Recently, I had a conversation with one of my coworkers concerning my hunting. How was it, she wondered, that I could bring myself to kill such a beautiful creature as a deer? What is it I have against the deer she mused.

My response was I have nothing against deer, I respect them as animals and want to make sure they stay healthy. She laughed at me, clearly I couldn't love and respect nature if I hunted.

Then I asked her a question. What does a squirrel sound like? She didn't have an answer. What about a turkey? Nothing. What is a may apple? Once again she had now clue. What are the distinguishing features of a sassafras tree and where can you find it? Blank looks all around.

I then went on to ask her "how can you say you love nature if you seem to know so little about it?" She explained that she liked going on trail hikes, but past that admitted that she knew very little about what she was hiking through.

Yes, I'm a hunter, but first and foremost I consider myself a conservationist I explained to her. And I, like many of my fellow hunters, do not gauge their success on the taking of an animal, but on the time spent in the woods. If I were to never take another deer for the rest of my life, I would be fine with that. As long as I am able to feel the cool breeze on my face, watch the squirrels furiously picking up acorns, and having chickadees land on me I'll be happy.

That's when my coworker asked me yet another question. You've had chickadees land on you? Yes, I have. On my head, my shoulders, my bow and on my arrows. I wasn't sure if I had suddenly changed her idea of what a hunter was, but I decided to press the issue further.

People hunter for various reasons. Some do it to feed their families, some to get out there and do it, some for the good of the herd, some for the fur and trophy, and some, unfortunately, do it for nefarious reasons. The latter I told her were the vast majority, I myself do it to maintain a good herd health. I explained that I got into hunting late, when in my early 20's I totaled my car after running into a doe. Upon doing research I found out it happens quite a bit. Not only can over crowding lead to deer strikes, but it can also lead to an increase in communicable diseases and parasites in deer. These can included CWD, brain worms, lung worms, ticks, round worms, Lyme disease, and even TB. Of course the larger the herd, the easier these diseases are transmitted.

Did I convert her to hunting? No. But since our conversation she has been far more receptive to me, and even asks me about my hunts.