Nature and the Pursuit of Life: Hunting Creates the Ultimate Bond

As I stood there on top of a mountain in Idaho with my bow and pack strapped to me, I felt so damn alive. Sweat poured down my camo-covered face. I felt tiny on top of this massive peak, a mere speck in the vast wilderness. However, I felt strong: I had trained and conditioned myself for this moment for a long time. I was not short of breath, I was not exhausted; rather I was completely exhilarated. I felt on top of the world and forgot that I was even hunting for a moment and instead was simply one with this mountain and one with nature. It was an incredible rush of adrenaline and I could hardly believe that it was even real. I looked back at my guide Billy and asked if we could sit against a rock and simply take it all in. He saw what I saw and nodded and we sat down.

As it often happens in the field amongst hunters or outdoorsmen and women in general, the two of us decided it was time to do some soul searching. Billy began to tell me about his life, where he grew up and some personal struggles he as dealing with. He spoke of the ways that the outdoors, hunting, and nature as a whole has helped him through so many rough patches. I shared some of my recent emotional issues that were nagging at me and also explained how the outdoors is my foundation for getting my head right. We talked for a couple of hours and then we took 15 or 20 minutes of total silence to breathe in this mountainous Idaho beauty. As we stood back up to head down into a canyon where we heard some serious bugling, we both knew we had just become brothers for life.

I believe that nature, as untamed as she is, has a way of equalizing human order. Nature also has a way of creating bonds amongst hunters, amongst friends and family that are inexplicable. Just minutes before we stood on that mountaintop, we were total strangers and now we were brothers – it really happens like that in the outdoors.

In case you are wondering, we did not kill on that trip, although we had some insanely close calls with a monster bull. That said, I would not trade the friendship built for a 300 inch bull. Now a 400 incher? Well sorry, Billy, but he would be taking my arrow over the buddies thing, just kidding…

David Farbman

The only thing typical about my life is the non-typical nature that I appear to live in. I firmly believe in the natural order of the world, and I find that this belief helps to navigate me through life, business, and relationships, resonating with my soul. I am in flow with nature and the universe in this way. I blog in an effort to pass on a message about the connections between nature, hunting, and life. Within that realm lies an authentic, clearer path to universal connectivity that I try to live in. The answers to many of our desired outcomes can be found there. My desired outcome is to successfully pass on the ideas, wisdom, and karma that come to me because of my connection with nature and the universe. As this script unfolds in my life, I want to share and help others while adding to the greater good of the world. Many people claim this, but I truly mean it and I bring it into action every day I am on this earth--or at least I sure try. I learned to hike, camp, canoe, horseback ride, fish, and sling arrows at a very young age. A spiritual connection with the outdoors came to me as a little boy and the power of this connection has greatly increased over my lifetime. As a hyper-active person since birth, nature has always settled me down and focused me in while helping me tap into thoughts and ideas that exist within the ether. By thinking, feeling and then willing something to happen after first opening our minds and our vision in a neutral state, we can achieve that which is otherwise unthinkable. I turned 40 years old last October and this past year has served as my catalyst year to promote change. I am in a process of self-actualization as I try to live present in each moment of each day. As part of this process, certain feelings must be turned into actions and done so with complete authenticity. I often write thoughts that come to me and in turn help others--and I believe the greatest return in life is to successfully give. I founded Outdoor Hub in 2007 along with a talented bunch of people and together we created something special. For as long as I can remember I have dreamed of doing something that would help to grow the outdoors and grow hunting--earning it the respect it deserves amongst those who choose not to hunt. I am so excited to be on this journey and I invite you into the field, to climb up a tree, to crawl through the swamps and be one with nature together. Thank you for joining me, the hunt is on...