Musicians Who Hunt

In today’s digital age, if you’re friends with someone who hunts live game, chances are you’ve had this experience: scrolling through your social media platform of choice when bam a photo comes across your screen of your compatriot holding up a deer he or she has killed with a rifle or bow-and-arrow. At that moment, you may experience what many others do (especially if you, yourself, are not a hunter). You may balk or cringe to see death so up close.

But what happens if this friend is not just a pal but someone you follow for entertainment, too? Is it possible to silo these two endeavors, or do you block the artist’s hunting posts outright? Or can you go further inward and wonder why you have this sense of shock from hunting in a world filled with farm fishing, factory farms with chickens lined up in cages, with pigs and cows slaughtered every day for fast food burgers, bacon, and even filet mignon? How is this all rectified? 

For musicians Brett Benton and Miller Campbell, who are both avid, respectful hunters, as well as talented, acclaimed songwriters and performers, this dichotomy is an everyday experience.