How Hunting Benefits Your Mind and Body
Since the beginning of time, hunting has been necessary to sustain mankind. However, as time has gone on, hunting has proven to be more than just a chore, but a hobby and sport that not only brings enjoyment but an abundance of health benefits.
Understanding the deeper aspect of how hunting affects your mind and body is an important part of any hunter’s lifestyle. So, whether you are an avid hunter, a beginner, or simply just a prepper or homesteader who wants to learn more about the sport, we’ve got the answers!
What Constitutes Hunting?
What comes to mind when you think of hunting? Perhaps you picture someone sitting in a treestand with a bow waiting for a buck, or maybe you imagine someone shooting ducks in the sky with a gun.
Regardless, there is no wrong answer.
The dictionary defines hunting as “engaging in the pursuit, capture, or killing of wild animals for food or sport.”
Hunting comes in many forms and differs from where you’re from worldwide. Some people prefer bows and arrows, others firearms, traps, or spears. Whatever you choose, you’re still considered a hunter.
There are also many different types of animals to hunt, which can increase the challenge for the hunter. Some animals can be caught on land, in the sky, or the water. Some animals are small, which can be harder to see. Others are large and require good aim, so the animal dies quickly and doesn’t run off.
The ways to hunt are endless, but the benefits remain the same no matter which way you choose to partake.
How Hunting Benefits the Body
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that physical activity is anything that gets your body moving. The recommended amount of physical activity per week is 150 minutes, which could be broken down however you desire, such as 30 minutes a day, five days a week.
Hunting is considered a moderate to intense aerobic exercise that easily falls into the realm of physical activity. There are plenty of ways that hunting gets your body moving, the first being walking.
Hunting requires quite a bit of walking, and for a good reason since wildlife isn’t always necessarily waiting in our backyard. Often, wildlife dwells in quiet wooded areas away from the public eye.
Once you’ve walked around and scouted the perfect spot, you sit and wait in the great outdoors. If you’re lucky enough to catch something, chances are you’ll have to walk some more to find and capture the animal.
Oh, and don’t forget about walking all the way back to civilization with said animal!
It’s also important to mention that hunting requires holding somewhat heavy equipment. Lugging around this equipment and other accessories while walking isn’t for the faint of heart. With this comes strength, endurance, and stamina.
To balance all the walking and lifting comes resting and enjoying the great outdoors, which is where hunting benefits the mind.
How Hunting Benefits the Mind
One of the keys to being a successful hunter is being able to watch, wait, and relax. Because hunting involves being one with nature, it equally benefits the mind as much as it does the body.
Being outdoors has many proven health benefits, including:
Boosting immunity
Breathing in fresh air
Getting your daily dose of sunlight (vitamin D)
Reducing stress, which acts as a natural antidepressant
As you can see, being outdoors can positively improve mental health. However, the act of hunting specifically also improves the mind. Think of it, being outdoors in solitude is incredibly therapeutic and not something we often experience in this busy, chaotic world.
Taking time for yourself, listening to nature, and breathing in fresh air is, without a doubt, good for your soul. It gives you time to ponder life’s greatest questions, even if it’s as silly as how you’re going to explain the concept of cryptocurrency to your mother.
The patience, discipline, and attention to detail it takes to hunt is also great for character development. Sitting outside (sometimes in the freezing cold) is challenging and takes an incredible amount of perseverance.
Being outside improves your mental health significantly – especially if you’re moving your body and doing something you love. Then, when you finally catch the animal you’ve been waiting for, there’s a sense of accomplishment, provision, and pride.
Other Benefits of Hunting
Aside from the physical and mental benefits hunting offers, there is also the aspect of improving social connections.
Hunting can be a solo activity if desired, but it certainly doesn’t have to be. Oftentimes hunters go together in groups and disperse within the same territory. Sometimes they hunt side by side or use walkie-talkies to communicate.
These connections can include people from your family, friends, or even local hunting groups. By choosing to hunt with a group, you can improve overall social skills, not to mention improve safety and prevent getting lost or injured.
Bonding with people through a shared hobby is a great way to improve relationships. Many adults pass their love of hunting down to their children at a young age.
This feeling of pride and accomplishment for both child and parent is a wonderful memory that will be passed down from generation to generation.
Another benefit that is worth mentioning is the art of learning something new. Learning a new skill or hobby is a great way to boost confidence, happiness, and overall motivation. There’s nothing quite like stretching your brain and seeing the fruit of your labor.
There are many elements to learn about when it comes to hunting, including hunter’s safety, weapons, gear, accessories, animal tracking, and not to mention lots of target practice.
Hunting is bound to keep you busy for a while. The beauty is you can only get better at it and explore different ways of hunting.
And we can’t forget the most significant benefit of all – eating your prized catch! Game meat is generally much leaner than other types of meat, plus you can butcher it any way you want. Once brought home, you can then learn an entirely new skill – cooking!
Get Out There and Get Your Game On
If we haven’t convinced you by now that hunting is an incredible activity for both the body and mind, then we haven’t done our job.
From the physical and mental aspects to the benefits of learning a new skill and bonding with others, we don’t know why everyone doesn’t get out there and try it at least once!
We hope this article has encouraged you to reap the many hunting benefits. If you’re already a pro at hunting, we hope it has further inspired you to keep up the good work knowing that you’re helping your overall health.
So, go forth and get your game on!