Life Skills Learned Through Hunting

I can’t explain the difference between my pre-hunting to post-hunting self. I’m not sure if the change came because of hunting, maturity or lots of therapy, but I changed once I started hunting and spending more time outdoors. I learned to communicate better with my husband, to be at peace in silence and so much more. I believe hunting teaches us all important life skills.

Below are 20 life skills I believe I learned through my time outdoors hunting.

• Adaptability: I learned to adapt to new situations, whether it’s new territory, game or weather. A hunt never goes as planned.

• Appreciation: I learned to appreciate the outdoors and everything it has to offer, and to appreciate the animals I've harvested through the food they provide.

• Attention: I learned to pay attention to the small details of animals’ behavior, what their actions and reactions are, in order to hunt more successfully.

• Balance: I learned to keep a balance between my time spent outdoors with the time I spend away from my kids.

• Communication: I learned to successfully communicate with my husband over our ideas and feelings, both in the field and in our home.

• Compassion: I learned compassion through the harvesting of an animal, and strive to make ethical shots that result in no suffering.

• Critical thinking: I learned to use critical thinking in my evaluation of whether or not to harvest a certain animal and while having to make decisions while outdoors.

• Empathy: I learned empathy through sharing in the successes and failures in the field. We’re all on the same team.

• Flexibility: I learned to be flexible to change plans based on animal behavior, weather patterns or family needs.

• Focus: I learned focus when taking aim at an animal.

• Mindfulness: I learned to be mindful of my thoughts, feelings and surroundings.

• Positivity: I learned to be positive, because we all know that when hunting, you win some and lose most.

• Prioritizing: I learned to prioritize getting outside over being a couch potato, finding ways to make time for the outdoors and hunting.

• Problem solving: I learned to find solutions instead of focusing on a problem.

• Resilience: I learned resilience and to recover quickly when you take a bad shot.

• Respect: I learned to respect the outdoors and always leave the land better than you found it.

• Self-awareness: I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses through self-reflection and self-awareness in my time spent outdoors.

• Self-control: I learned to control my emotions when a hunt goes wrong or you don’t get the trophy you’ve been eyeing for years.

• Teamwork: I learned teamwork while my husband and I stalk an animal.

• Trust: I learned to trust my instincts when hunting and taking a shot.

What are the skills you learned hunting?

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