How I Decided to Hunt

I finished 'Firearm Safety' class, and after passing the exam this Sunday, I can get a hunting license. I started this class this month. Every time I told my friends that I'm taking a firearm safety class, everyone asked me that why I'm willing to hunt, because I am a almost vegetarian and I am studying animals. Also because I love living animals. Yes, I love animals, I 'm studying about animals, and I don't eat meat most of time. But I found out that hunting is a sport. Also not only hunting but every outdoor activities are parts of my life.

To tell the truth, when I started this class, I felt something uncomfortable in my stomach. I harbored reservation about 'gun' in the United States. Of course I was a anti-gun-society.
Even now, I can tell I don't like how the american people think of firearms.


“What it means to be my own referee?”

When I heard about the word “own referee” in this class, I felt familiar feeling to hunting as a sport. I started playing curling five years ago. The first thing my coach told me was “own referee”. He told me that we need to judge own behavior when I play any sports and that curling is a one of sports need more “own referee” than other sports. We don’t have referee most games except the big competition like national championship or Olympic games. And it is difficult for opponent team to find misplay. As I play curling for three years, I made some misplay. Most time nobody except me knows my misplays. But I knew. If I didn’t tell, nobody would know and we could continue a game with advantageous situation. But same time my conscience reminded me the coach told me that “curling is a sport of ladies and gentlemen. You have to play with pride. You always choose right way. You cannot do things you will be ashamed of later.” In fact, I broke the rule in early stage of the game and I didn’t tell anyone. My team could take advantage. But after that, my shot was wimble because I was nervous from hiding misplay. I made a lot of miss shots and my team lost that game. I was in bad feeling for a while. I’m sure if I told my misplay to the judge, I won’t feel that feeling and I could make good shots. I think I can say same thing about hunting. ‘Nobody’s watching’ is wrong. I’m watching what I do now. I would like to do the things I can proud myself but damage my own reputation when I hunt. I regard this is the spirit “to be my own referee”. I am not from a country which familiar with firearms or hunting. I was scared of firearms and hunting first time I saw them. Now I think hunting is a one of prestigious sports and I think I can enjoy this sport with pride.