For us, hunting is a choice, not a condition
Welcome to our second blog post. In this blog post, we share memories of a childhood filled with hunting, and markedly different from those of our peers. In our work with Hunt & Hike, we meet many children, at festivals and at our Family Camps, whose curiosity is a great joy because we are reminded of all that hunting has given us since we were very young.
Being a hunter has always been a choice, and hunting a condition. From an early age, we had to decide where our meat came from, as the packaging was typically fur or feathers instead of foil. It wasn't unusual to find the evening meal in the yard, because often a piece of venison was hanging on the game hook and the ducks were already in the sink. For us, being a hunter is part of our condition, and our identity is built around the craft and the blood that flows through our veins.
It's no secret that throughout our childhood, two of us stood out, and we probably still do to this day. It's rare for kids to have a butcher's shop next to the utility room, favour camouflage clothing and take the 16th of May off.
We still remember the day when a friend had her first sleepover. It was a big event for three eight-year-olds. But when we were about to go to bed and the lights went out, Andrea started crying. We couldn't understand why until she pointed to the grizzly bear standing over her on its hind legs with its mouth wide open. She was picked up that night and we still couldn't understand why... A bear in the living room was as natural to us as a flat screen TV on the wall. As we remember it, Andrea never slept over again.
It was always very important to our parents not to impose their passion on us, and the choice should be entirely our own. However, we think they had some idea of the direction it would take, as the jewellery around our necks was not gold-plated silver, but glass eyes that taxidermists use when stuffing animals.
Children are immediate and curious with a natural urge to learn, and adults should learn from the way they encounter and explore the world. In the summer of 2023, we challenged an outdoor festival by bringing three roebucks inside for the public. The first comment we heard was already in the car park. A married couple stood there, looking utterly amazed to encounter such a sight on an ordinary Saturday morning. The wife said to the husband in a tone we could clearly hear: "How macabre!".
We were thrown back into the living room with the bear; how can something so natural to us be perceived as so unnatural to others? In sheer frustration, we chose not to hide the animals that day, but instead carried them throughout the festival, amidst people and stalls.
Humans are funny because at the end of the day, we're just another animal species. We are programmed to be curious and we form herds. Suddenly, we had created a whole crowd of both children and adults at our stand. They were allowed to help skin and trim a piece of venison and then follow it to the grill, where they were treated to delicious tastings. The children turned into little mini versions of us, and all they really needed was the red, owlish hair and green clothes.
Legs were sticking out of their brightly coloured school bags as they left. Small patches of skin and teeth were stuffed into their pockets, and a single rib went home to hang in the children's room. Our primal instinct was really brought out in many of the visitors on the windy Saturday in the centre of Copenhagen.
Hunting is obviously not for everyone, because we are no longer dependent on catching animals on the savannah or finding berries on the forest floor. Today, hunting can be a choice, and we want to make it accessible to everyone, children and adults alike.
A choice that can be explored at both our FamilyCamp and HunterCamp. We provide the wild surroundings and expert guidance, and the choice is yours whether you want to bring your primal instincts to life.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read along.
Best regards,
Rikke and Trine
