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- I Bought a Crossbow
Let’s get ready to hunt!
I’m an adult-onset hunter. I didn’t even consider hunting until I had lived outside my parent’s home for nearly a decade. Growing up, firearms were not something to even joke about or play with. I was in high school before my mom allowed me to buy a super-soaker (invented by a Black man by the name of Lonnie Johnson). Why so strict? My parents were concerned that any association I developed with guns might lead me into trouble with the police and broader society that is socialized to respond to Black folks with guns with extreme violence.
So, when I moved to West Virginia to start a new job as a post-doc and my mentor colleague invited me out hunting, I was nervous for a variety of reasons. That nervousness increased as my enjoyment of hunting increased to a level where I knew I’d not want to live without the practice of provisioning meat from the land. In order to keep eating deer, I needed to buy a firearm of my own and needed to learn how to use it responsibly.
Hunting in WV | 2020
That process was a whole experience that I’ll write about in a separate post, but suffice it to say, I’m still apprehensive about being a gun owner, though I’m glad to know how to use such a tool to put food on the table. I’m not a bad shot as it turns out.
But my job in West Virginia didn’t last (whew Lawd! That’s some pipping hot tea for another time), so when I moved to south east Michigan for a faculty position at Eastern Michigan University, I had to essentially shelve my Remington .270 indefinitely. The southern half of Michigan does not permit center-fire riles for deer hunting, and thus I had to find a new method of harvesting white-tailed deer. Fine by me, I’m always down for a new toy and to learn new skills to use said toy. My good friend and former grad school colleague who lives in the town I was coming to, has land, hunts deer, and generously offered to help me get equipped.
“I recommend a crossbow instead of a compound bow.”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah. They’re a lot easier to use as a beginner to bow hunting, especially as someone who’s gotten used to hunting deer with a rifle.”
Bet. Let’s do it!
But, it’s not that easy. My buddy had me covered on the being a novice bow hunter front. He had a crossbow, had hunted with it, and was eager to have me join him. Check. What my buddy couldn’t fully help me with is the fact that I’m a Black man who needed to enter a world of whiteness to access the tools for hunting in the region.
“Okay, so should we have a word or a signal if after we get in there things go wrong or you don’t feel comfortable?”
“Just keep an eye on me in there. I’ll let you know with my eyes if I’m uncomfortable.”
That’s the conversation we had as my buddy parked his truck at the local hunting supply store south of town. We were only 10 miles from my house, but an entire world and a half away from my comfort zone. No cell service, no Black people in sight, no desire to spend any more time there than necessary.
An hour later and $500 lighter, I had my crossbow, further confirmation that my buddy was the kind of white accomplice I wish more white folks were, and loads of giddy anticipation for putting meat in the freezer.
Buying the crossbow was a bit tense. No one was unfriendly, but it was clear everyone in the store from the vendor to the customers were not used to seeing someone like me in that place. It was fine. I’ll probably make the hour long round trip to Cabelas if I need to go for supplies myself, but it’s nice to know some of what to expect should I return to the local place.
Deer season opened three weeks ago and my buddy has already bagged a doe. I’ve still got some practice and fine tuning to get in before I’m ready to hunt, but I’m nonetheless excited for the experiences to come.
What’s in my pocket?
I was just in Albuquerque, NM for a raptor conference. Two things, now that I have them, that I don’t ever want to fly without are my noise cancelling ear buds and my bluetooth bluetooth headphone adapter. With the later, I can listen to the in-flight entertainment options without having to use the $0.50 quality free headphones. If you’re in the market for either, check out these. They’ve become indispensable for me:
*These are affiliate links. Purchasing these products using the above link is a great way to support me putting together this newsletter every week. I will never recommend something I haven’t actually used myself.
What’s in my ear hole?
He’s back! The joy I felt being able to listen to Bomani Jones again today was amazing. In my opinion there’s no better listen that Bomani’s trip-weekly podcast and now YouTube show. Easily the smartest and Blackest content in sports. A+++++. Check him out!
What’s on my brain?
I’ve been thinking a lot an about whiteness in conservation; how it shapes the work I’ve been trained to do. These thoughts have been coming on strong during a year of travel that’s taken me to a fair number of conferences and professional spaces. I’ll be working through these ideas and writing about them in the weeks to come, so stay tuned. In the meantime, check out some of my thoughts on DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) in my “How to Diversity Blog”.
Thanks for reading! The regular newsletter will be out this coming Sunday and every Sunday after that.
Please share with a friend!
Cheers,
Jonathan
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