By Chris Eberhart

For decades hunter numbers had been declining. More and more hunting was seemingly being pushed into a peripheral existence, with its very own media limited to a small segment of the population.  It almost seemed as though hunting had become its own club, difficult to enter or even understand from the outside. The anti hunting crowd predicted the demise of hunting as the demographic shrunk and aged.  There seemed to be a lot of misunderstanding and lack of communication between hunters and non-hunters. Hunting was deemed by many to be an anachronistic pursuit. This has changed over the last couple of years with hunting rather suddenly becoming more mainstream, currently experiencing an overdue comeback,  with hunter numbers holding steady and even increasing. So what is happening?

Let’s start with the problem.  If you look through hunting magazines over the last twenty-five years,  the general  impression was of guys driving their four wheel drives trucks,  or ATV’s, through the mountains, holding photos of big antlered or horned animals, chewing tobacco and drinking beer, but almost never butchering, cooking, and eating their game.  Of course, this is over simplified, but it is also the image a non-hunting friend shared with me in a conversation about hunting.  This is also the image a large portion of the non-hunting public had, which has lead to many people becoming even anti-hunting.  The interesting aspect of this sentiment is that a lot of people are more anti-hunter than they are anti-hunting, because of experiences with bad hunter behavior, both real and imagined.  The unfortunate circumstance is that although bad hunter behavior in the form of poaching and other egregious activities is done by only a tiny criminal element it is a favorite subject of the media.  So generally things looked grim for hunting, even as long time hunters dutifully hunted for food and never really strayed from the course.

Hunting though is always influenced by the general culture surrounding it, especially regarding acceptance, methods, and ethics.  And, while hunting was muddling along as the only group really paying for conservation but also having image problems, America was changing.  Local food co-ops were popping up across the country. The cliental of these stores were (and still is) largely vegetarian and even perhaps vegan. The point however is that the focus was on good healthy local food. When the focus is on healthy local food, and even perhaps reducing a carbon footprint, thought naturally turns to what can be grown locally. In northern regions it is almost impossible to live as a vegetarian from what grows only locally. The logical next step is to think outside the box and realize that the deer living behind the organic farm is quite organic itself, and a great source of protein.  A new form of foodie was born, the Locavore.  A logical step for a locavore is to become a hunter.

At the same time the slow food movement has been slowly taking hold in America, both as a counter to fast food and as a simple celebration of good food and a nod to the sensual pleasure of eating.  The slow food movement is largely influenced by tradition. That was based both on past American and European food tradition. In both cases wild game cooking is considered the best of haute cuisine and staple of our immediate ancestors.  In short, wild game cooking has become fashionable.  And, probably to the surprise of many a long time sportsman, Whole Foods shopping suburbanites and the food they eat are key to the future of hunting.  When they agree that wild food is a good thing hunting is a sure thing.

This leads to some philosophical connections that are very important. If you can recognize that hunting is about food you can also recognize that hunting is a natural condition, since we need to eat to live, and the most natural way to get food is to hunt it. This leads us to other current trends, all of them in the direction of natural living. Thinking about natural living is a big deal right now. The first trend is the rise of the Paleo Diet. The Paleo diet is a low carbohydrate diet roughly summarized  by:  eating like a caveman, or like humans did before the current agricultural era.  It is easy to make the next step in this diet and make natural wild game a part of your diet. The best way to do this is hunt it yourself. 

Another interesting development is the connection between natural running and hunting.   The book “Born to Run” brought both running and particularly natural running into focus. Running has been booming the last few years, as it always does when there is an economic downturn. The connection between running, our development as humans, and role hunting plays in our evolution and basic morphology is clearly outlined in that book. This doesn’t directly create hunters, but it does get millions of runners thinking more positively about hunting. And there are more runners than hunters in America. Accordingly, if the opportunity then arises to hunt, the chances of a runner heading out hunting increase. 

