Solitude, spirituality, wild food, challenge and escape were the themes of responses our Facebook Fans gave when we asked "I hunt Wilderness because ____."  In recognition of 50 years of the Wilderness Act, we've compiled 50 reasons why BHA fans choose to hunt the Wilderness...

1. I hate hunting in crowds!!!!!!!!! -Robert Benavidez 

2. It's therapeutic. -Patrick Smith

3. I seek solitude. -Luke Johnson

4. For the beauty of nature. Its the closest you can come to how the world in its purest form that you can get in touch with. And get in touch with your purest self. -Shawn Maver

5. That's what men do. -Bill Lamb

6. I feel so much closer to what the good lord has given us. -Harold Cohick

7. It is where I belong. -Peter Morrow

8. I do it for the adventure and the challenge. -Sean West

9. There are few humans. -Bryan Lipscy

10. I seek the path less traveled. -Trevor Herrman

11. No ATVs, no Keystone Light cans! -Mark Penninger

12. For the peacefulness of walking through the woods and the heart pounding feeling you get with every sound you hear knowing it could be the game you're after! -Mikal Faucher

13. The whispering winds and lush green forest reminds me of of what happiness truly is. -John A. Jarvis

14. It keeps me from going postal on the local "pumpkin patch." -Adam Neff

15. Where the roads end, the elk begin! -Clayton Palmer

16. It has not been infected by mankind. -Gene Watson

17. I hunt the wilderness -because the wilderness hunts me! -Joe Dow

18. It's my church. -Ryan West

19. It's a great stress reliever to see the peace in nature and transfer that peace within. -Karissa Hendrickson

20. The wilderness boundary is the like a time line, it allows you to see many parts of the world as Muir, Roosevelt and Leopold saw them. Wilderness = Wildness. -Trevor Probandt

21. It keeps me rooted, keeps me connected and keeps me sane; it's where I belong. -David Stalling

22. I'm 70 years old and it keeps me feeling young and alive! Whither I harvest an animal or not. -Mac Jones

23. It nourishes my soul. -Nate Dansie

24. It's rugged, unforgiving and the only way to experience what life has to offer! -Shawn Sabo

25. I feel at peace when I'm in the wilderness. And I also have a family to feed. -Kayla Konya

26. Recognizing our insignificance is liberating. -Gregory MB

27. Its a hunt, not a harvest. -Jesse Shuck

28. The greater the effort, the greater the reward. -Ben Long

29. Hunting in the city is lame. -Neal Herrman

30. No motor vehicles! -Brad Riddle

31. That's what my dad taught me and it's what I'm teaching my kids. -Tim Broome

32. Its like stepping back in time. -Brett Fowers

33. It gives me solace, quality time away from the grind, and a deep connection to those hunters who traveled the same paths before us, unmolested by the modern world. -Land Tawney

34. That's the best place to find the elk! No ATVS, fewer people willing to put in the effort = less pressured game. -Cleve Dixon

35. Its quiet -Clint Moyer

36. Its how I choose to. Not the only way, but the best way. -Shaun Knutzen

37. At sunrise I want to hear an elk bugle not an ATV drive by. -Andy Roosa

38. For spiritually and physically clean foods for my family. -Rick Polzin

39. Its the most civilized place I know. -Jeff Dalton

40. More wildlife than people! -Phil Gordon

41. It is so peaceful and you don't have people running all over you. Plus it is an escape from the every day life of going to work and leaving behind all your worries. -Angelia Smith-Johnson

42. It's a reality check! Back to real reality and helps me escape the virtual reality bubble we typically live in. -Jordan Earlo Tubbs

43. That's where I'm happy! -Steve Reid

44. Days are long, scenery is beautiful, people are few and animals are plentiful. -Roger Sanford

45. I hunt wilderness because then I know my meat was fresh and that there's no additives or preservatives or artificial flavors. -Kristel Maver

46. I don't have to hide from hunters. -Ted Bair

47. It's the only place to feel completely secluded...one's ability to participate with nature to the fullest possibility. -Robb Leishman

48. That's where the big boys run! -Travis Tate

49. "In wildness is the preservation of the world"—Thoreau, submitted by -Sirhc Nnamuan

50. That's where the animals are. -Armond Acri

Help us speak-up for the wild lands and wilderness areas that you depend on! Join "the sportsmen's voice for our wild public lands, waters and wildlife" here!

Photo courtesy of Dalton Buller Photography