"Hunters often consider what they do to be a privilege, a ritual in which outsiders do not fully understand. Hunting reveals a world mostly hidden in an urban society increasingly divorced from its rural roots. While hunting in contemporary North America has lost its formative purpose - the search for sustenance - it is much more than merely a game. Hunting is a natural thread that connects us with our own roots, with who we once were, and with what it once meant to be human. These truths are often lost in the urban jungle. I spent a year and half traveling across the United States looking for its next generation of hunters. Setting out from New Mexico, I passed through Wyoming, Illinois, New York, Maryland, North Carolina, and Georgia. Along the way I joined many hunting expeditions as I sought the perspective of child hunters.
These faces show America's youth connecting to hunting's storied past. Many children today while away their time with video games, television and movies. These subjects take a different path. For them, the thrill is learning to follow their instincts and being immersed in nature. All these children have something in common, they are at home in nature."
Make sure to also check out Larsen's related project The Hunt.
From Top To Bottom:
The Flag
Deer Slayer
The Feather
Josh's Hog
Benjamin
All Images © Erika Larsen