Even further along the philosophical lines of things that effect the future of hunting is the current sexual revolution happening in America. I’m referring to the sudden popularity the “Shades of Gray” books, and resulting increase in acceptance of sexuality as a natural expression of normal behavior. This might seem like a stretch to some, but there is a clear connection between hunting and sex when you accept natural human behavior along with its sensual pleasures. At a very basic level a successful hunter is able to provide for his family. As natural predators hunting well meant survival for or species. I don’t want to get moralistic people bent out of shape with putting it bluntly, but sex for meat was one of the original deals.  The hunter capable of providing for his family was a man to be respected and his reward was procreation. Sex, hunting, and eating meat are all necessary aspects of being human and very pleasurable activities to boot.  

I’m going to stop right here, because a discussion of all this could be a book by itself.  The takeaway is that changes to hunting taking place in America are mostly positive. There will be more people returning to hunting because it is simply natural to humans. Those who claim an evolutionary advancement that precludes hunting are just full of themselves and their arguments are basically denial of their own position in nature. The fear that hunting will somehow disappear is largely imaginary. Even in places where hunting has been forbidden, (in Kenya for instance, where game populations have been decimated outside the parks where hunting is forbidden) when survival is on the line people will be out hunting, no matter what. Hunting being primarily about food is good development.

The best development is that the image of the drunken hunter (or loudmouth rock n roll star) out behaving badly is in many cases being replaced by the image a conscientious hunter who respects his quarry and ultimately accepts the pleasure of the hunt, which includes the entire process from field to plate. The shift is long overdue, and finally brings real hunting back into focus, the kind of hunting most of us were doing all along.

Picking up on these trends several writers have come out with great books recently. I recommend all of these if you are interested in the developing state of hunting.    

Steven Rinella’s “Meateater” is the story of a lifelong outdoorsman who gives us an honest look at his own hunting life and focus on food.  His combination of experience, adventure, philosophy, and honesty is appealing to hunter and non-hunter alike. Steven has become the new voice of hunters, appearing on countless television shows that have otherwise been off limits to hunters for decades.

Tovar Cerulli’s “The Mindful Carnivore” tracks his own life and experiences as he transforms from vegan to hunter.  This book is very important for long time hunters to read. The current changes that are taking place will catch some long time outdoorsman by surprise, especially when they begin sharing their woods with non-traditional compatriots, who approach hunting with different goals and aren’t necessarily clear on traditional rules of conduct.  Adult onset hunting is a growing theme. This book is thought provoking for hunters and non-hunters alike, and Tovar has his finger on the pulse of change.

Georgia Pellegrini’s “Girl Hunter” also tracks her personal path into the world of hunting. This one also has the twist of being a woman in a domain still largely dominated by men.  Though her “discovery” of hunting and “revolutionizing” of eating is a bit much at times, but her focus of food is solid and welcome.  More and more women have been taking up hunting, for countless reasons, and her perspective on women in American hunting culture is quite interesting.

Hank Shaw’s “Hunt, Gather, Cook” is more of a general beginner’s guide to the outdoors.  He too came to hunting later in life and as the title implies concentrates on the food aspect of hunting.  He shares his experiences and gives a lot of advice on how to get started in the outdoors. His recipes are simply fantastic. When I read this book I found myself remembering my hunting beginnings as a child, contrasted with his starting hunting as an adult. It is hard for me to imagine having to get into hunting from scratch. Hank took me to that experience. If you are just beginning hunting this is a great book, and if you are interested in the art of cooking wild food it is even better.

By Chris Eberhart

Okay, so I didn’t hunt the scallops. I didn’t even gather them. In fact, a friend of mine had some scallops and asked me if I knew of a good recipe. Never one to turn down anything seafood, and quite fond of scallops, of course I found a recipe, post haste. As the title implies this one is French. Having traveled around big parts of France I can tell you as far as cooking is concerned that place is wonderful. This recipe is close to something I had along the cost in Brittany, minus the artichokes. Though I’m sure artichokes would work here too.

Ingredients:  About a pound of scallops (you can never have too many), lemon juice, salt, pepper, vegetable oil, 2 shallots finely chopped, 2 garlic cloves crushed, tablespoon of chopped fresh basil, 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley, 2 table spoons of butter.

1. Dry the scallops and place them on a plate.  Sprinkle them lightly with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the scallops and fry for about five minutes, turning them occasionally, until they are lightly browned.

3. Stir in the garlic, shallots, and basil. Cook for another couple of minutes.

4. Add the butter and parsley and cook for another minute or two.

Serve immediately on warmed plates or bowls with baguette or French bread. The butter, basil, garlic, shallot sauce is great for dipping. Enjoy!

