After saying the ritual hunting prayer and provided that I am in the true spirit of the hunt, I have encountered a few animals that have amazingly appeared out of nowhere. Our eyes have met and there has been a feeling that we both know why our paths have crossed. We seem to have been placed in a position of predator and prey and there is no denying the situation. The stare of death is one of peace and acceptance. The first few encounters are indescribably eerie.

It is as though my prayer was being answered. The animal does not run nor show fear. It looks at me with a stare of submissiveness. It waits for me to take careful aim to make its end swift. There have been times that I have chosen not to take the shot. In retrospect I find that my ego had gotten in the way because the animal was not big enough for me.

If you have experienced this stare of death no further explanation is necessary. If you have not seen it then no explanation will be sufficient. Perhaps you have seen it, but did not realize exactly what was happening. Maybe you have just considered it luck or a chance encounter with a dumb one.

I imagine there must be a name for it, but I have not found one yet. I have heard that this transpires with wolves and their prey in the wild. This leads me to believe that all things are in order and perfect in nature. All creatures have their proper place in the order of things and this order cannot be denied.

As I explore the belief that hunting is the essence of life and that many modern activities imitate the hunt I find that this natural phenomenon occurs in our everyday life. One example may be when searching for certain item in an antique store and suddenly it appears right in front of you as though it knew you were looking for it. Or perhaps it is a job and the opportunity materializes when you least expect it.