11-29-2012, 03:11 PM
The new generation of hunters includes more women and young people. Some
pick up their rifles out of a desire to trace their food to the source
and create connections with the animals that provide their sustenance.
As the demographics change, the field begins to reinvent itself.
Guests
Lily Raff McCaulau, author, Call of the Mild
Anthony Licata, editor-in-chief, Field & Stream
JACKI LYDEN, HOST:
This is TALK OF THE
NATION. I'm Jacki Lyden in Washington, sitting in for Neal Conan.
Stalking and killing one's prey is one of the world's oldest acts. In
modern culture, hunting has been dominated by a stereotype of burly men
in camouflage who view the pastime mostly as a sport. But a new, younger
generation of hunters has started shooting not as a recreational
activity but more as an ethical method of connecting with the source of
their sustenance. And more women are entering the sport, changing the
shape of the industry, literally.
Hunters new
and old, what's changed with you? Tell us your story. Our number is
800-989-8255. We want to hear from some hunters. Our email address is
talk@npr.org, and you can join the conversation at our website. Go to
npr.org, and click on TALK OF THE NATION.
And
later in this program, we're going to talk about the Hindu holiday of
Diwali, but first we're going to speak to Lily Raff McCaulau, who was a
20-something New Yorker who left the city life behind to move to rural
Oregon a few years back. Craving a closer connection to her food source,
she took up hunting, and she joins us now from a studio in Bend,
Oregon. Welcome, Lily.
LILY RAFF MCCAULAU: Hi, thanks for having me.
LYDEN: Your book is called "Call of the Mild: Learning How to Eat What You Have Shot."
MCCAULAU: Yes, it is. It's been quite an experience.
LYDEN: Could you please tell us about your first kill?
MCCAULAU:
The first time I ever shot something, it was part of a workshop that
was put on by the state of Oregon. It was specifically geared toward
women. It was part of an effort that actually I think all 50 states have
programs geared towards recruiting women into hunting and fishing. And
it was a pheasant-hunting workshop on public land. There were about 20
women.
And we split up into little groups,
and we had volunteers who all happened to be men who were experienced
hunters and had well-trained hunting dogs with us. I was incredible
nervous. I had very little experience with a gun, although I had
recently purchased a shotgun and done some practicing. And I was really
worried that I wouldn't have it in me to take a shot, that if I did kill
something I would just be overwhelmed with regret. But the day lagged
on, and we were hiking around, and other women in my group were
successfully shooting pheasants, and I started to really want to get one
myself. And toward the end of the day, the dog that we were working
with found another pheasant and held it on point.
And
there was one other woman who hadn't shot a bird. So the two of us went
up kind of close to where the dog was holding the bird, and when the
bird flushed, it flew up in the air. We both took a shot and killed the
bird. And I was really shocked by my reaction because I was expecting to
just be wracked with guilt and really confused about what had just
happened. And instead, I was euphoric. I couldn't believe that I had it
in me and that I'd done it. I felt empowered and proud and amazed and
relieved.
LYDEN: So you felt this kind of - this sort of primal release going on about taking game this way, about shooting the bird?
MCCAULAU:
Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, I'd been - I had made the decision to
start learning how to hunt a year earlier. So I had already put in a lot
of time. I had taken a hunter safety class. I had done a lot of
research. I had purchased a gun and spent a lot of time at the range
practicing shooting it.
LYDEN: What was your motivation there, Lily?
pick up their rifles out of a desire to trace their food to the source
and create connections with the animals that provide their sustenance.
As the demographics change, the field begins to reinvent itself.
Guests
Lily Raff McCaulau, author, Call of the Mild
Anthony Licata, editor-in-chief, Field & Stream
JACKI LYDEN, HOST:
This is TALK OF THE
NATION. I'm Jacki Lyden in Washington, sitting in for Neal Conan.
Stalking and killing one's prey is one of the world's oldest acts. In
modern culture, hunting has been dominated by a stereotype of burly men
in camouflage who view the pastime mostly as a sport. But a new, younger
generation of hunters has started shooting not as a recreational
activity but more as an ethical method of connecting with the source of
their sustenance. And more women are entering the sport, changing the
shape of the industry, literally.
Hunters new
and old, what's changed with you? Tell us your story. Our number is
800-989-8255. We want to hear from some hunters. Our email address is
talk@npr.org, and you can join the conversation at our website. Go to
npr.org, and click on TALK OF THE NATION.
And
later in this program, we're going to talk about the Hindu holiday of
Diwali, but first we're going to speak to Lily Raff McCaulau, who was a
20-something New Yorker who left the city life behind to move to rural
Oregon a few years back. Craving a closer connection to her food source,
she took up hunting, and she joins us now from a studio in Bend,
Oregon. Welcome, Lily.
LILY RAFF MCCAULAU: Hi, thanks for having me.
LYDEN: Your book is called "Call of the Mild: Learning How to Eat What You Have Shot."
MCCAULAU: Yes, it is. It's been quite an experience.
LYDEN: Could you please tell us about your first kill?
MCCAULAU:
The first time I ever shot something, it was part of a workshop that
was put on by the state of Oregon. It was specifically geared toward
women. It was part of an effort that actually I think all 50 states have
programs geared towards recruiting women into hunting and fishing. And
it was a pheasant-hunting workshop on public land. There were about 20
women.
And we split up into little groups,
and we had volunteers who all happened to be men who were experienced
hunters and had well-trained hunting dogs with us. I was incredible
nervous. I had very little experience with a gun, although I had
recently purchased a shotgun and done some practicing. And I was really
worried that I wouldn't have it in me to take a shot, that if I did kill
something I would just be overwhelmed with regret. But the day lagged
on, and we were hiking around, and other women in my group were
successfully shooting pheasants, and I started to really want to get one
myself. And toward the end of the day, the dog that we were working
with found another pheasant and held it on point.
And
there was one other woman who hadn't shot a bird. So the two of us went
up kind of close to where the dog was holding the bird, and when the
bird flushed, it flew up in the air. We both took a shot and killed the
bird. And I was really shocked by my reaction because I was expecting to
just be wracked with guilt and really confused about what had just
happened. And instead, I was euphoric. I couldn't believe that I had it
in me and that I'd done it. I felt empowered and proud and amazed and
relieved.
LYDEN: So you felt this kind of - this sort of primal release going on about taking game this way, about shooting the bird?
MCCAULAU:
Yeah, I mean, I think, you know, I'd been - I had made the decision to
start learning how to hunt a year earlier. So I had already put in a lot
of time. I had taken a hunter safety class. I had done a lot of
research. I had purchased a gun and spent a lot of time at the range
practicing shooting it.
LYDEN: What was your motivation there, Lily?