Date a guy who hunts.

Date a guy who hunts.

So, it was kind of a boring Saturday afternoon with nothing much to do, other than sit around and surf the net. Since I don’t watch television, don’t trust the media-propaganda news from around the world, I thought I might as well get some ideas to overcome my almost permanent writer's block.

And when it gets boring enough, I turn to blogspot to entertain me in more ways than one. The stories, the humour, the writing style, the intellect, the garbage, the ideas, oh well, you get the drift. Therefore, it was on blogspot that I came across this piece on biking.

This was a blog by a keen biker called Sam, which followed the format of “Date a Guy Who is a biker” which has been doing the rounds on the internet for a while now. I wouldn’t have read it, hadn’t it been for this lazy rainy Saturday morning, the first one after leaving my job and one before leaving for my next adventure. That set the wheels rolling, and my idle mind got to work.

Credit’s due where credit’s due; so I thank Sam and his fellow riders Gaurav and “bhatku” for inspiring me to modify their piece for my writing.

I am a hunter. While my friends shoot and hunt in a group, I do the solo bit pretty well. And you know what, it doesn’t matter whether you hunt alone or with a pack, the point is... you hunt. While a lot of professions have been explored under this format of posts, no one in my knowledge has done this for hunters.

Hunting has been a very integral part of our existence. Having heard the best and the worst about this love of mine, it dawned upon me that a lot of people have varied impressions about hunting and hunters. So I thought, “why not?”. Let me write about this!

So here goes:-

Date A Guy Who Hunts

Date a guy who has hunted across the length and breadth of the country. He’s the best storyteller you will ever meet.

Date a guy who will grab his gun and go off to hunt in any direction, only to realign himself with this world once again. Respect him for this, because every time he is upset about something, he’ll make sure it doesn’t spill-over at work. Or at home. And when he comes back, he’ll be more sorted than he was earlier.

Date a guy who knows how to zero a scope. Or glass bed a rifle. Or pluck a goose and gut a deer. Date a guy who can set up a tent, start a fire, cook his meals and clean up afterwards. Chances are, he’ll be able to sort out a lot of problems in his own life as well as yours, if you’re close to him. Without taking external help. You can rely on him for most of your problems. Even if they’re medical in nature. In that case, rely on him for first aid and then visit a doctor. (He’ll take you to the doc in his SUV.)

Date a guy who is as comfortable spending a night in the forest in the middle of nowhere as he is in the plush comfort of his house. Adaptability is something we as humans are kind of running short on these days.

Date a guy who will always, without fail, stop to help when he sees another one of his kind stranded in the woods. For that matter, even if he sees non-hunters. He understands what you’re going through at that moment.

Date a guy who gets excited at the mention of heading out into the countryside, into the hills. The forest paths teach him how volatile life can be. In addition to that, he knows how to respect the bush. Of all kinds. (You know what I mean).

Date a guy who can actually do serious damage to another man who is looking for unnecessary trouble with him. But he won’t, because he knows it’s not worth it and it’s not the solution to any problem. Yes, he respects everybody's opinions. He won't force his on you. Just make sure no one pushes him around too much.

Date a guy who will travel five hours just to have a chance of procuring that awesome dinner of braised venison or roast duck that even the best diner offers in the town next to the one you’re in cant offer. If this isn’t adventurous enough for a mundane day, what else do you think is?

Date a guy who will get so excited before each hunt that he won’t be able to sleep for a minute, even though he has done this a million times. He knows how to keep things fresh. Always.

Date a guy who makes sure he packs in everything that he might and most probably will need on a long hunt. He pays attention to detail. Chances are he’ll be sorted in most of the things in his life.

Date a guy who will never ever shoot his rifle without wearing eye and hearing protection. Who won’t carry a loaded gun with the safety turned off while climbing a tree stand. He knows his life is not just his own.

Date a guy who will pause and skip a few heartbeats every time he sees the sun rise over the horizon, or comes across a waterfall in the hills, or lays his eyes on the first snow-capped peaks in the ranges. He admires nature. The same nature you have chosen to ignore sitting in your cubicles.

Date a guy who will hunt just because he loves it, because it makes him feel free and liberated. Honestly, he is more free than anyone else, because he sees that crosshair, holds his breath, squeezes that trigger and hears the bullet head home.

Date a guy who would rather be sitting on his high seat thinking about God, and not sit in a place of worship and think of his rifle. He has his priorities in place.

Date a guy who has seen the dark side of shooting and has survived. He’ll give you tips and lessons you didn’t even know existed.

Date a guy who will go to any lengths to spend some quality time with his "brothers", even when there is no obvious blood connection. He understands relationships much more deeply.

Date a guy who can go wild on his hunting trips and can make everyone have a great time. With his gear and his stories. What's there not to like about this?

Date a guy who will look back at his life’s achievements and mistakes while waiting for that deer. He will chuckle a bit, smile a lot, sometimes shed a tear or two. And that’s what builds character.

Date a guy who has injury marks from hunts on his self. Warriors aren’t pretty. Barbie dolls are.

Date a guy who can keep his rifle like any other man would treat his wife. He’ll treat his wife like a queen.

I could go on and on about this, but I guess these should be enough for you to look past through that tough exterior of hunters and know that there is a tender heart and a loving person underneath all that grime, dirt and gunpowder.

And in case this wasn’t enough, come, spend some time with us. Hunt with us, to see us closely.

Until the next time, shoot safe.

Steady hands, calm & slow breathing

Shooter.

A link to the original article here.