What Deer Hunting And Coffee Drinking Both Have In Common
I just had a terrible cup of coffee. At Christmas I received one of those single-brew coffee makers and it came with a variety pack of different coffees in an attempt to find just the right blend a person would want to purchase more of.
Well, sorry Starbucks fans…but that coffee sucks. It’s bitter, leaves a bad aftertaste, it’s just not what my java-drinking palate yearns for, I guess.
I’m more a traditional coffee drinker…I like it hot and black. Nothing added. Just the pure taste of the roasted coffee beans and the aromatic magic it creates for all the senses.
Yet, I completely understand we all drink coffee in our own way. Those who go to Starbucks are accustomed to somehow enhancing the flavor and making it more, shall we say, “personal.” Take one Starbucks gourmet blend of your choosing then add a little cream, a little sugar…hell, for that matter add whatever pleases you to make the liquid your daily morning ambrosia. It is your choice so do what makes you happy. After all, you paid $4–5 for the experience get the most out of it.
As you can tell my personal tastes for coffee are not worthy of any fancy experience. Oh, I’m glad there is Starbucks, Caribou Coffee, and all the other chain java stores willing to cater to the crowd who likes that sort of thing, but it’s not for me. I’m totally happy with a different sort of coffee drinking experience.
This brings me to deer hunting. You might ask, what does deer hunting have to do with drinking coffee? Perhaps nothing in the literal sense, but certainly plenty in the figurative relationship.
You see, I also like my deer hunting simple without all the frills. I don’t fret about finding this way or that way to constantly improve the experience. Nope, I just like to enjoy the basic deer hunt experience without fancy additives. Sort of like my coffee. I want to consume the deer hunting experience much the same way I have always enjoyed it. Not looking for creative new ways to improve it no matter what the motivation is behind the action. That’s not my cup of…well, in this instance, coffee.
But that’s not how a growing number of deer hunters seem to operate. They seem restless. Always skeptical of their state’s game managers and the plans they have set forth for population managing the herds. These folks have purchased their deer license and by god it’s time now to manipulate the experience in the manner best suiting their individual hunting tastes.
I call them Starbucks deer hunters. Indeed, with that license purchase gives them the right to add a little antler point restriction, suppress methods and equipment use they don’t favor, essentially create the outdoor experience they want while all other deer hunters be damned. This is their license and the deer resource should be enjoyed the way they choose to concoct it.
This is what troubles me about what hunting (and enjoying the outdoors in general) has become. Lots of selfishness pushed by fringe interest groups. Sometimes it’s done because folks think they know what is better for everyone else. Other times it’s because they have a belief their hunting management style would be better suited to achieve personal goals and that is really all that matters. They take this àla carte approach to deer hunting management much as they do the coffee they drink at upscale establishments. They fine tune the taste so only they think it’s palatable, and in the process not really caring what others may think.
Seemingly gone are the days where our society all drinks out of the same coffee urn and is subsequently pleased with the product being consumed. Today, we have become a divisive group of selfish wildlife consumers many of whom demand things be served up “their specific way” because that is what happens to appeal to them.
You may think how making a coffee and deer comparison is a rather silly approach to this topic. Perhaps so. Yet, I contend the analogy only serves to underscore how it’s still possible for all to enjoy the same product (deer hunting) without getting so hung up on the many various options available (restrictions, laws, regs, etc.) one might think is necessary to make it a more enjoyable experience.
As deer hunting and population management goes it should not become some trendy “flavor of the day” offering only to suit a rather small segment of the deer hunting tastes.
Oh yes, I get it when one walks around carrying a Starbucks logoed cup or carrying a fancy Mathews bow in hand this says a lot about the person. Just realize my personal tastes for what you covet as important might be completely different and should not be shortchanged. Not all deer hunters favor the latest trendy brand of deer management many folks want served up, nor should we be forced to drink it.