By Chris Eberhart

One of my first tastes of tradition German/Austrian food was schnitzel. I was fresh off the plane about twenty years ago, and wanted a taste of indigenous Germanic food culture.  I didn’t know what to expect and was somewhat surprised when a dish appeared on the table that resembled my own grandmother’s breaded venison steak. Schnitzel is easy comfort food, and my own Germanic roots were obvious that day.  It seems schnitzel is offered in one form or another in almost every restaurant in the Germanic countries, and is on the menu in most homes. The Ur-schnitzel however is said to have originated in Vienna Austria.  The original “Wiener Schnitzel” is made with veal. Schnitzel in most cases though is thinly sliced breaded pork. Really, any thinly sliced breaded meat can be called schnitzel.  For this dish I used wild turkey breast.

Ingredients: 1 wild turkey breast (cut thinly into slices across the grain), Flour, oregano, garlic salt, ground red pepper,  3 eggs,  1 sleeve of saltine crackers (finely crushed), salt, pepper,  oil (with a high smoke point, I used grape seed oil).

1. Cut the turkey breast into thin slices and pound evenly with a meat hammer.

2. Place three bowls on the counter. In the first bowl mix the flour, oregano, garlic salt, salt, pepper, and ground red pepper. In the second bowl beat the eggs. And in the third bowl pour in the crushed saltine crackers.

3. Heat your oil in a skillet until it is hot. Lay your turkey cutlet in the flour until coated, dip in the eggs, and then coat with saltines. Cook in the oil until light brown (this should only take a couple minutes per side) and then place on plate coved with paper towel. Sprinkle with salt and serve.    (In German cooking schnitzel will often be served with a slice of lemon and some kind of potato dish.) Enjoy!

Chris Eberhart’s Scouting Service and Bowhunting Instruction

The key to regular success hunting mature pressured bucks is scouting, preparation, and planning.  It has taken the Eberhart family decades of intense bowhunting to develop a unique and highly successful hunting style, and I would like to share it with you. You can learn much of our system through our books and videos, but nothing comes close to hands on training in the field. Why spend several thousand dollars on a short guided hunt when you can spend a fraction of that and learn bowhunting secrets that will lead you to hunting success on mature bucks anywhere? Invest in yourself, and learn what even the guides don’t know.

Unlike other “expert” whitetail hunters out there who charge you to visit their hot spots to look at their stands on micro managed exclusive property, often showing you how to hunt out of fifteen foot ladder stands, I will put our reputation on the line and help you make the most out of your hunting area. You have your food plots and trail cameras, now what? Land management is good, but you still have to know how to hunt to be successful. I will help you cut your hunting learning curve by years, perhaps decades.

In a single day I will scout your property by your side and start you on the path to regular success on mature whitetails.

-learn how to interpret topo-maps

-learn by analyzing your own hunting locations what your own strengths and weaknesses are

-learn to interpret relevant sign and buck behavior on your property

- select the premier stand locations on your property

-learn how to correctly hunt out of the most versatile and mobile hunting system available

-learn to hunt primary scrape areas successfully

-learn to hunt staging areas successfully

-learn how hunt travel routes and transition zones

-learn how to hunt bedding areas

-learn to properly prep your hunting sites

-learn how to develop a tactical hunting rotation that incorporates all portions of the season, modified to fit your hunting property

                Tactics and approach for the first two days of season

                Tactics and approach for mid October

                Tactics and approach for the pre-rut

                Tactics and approach for the rut

                Tactics and approach for the post-rut

                Tactics and approach for winter hunting

-learn how to properly time both your scouting and hunting for maximized success

-learn the specifics of advanced scent control

-learn the importance and how-to of well planned entry and exit routes

-learn how small land management modifications to your property can increase your success potential dramatically

-learn deer behavior that makes all land management decisions simple, and see through the smoke and mirror show put on by the ultimate land manipulator

-learn how to funnel deer, without having to own a bulldozer

-learn how to be successful on short term hunts anywhere

-and much more, at your pace, at your place!

This is the most complete intensive bowhunting learning situation offered. Others make promises, I deliver!

