ADULT RESIDENT HUNTER, 1975

From The Concrete Jungles Of Philadelphia To Central PA Forests: Why I Joined Adult Resident Hunters.

Some people grow up hunting deer.

I grew up around people who grew up hunting deer so it’s the same thing. Or close enough, and here’s why:

Today, video games allow us to steal cars, commit war crimes in combat zones, and join the NBA. Not things you’d ordinarily do, but hey, no consequences.

It’s okay to mow down people on the sidewalk, blast everything that moves, and embody LeBron when you put him in a Blazer uniform.

Call it more fun than expected.

Baby boomers didn’t grow up with video games so the thrill of the hunt without actually hunting was more difficult. There weren’t any online hunting games. There wasn’t anything online. You know why? Online didn’t exist.

My dad was the hunter. I tagged along as gun bearer. Close enough to the action without getting into it. Like a video game, but outdoors.

Call it loud and messy.

Looking back, I hunted with my dad to show support. And to show up. He had three sons. One needed to go with him, needed to man up for crying out loud.

He got the one who didn’t hunt, but I kept it to myself.

So why did I go hunting with pals once I was on my own?

The differences between a small town on the Oregon coast like North Bend and Center City Philadelphia were stark.

The tallest building in NB seemed abandoned to it’s railroad hotel past; Center City had skyscrapers all over the place.

North Bend seemed to fight the forest taking over; Philly tried keeping nature woven between all the cement.

Most portrayals of eastern cities show the hustle and grit. Full sidewalks, subways, and buses.

People work in stores or utilities, the Mafia, or finance. It takes a lot of people to keep a city humming. And they hum all night long.

I lived in a houseful of roommates two blocks from city hall. The first case of Legionnaire’s Disease happened happened up the street.

It couldn’t have been more urban.

Until deer season.

Like all good sections of America, Pennsylvania has places where deer season is an automatic time off school and work. My roommates were part of the tradition.

Why did I go hunting with the guys? Because that’s what guys do. If you don’t go, you’re not one of the guys.

First you need your adult resident hunter papers.

Once you get your license you slide it into a pin-on window panel and attach it the back of your hunting jacket. Now the game warden can see you’ve done the prerequisite.

With your gear set, and a full tank of gas, it’s an early wake up to a long drive into the Pennsylvania wilds. Not an Oregon old growth destination, but still.

On arrival to the sticks, park the car and break out the Old Crow and coffee. The guys poured it and slugged it down like old timers. We all did. It had a special feel in the cold northeastern woods, as if we were reenactors depicting early deer hunts.

“First now, first you tip some ‘shine to keep the chill off. If you don’t drink you might shiver and miss your shot.”

With a churning gut I marched into the wooded hills with the guys.

Why uphill?

“We get here early and find a spot above the valley floor. That’s what we’re doing. The late hunters show up and spook the deer up to us. Easy pickings.”

One hour. Two. Three hours later and nothing. We watched the long strip of cultivated fields down in the valley.

A gun shot. The another. A doe and a fawn broke out into the fields running left to right. More gun shots.

They keep running. The hillside below us erupts in a wave of gun fire as each hunter takes a shot.

The deer keep running. Hunters keep shooting. We keep waiting because now all the deer herds will head up hill to safety after that outburst. At least in theory.

We waited and waited, then climbed trees and waited some more. The only thing we saw was another hunter walking below.

He didn’t see us.

Turns out the hunt was more than shooting deer, shooting at deer, or anything deer related.

It was about being part of a group. As we age we don’t join as many groups?

Belonging is a big part of staying active, staying in touch.

What group should baby boomers join today?