3
“Hunting”
with a camera
opens up other
opportunites. Brian
captured this image
of a Muntjac in
north east Bali while
on holiday there.4
Photography is
a challenging
and immensely
satisfying part of
hunting if you get
into it, especially
when you are trying
to take a photo of
someone sneaking
in and trying to
photograph deer.5
Many hunters
want to give
back by mentoring
and teaching
younger hunters.
Brian had worked in
an abattoir and
passed on those
dressing out skills at
hunting workshops
for the Game
Council of NSW.6
Research
reveals that a
hunter’s
development can
involve the
“Method Stage”
where the process
of hunting becomes
the focus and you
pace a higher
priority on how it is
accomplished.
Brian with a
Central Qld pig.ON THIS
SPREADDevelopment and insight
of Zen in martial arts
and hunting
DEVELOPMENT THROUGH
MARTIAL ARTS. When you start
out in martial arts you are keen on
technique and skill development,
fitness and progressing through
the grades. If your martial art
involves contact fighting and you
are young, fit and resilient, there
is a lot of fun and character
development in pitting yourself
on-on-one against others of
different skill levels, age and
physical make-up. Whether you
are in a class going over technique
or sparring – it is all about being
totally in that technique or fight
with your whole mind and body.
The arts I have studied have also
emphasised the importance of
self–examination (often through
meditation), humility, respect and
increasingly as you become more
senior, teaching or aiding others
in their development as a marital
artist and as a person. Throughout
your marital arts life your
practice, emphasis and
perspective of what is important
will change with increasing
knowledge, experience and also
physical capability. You also grow
to appreciate the path others take
in their martial arts life.DEVELOPMENT IN HUNTING.
Research in the US has defined
that there are five basic or distinct
stages of hunter development:- The Shooting Stage where the
priority is getting off a shot,
rather than patiently waiting for
a good shot. - The Limiting or Bagging-Out
Stage whereby success is
determined by bagging the limit
or putting something in the
freezer or on the wall. - In The Trophy Stage, the hunter
is selective and judges success
by quality rather than quantity.
(This stage can also be when
hunters take up photography)
4. When you reach , the process of
hunting becomes the focus. You
may still want to put meat in the
freezer or a head on the wall but
you place a higher priority on
how it’s accomplished.
5. Success in The Experience Stage
is measured by the total
experience, the appreciation of
the outdoors, the environment
and the animal being hunted,
the process of the hunt, and the
companionship of other hunters.
At this stage you are also likely
to mentor new hunters.
Therefore, when you see martial
arts and hunting in light of what I
have just described above, there are
a lot of commonalities which you
probably wouldn’t think of from a
distance or at a glance eh?
FINAL THOUGHTS. So, next time you
are sitting quietly on the hillside
waiting for a deer to appear in that
nice green open area of bush on the
opposite side of the gully, maybe
you could think about whatWWW.SPORTINGSHOOTER.COM.AU | 755