One subject that never escapes me is speculation on the reasons why anyone such as myself likes to hunt. Many urban folks have a simplistic view of the sport and can’t understand how anyone can shoot an animal for enjoyment. These folks imagine that hunters sneak around the mountains looking for animals which, once found are shot. This is largely true but is surely an over simplification.

Much has been written about the meaning of hunting both for the hunter and for the animal being hunted. Perhaps the most important premise to consider is that anyone who kills an animal has become involved in an essential natural processes…that of the struggle between life and death. The hunter predator relationship is one of the most important in the natural world even though one partner dies.

This relationship drives natural selection and the evolution of the species. It also a critical element in the on-going survival of ecosystems which all need a balance between the hunter and the hunted. In modern society we can easily divorce ourselves from all contact with the natural world. Therefore in our city world we can sanitise our lives and divorce ourselves from any exposure to the life and death of wild animals. 

This is what I might think about while I look out into the darkness along the roadside and hope I won’t see the wind shaking the vegetation.

The shower was amazing. We're up here in the mountains and it was no different to a shower back home.
These kiwis sure have some great set ups.
I met my son for breakfast. There are two other guys here for hunts. One from Alaska and the other from Texas. We had a great old yarn about hunting in Africa.
We're planning to go there next year. The information coming through is a little confusing about the best places to go.
I dream about the big five combo...the variation in prices is amazing according to which country you go to. Namibia sounds like an exciting place. The whole country has only a few hundred thousand people and yet the country is absolutely massive.Bigger than Texas apparently although I find that hard to believe. There are quite a few hunting lodges but I don't know if you can really get the big five there.
Bill from Texas said he's taken rhino with a dart gun. That sounded absolutely exciting. I don't think that was in Namibia. Black rhino would be the ultimate.
I think I'll go to Africa and suss it out first before we fork out big money.
Breakfast was simple which is fine. We don't eat a big breakfast at home but you should have seen old Bill. He had cooked bacon, eggs and hash browns. I don't think he is going to run out of gas on the hunt today.
We're going after Red Stag today...I really want a good number of points and some reasonably heavy timber.