Real Primal: Hunting for Dinner
From a reader email:
Mark,
Let me say that I thoroughly enjoy your web site and have been digging in to it since I discovered there are people and indeed a whole movement doing what I have believed in for quite a while. I never knew I had such an untapped support group! My search and practices started years ago after reading Paul Shepard’s “Coming Home to the Pleistocene” and of course Cordains “The Paleo Diet”.
My “beef” is this though- I have seen on several sites, like yours, questions concerning cheap but good animal protein and how to obtain the best for your dollar; grass versus organic; free range versus yada yada yada…..
How about getting out and killing your own food? That seems pretty Paleo to me….so that’s what we do in this family. I’m not talking about the high tech, redneck, trophy hunter syndrome. I’m talking about subsistence hunting- spiritual hunting. Taking responsibility for ones hungry place in the natural world and reconnect..
Now we aren’t backwoods bumpkins, or survivalists fringe folks. And I certainly don’t get all my meat from hunting- but for a family of three, we do supply ourselves with over 50% of our animal protein. Whitetail deer populations continue to explode in this country and that is a great meat source- and contrary to some news reports- A LOT SAFER THAN COMMERCIAL MEAT. We usually will harvest 3 to 4 deer per year, which yields about 120 to 160 pounds of lean organic venison cuts.
It is a new skill and paradigm to a lot of your readers- but one that may come in handy in years to come. It is not for everyone- but is certainly true to the Paleo lifestyle. And being in the woods the past 18 years hunting every fall – (I bow hunt- less people, more solitude) is as spiritual and connecting a pastime as I have ever found. There is reverence for my prey and the experience of not just looking at nature from a tour bus window, but being an active player in the circle of life. Not to mention great Paleo exercise…..
In just about every state there are public lands, and timber company lands to hunt. Resident state licenses and safety courses are cheap and available.
I know a lot of people will not be able to bring themselves to kill or have the time to take to the woods-but some do and would. Death is a part of life- and no one survives without something else perishing- even the total Vegans are not immune.
We regularly hunt, process and freeze deer, wild turkey, rabbit, squirrel, a few ducks, and an occasional grouse here in Virginia. So when you talk about our primitive ancestors and what meats may be similar for your readers, don’t leave out the option of getting out there and getting really primal and hunting.
Yours in great Paleo health,
Oh – the elk in the attached photo provided over 325 pounds of incredible protein for my wife, son and I….and I hiked more than 80 miles over 6 days at 9,000 feet in the Colorado mountains (on public land) to harvest him. For Colorado residents -elk are abundant.
Chuck Neely
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Thanks, Chuck, for the email. You make a great case for hunting, especially to those of us on the Primal Blueprint. You also gave me a great idea for today’s post.
I’ll admit – I’m no hunter. I don’t own a gun or a bow and arrow. I buy my (admittedly local, organic, and sustainable) meat. But the question Chuck poses is a fascinating one. Truly, what’s more Primal, more Grok-like, than stalking a wild animal for its meat? Poised over your prey, heart pounding, waiting for the perfect time to strike… the very idea feels raw, visceral, and utterly Primal. Pure. Man versus animal. Wit against brawn.
Now, I’ve done plenty of fishing. Spear-fishing, freshwater trout, dock fishing – pretty much whatever was available growing up in Maine. But spearing a fish isn’t quite the same as looking a warm-blooded mammal in the eyes and taking its life. That’s something you can’t ignore. If we’re pledging to live as Primally as possible, though, maybe it’s something we ought to try.
What do you think, readers? Ever considered going truly Primal and hunting your own meals?
It may not be feasible or even legal for some of our readers to hunt for their food. For one, if you’re going to hunt on a regular basis, it helps to live near actual wildlife (trees, too – they help). And it’s not the 19th century anymore; conservation laws prevent people from just going out and shooting any animal they can. There are limits. Hunting is now mostly limited to specific wildlife management areas, both federal and state-run, and you’ll need a permit and a license for most game. (Although vermin, or pests, can be hunted by anyone at any time without a permit or license. Wild rabbits and red squirrels are often classified as pests, but certain states have different classifications, so make sure before you start picking off bunnies.)
