"I don’t ask everyone to hunt—I realize it’s not a likely reality. But I do hope that those who don’t hunt can understand why I pursue this connection to nature and my food. My experience and respect for death grounds me in what it means to live. Knowing the gravity of mortality is an expansion of the mind, and it provides a moral compass for who I want to be: A respectful participant in nature, as opposed to one who takes and offers nothing in return. "— Brad LuttrellToday is something different. There’s no guest.  Today, in my first podcast of 2020, I am sharing something that I’ve put a lot of work into describing. As you’ll hear, it’s a response to a magazine article I read this fall, which rattled me. The more I thought about this perverse interpretation of hunting, the more I wanted to provide a response. I was hopeful their team would be interested in providing a perspective from someone who has actually hunted in the last two decades and knows the real culture. They never responded. I'm not necessarily surprised in the lack of response. I worked in journalism briefly and I get it. They hear from a lot of people. But their mission on their website claims a desire to "show the spots that make the South a far better place than most folks think it is." And I think this column fell far short of that goal. Hunting is far more than what outsiders like him think it is. And I was hopeful to showcase a rebuttal in the magazine, but alas, here we are. Months have gone by with no progress. I did end my communication with them by inviting the editor and the author out to hunt with me. I believe such a trip would leave them disappointed in the decision to run the original column, if not actually embarrassed about how dead wrong it was. Writers, photographers and content creators have important jobs. Documentary work is more than capturing a single moment. As conflict photographer James Nachtwey says about himself, this is about being a witness to moments in history. I’m sure the publication’s intentions were good. This was simply an uninformed decision. But while reviewing people celebrating it on Twitter, it became clear to me that this was not being a good witness for those who can’t see. And while my work may never reach them, this is my effort to bring some insight into why hunting brings out the the best version of me. I hope you enjoy. Bitter Southerner's "Why I Don't Hunt Anymore"Share your feedback with the Bitter Southerner here