Around the Campfire
- AussieJohn
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Across the history of man, we have gathered around fire.We’ve warmed ourselves by it, cooked over it, roasted meat on glowing coals, and used it for light, protection, and comfort. Long before rifles, bows, or written language, the campfire was the centre of life. It still is. The fire is woven into our past — and it’s in a hunter’s DNA.
We are drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
No matter where you hunt, when the fire is lit, people naturally drift toward it. Packs are dropped. Boots come off. Rifles are leaned against a tree or laid beside a swag. The pace of the day slows. The flicker of flames has a way of easing the mind after long hours in the bush, the high country, or the desert.
I’ve shared campfires in many places — in the cold high country of Victoria, with frost on the ground and breath hanging in the air. Far out in the red dirt of the Australian outback, where sunsets burn orange and the night sky explodes with stars. In the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, where the fire fights off alpine cold. And in the dark, wild corners of Africa, where the night feels alive and every sound beyond the firelight matters.
Different continents. Same fire.
Around that fire, stories are told. Some are old and well worn. Others are fresh, still sharp from the day’s hunt. There’s laughter, quiet reflection, and sometimes long pauses where no one feels the need to speak at all. A shared meal tastes better there — cooked simply, eaten slowly, passed around with easy conversation. It’s a joyful thing, sharing food and stories with hunters who understand the effort behind every moment.
When the fire burns low and the conversation fades, you lean back and look up. The stars fill the sky — more than most people ever see in their lives. In those moments, your mind wanders. You think about the day, the hunt, the people beside you, and those who sat around fires long before us. You wonder how many thousands of years hunters have done the same thing, staring into the same stars, feeling the same quiet pull.
It’s nature at its best — simple, honest, and grounding.
The campfire doesn’t just warm the body. It settles the spirit. It reminds us who we are, where we came from, and why no matter how far the hunt takes us — whether it starts or ends — those moments around the fire cling to the soul and etch themselves into memory for life.
