AN ANALOGUE MORNING IN A DIGITAL WORLD

FROM THE CHAIRMAN Col Brumley

Every year, I try to make time to hunt hog deer at least once. Given the nature of the season and how time flies, this can be a challenge, but I do have a soft spot for Australia’s smallest deer and enjoy every minute of it.

Fortunately, this year, I made the time to get out, and I was even more fortunate to harvest a solid stag after some much-needed patience and having the right amount of luck.

When Sean touched base with me later in the week, we talked about the hunt and how it all came together, which led to the inevitable question, “Did you get any photos?”

As it turned out, I did manage to grab a few photos after the fact. Still, it got me thinking about how I had barely used my phone during the hunt, sitting in the high seat keeping a watchful eye out, using my binoculars to search the landscape for a twitching ear or another part of a hoggie. I was immersed in nature and the hunt.

Many of us live in a world where we are so plugged in that the only time we can be genuinely disconnected is when we sleep. It's not often we even consider making the effort to put our devices down and be purely focused on what's in front of us. One of the few activities that can do this is hunting.

I love that when hunting, it's just you and the bush. You get ready, walk out of camp, and then it's you in nature for the rest of the day, or sometimes longer if you're out of reception. Spending the day stalking the hills, immersed in the environment, trying to put the pieces together, feels natural and second nature. It doesn’t matter if you walk one kilometre from camp or ten; you tune into your surroundings and mentally adjust to the slower pace of life, away from the rat race that is our everyday lives.

On the second day of this year's hunt, I had looked at my phone maybe twice. Ironically, one of those times, I briefly picked it up out of habit, as it was on silent, while holding it, I looked up to see a hog deer. I slowly put my phone down and picked up my rifle as a nice hog deer stag had finally emerged from the thick scrub into a clearing. Following it in my scope, it eventually moved towards the left, presenting a broadside shot, which enabled me to dispatch it with a shot through the shoulder.

The hunt and that day reminded me of a 2019 report commissioned by the federal health department, which stated that hunting provides “pathways to higher well-being for participants through nature connection, self-efficacy, social networks, physical activity, and nutrition,” which makes sense to us as hunters. I imagine that being disconnected from the digital rat race contributes to this.

While it was nice to take a few photos, I will carry the memories of the entire hunt with me forever and will be able to refer to them in conversations around a campfire. Sometimes, in our increasingly digital world, it's hard to take a step back and appreciate the priceless moments created by recreational deer hunting, but it's always worthwhile when we remember to.