Price:  $600 for a full day, up to eight hours of bowhunting instruction and scouting (the amount of land covered will vary by relative terrain features)

Additional costs: travel expenses

Dates:  By individual appointment year round

Location:  Your hunting property

Contact and Information:  Get in touch here. Feel free to send me any questions you might have regarding scope and cost of smaller or larger scouting or hunting prep situations. Let’s talk.  

By Chris Eberhart

Potato noodles are great stuff, and in case you weren’t aware of this:  Gnocchi are the Italian version of the potato noodle.  This recipe is simply an Italian twist added to venison filet. The main focus is the complementary taste nuances added by matching venison to gnocchi, tomatoes, Portobello mushrooms, shallots, parsley, garlic, and game stock. And you can’t forget the olive oil.

Ingredients: A pound or two of venison tenderloin or back strap, about a pound of Portobello mushrooms (original recipe calls for royal trumpet mushrooms – pleurotus eryngii – which I couldn’t find in Michigan in January), about the same amount of tomatoes, gnocchi (I used store bought gnocchi for this dish, but have made potato noodles, and will get the recipe up soon.) 2 shallots, 1 cup of fresh chopped parsley, 1 garlic clove, salt, pepper, 1 cup of game stock, olive oil.

1. Peel and chunk your tomatoes, finely chop up your shallots and mushrooms, and finely chop your parsley, and press your garlic clove.

2. Sautee the garlic in a copious amount of olive oil and then add the shallots and let go until they turn glassy.  Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and let simmer for a while.  Add the game stock, parsley, salt and pepper to taste, and let simmer until the stock is reduced and absorbed by the mushrooms.

3. While to tomatoes and mushrooms are simmering season your venison with salt pepper, and perhaps a little ground juniper, and seer in olive oil in a separate pan. A couple minutes on each side should suffice.  At the same time drop the gnocchi in boiling water and let boil for 4-5 minutes until they float to the top.  Pour the gnocchi through and colander to strain and add them to the pan with the mushrooms and tomatoes. Thoroughly mix to coat the gnocchi.

4. Serve on a warmed plate. Acorn squash rounded out this meal for me. (Cut acorn squash in half, remove seeds with a spoon, place face down on aluminum foil on a cookie pan, and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes)  Enjoy!

By Chris Eberhart

I picked up some wild pig cotelettes from my friend Adam G that he shot in Texas this fall. If you follow this blog at all, you know that I am extremely fond of just about everything wild boar. These are simply some of the finest tasting animals out there –apart from rutty old boars that is.  Fresh off of making a batch of venison stock I was looking for a way to incorporate the stock and come up with an uncommon but subtle taste. I found the answer in juniper berries (Wacholder) and gin in a recipe from a German wild game cookbook.  The juniper and gin add a note that is unlike any other spice or spirit. Try it and you just might like it. Juniper is intense!

Ingredients:  6 -12 boar chops, 6 juniper berries, salt, pepper, 4 tablespoons olive oil, shot of gin (about an ounce),  1 cup game stock, 1 cup heavy cream

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Finely crush the juniper berries in a mortar and pestle.  Salt and pepper your cotelettes and rub lightly with juniper.  Quickly seer the chops in the olive oil.  Place the cotelettes on an oven pan and put the oven for about five minutes. Take them out of the oven and keep them warm.  Add gin to the pan drippings followed by the game stock and then the heavy cream. Let his cook down to a consistency you prefer.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

2. Serve on warmed plates with sauce, and some kind of side. A potato variety worked well for me.

3. Enjoy

By Chris Eberhart

It’s sort of like Hasenpfeffer, but with wild boar instead of wild hare. Wild boars are on the verge of becoming a huntable species all across the U.S., like it or not here they come. They are established in the South and Southwest, are a plague in Texas, and are found as far north as Michigan and New York. How they arrived where they did is in some cases disputable, but that doesn’t matter because they are almost impossible to get rid of once they set up shop. As bad as they are for native habitat, native species, and farmers, they undeniably great eating. At least, if you don’t happen to kill a giant old boar in the middle of the rut, in that particular case they aren’t so good eating. There isn’t much better, however, than a yearling feral hog. Since we will be hunting and killing more feral pigs in the future we might as well learn how to cook them up. I happen to love the cooking possibility boars offer. Wildschweinpfeffer is a great traditional German recipe that will turn the most sincere doubters of wild boar meat into believers.  There are many variations of both Hasenpfeffer and Wildschweinpfeffer, and this one calls for a dash of paprika powder. Wild boar is worth the effort to learn how to cook.  Guten Appetit!

