WHY I HUNT AND FISH

"I grew up with an understanding and appreciation of all things fish and game, woods and waters and it was a huge part of our family life. " - Michael S. Males

I hunt and fish for different reasons. For one, it is in my DNA. I inherited it down thru a long line of family members who I grew up hunting with since I was a very young man. I remember fishing with my Dad back as early as I can remember. I have photos of Dad and I from when I was only 4 years old holding my first Hopewell Fish and Game stocked trout. In all honesty, I can look at the picture and remember the day and the moment the photo was taken. I remember counting the YEARS until I was old enough to hunt. Back in the 70's and 80's there weren't any "mentor tags". Dad let me hunt dove with a 410 in our 2 acre yard when I was only 10 years old. We hunted rabbits and pheasants with my Uncles and Cousins on Wolf Farms property from the time I was 12 until well into my 20's. I grew up with an understanding and appreciation of all things fish and game, woods and waters and it was a huge part of our family life.

For two, I love the social aspect of it, particularly when it is related to fishing. There is nothing more fun that standing around a fishing hole stocked with trout with a bunch of your fishing buddies. Equally as enjoyable is standing on Avalon Pier throwing Gotchas for Spanish or Blues with all of my friends from both far and near who gather there for the same reason I do. Hunting too, however the "gatherings" are usually in the form of a few different group texts and we are all reporting in day to day. Still, it is a social and communal. People who all love the same thing, congregating around the same thing. When your buddy lands that big large mouth bass beside you, or arrows that big buck that you got to help drag out. It is almost like you both got it. When your buddy misses that big ole buck at 15 yards can be equally as enjoyable. It is really about the stories and memories, and they aren't really worth as much if you cannot share them with someone else who loves hunting or fishing too.

For three, well, put simply, I like to know where my food comes from. I can say for certain about any deer I have taken. I know how he or she lived, I know what they ate, what they drank, and I know how their life ended. That ground burger that comes in the plastic wrapper at Walmart? I am not really sure how many cows are in that all mixed together, nor do I know where and how that animal lived and what the conditions of their lives were. I believe that you are what you eat. Energy, whether it be good or bad, is transferable.

This website and all it's content is dedicated to my Dad, Bill Males, who gave me this love...that I hope to give to you.