The Legal Stuff
Before you start hunting, you’ll need a state-issued hunting license. Most states divide licenses into several categories, each corresponding to a category of wildlife. License categories might look something like this:
Big Game: including white tailed deer, mule deer, moose, elk, reindeer, bear, boar
Small Game: including hare, raccoon, opossum, rabbit, squirrel
Furbearers: beaver, red fox, mink, musk rat, bobcat
Predators: cougar, coyote
Upland game bird: grouse, turkey, pheasant, quail, dove
Waterfowl: duck, goose
Some states allow online licensing; others require prospective hunters to go to a physical location. The laws vary wildly, but this page with links to every state wildlife office will clear things up and get you started.
Most big game requires a “tag” for each animal harvested. Buying a tag allows you to hunt a single animal, and it fosters conservation and quotas. For smaller animals, there is typically a “bag limit.” A bag limit represents the maximum number of a particular species that can be in a hunter’s possession at any one time. Ducks, for example, might have a daily bag limit of six, meaning you could hunt and carry six ducks per day.
Where?
This map shows all the federal preserves open to hunting. Far more numerous are the state-run ranges. Again, check out the various state wildlife office links for more information.
What?
The most commonly hunted – and prolific – game is the deer. East of the Rockies, the white-tailed deer reins supreme; to the west, the larger mule deer can be found. Large, lean, and meaty, deer venison is a great source of protein. Its incredibly low fat content makes it easy to overcook, and some people even blend it with bacon fat to make deer burgers. The leanness makes it ideal for jerky (if you ever get your hands on some wild venison, try our jerky recipe).
The recent scare surrounding contaminated deer meat can probably be ignored. There’s no evidence that chronic wasting disease (similar to mad cow disease) can be transmitted to humans, and the few cases that did pop up originated in farmed deer. If you’re going Primal and hunting your own, you can rest assured your meat will be far safer than any farmed meat.
Moose, elk, wild turkey, duck, and rabbit are also popular animals hunted for their meat. Different areas are better for different animals, and most animals have specific hunting seasons, so check with your local wildlife office for further details.
Why Not?
Fresh, wild, organic meat by the pound? Four days in deep, desolate wilderness without bleeping car horns or smog or cell phones? A potential life and death struggle with your future meal? Plenty of vitamin D and Primal exercise?
Sounds somehow exciting and relaxing at once. Count me in!
Still…
There’s a lot to think about when considering hunting. Practical concerns (Do you have it in you to make the kill?). Cost-benefit analyses (is it cheaper to just buy local, organic meat from the specialty grocer or just go cowpooling?). You’d need a weapon, probably a gun, unless you practice your archery skills (and with a gun comes great responsibility – do you want to bear that?). If you’re successful, you’re going to have a lot of meat on your hands (Do you have freezer/storage space? Are you prepared to butcher an entire animal?).
Intellectually, I know that the truly ethical act would be to hunt, to kill my own food. As Chuck said in his email, it’s important to make sure you’re “not just looking at nature from a tour bus window, but being an active player in the circle of life.” I worry that too often we’re so far removed from the act of killing, of harvesting an animal for sustenance, that we miss something in the process. Whether we order an entire side of grass-fed beef from the local farmer, or pick up a package of flank steaks from the grocery store, we are totally removed from the fact that a life was extinguished to support ours. Now, I obviously have no misconceptions about where my meat comes from. I know animals die to feed us. That’s how life works and I’m okay with it.
So why haven’t I been hunting (not counting fishing, of course)?
I guess it’s the fact that, despite the Primal Blueprint and Grok and everything else, I’m still a modern guy living in a modern world surrounded by convenience and creature comforts. As much as we model our lifestyle on Primal man, are we really just watching “from a tour bus window”?
