Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/464218
S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S 1 3 h i s ' N T h a t By The Editors T The Rise of hipsTeR hunTeRs Hunting embodies many ideas— tradition, camaraderie, stewardship, self-reliance—but it has never placed much emphasis on staying abreast with movements or trends beyond the scope of the outdoors. And this in large part is why hunting is so refreshing: It provides refuge from the normal paradigms of life, offering a world apart from the drone of 24-hour news cycles, social-media statuses, talk-show commentators, and the glowing rectangles to which working Americans are increasingly glued. Recently, though, hunting has become a more relevant part of our country's cultural dialogue. As the locavore movement—which stresses producing food locally instead of transporting it great distances to market— has gained acceptance among young, educated, and financially secure professionals, a new brand of sportsmen has begun taking to the field. These hunters head to the woods as participants in a larger conversation about the world and how to live responsibly in it, seeking meat free of steroids and additives—a reaction against the factory-farm- produced beef, poultry, and pork that crowds most grocery-store freezers. Likewise, they care little about scoring on Boone & Crockett or forking out the cash for an African safari; their interests skew more toward activism, creative pursuits, and pop culture. In November 2014 The Texas Observer detailed this recent influx of hip, socially conscious hunters in "The Changing Culture of Killing for Food." The piece tracks the recent celebrity surrounding hunter Jesse Griffiths—the force behind Austin's Dai Due eatery and butcher shop, a mecca for foodies and culinary purists. Griffiths is not the stereotypical hunter as often portrayed in mainstream media; he is bearded, tattooed, and could pass as kin to Levon Helm or Robert Redford in Jeremiah Johnson— more punk than pastoral. Writer Andrea Grimes notes Griffiths first went hunting four years ago to better understand meat's relationship with the environment. Since that time he's become a vocal advocate of the pursuit, proclaiming to hipsters that it is a sustainable and morally sound alternative to the commercial meat industry's questionable practices. He's even penned a book about his experience entitled Afield: A Chef's Guide to Preparing and Cooking Wild Game and Fish, a manifesto about learning to shoot and serve wild game. Grimes summarizes the movement Griffiths has perpetuated: "More and more people do seem to be picking up shotguns and rifles, and they're not necessarily beer-swilling Bubbas who hole up in $1,300 camouflaged blinds and draw game into range with deer corn. These are people taking a step beyond CSA delivery and backyard chicken Austin chef, hipster, and nascent hunter Jesse Griffiths: "We're taking it away from Ted Nugent." JODY HORTON