COURTESY OF JOE AND WENDY GRIFFIN ( 2 ) |
pull the trigger . As far as this deer hunt goes his timing was impeccable because I had just been sitting that very day talking about the price of meat and the price of food in general , and how we ’ d like to become more self-sustaining and grow a bigger garden . He happened to call shortly after our conversation and say , “ Hey , what do you think about going deer hunting ?” I said , “ You know what ? You hit me just at the right time . I ’ ll give it a try .”
It was our fourth or fifth try . I felt excited and hoped something would walk in so maybe I could actually do this . Sure enough , two does came into range . I pulled the trigger … from what Joe tells me , it was a perfect hit . I didn ’ t
|
have any feelings of , “ Oh my gosh , what have I just done ?” It was a feeling of excitement .
Part of the reason I agreed to do this is interview is , I think probably 90 percent of people like myself who are anti-hunting ( other than vegetarians ) somehow just manage to not think of steaks or chicken breasts as an animal . I realized that they ’ re every bit as much an animal as a deer . I have tasted Joe ’ s deer , caribou , elk ; it ’ s some of the most delicious food I ’ ve ever tasted . Part of this , for me , is a feeling of responsibility that if I kill this deer , I ’ m going to learn to eat it . I feel confident I ’ ll get there .
JOE : I was so proud of her . For me , it had come full-circle because she was there for so much of my hunting journey .
|
She was supportive of getting into calling contests ; she was there for all the goodluck rituals the night before , like tying decoys in the kitchen . On top of that , my 6-year-old son was with us , and he was kind of the proud guide . He is extremely good for his age as a hunter and already has a nice buck of his own . He was super proud of the whole situation .
WENDY : I ’ m sure I ’ ll go again . As soon as the freezer gets empty .
|
SPRING 2022 39 |