The Lost Art Of The Hunting Story

Today’s article is written by my good friend and recent Transition Wild podcast guest, Joe Wilson. He illustrates how storytelling has become a “lost art” in our hunting culture and offers insight as to how we all can tell a better story, no matter how big or small, or what the outcome entails. With the world of social media taking us by storm, we tend to focus on the inches and the points as opposed to the finer details and experiences that truly matter. #MakeStoryTellingGreatAgain  

Enjoy! – AP

By Joe Wilson

Before there was tv, radio, or even newspapers, there were storytellers. Due to long periods apart, people reconvening to catch up would undoubtedly regale everyone with the sort of adventures they had been on. Among the various occurrences in life, paramount among them has always been hunting because for nearly all of our existence, you hunted to live. Tales of death-defying encounters with larger than life creatures or trips gone awry turning into survival situations were the norm. Whatever the story, the ability for one to make the listener envision what it was like to be there and to hold one’s attention was more important than the actual event. A story is only as good as the teller.  None of this is based on any actual historical evidence as I did zero research for this but come on, it seems plausible, right?

What I have noticed is that the age of grand storytellers seems to have passed. Sure, we still have the written word where we get to traverse mountains in search of sheep with Jack O’Connor, immerse ourselves into the rivers of Montana with Norman Maclean, or take a modern-day adventure into the heart of Alaska chasing buffalo with Steven Rinella, but what about the guys you see at the archery shop or huddle around a bonfire with at deer camp? In the age of YouTube, hunting television, and Instagram, it seems nobody cares about the spoken word unless it is to boast of their accomplishments. All anyone wants to do is show you a trail camera picture and explain why they did, or did not, shoot that monster buck. Details are limited, emotion is forgotten, and you are left wanting more.

Photo Credit: Charlie Williams

That being said, everyone knows one. It’s the guy/gal with stories. They are the one at family reunions who people gather around to hear speak. Usually, the speaker has reached elder status and has “seen a thing or two.” Their weathered faces give them credibility and they speak with purpose and conviction. They can tell the same story every year but for whatever reason, you never get sick of it. Probably because you could swear new details emerge every year and it never ends like you remember.

Typically the best stories begin with some background. How they got to where they were. What the environment was like. How they were feeling at the moment. The truly gifted tellers have a way of describing such things as if we were right there beside them. The spoken word has a way of being more intense. The listener can read emotions etched across their faces and in turn, the speaker can read the listeners faces to see if the story is having the intended effect. Stories can be tragic or uplifting, funny and maybe even unbelievable.

While I don’t consider myself the best storyteller, there is nothing I love more than hearing one. With that being said, here are my completely biased rules for the making of a good hunting story:

1. Choose your story wisely – Don’t assume the only interesting stories are ones that end in a kill. Sometimes it is just about being in the wild and observing interesting events. That time you saw two squirrels fall out of the tree while mating and then keep going at it once they hit the ground? Let’s just say that’s a great opener.
2. Don’t start too fast – As with any story, spoken or not, it builds to a climax. This doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to drag along but leave the best for later on.
3. Embellishment is encouraged – Let’s be honest; most of our stories, if told 100% truthfully, would be only slightly entertaining. With a little stretching of the truth, they can become legendary. Now you can’t make up complete fabrications but maybe instead of that buck being a 100-incher you could have sworn he topped out at 150 inches. Instead of the bear simply looking at you, he took a couple steps toward you and woofed. It is dealer’s choice but there is a fine line between the truth and complete fabrication. Do your best to straddle it.
4. Give details but also leave room for imagination – People want to feel like they are there but they don’t need exact details. Think “It was a cold day in December” versus “It was December 17, 1972. I had on one blue sock and one red sock because your Aunt Mae had screwed up my laundry.”
5. Pause for effect – For gosh sakes, pause. Leave the listener wanting more. Everyone knows the moment that calls for it. The one where everyone is wide-eyed and you wait until someone finally says, “And then what happened?”
6. Don’t drone on – Good storytellers know the appropriate length to keep their stories. Often dependent upon your audience but no one wants to sit for an hour to hear about how you shot a squirrel off your neighbor’s bird feeder. Unless you did it with a bow from 80 yards. That’s pretty cool.
7. Humor can be a game-changer – Why do you think comedians are so popular? Humor can come in various forms. It can range from funny situations, funny observations, or someone doing something funny. I tend to use self-deprecation because I am an idiot. If you don’t consider yourself to be funny, some fail-safe options include: someone farted/pooped their pants, someone missed an animal from ridiculously close, or someone didn’t load their gun prior to going afield or ran out of bullets (these may or may not be from personal experience).  
8. Always leave on a high note – Nobody wants to hear, “and I missed the shot and I never saw that animal again.” If you need help with this part, refer to rule #2.

Photo Credit: Charlie Williams

There is no going back in time. Hunting television and social media is here to stay but do yourself and the hunting community a favor by putting a little more thought into the stories you tell. Let’s bring back the joy of sitting around a table drinking a cold beverage with your buddies and having one of them say, “hey man, remember that time you tried to shoot a bobcat with your bow?” Just be sure to respond with, “Bobcat? You must mean that mountain lion that tried to attack me.”

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All photos in this article were taken by Charlie Williams. View more of his work by following him on Instagram: @__charliewilliams