Wildschweinpfeffer Ingredients:

-500g wild boar –cut into chunks

-seasoning (salt, pepper, sage, rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, cinnamon)

-4 table spoons oil

-1 table spoon gin

-100g smoked Speck(German smoked ham – bacon will do)

-Butter

-2 chopped onions

-2 table spoons flour

-2 table spoons vinegar

-100ml red wine

-100ml game stock

-8 juniper berries

-4 peeled tomatoes

-1 table spoon paprika powder

Step 1:

Place the boar meat in a bowl and add seasoning, oil, and gin. Let the meat marinade for at least 4 hours.

Step 2:

In a large pan, under high heat, quickly cook the Speck until it is crispy and remove.  Add the onions and butter to the pan and sauté until they are glassy. Powder with the flour and let leave them in the pan until they turn golden brown. Add the boar meat and let it sauté until it is brown. Then add the vinegar, red wine, game stock, juniper berries, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 40 minutes.

Step 3:

Remove the pieces of meat from the pan. Pour the remaining sauce through a fine strainer, making sure to press the onions as much as possible. Return the sauce and meat to the pan.  Add the Speck, tomatoes, and paprika powder. Cover and let simmer for another 40 minutes.

By Chris Eberhart

At the beginning of the season I had a great offer that I just couldn’t refuse. A couple days before the opening of the Michigan bow season I incidentally met up with my brother-in-law’s mother, Lorna.  She is perhaps in her seventies and was born, raised, and spent almost her entire life on farms in rural central Michigan. She is a recipe and cooking reservoir of unbelievable depth.  Her home cooking is old style and simply fantastic. When the conversation got around to cooking we somehow got on the subject of canned venison. Both myself and her son, Dan, expressed interest in learning how to can meat, so she made us a deal. She would teach us how to can venison, if we could kill a deer within a day or two of the opener.  It had to happen fast, because she would be on her way to Florida for the winter by the following Sunday.  Though I was set to begin my trip west I decided to delay the start for this opportunity.

The pressure was on.  Since Dan had to work and couldn’t hunt for a few days the task of getting a deer was squarely on my shoulders, and who knows when such an opportunity would arise again.  I bought a couple doe tags and started hunting with the intention of killing the first doe that gave me an opportunity. What could be easier than that, right? Well, after two days of trying and seeing more than twenty does and fawns not a single one gave me a decent shot. Just when you need a deer the most, they become hard to kill. Figuring in time to hang the deer, and butcher it, I had one final morning to hunt, and still be able to make the canning lesson.  Any deer was now my goal, brown is down became my motto. I simply needed meat fast.

That morning just after daylight I noticed a single deer moving through the understory right on the main runway feeding the oak I was sitting in.  It didn’t matter to me whether it was a buck or a doe, as I had tags for both.  I drew my bow while the deer was still a couple steps behind some cover.  Two steps later it stepped into my shooting lane. A quick glance revealed the white glint of antler on its head.  With my pin already on the buck’s chest I blatted lightly to stop the buck. Almost immediately my arrow was on its way.  The spike buck bolted and crashed just over a sandy ridge, about fifty yards from my tree. The canning lesson was saved, literally at the last minute.

When Lorna showed up a couple days later I had the entire deer cut up into canning sized chunks just as she specified. She brought three propane cookers, and three pressure cookers, jars, flats, and lids, some copies of pages from an old canning book for me, along with homemade cinnamon rolls and carrot cake.  The coffee pot was full, and after a few minutes of small talk over those cinnamon rolls and coffee everybody got to work. The canning lesson turned out to be well attended. Beside myself and my brother-in-law, my sister, Lorna’s other son, and another friend all showed up. With Lorna directing the operations we got down to the business of end of canning.  With so many people on the job the work of jarring flew by, and before we knew it we were all gathered around two propane stoves in the garage, sipping more coffee, attending to the pressure cookers, listening to the hiss and jiggle of the pressure weights, and talking. Lorna and I chatted about the benefits of making pie crust with real lard, and I even offered my experience with rendered bear fat.  It turns out she had actually made pie crust with rendered bear fat a couple of times. The entire experience reminded me of an old time food making get together. It was as much about the time together as it was the resulting food.

