table. We as a society aren’t passing these
things on. We’re not teaching. I don’t know what’s going on with out society,
if we’re doing more inside with videogames, movies, the Internet, smart phones.
I mean—we’re always connected. There are so many things pulling us out of the
natural world.
Right!
And it’s so easy to take up something that’s merely entertaining, but these
things don’t engage any critical parts of you.
Kids aren’t bored anymore. They’re always
entertained. And then you take those kids and put them in an educational
setting. Unless the teacher is jumping on the desk and standing on their head
and showing the kids movies everyday, they just can’t hold the students’ attention
long enough to teach them anything. I think that that’s really hard.
What
particularly about hunting do you feel is getting lost?
I think the first one is the connection
to people. The tradition of being able to bring everyone together is really important.
The second would be the connections to food and what you eat, and having
respect for animals. And then—I think there’s a certain amount of tradition and
heritage, too, that’s really important. I guess what I’d like to dump is the
negative view of the hunter—the big fat redneck drinking a Busch and riding
around on a four-wheeler killing whatever he sees and not caring if animals
suffer. I like to promote the idea that that’s a small population of hunters. Hunting is only 10 percent about harvesting an animal. The remaining 90
percent is about hanging out with your family and friends, spending time afield
enjoying mother nature, and the frequent quiet, self-reflective moments.
