Hunting is part of who we are as a state

Dear Editor,

I adore Vermont in the fall. As mornings turn crisp, leaves begin to change and fall, and days grow shorter, a familiar feeling of anticipation stirs in my heart. It is not just the anticipation of my favorite holidays — Thanksgiving and Christmas — that I look forward to. It is also the season that comes first: hunting season.

For me, hunting season begins at the end of September. On a sun-drenched October afternoon, I love nothing more than simply going for a walk in the woods with my shotgun, hoping to flush a grouse. These outings are also opportunities to scout for deer sign, find game trails and identify where I might place my deer stand later in the season. Sometimes alone, sometimes with a good friend, they offer an opportunity for tranquil reflection, communing with nature and taking in the beautiful Vermont landscape.

As autumn progresses, I look forward to deer season, when I will track deer through the snow or spend quiet hours in my stand. My wife affectionately calls this “meditation for men,” although nowadays I deeply appreciate the many women who have come to love the sport as well. There is something profoundly restorative about spending hours in the woods away from the distractions and demands of everyday life.

To us rural Vermonters, tradition matters. I began hunting with my family as a child. It was a lesson in respect for nature, collaboration, patience and, importantly, the safe handling of firearms. I loved hunting with my brother or a neighbor, and while our family never had a deer camp of our own, I always enjoyed visiting friends whose families did.

Then, as now, community mattered. Not just the community of friends and family enjoying the sport together, but the wider community as well — game suppers, buck pool and sharing stories about the one that got away. These traditions have been woven into the fabric of rural Vermont life for generations. They connect us to the land and remind us of the importance of family, friendship and shared experience.

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Hunting is part of our culture, and I am proud to have raised my boys with that experience. While my youngest would prefer simply to enjoy the fruits of our labor, my eldest is a hunter, and I treasure the time we have spent together in the woods — teaching him to read sign, move quietly and safely, and respectfully take game.

There’s a saying that “men make friends facing the same way,” and my hunting experience has certainly borne that out, both with my sons and with some of my closest friends. There is a special bond that comes from sharing a cold morning in the woods or simply sitting quietly and enjoying one another’s company.

In today’s modern world, where so much of rural Vermont’s culture and traditions seem increasingly under threat, I believe it is important that we remember what makes our state special. Hunting is more than the pursuit of game. It is a connection to our land and the generations who came before us.

Not everyone will choose to hunt, and that’s perfectly fine. But I hope we can continue to respect and preserve this important part of Vermont’s heritage, and ensure that future generations have the same chance to experience it.

For that, and for so much more, I am grateful for hunting season.

Shawn Tester Lyndonville, Vt.

Read the story on VTDigger here: Hunting is part of who we are as a state.