Doctor’s Orders—Eat Clean

My motivation for signing up for a Learn to Hunt program came about from a conversation with my physician, who suggested that I needed to learn how to eat clean (clean eating is the belief that eating whole foods in their most natural state and avoiding processed foods offers certain health benefits). For me, eating game meat from a healthy environment seemed to be about the cleanest meat available. The catch was, I didn’t know how to hunt. I work in the natural resources field with Urban Rivers, a group of conservation scientists working to create artificial floating islands in Chicagoland rivers to enhance urban wildlife habitats. I already was a certified National Rifle Association firearms instructor and enjoy participating in shooting leagues, so knowledge of firearms wasn’t the issue. Being stringent on safety and ethics in the courses I teach, I was adamant about finding a hunting program that was taught by instructors who were both reputable and safe.

Then I heard about the Learn to Hunt program and discovered that a workshop would be conducted near me. Learning that the program was sponsored by the Illinois Natural History Survey and Illinois Department of Natural Resources I knew the instructors would teach solid hunting methods, ethics and rules in a safe environment.

I wasn’t disappointed. My instructor was excellent and passionate about hunting. She was patient and kind and it was evident that she and the others in the program, including several volunteers who taught specialty subjects, put in a lot of time to make this workshop successful. I was moved when I thought that these people gave up their Saturday to drive to the middle of nowhere and help total strangers learn how to hunt.

Being outdoors in nature is always wonderful, so even on the days I don’t harvest anything it’s still a great day in the peaceful woods and a winning hunt. When I hunt with someone, I listen, watch and learn from them and come away a better hunter. One mentor, Nancy, and I won the first-round spring turkey lottery and we will be hunting in northwest Illinois this spring. Nancy is an excellent hunter and I learn a plethora of great information from her every time I see her. I also have plans to go turkey hunting again with my son-in-law in Virginia. I accompanied him on a turkey hunt last time I was there and enjoyed hunting with a skilled hunter who possesses a wealth of wisdom and is open to answering my questions.

Wild-sourced food is great, and I appreciate the fact that outdoorsmen and women are helping to keep our ecosystem in balance. Wild birds eat a cleaner diet than factory farmed birds and are not injected with any hormones or chemicals. Of course, the exercise is great, and no one can deny enjoying that adrenaline rush when you realize the bird is yours and you made the perfect shot.