That’s a tough one. I’m not sure I have a good answer for that. But maybe being intimately involved in the entire process of hunting and harvesting our meals would make all subsequent meals even more satisfying. And the act of hunting – at least how Chuck describes it, stalking an elk for 80 miles over the span of several days – is the perfect Primal exercise (low intensity, constant movement, punctuated by bursts of energy). We talk a lot about mimicking Grok by running sprints and lifting heavy weights, but stalking an animal through the wilderness for days on end is exactly what Grok would have done (knowing myself, though, I’d probably do pull-ups on branches for extra work as I went along). It’s the real deal. You can’t get much more Primal than that.
I’m definitely intrigued. Maybe I’ll give hunting a shot (no pun intended) and step down from the tour bus. What about you, readers? Any hunters out there?
Further Reading:
Insects: Not Just for Breakfast Anymore
Rule #1 of The Primal Blueprint: Eat Lots of Animals and Plants
Subscribe to Mark’s Daily Apple feeds
Posted By: Mark Sisson
Marc of Marc Feel Good Eating:
It should always take time to become at peace with killing, as it should always take time to become at peace with life.
Life is not about killing.
Killing is not about life.
But sometimes living and killing are intertwined, and when we kill, it should be to advance life, not to reduce life.
These are hard things to think about, harder yet to talk about.
We take life from death; if we don’t take life from it, why cause death?
When I took life, when I caused death, I celebrated the life, the sustenance, that came from it.
I could be wrong, but it felt primal, and I honored the venison more than I’ve ever honored plain old hamburger.
Peace, and primal grease,
Lew
Mark, you definitely seem to be pondering this quite a bit in this post? I might be willing to wager you give this a try sometime soon!
Chuck, after you have harvested – you have to go ultimate primal, and eat it with your hands! (but I am biased
50,000 more people in Colorado were to head out with the intention of harvesting an elk, most of them would go home empty handed. DH gets at least one deer every year now but he hunted for years without getting even one, it took practice and we ate a lot of rabbits in the meantime.
Yeah! Loving this post, Mark.
I got my gun license last year. I don’t have a gun yet but will someday soon. I want a muzzleloader just to make it that much more fair for the deer. This is coming from a life-long vegetarian and 5 year vegan — I just began including fermented dairy and eggs in my diet in January. Will add animal protein, but going slowly. I’ve gone Primal and am not looking back.
Nathan- I respect your opinion but you need to understand- I’m not talking about hunting as an answer for the masses- it is sustainable for us. How many of us Paleo people are there?? Im not advocating that every one in Colorado or Virginia jump out there and shoot dinner- but I dont have to worry about it because 90% of our fellow humans are totally oblivious to everything that we are discussing here. And in no way is it a sustainable activity for the world’s population- which oh- by the way is bloated beyond belief due to mass argiculture and its total disservice to earths resources and the natural balance of life across the planet. Now if mass grain based agriculture had not come into play- there would probably be less than 500 million people on the planet- and hunter gatherer tribes would be very sustainable. Now the question is– given the precarious state of our earth and our global, consumer based economies- which side of the equation do I want to master? I choose to be a hunter. When our systems break down and that may not be a totally abstract idea- I want to be one of the 10% that is primal and self sustaininng. And game populations are at an all time high in the US due to the conservation efforts and $$ of hunters and conservatonists.
As far as safety in the woods goes- BOY WILL I EVER TAKE MY CHANCES ROAMING THE MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS AS OPPOSED TO DRIVING OUR FREEWAYS AND WORKING IN OUR CITIES. Out of 15 million annual hunters there are going to be some accidents and incompetent people- but the statistical data is about the same as getting electrocuted or dying from a bee sting.
I’ve hunted & trapped since 1958.
It’s a far more ethical, spiritual & natural way to get your meat then to buy it at the grocery.
