The Path From Killing To Sharing

FEATURE Brian Boyle

Zen and the art of deer hunting: The path from killing to sharing

There is something special about sharing the experience of hunting with others. When you see that reaction and the way they want to touch and connect with that first animal, you know you have got them hooked for life. Then, watching them learn and grow as hunters is one of the most rewarding experiences you can have. 

It’s funny how fast time slips by. Later this year, it will be 50 years since I went to the local police station and sat the test to get my firearms licence as a very keen, but green, 16-year-old. Where the hell did half-a-century go? At the time my older brother also gave me an old cut-down SMLE .303 as a birthday present so I could go deer stalking in the hills we could see from our hometown Invercargill, in New Zealand’s deep south. It was about the same time that I put on a gi (karate suit) and tied the obi (belt) for the first time and started karate. Since then, both have been lifelong pursuits and passions that have moulded, shaped and had a big influence on my life. As a karate student, I have found that deer hunting shares many similarities with martial arts. Both require focus, discipline, and a sense of calmness in order to be successful. In fact, I believe the term Zen is best used to describe the mental state required for both activities. 

In Japanese martial arts terms, we talk about being in the moment: mushin (無心); which can be translated as ‘no-mind’ or ‘mindlessness’. Mushin refers to a state of mind where the practitioner is fully present and focused, but without conscious thought or hesitation. It is often described as a state of ‘flow’ or what high-level athletes talk about when ‘being in the zone’, where the body and mind are in complete harmony and able to react instinctively and effectively to any situation. This concept is an important aspect of many Japanese martial arts, such as karate. Zen is a type of meditation that encourages mindfulness, self-awareness and being in the moment, which can be applied to many different aspects of life, including deer hunting. 
There’s more to deer than hunting.

To the uninitiated, deer hunting is often seen as a primal activity. However, I believe that there is much more to hunting than just the act of killing. In fact, I would argue that the true essence of hunting lies in the journey, not the destination. Hunting can be a moving form of Zen, one that requires us to be present in the moment and fully engaged with our surroundings. For me, deer hunting is more than just the thrill of stalking and the taking of a deer. For me, it is more about being out in nature, surrounded by the beauty of the Aussie or Kiwi bush, and feeling a sense of connection to the world around me, through the sights, sounds and even the smell of the bush (or the deer if the conditions are right). In this way, hunting can be a true form of meditation, one that helps us to focus our minds and find a sense of peace and tranquillity. The sights, sounds (or lack of them), whether it is warm or cool, and the smells all permeate your senses. I don’t know about you, but sometimes it is just great to sit quietly on a ridge chewing on a muesli bar and to take it all in, or maybe let it all go. Try explaining that to vegans, animal justice zealots and Green idealogues who get their nature fix from a TV screen. It will do their head in, but it is true!

Just as in martial arts, hunting requires discipline and practice. It takes time to develop the skills needed to be a successful deer hunter, just as it takes time to become a skilled karateka (karate student). And, just as in martial arts, part of the development and the rewards as a hunter are in teaching others and watching them develop over the years. Because I love hunting it has been natural for me to want to share it. Over the years I have introduced quite a few young fellows, and the odd older fellow, to hunting. It has been a real and unexpected pleasure to watch them grow and develop into accomplished hunters in their own right.

There is something special about sharing the experience of hunting with others. There is nothing like the shakes and awe a newbie gets walking up on their first game animal. It doesn’t matter if it is a diminutive fallow spiker or a big buffalo bull. The effect is the same. When you see that reaction, the smile on the dial and the way they want to touch and connect with that first animal, you know you have got them hooked for life. Then, watching them learn and grow as hunters is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had.

Two unique but similar experiences

In March and April of this year, I had the privilege and pleasure of participating in karate and hunting in a unique way. I watched a former karate student of mine join the senior ranks in our style by attaining his Third Dan black belt. He has come a long way from the early days in Darwin when we used to train together in the park opposite my house, before we found an indoor venue to train at. Richard is now an accomplished martial artist with a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he has gold and silver medals from the World Eskrido (Filipino fighting sticks) Championships, and won a gold medal in the First Dan weapons division at an international karate tournament three years ago. It has been a pleasure to participate and watch his karate journey and, also, for me to learn from his other arts.

In late March I also went out on a successful red deer hunt with two young men, Phil and Jase, whom I introduced to deer hunting. Jase is my son-in-law and hasn’t looked back since the day we first went out and shot a couple goats near Orange. He had that spark in his eye that day and the fire was really lit when he took his first fallow deer, a spiker, a few months later. Also, since Phil took his first fallow yearling with me nearly 20 years ago as a 16-year-old kid, he has gone on and hunted deer and other game animals very successfully in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. I was also lucky enough to share a trip with him in the Victorian Alps about a decade ago when, on his own, he took his first sambar, a hind. Then a couple of days later on that trip, he took a nice representative sambar stag. He had definitely taken off his training wheels by this stage. He has some cracking NSW red deer heads in the 300 Douglas Score range at his place. Early this year he very kindly offered to take Jase and myself out to the property where he took his reds.

It was great to see the two of them get geared up. Young fellas are great with gear and there is some good gear out there these days. Phil explained the layout of the property, where the deer moved around and where the feed and holding areas and wallows were. He really knows his stuff. About an hour into the hunt, I let the young guys go off in pursuit of stags in more difficult terrain while I did an old fella hunt around a contour into the next gully. About half an hour on I heard a shot from the 7 x 57 Jase was carrying and headed back over to see how the boys had done. Ten minutes later I saw a red stag walking around the hill. It stopped, looked at me, ran and then stopped again. I had to take a quick sitting shot at about 175m with my Kimber Montana .308. Luckily the shot anchored the stag on the spot, as another 10m and it would have gone through a fence onto a neighbouring property and could have possibly been lost. 

It turned out the stag, a big-bodied 16-pointer, was the one that had been hit by Jase’s shot very solidly in the front of the shoulder. In fact, it is the biggest-bodied red deer I have ever seen and attests to the great genetics in the area as we aged the animal from its teeth in the lower jaw as four years old. The hind legs from it were easily the size of a reasonable sambar stag, and I have seen and carried a few. We found Jase’s mushroomed projectile under the skin on the opposite shoulder. It had performed perfectly. Surprisingly the stag had carried what should have been a good shot very well. Maybe it was just a tad too far forward on the shoulder. I did not see any effects as it walked around the hill 10 minutes after it had been first shot. 

Jase was naturally thrilled with his first red stag and so he should be. It was good to watch the pleasure Phil got from giving Jase the chance to secure the trophy of a lifetime and share in the hunt and its rewards. Phil also did a great job of taking photos recording the hunt and an even better job at getting the meat out. That also highlights the great things about hunting with young fellas; they are great with tech stuff and even better at dealing with the heavy stuff when you have blood on your hands.

You don’t have to be a top trophy hunter to introduce someone to hunting

In both martial arts and hunting you don’t have to be a ‘top gun’ to teach or introduce people to either of them. I am a very ordinary karateka and hunter and certainly don’t have any great trophies or accomplishments from my lifetime of participation in either of them. But I do know enough of the basics to get people started on their own journey. I believe that as hunters, we also have a responsibility to share this great pursuit of ours with the next generation. By doing so, we can help ensure deer hunting will continue for generations to come. Remember the ADA maxim: “There’s more to deer than hunting”. Never a truer word was said.