Reader-Submitted Story
Hunting: Past, Present, Future
by Norm Brennand of Okotoks, Alberta
Hunting has been a big part of my life since I was 8 or 9-years-old. As you read this, I’ll be 71, and much of what lured me to hunting as a kid is what still motivates me many decades later, probably the same thing that fuels the passion for most of you. Whether it’s a marmot sunning on a rock, a mountain goat scrambling up a steep slope, or perhaps crossing paths with a slow-moving porcupine... so often it’s the simple things. Who we hunt with, what we hunt, where we go, how we prepare, the clothing and gear we invest in, how we tell our “story”, each chapter of the hunt is forever changing.
For example, with moose hunting, it’s the realization that your longtime hunting buddies are getting older and one-by-one they have put their guns away for good. There’s a reason why you don’t see too many moose hunters in their ‘70’s and beyond. When I look at a picture of a beautiful bull moose that my son shot nine years ago, it reminds me of my original “Delia Gang”, only two of us still hunt today.
I began hunting in rural Ontario with my older brother, Stew. He would hunt with a single shot 22, while I hunted with a pellet gun. Most would doubt you’d ever get anything with an air gun but you could, and it was an excellent way of learning the virtues of patience if you were to be successful. We hunted ruffed grouse and snowshoe hares. My parents were going through rough times with kids to feed and little money coming in, so from a very early age, I was encouraged to bring home food. Not being old enough to have a hunting licence was irrelevant.
When I eventually did get my licence, I think I was either 13 or 14. We had relocated to a small village called Zephyr, where hunting and trapping was a big part of the local culture. Being too young to drive, my hunting buddies and I would start every hunt from the doorsteps of our houses, which meant we’d be carrying our shotguns in plain view along the main street of the village and not a single person ever thought anything of it. Those fortunate enough to own a truck would secure their shotgun or rifle in the back window for all to see. It was obviously a different time on how the public viewed guns and hunting.
In the mid 1960’s, hunter training courses were initiated. Also introduced was the requirement to wear your hunting licence numbers on the back of your hunting vest, which had to be fluorescent orange. The purpose of the numbers was to make it easy for landowners to report you if found trespassing.
Life was good as a teenager, everything revolved around school, sports and hunting. We would spend countless hours hunting ducks in the fall and jack rabbits during the winter. Many evenings we would get our hounds out and walk the corn fields to tree raccoons. With the coons came a bit of money for the hides and an opportunity to work the dogs.
Growing up, I would often be fed muskrat or raccoon when eating over at my hunting buddy’s place—he lived right across the street. With nine kids in their family, you ate what was put in front of you. A roasting pan full of muskrats and coon legs baked in tomato sauce was good.
Surprisingly, the whitetail population was nowhere as good as it is today. One could hunt a solid week for deer and sometimes see only two or three and filling you tag was a challenge. Back then, deer camps were very popular in Ontario, and many had a history going back 50 years. Anywhere from 10 hunters would form a camp, hounds were always used but the bush was thick and the deer scarce. Today, the deer are everywhere. The same can be said for wild turkeys, yet I never saw a single turkey as a kid.
When I was a young man, most of us used open sights, and some even used peep sights. Most deer were taken with shotguns, not rifles, using AAA’s or SSG’s, as countless areas were designated “shotguns only”. When we did hunt in “rifle zones”, a long shot was anything over 200 to 250 yards, beyond that was just out of desperation. Most rifle shots were under 200 yards.
Another obvious change is clothing. The last thing on my mind, or others half a century ago (did I just say that!) was how we looked. Most of us were flat broke so fashion was never a factor—you simply put on your old blue jeans, grabbed your plaid jacket, ball cap, and out the door you went. And as far as camouflage, I don’t think I ever saw a hunter with any kind of camo at all until I was perhaps in my late 30’s, early 40’s—it just wasn’t on our radar. There was a time when a hunter was considered a fool for not wearing any fluorescent orange and now many would consider you nuts sporting anything at all that wasn’t camouflage.
Without a doubt, social media has greatly impacted hunting too. Hard to believe when I started to hunt I’d say 95% of all hunters never carried a camera. How things have changed! If social media is used to educate and support fellow hunters, I’m all thumbs up!
Without a doubt, the greatest impact on hunting has been for those who spend their time in the mountains. All the endless improvements in clothing, lightweight gear, binoculars, spotting scopes, cell phones, even the quality of dry food... they are all game changers.
Most of you won’t know this but in the mid-60’s it was illegal to use walkie-talkies in some jurisdictions, as it was considered unethical to the chase. For me personally, the Garmin inReach is now my most treasured item in the mountains. It provides me, and loved ones, with constant peace of mind, and allows me to be able to communicate with my son as we always split up once up high. Bottom line, the Garmin keeps me in the game.
Today’s serious big game hunter puts way more time into preparing and planning for the hunt as compared to my generation, especially the sheep hunters. Present technology provides unlimited knowledge of the hunting area, shooting ballistics, weather forecasts, trail camera data, etc. And the physical preparation that today’s hunter commits to is so very impressive. I can assure you that when I first got onto sheep hunting, in my mid-twenties, I certainly didn’t do any Olympic training to get myself into “sheep shape!” It’s my firm opinion that today’s hardcore hunter would easily run circles around the likes of my generation. When I see my son Paul, and his hunting partner Clint, tackle a mountain there is no way I could have come close to such a pace, and especially with the loads they now carry, approximately 65 pounds. We may have been more “old school” but the passionate 2024 sheep hunter of today goes at it harder, smarter, and longer. Hell, I never had a hiking pole in my hands until my mid 60’s, now that’s just plain “old school stupidity”!
My main take away today is feeling so damn lucky that I’m still out there sharing yet another hunt with my son. I no longer plan the hunt, no longer strategize—I’m basically there to “smell the roses”. At this stage in my life, squeezing the trigger has no relevance to defining a good or bad day. Hell, to me they’re all fantastic days! Success is simply being there, enjoying the moment.
Much of this story has been looking back into the past and comparing it with the present. So to get you thinking, let’s take a quick peak into the future. Long-range shooting has significantly changed in my lifetime. If a “long shot” when I started out was in that 200 to 250 range, and now a “long shot” in 2024 is probably in the 500 to 600 range, then what does the young 15-year-old hunter of today expect to see in his or her hunting days? Is it feasible to think that 60 years from now, in 2084, hunters will be knocking down their big game at 1000 to 1200 yards! I sure hope not but I think you get my point. If the term “long range” doubled in definition’ during my lifetime, then it’s very possible “long range” may double again in the next 50 or 60 years. Will your first ram or bull moose also be your last? Will antelope hunting go the way of goat and grizzly hunting? Will there be limitations as to how often you can visit Kananaskis Country, or any federal or provincial park? Change is inevitable but I like to think that most changes are for the greater good—I have to think that way.
In closing, when I look at my 7-year-old grandson, Sumin, I hope that he will have the opportunity to build up a lifetime of memories in the outdoors as I have. When he’s my age in 2088, and he too looks in his rear-view mirror, I sure do hope that he will feel as blessed as I do today. Only time, and the changes that come with it, will tell.
For the previous Reader Story, click here.
