The Thrill of the Hunt; The Journey and the Destination - Essay Example

In an era when a person need only drive to the local grocery store, what makes men and women load guns and still head for the woods to track down an animal This ethnography study will try to answer the question, what is the point to hunting in modern Maine Is the real goal a trophy to hang on the wall Hunting is really about control and challenge in a world where basic human survival instincts are channeled into substitute activities like video games, racquet ball and treadmills. The need for men and women, to spend hours tracking a creature in the forest for meat they could easily buy, is not about killing an animal, but about self reliance and ingenuity.

Hunting is a tie to the past and tradition. In 1622 the state of Maine was called, the Province of Maine and it was under the jurisdiction of Massachusetts. The name probably echoes the French province of Maine brought by immigrating French settlers. It was not admitted to the Union until 1820 and then was officially the, state of Maine (Maine Down East, 1937 pg 3). Maine has a total area that extends the combination of New Hampshire, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut. The state possesses a variety of terrains from plateaus to mountains to coast line.

The highest peak is on Mount Katahdin, Hamilin Peak at 4752 feet. Over 75 percent of the total area in Maine is forestland and water as Maine is filled with lakes and rivers. Game is abundant and v. It was necessary to observe a fox's behavior to trap him as they are creatures of habit and use the same pathways (Maine Down East, 1937 pg 415). Deer can be found close to open pasture, abandoned lumber camps and dirt roads. They favor raspberry bushes, which grow near cleared land. After the first frost deer seek out beech ridges then head for swamps and thickets about noon.

The best hunting is right after a light snow when the animals are easily tracked. Those that savor a trophy buck should prepare to climb the high ridges and in dry weather a hunter should find a place to sit and wait as the crunchy twigs and leaves will warn any deer of a human presence. This is the reason for deer stands in trees when no ridges are available. Many hunters turn to moose and black bear because they are more challenging. Bear are very clever and also pose a risk to personal safety.

Though bear move slow and have poor eye sight, they can run quickly to chase down their prey. Bear meat is quite a delicacy to many who savor the pork like taste. Rabbits are also hunted in Maine for sport and meat. Unlike varieties in other states Maine rabbits do not make holes in the ground and live on the surface. Dogs are used for rabbits and birds. The black duck and the mallard are the most popular, but there are over a dozen breeds in the northern portion of Maine and along the coast in the Machias region.

Woodcock are plentiful in central and western Maine and best hunted after several frosts since unlike other ducks that eat from the marshes, woodcocks prefer blackberry tangles near birch and alder trees. Hunting in Maine can be done in a variety of fashions that include rifle, shotgun, bow, crossbow, handgun and even black powder