A Listening Walk --and Other Stories Themes

A Listening Walk --and Other Stories Themes

The True Hunter

Hill frequently mentions the "true" hunter, and what it takes to be an authentic woodsman and sportsman. Unlike so many of his contemporaries, Hill is unconcerned with competition, records, world championships, and superior gunning or fishing skills. Hill believes the actual capture of the game to be secondary. The true hunter has a spiritual connection to nature, and a respect for the miracle of life and wildlife. The true hunter uses hunting time to reflect on his life, the reason for his existence, man's relationship to God, and other existential matters. Times "lost" in the woods, or times spent idly, are in fact usually more valuable than time spent hunting or tracking, insofar that the hunter is free and alone to ponder life's questions. Undoubtedly, the hunter, being so close to nature, is in a privileged and advantageous position for such deep thought.

There is also an unspoken code of...
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