The ninety minute canning time passed like it was mere minutes.  Removing the jars was about as exciting a food moment as I have had in a long time. We all watched and listened to the jars for that telltale snap of the vacuum seal. At the first one we all cheered and Dan and I even exchanged a high-five.  All the jars sealed but one and that one became dinner. It turns out that canning isn’t that difficult, and is darn right fun with a bunch of good friends. Thank you, Lorna. Canning venison is now on my to-do list every fall.

By Chris Eberhart:

The Mystery Machine is about to roll.  The Mystery Machine is the name my brother gave my minivan a couple years ago. For over a decade I have been venturing out across the country chasing hunting adventure on a shoestring budget.  I’ve owned a series of vans, and somehow within my hunting circle they became associated with Scooby Doo, the association though somewhat dubious has stuck.  The first one was dubbed Scooby. The second became known as Scrappy. And, the third is the Mystery Machine. 

Originally, I hunted out of a Pontiac sedan, and slept in the back seat. That turned out to be rather uncomfortable.  For more comfort I began bringing a tent along, but that wasn’t practical in farm country, and was only really an advantage for packing in a ways, which I almost never had to do in typical whitetail country.  I then bought a small Chevy truck and put a topper on it. I slept in the back while on hunts.  Having a solid roof over my head and a place to cook on the back bumper was a big step up in comfort. The final step was the minivan, which in my estimation is the perfect hunting setup.

The minivan allows direct access to the back of the van. When you remove the seats you have more than enough room for all you gear, and you also have enough room for sleeping and cooking.  And, if you happen to kill something you can fit it easily in the back. Over the years I have become more and more organized and now have a set of plastic tubs for all my gear on one side, and a bunk on the other, along with a heater designed for inside.  I carry all the food and water I need, and also carry enough water to wash and practice scent control.

Hunting adventure is what you make it. I don’t really have enough money for big time hunts across the U.S. so my solution is DIY hunting from my van.  I love to roam, and hunt new terrain.  My favorite way to hunt is just to show up somewhere and figure out how to hunt there.  My goals vary. Sometimes any deer is my goal, other times a mature buck is what I’m after. Testing your skill by going in blind is pure hunting.  Hunting manicured whitetail properties is pleasant, but after everything is set up the hunting basically ends as far as I’m concerned. Sure you still have to put in time, and make the shot, but the magic of the truly wild is somehow lost.  On my shoestring hunts where I end up is often a mystery. The association with the name should be obvious in that last sentence.  One time I decided to hunt in Missouri, so I started in the northeast corner of the state and kept moving west until I found a tract of public land that held some big mature bucks, and wasn’t slammed with hunters.  I took me ten days of searching to find the right spot.  When I found it I hunted for a week and ended up having an encounter with a giant eight pointer that ended with the buck getting the best of me. I often locate tracts of public land and just drive out and hunt. This was the case in North Dakota and Nebraska.  Sometimes I connect with friends along the way. Where he goes nobody knows.

My Mystery Machine hunting journey is about to begin.  This year I’m starting with a bear hunt in northern Maine, before heading west. Along the way I will be posting stories and pictures from my journey.  Come along with me in the Mystery Machine.

P.S. I get out of my van once in a while and get back into the woods.

By Chris Eberhart

The need to run is as natural in humans as the need for food or sex.  Running and walking were, during most of our evolution as a species, the only form of transit. If you wanted to get someplace you had to use your own two feet to get there. The other reason running is such an integral aspect of our morphology was that it was largely the mode that we used for hunting. Humans are exceptional distance runners in the animal kingdom and running long distances was our primary advantage over prey that was far faster than us, and had keener senses. We simply wore prey animals down until they couldn’t go any further, and killed them.  Thus our prey indeed helped form us. Our incredible endurance, and being designed to run, was part of what made us the effective predators that we are.