You can hunt in all 50 states. Some critters are “in season” all year long depending on your state.
Don’t overlook small game (rabbits, squirrels).
Terry
My buddy at work hunts locally, but mostly smaller game or birds. He said if I go to the hunter education class he will take me with him.
Like SoG, I own guns and know how to shoot, but have never been hunting. Deer season just ended here and the farmers’ market meat lady has a farm where they process deer for hunters so they’ve been really busy.
I’ve also been wanting to learn to shoot a bow and arrow. I don’t know if I could actually kill an animal eye to eye (except of course for humans, but I tend to like animals better than most people).
I do have Ted Nugent’s Kill It and Grill It book!
Maybe the farm lady would be a good place to start… see if she can introduce me to someone who can teach me. And I would have no idea what to do if I did kill something… how to dress it or whatever.
Good topic. I’ve been thinking about it for a while now.
TrailGrrl
To all who have emailed me- thanks – keep em coming. I will try to help any way I can. And remember that the animal you harvest is not most important- the magic is in the preparation and pursuit….
I just wanted to take a minute to personally thank Chuck for a great post that has obviously struck a chord here with many people. Not only was the post great, but Chuck has gone above and beyond by answering personal email from the likes of a novice like myself. Lastly, thanks to everyone for keeping what could be a touchy topic civil regardless of your views on hunting. That’s what makes this site so refreshing!
I completely agree. Nothing could be more hunter gatherer than that.
Mark, I think you missed the hardest part of hunting when you summed it up… not making the kill… not having the responsibility for a gun… but cutting the thing up. If it didn’t freak out most amateurs, doing it right would at least pose a significant challenge. That said, this is something I have been thinking about a lot recently.
A very interesting book that talks about the Primal/Spiritual blend in regards to hunting is Ted Nugent’s “Kill it and Grill it.” Some of the recipes aren’t purely primal, but there are some pretty neat stories in there, along with some perfectly fine paleo type recipes….
Great stuff Chuck and thanks for posting Mark !! Ironic timing, as I was setting here looking at some venison (harvested on our family farm) and stewed tomatos (grown in my garden) I packed for lunch. Always enjoy your posts and thought provoking comments from the readers. Take care, RP
Hi Chuck, thanks for this post, i love it!
I’m originally from Louisiana and my whole family fishes and hunts. I’ve been fishing since i’m 4 years old and hunting since i’m 10 years old. Now i live here in TN. and the license differs from LA. Here in TN. I buy 1 License for 1 year, it’s a combination whether your fish or hunt of both. In LA. the licenses are separate.
In LA. alot of people bring along a hunting dog to assist. Most of the time a beagle is used in LA. But, different kind of dogs are good for hunting different things.
Even my 6 year old grandchidren love to fish, and at their early age are being taught the “safety” of hunting. But, it’s never too late to learn.
I absolutely love the outdoors, fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, i love nature! My favorite is to Bass Fish every chance i get, i love to be out on the boat on the water, there’s nothing like it.
Personally, i know Nikon makes a great Rifle Telescope Lens, that’s why i own a Nikon Camera, In my opinion, Nikon Lens is excellent!
Chuck, i do have a question, do you ever use hunting dogs, what’s your thoughts on bringing along a dog to assist hunting, it’s certainly popular in LA. Thanks-Donna
Chuck,
We agree for the most part. As i said and you reiterated, hunting is not sustainable for any significant % of the population, and so is best left as a practice for a few. So, I understood everything you wrote, and I did agree. I’ve certainly enjoyed my time spent hunting with family and friends. It’s great to get away from electricity for a while.
And hopefully anyone would agree hunting is perfectly safe if common sense is present in any reasonable quantity. Safer than driving to work? I agree. Safer than a PETA rally? Definitely.
