It’s All About The Journey.
People have been hunting for a very long time in this journey of life..As men evolved, so did their hunting techniques. Along with adaptations on how they killed their prey. Learning to hunt different animals in different environments was key to growth.
In the beginning, you could say it was a necessity to hunt for survival. Now it is strictly regulated, for sport or gaming control. The Journey is not as free as it once was.
Even though it’s changed from necessity to leisure here are 5 tribes that still hunt for survival.
Kalahari bushmen of the Kalahari Desert of Africa
–These guys use some of the oldest hunting known to man, persistence hunting. Instead of using weaponry, they chase prey until exhaustion anywhere from 2 to 5 hours. The human body is unique and uses much less energy to increase speed than most animals. Man’s sweat helps them keep cool, whereas an animal must find hydration.
Spinifex of the Great Victoria Desert
-This tribe leads a basic hunter-gatherer type atmosphere in western Australia. In 1952 the British began testing the atomic bomb and had pushed this tribe out of their homeland. They still practice this type of hunting and was offered a sector of land in 2000.
Sentinelese of the Andaman Islands
-Located in the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal between India and the west of Burma. They are believed to be one of the last stone-age tribes in the world to defend existence.
Pirahã of the Maici River in the Amazon
-The amazon is home to some of the most uncontacted tribes in the world. An original Hunter-gatherer tribe who are highly gifted in survival.
Hunting has mainly become a leisure activity designed to regulate populations of game.
To obtain a hunting permit, the applicant must sit an exam, and follow other laws such as those governing firearms. One must follow strict rules of regulation and certain time frames to hunt. This is a control method to take aim at the game population.
Which if altered, we all know can have serious ramifications for ecosystems. The same thing goes for overpopulated animals. This can cause serious damage to man and its ecosystems as well. So a balance is needed.
The guys over at The Journey believe it’s more than just the kill.
It’s about the journey. A journey that’s less traveled by.
A journey most men don’t take. Especially the modern man.
As men we need to be challenged physically and mentally. It’s human nature.
Challenge yourself through this journey
If you aren’t challenged then what’s the point? If you aren’t pushing yourself and testing your physical and mental boundaries, does stagnation come into effect?
Our society is bruised with an instant gratification atmosphere.
I want this now and I don’t need to work for it, I’m owed this.
What happened to the man who doesn’t take the easy road. The man who fights and crawls his way to the top.
It goes hand in hand with fitness as well. Your journey is different from everyone else… that’s what makes it unique and different.
No one can take that away from you. But if you lack discipline and force the journey your not going to reap all the amazing life lessons along the way.
We want you to take on the journey and embrace your failures and setbacks. Whether your hunting big game or starting your fitness journey. It’s going to make it that much sweeter in the end.
Being in shape and hunting wild game is tough, it’s not easy. It’s challenging and will test you in many ways. But in everything, if you stay on point and focus on consistency. You will reap all the benefits in the world through your journey.
We want to share Josh’s story on why he started “The Journey” because we feel the same in regards to helping men become the best version of themselves not only physically but mentally as well. It’s literally all about the journey and the ride.
You will be challenged and you will fail over and over again. At the end of the day, the end result will be that much sweeter. As men, we need to be challenged.
Military fit will challenge you in more ways than one.
Start Your Journey Today
Q and A: Josh from The Journey….
How did the journey start Josh?
“I’m 19 years young I’ve been hunting since 12. I got my first big game animal, which was a buck deer, this year. It took me 7 long years. It wasn’t for a lack of trying either. When I first got my license I started driving up to the mountains and hunting deer on my own, which was very intimidating, but insightful at the same time. I would go before school, get done around 10, head to school get there around 11 or so and go to football or baseball practice afterwards.
(Good thing I had a mom that understood my passion) I’ve learned great insight from those early morning’s at a young age, and also mistakes. I’ve learned you have to be mentally tough. It’s super cold, very dark, you could make a wrong turn and get lost until the sun rises, bring the right gear, and most certainly be physically fit because it’s a long hike both ways especially if you’re successful with a harvest.
I’ve made many mistakes just from plain ignorance. I’ve never had someone to hunt with or a mentor, but I knew I had a strong, unbreakable passion with it. Not spending enough time practicing with your rifle, being too impatient and getting buck fever, taking the shot instead of stalking more to get a closer shot…I could name plenty of errors I’ve made in my short hunting career.
I was out on a hunt in the mountains and I had a huge 4×3 mule deer in my sights and I gently squeeze the trigger to take the shot….click.
I didn’t have a round in the chamber and the deer ran off. I was so angry with myself. Defeated as I was thinking i’m going to go my 7th year without an animal. As the hunt nears to end and I’m walking back to my truck I tell myself, “I can’t be the only person to have made these mistakes, hiked so far everyday, and put so much effort in just to fail so many times.” Persistence is the key, and it’s truly not about the kill; it’s about the preparation, attitude you have everytime you lace those boots up, and the moments and memories you make with the outdoors.
The Journey begins way before hunting season even kicks off. Are you doing the right workouts? Are you eating the right foods or drinking the right fluids? Are you keeping your body in peak performance so you’re able to climb the damn mountain?”
Why did The Journey start?
I wanted people to understand hunting. People, who are for and against hunting. In a nutshell; you prepare your body for the worst, you draw the tag, you either get a guide or do an unguided hunt, harvest an animal, gut/pack out the animal, skin/clean the animal, package then freeze, and finally its on the plate.
For people who are against hunting I want them to understand 95% of hunters, aren’t out there just shooting animals because they think it’s fun. Hunters aren’t some gun toting rednecks that want to kill furry creatures. There’s SO much more to it. For hunters I want them to understand , even if you fail on your hunt or make some mistakes, realize what you have accomplished to that point and learn from it.
The Journey was created to ensure people that hunting isn’t completely about the kill. The Journey is about the memories, moments, and the traveling stage you have made in your hunting career. Learn from those mistakes, come back at a different time and be successful. The Journey is a traveling experience, not a guaranteed or quick expedition.
What’s your goal with the journey?
I would love for one day someone to message me and say, “I have been preparing for this hunt for x number of years, been keeping my body in top shape and went through some mental hardships just to be on this hunt. I was unsuccessful in the hunt but I had a great appreciation, how I got to this point and where The Journey took me.” I want hunters to feel they have taken the road less traveled on every expedition and enjoy it.
What’s so different from eastern and western hunting in the US?
Mountain Hunting Style/Physical Preparedness. Western hunting is different from all other types of hunting because it requires extreme endurance and physical fitness. That is mainly because it is mountainous terrain with high elevations. Most people in western North America don’t sit in stands and blinds to hunt, simply because you can’t, unless you have flat farmland or an outfitter with thousands of animals around. I’m in the space with western hunters and all of the people I talk to keep their body in good shape year round, and kick it up a notch when hunting season rolls around.
It becomes apparent if you’ve trained hard enough as soon as you start up that peak in the cold weather, high elevations, and steep mountains. Western hunting is the ultimate challenge and it should be the expectation of any true hunter. You can pay thousands of dollars to go on a ranch and sit in a blind until and animal walks out right in front of you to shoot it.
Is that true hunting though? In my opinion it’s not. Granted, I have not much experience, but I sure as hell earn my harvest. Do you want to earn it or pay for it to be given to you. A true hunter will earn it.
Embrace the Journey.
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References:
https://www.huntercourse.com/blog/2011/05/amazing-hunter-gatherer-societies-still-in-existence
https://www.alimentarium.org/en/knowledge/history-hunting
https://quatr.us/economy/history-hunting.htm
