Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/433799
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 3 8 as basic as a better pair of boots. All this becomes an integral part of the adventure we are driven to seek and engages us in what amounts to a year-round, life-long hunt. My son has gone into the mountains with me since he was able to walk. One November morning we climbed into a snowy basin and huddled together against a windbreak, me cradling his scrawny frame inside my opened coat. Ross was surely miserable, but wouldn't admit to it as we were watching some does and the rut was going strong. Waiting on a buck that never came, he asked what it was about hunting that makes it so special. I told him that, at least for me, it was the entire process of planning, then doing it, and finally sharing the stories. "There's equal parts value to all of it," I recall whispering. "Of course, the very best part is doing it with you." The answer that seems to sort itself out is that hunting is adventure. Those driven to hunt by the visceral force we all come up short of describing seize every opportunity to go afield and spend the rest of the year elbow-deep in planning and preparation. It permeates our lives to the point it becomes a reason for being. To my way of thinking, this makes hunters most fortunate. For us, adventure never ends. Note: Dwight Van Brunt's Born A Hunter is still available in two editions: Hardcover with dust jacket, $30; and a Deluxe version of 300 leather-bound and slip-cased books, signed and numbered by the author, $60.