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Yes, the author hunts, and yes, he\u2019s a New Yorker. Photo bCliff Cadet<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re gonna kill Bambi?\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve heard this one from a lot of my family and friends. But the trouble is, I\u2019ve never seen the movie. Which is weird because I\u2019ve seen a lot of Disney movies. It wasn\u2019t until my first deer season that I learned why so many people reference this movie when they think of deer hunting. SPOILER ALERT: Bambi\u2019s mom gets sent to Disney Heaven by a hunter, even though deer hunting seasons don\u2019t overlap with fawning season in the real world.<\/p>\n
Related: Our Editor Warned Walt Disney that Bambi Was \u2019the Worst Insult Ever Offered\u2019 to Sportsmen<\/a><\/p>\n I\u2019ve found that my friends tend to mention anthropomorphized animal characters whenever I bring up the animals I\u2019m hunting. (That\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve used \u201canthropomorphized\u201d in a sentence.) I don\u2019t blame them. I suppose I would also find it hard to hunt a creature that speaks.<\/p>\n \u201cNah man. I like animals.\u201d<\/p>\n This response came from my buddy when I invited him to learn to hunt with me. What made this so hilarious was that he said it while he was manning a grill crowded with hotdogs, burgers, and steaks. I think a lot of people who are unfamiliar with hunting believe that you can\u2019t be a hunter and an animal lover.<\/p>\n When I hear a comment like this, I\u2019m reminded of a conversation I had with veterinarian and avid hunter Dr. Cade Wilson. When I asked him if he ever felt conflicted about being a vet and a hunter, he said, \u201cI was a hunter way before I was ever a veterinarian. And to tell you the truth, I would probably not be a veterinarian if I didn\u2019t start out a hunter. Because that is where my love of the outdoors and love of animals began.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2026 you\u2019re Black!\u201d<\/p>\n When I hear this one I can\u2019t help but say, \u201cI\u2019m Black? Do my mom and dad know?!\u201d (This is homage to a line from the 1989 movie See No Evil, Hear No Evil, in which Richard Pryor\u2019s character was blind. I highly recommend it.)<\/p>\n But there are many people who are genuinely surprised to learn that there are a lot of people of color (and the numbers are growing) who engage in outdoor activities. Groups like Hunters of Color<\/a>, Outdoor Afro<\/a>, and Melanin Base Camp<\/a> are amazing representations of BIPOC outdoors.<\/p>\n \u201cYou tryin\u2019 to be the victim of a hate crime?\u201d<\/p>\n This comment comes more from a place of concern than humor. I hunt alone. And while I know I\u2019m making a huge assumption; I believe that, most of the time, I\u2019m the only Black person in the woods where I hunt. I believe this because of the looks of amazement I get when I show up at a trail head or a public land parking lot. You\u2019d swear that I just walked up with a 10-point rack on my head.<\/p>\n Even though I\u2019ve had great experiences with other hunters in the outdoors, my wife worries that my luck might run out and I\u2019ll come across a few \u201cbad apples.\u201d Her concerns were reinforced last year when a hunter of color feared leaving his hunting spot to head back to his vehicle because the neighbors on the adjacent property started blasting racism-themed music.<\/p>\n I attempt to alleviate my wife\u2019s anxieties by sharing my hunting plans (Every. Single. Detail.) with her, every time I go out. I\u2019ve been fortunate enough not to have experienced any stupidity.<\/p>\n \u201cYooooooo\u2026 that Blair Witch is gonna get your ass!\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019ve rappelled from helicopters. I\u2019ve allowed huge German Shepherds to attack me for demonstration purposes. I\u2019ve drank milk past the expiration date. But I\u2019d be lying if I didn\u2019t admit how uncomfortable I am being in the woods in the dead of night.<\/p>\n As a kid, I had a perfectly normal fear of the dark and I grew out of it. Walking through the woods at four in the morning brings it all back. But as an adult, I find that I don\u2019t fear the dark itself. Instead, I fear not knowing what\u2019s in the dark.<\/p>\n After my first solo hunt, I trekked back to my car and ran into another hunter. Our conversation went like this:<\/p>\n Hunter: Hey. Did you see the bobcats out there today?<\/p>\n Me: Bobcats???<\/p>\n Hunter: Yeah. There were two of them running around out there.<\/p>\n Me: Two bobcats???<\/p>\n Hunter: Yeah. I saw the last one right before last light.<\/p>\n Me: Right before we came down outta these trees and hiked back?<\/p>\n Hunter: Yeah. But don\u2019t worry. They\u2019re more afraid of you than you are of them.<\/p>\n Me, to myself: I highly doubt that.<\/p>\n Blair Witch my ass. There are bobcats out there.<\/p>\n \u201cYou gonna eat it?\u201d<\/p>\n No, I\u2019m gonna breakdance with it.<\/p>\n It seems that a lot of non-hunters see hunting only as trophy hunting. The concept of hunting for food is lost on some folks. Which is weird because I\u2019ve learned that many non-hunters have tried venison and thoroughly enjoyed it. When I explain how much meat a deer can yield, you should see how wide people\u2019s eyes get. I\u2019ve yet to kill my first deer. But I\u2019ve saved loads of recipes for the happy day that I do.<\/p>\n When the coronavirus outbreak was at its worst last year, many supermarkets were limiting the amount of meat a customer could purchase. One of my coworkers, who is a vegetarian expressed interest in learning to hunt. With the meat shortage, he wanted to make sure that he could still provide for his wife. (His wife still eats meat\u2014I don\u2019t know how that works.)<\/p>\n Read Next: I Started Hunting a Few Years Ago, and My Family Doesn\u2019t Exactly Support It \u2014 Yet<\/a><\/p>\n I know much of the country thinks of New York City as a liberal city full of hipsters, scary vegans, and anti-hunters hiding around every corner. But I\u2019ve been lucky to have some good conversations with great people. Even if they crack a joke, every one of them has been open to hearing about conservation, and how hunting plays a role in it. I\u2019ve yet to encounter an anti-hunter in New York City. But I can\u2019t wait to hear what they\u2019ll say first.<\/p>\n This story first appeared on OL in October 2021. You can follow Cliff Cadet on Instagram @urbanarcherynyc<\/a>.<\/p>\n \t![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/cliff_cadet_archery_practice.jpg\")
The author, shooting his bow. It\u2019s possible to be a deer hunter and a Giants fan. Cliff Cadet<\/p>\n