Under-Appreciated Benefits of Hunting as a Hobby
Hunting is typically seen from two different perspectives.
On the one hand, it’s a traditional activity and a form of subsistence that humanity has depended on for time out of mind. On the other hand, it’s a hobby that individuals love to indulge in both in solo settings as well as in groups.
While camaraderie and survival are usually the prime benefits of hunting, there are other positive aspects of the sport, particularly when hunting as a hobby.
Here are two key areas where hunting can yield massive benefits.
Hunting Helps with Physical Health
One of the best ways that hunting can help is through overall physical health. This comes from multiple areas.
For example, there’s the hunting itself. There are certainly prolonged periods when hunting involves lying, sitting, or standing still. Even these seemingly mundane activities can offer excellent physical benefits, such as improving core strength, balance, and posture. Shooting can even improve hand-eye coordination.
And that doesn’t even touch on the time spent moving around. When hunting, plenty of hours are spent traipsing through the wilderness. This activity isn’t for the faint of heart.
Hunting often involves fighting through the underbrush, climbing hills, and wading streams. This can work up a sweat in no time and is a great way to stay in shape.
There are also simple benefits that come from being outdoors, such as lowering blood pressure, boosting immunity, getting better sleep, and tapping into improved Vitamin D intake.
Hunting Helps with Mental Health
Hunting is a very mind-heavy activity. This starts before a hunter ever leaves their home. Guns have to be cleaned and bags properly packed. In addition, changes to hunting laws (which happen often) need to be researched, read, and thoroughly understood.
Once out in the field, the mental activity continues. Gun safety has to be observed at all times and a general awareness of one’s surroundings is key. In addition to the mental strains and responsibilities, being outside can work wonders on an individual’s mental state.
Once again, being outdoors in a calm, natural environment can be incredibly powerful. It can enhance creativity, lower stress levels, and work as an antidepressant. The act of breathing fresh air can also enhance one’s decision-making ability.
Even things like conversations with others or working with a hunting dog can bolster these benefits. Talking with other people is a great way to relieve mental pressure. Bonding with a dog is a well-known way to help with things like depression and anxiety.
And you can add to that the fact that you’re in nature, which is one of the best places to detox and relax. By hunting, you put yourself in a relaxed atmosphere that can help you truly tap into some bonafide inner peace, pleasant contentment, and deep satisfaction.
Steering Into the Underappreciated Aspects of Hunting
In the modern era, hunting is a hobby. No matter how much you want to make it about survival, the truth is, by the time you buy all over your equipment and spend time in the hunt, cleaning your kill, and storing it, you might as well have worked a job for a few hours and bought meat at the grocery store with your paycheck.
However, hunting as a hobby still has many, many benefits. Some of these are physical, such as improving your balance and getting exercise outdoors. Others are mental, like relieving anxiety and depression and boosting your decision-making abilities.
The important thing is that hunting isn’t excused as a time-sucking or unhelpful activity. On the contrary, it should be trumpeted as more than a hobby. It should be held up as an ideal investment of time, effort, and resources that can yield a plethora of different advantages for anyone willing to put in the work.
