You sit down to Thanksgiving dinner with your family and your grandma brings out the stuffed turkey that you have smelled cooking all afternoon. You probably think nothing of the large, feathery bird that it once was, but if I were to bring out another turkey, one that I had shot earlier that year, you might call me a backwoods hick who kills animals for enjoyment.

I understand why someone who is a vegan or vegetarian might feel this way, but I do not understand why people who eat meat like turkey, beef, pork and chicken claim it is barbaric to eat venison, goose or wild turkey. The animal you are eating has been domesticated, so it did not even resist as it was led to the slaughterhouse. The animal I am eating had instincts of smell, hearing and sight, vastly superior to my own. It may take hours, sometimes days, to successfully find and kill.

Deriving enjoyment from hunting may seem morbid, but that is only if you overlook all aspects other than the actual killing of an animal. Pulling the trigger on a deer is not the climax of hunting. I spend a lot of time scouting and observing before I actually hunt; in fact, I spend a lot of time simply being outdoors. Instead of raising animals, I spend my time looking at topographical maps to learn the land, reading articles to improve my skill, setting up stands and sitting in the stands, waiting.

Some people hunt solely for sport and trophies, which I would argue is wrong, but most hunt for food. I cannot believe that there are not any farmers who enjoy their work. Why would a hunter be ostracized and a farmer not if they have the same goal of providing food?

I have been bow hunting since the season opened on Sept. 12 and have not yet shot a deer. I have enjoyed every rain-soaked minute of my time spent outdoors without killing an animal. That is not the point of hunting. I believe that is overlooked by many people who dislike the idea of hunting.

To literally bring home the bacon – venison bacon – is a great feeling. I would much rather be involved in the process of attaining and processing of the meat I will eat, than going to Piggly Wiggly and buying a side of beef. You can compare this to gardening. Why would anyone have a garden if they could just got to Wal-Mart and get some cabbage or carrots? Because they enjoy the process of growing their own food and handling it themselves.

I enjoy hunting as a way to get away from work and school. I like to be outdoors. When the leaves start to change colors and the air gets cold, I want to be sitting in a tree stand observing nature. If I get the opportunity to fill my freezer while I am out there, that is simply a bonus.