Shane McMahon, of West Gardiner, harvested his first animal – a seven-point buck – at 12 years old. McMahon, now 56, and his brothers learned to hunt with their grandfather. “He kind of took us under his wing in the early stages,” McMahon said. “We spent a lot of time with our grandfather and we all took up the sport.”

Tim Gagnon, 40, of Brunswick, has also been hunting since childhood and learned from his father how to hunt deer, duck, geese, and other game. For these avid hunters, the sport is also about nature, peace, and building bonds.

McMahon classified two types of hunters: “There are hunters who go just for the meat and those who go for the sport.” He is the latter. “I take great solitude in being outdoors,” he said, “and I enjoy the sport of hunting much more than I do the killing of the animal… there’s a difference between hunting and killing, and some people never learn that.”

Part of the sport is matching wits with an animal that is at home in the woods. “It’s not easy,” he said, but it’s worth it. Also worth it is the chance to see the woods come alive. “A lot of people out there have never seen the forest wake up in the morning,” Gagnon said. “They’ve never seen it shut down at night.”

This connection with nature is a bonus of the sport. “It’s something unique that a lot of people have never heard of or taken advantage of,” noted Gagnon.

These days, McMahon and Gagnon are passing their knowledge on to new generations and continuing family traditions. “My hunting partner now is my grandson, who is 13,” McMahon said.

The duo hunt mostly white-tailed deer, occasionally moose, and even black bear in the fall, taking advantage of opportunities from nearby Wiscasset to New Brunswick, Canada. They’ve taken on the challenge of archery (bow hunting, specifically), which involves special skills, especially with the hunter being within 25 to 30 yards of the prey.

“I’ve learned much more as an archery hunter than I ever did with a firearm,” McMahon said.

Gagnon is an archery instructor for the L.L. Bean Discovery Center, where he teaches different groups how to target shoot with a bow.

McMahon encourages experienced hunters to teach younger generations the skills of the sport. “The earlier you learn, the more lasting those memories and experiences are as you grow older,” he said.

McMahon’s grandson would sit with him in the afternoons during hunting season by age four, and was trained in hunter’s safety by age 10. “They’re lifelong relationships you develop among hunters,” McMahon said.

For Gagnon, the quality time is what it’s all about. “It’s time you can spend together that’s not in front of a TV or any kind of made-up entertainment,” he explained. “I did it with my dad, I plan on doing it with my son, and for the past 10 years it’s just been about camaraderie with my buddies.”

For these Mainers, hunting is a game and a sport, but also an art, an instinct, and a way to connect with nature and loved ones.