Over the past year, I have fully immersed myself in the hunting side of the modern hunter gatherer lifestyle. From trout and deep sea fishing to hunting wild turkey, black bear and coyote, my experiences harvesting wild animals to put meat on my table have been profound and life-changing, and I’d like to share my story with you. As a conscientious omnivore, I’m always striving to develop a closer relationship with the food I consume. Through hunting and gathering bio-regionally, I’m able to participate with my local ecology and develop an intimate relationship with the place I call home. In this solo episode, I detail the reasons why I hunt and share a bit about how I got started and how you can too.

Deep gratitude to my mentors, to the wild creatures who have become part of my body and to you for your support of my journey to deepen my connection to my local ecology and ancestral heritage.

Episode Breakdown:

Acorn harvesting & processed food
A dedication to my hunting mentors
Defining why I hunt
Veganism isn’t sustainable
The cruelty of raising domestic livestock vs free-roaming wildlife
Bioregionality — food as connection to place
Yoking together the hunting and foraging worlds
Popular criticisms of hunting
Bringing reverence into hunting — the practical vs the spiritual
Gender, hunting & classical male pursuits as “re-creation” of the hunt
What I’ve hunted this year
My diet evolution
Participating in ecology and connection to place
Mortality salience — hunting puts you in touch with your own mortality
Access to nutrient dense foods
Alternative high quality animal products
Purpose-driven trips into nature vs recreation
Cultivating a relationship with wild animals
Getting started in hunting
Primitive vs modern hunting tools
Food sovereignty and becoming hunter gatherers
The need for community

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