Introducing Roger William Jørgensen

It was in Germany where my love for hunting and high stands first developed. During my parents’ first time being stationed in Germany, before I was even in the world, my dad received his German Jagdschein (hunting license) and joined the local hunting club. So when we returned 14 years later they welcomed him back. My first hunting memories were of helping him repair high seats, the European version of a raised blind, which you can’t help but notice when you drive in Europe even to this day, as they are scattered in nearly every field. It was this stewardship of hunting areas and respect for wildlife that stayed with me over the years, even though I only realized it once I was grown.

My father kept the hunting tradition going in our family even when we returned to Alaska, the same way those in Europe have done for hundreds of years. Some traditions grow on you, while some have just always made sense. A last bite, for example, which is the placing of green grass or evergreen in the fallen animal’s mouth as a sign of respect, always made sense especially when explained in my father’s solemn way. It was what came after that took me a while to appreciate: the cough medicine which I found out later was called Jägermeister that was used to toast the animal. What began as a tough sell soon became a reason to head back into town in the middle of a safari to refill. To this day when I think of Jägermeister, I don’t think of my freshman year of college, I think of hunting with my father.