Bowhunting Apologetics

I’m a bowhunter because…

…sitting in a tree, knowing that anything, or nothing, could happen at any moment invigorates me.

…it gives me the chance to participate directly in the cycles of life and death to which all of creation is subject, and on which all of nature depends.

…it is satisfying to provide healthy meat for my family, and take responsibility for the entire food acquisition process: the hunt, the recovery, the processing, and the preparation.

…the sport gives me a chance to sit next to my children and close friends for several hours at a time.

…I need regular, healthy challenges and adventures in my life.

…it has helped me learn the lesson that the key to success, whether in hunting or other pursuits, is often found in preparation, attention, acute observation, and execution.

…I believe that we are stewards of creation, and bowhunting is a vital way of participating in the conservation and management of wild game.

…a part of me wishes that I was born in a different era, at a simpler time, and sometimes, if but for a few hours, pursuing deer and turkeys with a bow and arrow along the Platte River helps me forget about screens, cars, concrete, and all things civilized.

…as President Jimmy Carter writes: “I have never been happier, more exhilarated, at peace, rested, inspired, and aware of the grandeur of the universe and the greatness of God than when I find myself in a natural setting not much changed from the way He made it.” (Jimmy Carter, “A Childhood Outdoors,” in A Hunters Heart: Honest Essays on Blood Sport, New York: Owl Books, 1996, pgs. 37-38.)

Yes, I am a bowhunter. And I’m grateful to live in a country so rich with game, and so generous with the freedom to pursue it.

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Pick up a copy of Zeke’s book, “Man on the Run,” for the sportsman in your life.