Game numbers at an all time high is easily refuted, however. american bison were once the most numerous animal on earth, and were hunted to near extinction and are now (thankfully) doing decently. Wild turkeys (estimated to once # ~20-30 mil low 30000, recent 6.5 mil), white tailed deer (low 300000, current ~30 million), etc… are not all at all time highs, but are certainly improving. conservation efforts, lack of predators, livestock for carnivores to prey on… the reasons will obviously vary from region to region. It is unfortunate that some species went extinct before conservation measures could be implemented on their behalf. They were probably tasty.
Anyway, I have no problem with hunting and we agree on pretty much everything. My response wasn’t intended as a jab or criticism towards those who do hunt legally. I’m truly sorry if it came across that way. Don’t shoot me! doh ho ho.
No worries Nathan- love the one about the PETA rally! And yes the Bison would be a magnificent animal to hunt- but true, they are now a mere shadow of their old plains days.
I really like hunting birds. This fall I was torn, though. Every time I took off through the forest on my moutain bike I’d see so many grouse. But when I went grouse hunting with my shotgun, I’d see none, and wished I’d taken my bike out instead. So my husband got me a nice .22 pistol with a long barrel for more mobile bird hunting. I have a little holster for it on the side of my camelback pack, and had a great time mountain biking with the .22 in fall! It feels very strange to jump off the bike and run off into the forest with a gun and bike helmet still on, though! When I find chanterelle mushrooms too, that’s the best. It’s not a great workout when I am stopping like this for mushrooms and birds, but it’s hella fun. I don’t think I bear much resemblance to Ms. Grok with my full sus bike, fancy gun, headlamp and GPS. The instinct is there still.
Hey thanks Nathan and Chuck for addressing the population issue.
Ever since I watched a Papua New Guinean on the Discovery Channel shoot an arrow into the side of a little pig and it ran around screaming in agony, I knew I would never be able to hunt unless I was absolutely starving and lost in the woods.
Now granted, any one of those animals would take you out in an instant if it could. Nevermind the predators who might eat you for dinner, the bigger herbivores would stomp you into the ground and the smaller critters will shred your flesh with their teeth. So I’m well aware that this uncomfortableness with inflicting pain on another creature is not mutual. In my ideal world I would keep a domesticated supply of animals and slaughter them humanely myself if at all possible. But obviously again if I were in a situation where I HAD to eak out a life in the true wilderness, then yes I would hunt to survive.
RBH I understand and certainly dont expect everyone to be able to hunt- I dont like inflicting pain on another animal either. Thats why I strive to be an efficient, experienced hunter. Wild, free animals hunted obviously dont suffer compared to domesticated animals like cattle who spend their lives in captivity, getting pumped full of drugs, hormones etc. and then end up being trucked great distances under extremely insensitive conditions, to feedlots where they are packed in shoulder to shoulder and fed grain while standing knee deep in their own dung. Then they are run through the shoots to be killed and processed in questionable conditions. Lots of stress on those animals – then the public eats that?
I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but as you think about that scenario more closely and how that commercial model applys to most of the world’s livesotck and poultry it makes hunting seem so much more humane for animals. They live free and wild and sure, they die at our hands- but there is reverence for the animal- or should be- and it is our duty to be very quick and efficient in the kill. I will take on that burden and that animal’s spirit becomes a part of me symbolically. I honor the kill by using all of that animal and trying to give back to nature, habitat improvement on my land, support for various conservation organizations and projects, and of course by not supporting the industrial argricultural model.
Eating is our primary relationship.
Personally, I am rewilding my whole being.
http://rewildkatuah.blogspot.com/
Chuck Neely needs a blog on his experiences! I would so love to read that!
to the folks that commented they wouldn’t know where to start on butchering, a couple of ideas:
one, my state’s conservation department (which administers the hunting permits) also has some great workshops where you can go with a conservation agent and a small group and learn a variety of these skills–finding and bagging game, cleaning and dressing, butchering, preserving and cooking. Lots of states have similar programs. My conservation department offers fishing workshops too, so if the whole animals-with-eyelashes thing makes you a little squeamish, start with the finned kind!
