Hunting and Hiking
By Rene Wendell
November 2008
The Bureau’s outdoor columnist, Rene Wendell, reminds us the Berkshires has plenty of room for both activities.
Well, it’s hunting season again. For many, it is a time honored tradition to head to the woods with your family, children or buddies to try and outsmart one of the wariest creatures out there - the white-tail deer. He is perfectly suited for the forest and fields he calls home. Deer have hearing, at times as sharp as ours, and vision as powerful as any human. For hunters who do meet success, there are congratulations from their peers and food for the family 
throughout the coming year.
When I was young, I remember going into the woods with my father. He would show and teach me all sorts of things. More often than not, we would come home empty handed but that did not matter because we had a great time together. Actually, most of the time hunters are unsuccessful. Luckily, it’s not the kill that is rejoiced in but the experience. In today’s fast paced world, seldom does one consciously slow down. When in the woods, you must open up to all that is around you, intensifying your hearing to its limits, focusing on the slightest movement, controlling the cold that seeps into your bones, and being ready at a moments notice when opportunity presents itself. This sort of being is powerful for those who know it. Couple it with an innate desire to be in the woods and it becomes a lifelong passion unexplainable to those who have never experienced it.
Running a nature center, I am keenly aware that all do not share my love for hunting. Many people can find the same spiritualism through mediation in the woods or through daily, leisurely, strolls. Still, others find release in exercise and fresh air. To these people the thought of hunters in the woods is intimidating. And, for many, it seems that their special places are now off limits. For those that feel this way, do not fret! I would offer solace in those places that do not allow hunting.
We are extremely lucky, here in the Berkshires, in that we still have many places to roam. There is room for all in our many forests, fields, mountain tops, and wetlands. In fact, this is what makes this place as special as it is! If you choose to hunt, you can find many of the state forests open to you. If you choose to hike and not be encumbered with that gaudy, obtrusive, and uncool florescent orange, there are nature preserves that do not allow hunting and are often all yours at this time of year!
I am continually reminded that people have more in common with each other than differences. If you take time to hear another’s point of view or needs and if you have in mind the intent to understand, then we can all live, flourish, and enjoy what is here together. The Berkshires are an amalgamation of locals, visitors, and weekenders all different but united in the love for this very special place.
About Rene Wendell
Introduced to nature by his father, Pittsfield, MA native Rene Wendell knew the names of wild creatures as a toddler. After living in Florida and Arizona Wendell returned to the Berkshires to obtain degrees from Berkshire Community College and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and now works a conservation ranger for the Trustees of Reservations. As such, Wendell spends his days knocking back invasive plants, tracking rattle snakes, and teaching others about the great outdoors. He likes to hike, hunt, fish, bird watch, collect antiques, and go metal detecting with his 91-year-old father.