I’ve always had a mild interest in primitive hunting cultures. Exploring available information on existing primitive cultures clearly reveals that natural hunters keep themselves in great shape not by training, but by merely and continuously hunting.  These guys simply do. Hunting involves in most cases, whether you are talking about the bushmen of Africa, to the natives of and Amazon rainforest, to aborigines on remote islands of Indonesia, or even  nomads living in northern Siberia, a lot of walking, climbing and continuous movement, some sprints, and the occasionally a really long run. Hunting itself is a natural fitness routine. There is no training plan for natural hunters, and these guys are super fit into old age (if they can avoid injury and disease). Of course, with the paleo/natural living movement gaining momentum this certainly isn’t an earth shattering stroke of enlightenment.

The question becomes:  how can we modern hunters emulate this style of training to keep us naturally fit and make us better hunters? Most of us obviously aren’t able just to hunt all year round to stay fit. It seems the natural running movement has focused more recently on shoes, or lack thereof, and running form as opposed to natural running cycles.  Let’s get back to a more natural routine.

This is my running story:  I have been running for a bit over thirty years. My running started out like most kids. In the beginning we ran just because we were kids, and that is what kids do (at least used to do).  Then in junior high I joined the track team. From that point on, through high school, until I was finished with my brief collegiate running career I had a training plan. I was always training for this or that race, and racing a lot. Sometimes I made my goals, which then automatically set the training bar higher, and sometimes I didn’t, which usually meant also raising the training level.  My training plan was set by coaches, and usually didn’t pay much heed to the cyclical nature of the seasons. Often I was asked to train way too hard in the depth of icy cold Michigan winters. There didn’t seem to be a long term goal, except to get faster, and win more races. Eventually, I started feeling like I was running in circles, which indeed I was. And, I started having running nightmares, where no matter how hard I tried to run, other competitors kept passing me. Even though I was fairly talented, running just wasn’t fun anymore, so I ended my collegiate career with a promise to myself that I would never run a race again. Running would be just for me, and just for fun.

It only took me a few months break to really want to run again. I didn’t have a plan or goal for the first time in fifteen years. I just ran for the sake of running. Most of my runs would begin without any particular route in mind (I have been fortunate to have good and varying running trails nearby at almost every place I have lived. And I almost never had to run on pavement.), and without any distance in mind. Sometimes I would run for five minutes and turn around and come home. Other times I would run for a couple hours just because I felt good and had the time. Occasionally, I would rock up the steepest trail I could find, or toss in some hard mountain intervals just for fun.  Other times I wouldn’t run at all. Even though running is for me my most important form of relaxation, some days I didn’t feel like it, and so I didn’t run.  It had to be fun and feel good, that was my credo.

My running year usually saw an increase in running in direct relation to increasing sunlight which meant a training peak in July and then a drop off towards hunting season, during which running was almost completely replaced by hunting, only to be picked up again in winter and slowly increase once again through spring. This has become my natural running rhythm over the last fifteen years. There isn’t a certain distance or time that you have to be able to run to be fit enough to bow hunt.  You just have to keep running, and your goal should instinctive and natural, not matter what the watch says. Your goal in running is to eventually make meat for your survival and the survival of your family. This is way better than collecting medals, or t-shirts, or whatever else it is they hand out at races.

The interesting thing about running completely by feeling was that in some years I was way faster and fitter than I ever was when I ran competitively, and I was very rarely injured.  If I felt a pain here or there I would just stop and walk home. No stress, because I didn’t have a short term goal anyway, or a race coming up.  If I did manage to overdo it and injure myself, I just stopped running for as long as it took to heal.  Running can be replaced with long walks when there is no stop watch involved.

That is instinctive running for hunting, it’s that easy. It took me a long time to figure out that my running was a lot like the primal hunting that native hunters do around the world. I didn’t set out to run like run like that, it just happened. Nothing fantastic or new here; just listen to your body and run according to the seasons. When you feel good run hard, and when you don’t feel good don’t run hard.  If something hurts take time to let it heal. The only race that means anything is the race against the animal you will be hunting. Persistence and a little fitness will make that race winnable, and you won’t be timed, but you will get an award, in the form of the best meat on the planet.  And you may be surprise just how far and fast you can run naturally.

Some things in life are simple. Running instinctively for hunting is one of them.