Two, if you’re in an area with hunters, find an older hunter to mentor you, from a more subsistence-oriented generation, and you’re likely to learn a whole lot. Commercial processors often take a brute-force approach to butchering (read-power saws) that leaves the meat pretty mealy and tough; in the hands of an expert, there’s nothing better than fresh venison! The experts, in my experience, often come wrapped in overalls and aprons.
Agree on the butchering issue, I needed help to do that with a bunny I hit with the car, also with the plucking for a pheasant.
I’m an old country boy but have tended to leave the hunting to the Real Groks and just eat the game provided, we have Real Butchers here who get their produce direct from the hunter and the rest direct from the farm, a far cry from the intensively farmed supermarket crap in nutritional and flavour terms and I’m only two steps away from the originator, that’ll do me! Having said which, I am a pretty good shot, maybe I should see if one of the deer stalkers will take me out one day. Health & Safety regs will probably prevent me from being allowed to kill anything myself though. You probably have to complete a Risk Assessment before using a sharp knife nowadays, but strangely not before eating toxic food.
As far as how safe is hunting – the national average is about 4.5 hunting related shooting incidents per 100,000 hunters. to give that a little perspective the number of injuries for football is 250 per 100,000 players. So .hunting is very safe and the trend is that it is getting safer. All states require new hunters to be certified and pass written as well as demonstrate they can handle firearms safely. Another thing to look into for you gals is the Becoming an Outdoor’s Woman program and Women in the Outdoors that many states offer. Here in Vermont we offer a Becoming an Outdoor’s Family weekend with seminars on shooting, game processing and cooking and lots of woods lure training.
Great post and comments. I’m a retired game warden, a hunter education instructor and life long hunter. Currently I have a moose, deer, duck, goose, squirrel and lots of fish in the freezer. All great eating and they all come with a great story!
Hmm- my own blog- that may be a distinct possibility…I will have to pick Mark’s brain a bit on that. Maybe coming soon to the Paleo movement- a “Grok does Camo and Goretex” blog or something along those lines!
Good day to all!
Mark, Chuck, Lewis, and everyone else, you have hit upon some very important points. The moral certainty of being able to provide for yourself, the questions of whether killing is something you can do, the touch of the past and primordial in the hunt.
This is one of the best commentaries I have read in quite some time.
The net is full of helpful how to’s and though it is a little difficult to learn how to butcher an animal through pictures, there are a lot of folks that you can reach out to for help. Same goes for hunting, you might not get an invite to someones lease, but most of the time someone will point you in the proper direction.
I’m in west central Florida and always willing to answer questions on hog hunting, and things of that nature.
Regards,
Albert A Rasch
Chuck,
Blogging is easy!
You just have to have something to say!
Regards,
Albert
Don’t limit yourself to wilderness hunting lands. Most farmers let someone hunt their land, if you ask that could be you. I know some who prefer those who are not locals because the locals know the game warden’s route and so they can cheat.
In some states farm aid requires the farmer to allow hunters!
Of course this is grain fed… Can’t have it all.
Awesome article. I’d love to go hunting someday, when I have more disposable income. Unfortunately at the moment I’m 21 and live in London, but someday I will. Does anyone here watch Ray Mear’s Bushcraft/Wild Food programmes. He also raises some interesting points about bushcraft and hunting, and how we are losing thousands of years of knowledge in these respective areas, and also our connection with food and nature.
On a side note, I always wondered how Grok would be strong and ripped. However judging by the size of that deer in the image, you wouldn’t need a power rack and a set of olympic weights to get big, if you have to carry that majestic looking beast back to your home.
A friend of mine bagged an elk here in AZ several years ago. He brought some rib steaks over to barbecue. The flavor of that lean cut was far better than any prime rib I had ever tasted.