In case you haven't noticed, there is a little box on the right, there, that carries the same name as this post. I've been thinking a bit about the Blogger's Summit and why I include it in my links.
I don't hunt, at least not in the traditional sense. I don't get outdoors as much as I would like. I don't track, and I fish for panfish using a bobber and worms with my kids. Do I even belong in the Outdoor Bloggers summit?
I have to think that I do. Blogging for me is about writing and reading to people who "get it." When I talk about hawks, and spending time in the woods, and watching for squirrel sign, or raccoon, or fox. The people I work with, much of my family, they don't "get it".
When I have my two birds, working together overhead, herding a squirrel to one another. One stoops, while the other moves the critter around the tree towards the first's waiting talons, people nod their heads and smile like I am one of those slow witted folk.
But when you talk to people who are actively involved in the outdoors, they get it. They understand the variable tapestry that is the woods. They understand the flux and flow of nature. There is a connection there.
Even if it is with someone who keeps bees, or raises chickens, or pigeons, or farms their own land - there is a connection there with beings other than ourselves that need to be understood, that needs to be queried.
I don't agree with everything I read within the Summit, I'm not even interested in all of it, to be honest. But I appreciate where they are coming from. We share a common bond that much of this country no longer understands.
I also think that people who are like minded, especially people who voluntarily spend their time outdoors, fighting to keep it sacrosanct need to be united in a common voice.
There aren't as many of us as their once were. Too many people choose not to know where their food comes from, or they believe they are above it all.
I choose otherwise.
3 comments:
You get what the OBS is about. We don't all agree on everything, but we do agree that preserving outdoor traditions and conversing our outdoor resources is important. That's what counts.
I'm glad you decided to join us. I love it that the OBS is becoming more diverse. I hope it continues.
Thanks for writing this. It is wonderful to see such a show of support for the OBS.
I come from the other side and besides being a falconer and bird watcher I hunt every method I can. I also love animals and help by feeding during drought periods and planting food plots to help them through. I have raised many abandoned wild creatures and released them back to the wild even though I am a hunter. I prefer wild meat without all the chemicals. Best wishes to all no matter your preference. Ed
Ed, I am right with you. I don't hunt, but I come from a family that does. The freezer was often full of elk, deer, or turkey.
My kids are being raised around animals. We rescue animals, raise animals, and sometimes eat all kinds of animals. We garden, and we camp. I think it is so important that the next generation is better grounded than the current one.
Doug
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