What is the Best Gun for Hunting?

One evening during one of the breaks of a hunter education class I was teaching, a kid and his grandfather came up to me.  “I want to deer hunt.  What kind of gun do I need?”

Without hesitation I responded, “Your Granddad’s.”  While it seemed I was just coming back with a quick response to garner a smile, I was truly being sincere.  While hunting consists of shooting at animals as part of the process, the real joy is the connections the hunter makes.  Experiencing the hunt and bringing the most joy from the experience comes from the meld between you and God, nature, family, our forefathers, and memories.

Stories I share of my grandfather and father are not just vehicles to carry on who they are and what they did, they become part of who I am as well.  When I share these stories with my kids, it also becomes a part of who they will become.

When black bear hunting, I cannot help but think of President Teddy Roosevelt and his passion for the great bruin or Daniel Boone and his storied encounter with the beast in the Great Smokies. 

Want to read about Teddy Roosevelt's bear hunt? Click HERE.

The buffalo hunt my father and I went on included a hike to a tall mount that stood out amongst all others on the horizon.  When we reached the top, not only did we have a fantastic view of the Dakota pothole region, but there, right at the flattened peak, was a circle of stones.  Around the circle were other smaller circles of smaller stones.  When we returned to the hunting guide and inquired about the area, he told us that was an ancient ceremonial ground for the Indians who lived in the area.  I could envision the tribes hunting the herded bison just as my dad and I were.

Read about Bill Howard's Most Memorable Hunt-the Great Bison HERE.

Sitting in cover on the edge of the field, anticipating the coming of a strutting gobbler with fanned tail is enough to set any hunter in flurried heartbeats of anticipation.  The thought of Benjamin Franklin’s pursuit to make the wild turkey our national symbol for its courage and meaning to our land brings a sense of historic proportions to the hunt.  The turkey provided nourishment to the pilgrims on their original plight into the new world.  Even the Thanksgiving story of pilgrims and Native Americans centers itself around the bird.

To think while sitting in a tree waiting on the whitetail to sneak his way into shooting distance was likely precluded by a Cherokee, Catawba, or Tuscarora several hundred years prior in the same location can be both overwhelming and comforting.

So, as I watch and remember my son shooting the old Ithaca shotgun, I realize that the bridge from my son, to me, to my father and to my grandfather has been completed.  I also know that one side of that bridge is a long road of that has been paved over time with blood, sweat, pain, tears, joy, and accomplishment while on the other side is a road yet to be cleared but already well planned.

So when you ask “what is the best gun?”, know in advance the best gun is one that is well used and experienced. 

Bill Howard writes a weekly outdoors column for the Wilson Times and Yancey County News and the bowhunting blog site GiveEmTheShaft.com. He is a Hunter Education and International Bowhunter Education instructor, lifetime member of the North Carolina Bowhunters Association, Bowhunter Certification Referral Service Chairman, member and official measurer of Pope and Young, and a regular contributor to North Carolina Bowhunter Magazine.

Presidents' Day

With this column falling before Presidents’ Day, I figured I’d share a story of one of our leaders in ethical hunting.

President Theodore Roosevelt was an avid hunter.  He was every bit of a ‘man’s man’, known in his days as a Rough Rider during the ‘Wild West’ as a true hero of the generation.  Well, Roosevelt really wanted to take a black bear.  In November 1902, Mississippi Governor Andrew Longino invited Roosevelt down for the bear season promising an enriching experience.  Roosevelt accepted the invitation.

Clifford Berry's 1902 cartoon
"Drawing the Line in Mississippi"

Roosevelt, and a hunting party selected to assist the President, set camp near the Mississippi River in an area full of underbrush, pines, and cane.  Two men in the party had particularly strong reputations as hunters.  Robert Bobo was a famous trapper who brought close to 50 top notch hunting dogs.  Holt Collier was known as the best bear man in the Delta area.  The night before the first hunt, the group sat around the campfire and discussed past adventures, with Roosevelt and Collier stealing the show.  One gentleman suggested the roughness of a bear hunt in the swamp would be too difficult for Roosevelt.  Roosevelt responded “This is exactly what I want!”

On November 15, Collier and the hounds picked up a scent of a bear.  The party tracked for hours on end through thicket and mud only to break from the affair and head back to camp for a late lunch.  Collier continued on, and finally caught up with the bear mid-afternoon.  With the dogs baying the bear, Collier bugled for the party, and chased the bear into a water hole.  With the bear exhausted and out of options, the beast fought back against the dogs, crushing the skull of one.  Collier then retaliated by knocking the bear out with the butt of his rifle, and tying it to a tree.

When Roosevelt arrived, he saw a battered and beaten bruin lassoed to the pine.  The party shouted for the President to take the bear, but instead, Roosevelt told one to cut the bear’s throat and put it out its misery.

The story spread quickly about Roosevelt’s ‘sportsmen’s code’ and the following Monday many newspapers carried the story of how the President refused to take the bear.  One cartoonist’s portrayal of the event showed a small cub being held by another hunter, with Roosevelt holding the rifle butt toward the ground and waiving his other hand in disapproval.

In response to the popularity of the action, a toy company in New York designed a stuffed bear.  It was an immediate hit, and the Teddy Bear became famous.

Bill Howard is a Hunter Education and Bowhunter Education Instructor, a Wildlife Representative and BCRS Program Chairman for the North Carolina Bowhunters Association, and an avid outdoorsman.  Please forward any pictures or stories you would like shared to billhowardoutdoors@gmail.com.