The Sacred Hunt

If you were to believe filmmaker Randall L. Eaton, Ph.D., all hunters are placid spiritualists, blessing the souls of the animals they kill, chanting mantras to reconnect themselves with their ancient warrior souls, exercising their chakras to the fullest potential, pondering Zen koans and, for all we know, contemplating the teachings of Gandhi as they clutch their trigger fingers and patiently wait to blast away at Mother Nature. What ever happened to the beer guzzlin', pickup truck drivin', Ted Nugent listenin', Hee Haw watchin' good ole boys in camouflage I usually see going out hunting? I never would have thought they secretly were Athabascan shaman warriors trying to reconnect with their ancient aboriginal souls! This pseudo spiritual and highly specious video masquerades as a touchy feely nature conservation film, but is actually an arch pro-hunting video sponsored by, amongst others, the NRA, Superior Ammo and Barnes Bullets. Given the "aim" and "scope" of the film, I was constantly cringing during the beautiful wildlife scenes just waiting for the sound of rifle fire and the sight of an animal dropping dead in its tracks. But we are never shown a single animal being shot by a hunter, we never hear the sound of a gun, nor do we witness the suffering and painful death of hunted animals. Instead, to the soft, spacey new age music of...what?...are you kidding?...Ted Nugent!!!..our minds are filled with endless doublespeak: "we are trying for the mystical union with the animal," "we pray for the soul of the animals we harvest," "we get good energy when we eat animals that are roaming free in the wild," and "I'm rediscovering that I'm a child of the earth." I'm sorry, haven't these guys ever heard of less impactful activities like backpacking, nature photography, canoeing, or mountain climbing? From the we-respect-wildlife-so-much-we-have-to-shoot-it school, this video is not recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Ray)