I have two uncles who taught me much about bringing home meat. Spent time hunting with them all through my childhood, and we never came home empty handed. Ducks, geese, deer, turkey, squirrels, rabbits, doves, quail, fish, and coons. Coyotes for practice and fun. One of these men was/is a commercial fisherman as well, and a fine cook to boot. Hunting is of little utility if you fail to turn the bounty into a tasty meal. My philosophy was shaped by these two men, and thus I am and have always been a meat hunter. We fished and hunted always for the table, and the one uncle fed his family and shared copiously with the rest of us for some lean financial years.

One of the best days of my life was the day everyone was at my grandmother’s house for Christmas, and she chose me to go out and get us some rabbits for the dinner. Not daring to disappoint, I took my only rifle, a Winchester 94 in 45 Colt, with a handful of my cast loads and brought back a limit of head shot rabbits in just under 2 hours. Grandpa asked what I used, and just smiled when I told him. The BBQ rabbit was delicious as always, but being seen as competent to get the meat on short notice in that family was a high honor, one that still gives me pleasure.