I can remember the first time I went out hunting with
my dad. I was 6 years old. I wasn’t old enough to hunt, but my dad decided I
was old enough to sit still and appreciate the past time that he treasured when
he got the chance. From that first day I went out with my dad, his fire for the
outdoors sparked a flame in me that has taken ablaze of my life. It is a
burning passion that I share with my dad, family and friends. I yearn for the
time I put in scouting, shed hunting, setting stands, cutting shooting lanes, putting
out trail cameras and everything in between that gets me ready for the morning
sit on the first day of archery season. I learn something new every day out in
the woods, and my passion for the outdoors only grow as I grow older.
Image 1
Not everyone feels the same way I do about hunting. To
some, hunting is a cruel, violent, unnecessary sport. As PETA would say, hunters
“slaughter and maim millions of animals on public land every year, and by some
estimates, poachers kill just as many animals illegally.”1
Anti-hunters believe that hunters are blood-thirsty killers that kill animals
for the fun of it. To them, hunting is obsolete; they believe that the vast
majority of hunters do not hunt for subsistence. They are just as passionate
about what they believe about hunting as I am about that I know about hunting. I
believe that hunting is a way to get people into nature to appreciate and
utilize available resources; hunting is one of many ways to conserve and manage
game species and the habitat they live in, in addition to providing an organic
food source.
Only about 5 percent of the United States population hunts1, but more people hunt each year than play other sports like soccer or baseball.2 Hunting is an outdoor activity available on many national forests, state parks and on public lands just an any other outdoor recreational sport like hiking, fishing, boating and camping. President Theodore Roosevelt was an avid hunter that brought environmental and game protection and management into the spotlight. Roosevelt created national forests and was an advocate for sustainable and ethical hunting2. Hunters are one of the biggest supporters of wildlife habitat management. Hunting license fees, tax on firearms and shooting supplies under the Pittman-Robertson Act, and non-profit organizations, such as National Wild Turkey Federation(NWTF), Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation(RMEF), Ducks Unlimited and countless others, contribute to habitat management and restoration3. Hunters are habitat management and conservation advocates because they know that without the proper habitat, there would be no game to hunt.
Those who oppose hunting also think that hunting is the direct cause of some species extinction and that nature has its own natural predators that we should let control species populations1,4. Natural species management is not as bubbly or ethical as anti-hunters believe. Without species management through hunting, populations will grow and exceed carrying capacity leading them to wander further out of their native range or starve do to competition or predation. A large concentration of a specific species leads to a higher risk of spreading disease, and if those species wander they could venture into urban areas or spread contagious diseases with livestock4. Not to mention predators, whom are natural to the food chain, but without the proper control can do the same thing; they will compete for territory and food, only to wander out of their home range and into urban areas, increasing the possibility for negative wildlife and human interaction, and increasing the possibility of spreading diseases to humans, their domestic pets, or livestock.
Image 2
Hunting in general has been part of human life for centuries.
“Every early culture relied in hunting for survival. Through hunting, man
forged a connection with the land and learned quickly that stewardship of the
land went hand-in-hand with maintaining wildlife- and their own way of life.”5.
There is a difference between trophy hunting and sport, subsistence hunting.
With fitness and organic food being a popular past-time fad these days, trekking
mountainous terrain and creating a personal connection with your surroundings
to get close enough to take a wild animal is a way to get the most organic food
source while testing your physical and psychological limits. Subsistence
hunting is where an individual takes game animals that all parts of the animal
are used for food or to support that individual’s livelihood. Market and trophy
hunting were, by law, prohibited thanks to the Lacey Act, passed in 19005.
Image 3
Hunting will always be a controversial topic among
both hunters and anti-hunters alike. Ethical hunting is a conservation tool
that has made remarkable advances in wildlife and habitat management. I believe
that hunting is a way to get people into nature to appreciate and utilize
available resources; hunting is one of many ways to conserve and manage game
species and the habitat they live in, in addition to providing an organic food
source. Not everyone agrees with my belief, but hunting has always been a
passion of mine that I plan to pass onto my children. Hunting is conservation.
Citations:
1. Why
Sport Hunting is Cruel and Unnecessary. 2017. People for the Ethical Treatment
of Animals. PETA.
<http://www.peta.org/issues/wildlife/wildlife-factsheets/sport-hunting-cruel-unnecessary/>
2. 25
Reasons Why Hunting is Conservation. 2013. Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. RMEF.
<http://www.rmef.org/Conservation/HuntingIsConservation/25ReasonsWhyHuntingIsConservation.aspx>
3. Baden,
J. A., and T. O'Brien. 1995. Hunting Plays a Key Role in Habitat Conservation.
Foundation for Research on Economics & the Environment. FREE. <http://www.free-eco.org/insights/article/hunting-plays-key-role-habitat-conservation>
4. Hunting-
the murderous business. 2017. In Defense of Animals. In Defense of Animals.
<http://www.idausa.org/campaign/wild-animals-and-habitats/hunting/>
5. Hunting
is Conservation. 2017. Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. RMEF.
<http://www.rmef.org/Conservation/HuntingIsConservation.aspx?gclid=Cj0KEQiAot_FBRCqt8jVsoDKoZABEiQAqFL76NpyGEF4r4WoqJ5T2FDx0VTU7YWMxDzDD2fkxuwYRaIaApAZ8P8HAQ>
Pictures:
1. Taylor
Holt
2. <http://www.totalwildlifesolutions.com/single-post/2016/05/20/Why-Fawn-Survival-Is-Plummeting>
3. <http://bgiroquois.blogspot.ca/2012/12/the-art-of-andrew-knez.html>
I agree that hunting is an asset to conservation efforts, especially to areas that no longer have the larger natural predators to help maintain a healthy population. The hunters play the part of the missing predators and try to keep the population in balance with what the habitat can support. They even provide data to the Game Commission through game check stations. Hunters were even the ones who were the first to become concerned about the disappearing wildlife in the late 1800’s, without them we probably would not have many of Pennsylvania’s iconic species.
ReplyDeleteI like how you incorporated an opposing opinion on hunting and why they feel hunting is unethical. I believe hunting done the right way is a great way to manage wildlife and the environment in which they live. That is why there are so many game laws and regulations set by biologists and game officers to maintain healthy populations. It is the very few irresponsible hunters that give a bad reputation by not following these and are reckless in their hunts. It is important to remember that there are people out there who can ruin it for everyone.
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