By MATTHEW T

Having filmed my friend in the woods and produced his hunting videos for roughly four years, I never developed the urge to actually pick up a gun or bow and harvest my own deer until 2008. Growing up in my household, we didn't have guns nor any reason to ever use them for sport or necessity.

But sitting among the tree tops with a video camera silently observing the woodland's creatures living in their habitat was a new experience for me. Immediately, I felt a certain spirituality and connection with the world I had never known.

Prior to this about 35 years before my plunge into wildlife videography, my grandpa had been an avid outdoor sportsman which included hunting small game and fishing for different lake and river species. Mom would tell me of the stories where she frequently cleaned the squirrels or rabbits that he had concurred from his quest.

Grandpa died when I was three-years-old, so I vaguely remember anything about him. With his life cut short at 54-years-old, I never knew life with a grandfather. As I got older, I felt cheated - until I decided to hunt with my friend. Through the filming and eventual transition for me to take up a firearm in Ohio's Apprentice program in 2008 then solo in 2009, I was able to harvest three deer. In each instance, I continued to feel that deep spirituality and connection with nature, but I also felt my Grandpa's presence.

There's nothing like hearing from your Grandpa that he's proud of you, which for me is a way of becoming a man. I supplied my family with food as my Grandpa used to do so for my mother and her sister and brothers. I suppose there's something primal about the whole experience, too, but it's beyond that for me. Finally, I get to enjoy an activity with Grandpa.