COMMENT SUMMARY: No comments received.
MY COMMENT: In my experience, it is a waste of time to
try to justify hunting to those who oppose it.
I will, instead, talk about why I like to hunt. It may encourage those who haven’t tried
hunting to give it a shot (pardon the pun).
It may reinforce others who hunt, or motivate those who haven’t been
hunting recently. Regardless, hopefully
it will help to create understanding about hunting as a sport.
Hunting is an outdoor sport. Whether you harvest game, or not, it is great
to immerse yourself in the out of doors. To see what I mean, take a walk in the woods to an undisturbed place that conceals your
movements. Sit for a few hours, or as
long as you can stand it, without moving or making any kind of noise. For the first half hour it will be quiet,
provided there are no squirrels or birds sounding the alarm. Then the place starts to come alive. Birds sing, and animals begin to move. You begin to blend in to a world a lot of
people never experience. Leave your smart
phone off and your notebook in the car.
Don’t take a book or magazine. A
lot of hunters don’t have this experience, but the “successful” ones do.
If you hunt with a friend, a group of buddies, your wife
or husband, or with family, it is a great time to enjoy some camaraderie. It is one of the reasons some people look
forward to hunting season all year. I
have many fond memories of time spent hunting with those I care about.
We live in an advanced society; the information age. Most forms of primitive behavior are subject
to the limitations of law, morals and ethics, and social norms. Yet, within limits, there are some kinds of
primitive behavior that we may still engage in, including: sex, child birth,
fighting, wilderness backpacking, running, horseback riding, war,
fishing, and hunting. I’m sure you can
think of more.
I believe that participation in primitive behavior is
necessary for mental and emotional health.
People need to escape the constrictions of everyday life and let loose
once in a while. So, choose what works for
you, and do it in a in a legal, ethical, and moral way. Social acceptance is desirable, but you will
find that there will always be someone who will object to what you are doing or
the way you are doing it.
Hunting is a challenge.
There are quite a few skills involved, it takes discipline to do it
right, and it involves physical exertion in almost every case. The weather can defeat you, and so can the
terrain. Your companions may insist on
hunting in places where the chances of success are low. You will make mistakes that will cost you
opportunities to harvest game. You will
be outsmarted by “dumb” animals and birds.
If you stay out long enough, you will sorely miss your wife’s cooking,
TV, your recliner, and sleeping in; to name a few. So, why hunt?
It is because there are very few things that will refresh your mental,
emotional, and physical well-being like hunting will.
Hunting and fishing promote the conservation of wildlife
and habitat. Remember that most of the
money used for conservation in the United States comes from hunting and fishing
licenses, boat registrations, habitat and migratory waterfowl stamps, use
fees, and excise taxes on the sale of guns, ammunition, fishing tackle, and
related gear. Many species that were in
danger of extinction; like antelope (pronghorns), elk, and various species of,
fish, duck, and other birds; were brought back by conservation money from
hunters and fishermen. There quite a
number of private conservation organizations: like Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants
Forever, and The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation; who do important work to
conserve wildlife and habitat. You can
take a reasonable degree of satisfaction from the good that hunting does to
help wildlife management agencies manage wildlife populations at a level the
habitat will support.
Hunting and fishing, done ethically, are humane ways to
put food on your table. Think of the
ways that meat gets to the supermarket.
Animals are fattened in feedlots (standing in their own manure), chicken
farms, and pig sties, before being slaughtered.
Game meat is generally free from the antibiotics, growth hormones, dies,
and who knows what else that contaminates the meat in grocery stores.
I grew up hunting.
I realize that isn’t true for most people these days. I would like everyone who wants to have the
opportunity to take hunter safety and firearm safety classes; and to try
hunting. Remember that it isn’t like
what you see on TV, or read about in some hunting magazines. The NRA, Ducks Unlimited, Pheasants
Unlimited, and The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation have excellent publications
that will help you. You will find that
most state Game and Fish agencies have articles on line, publications, and
classes that will help beginning, and experienced, hunters to become proficient. The NRA teaches shooting skills and gun
safety. These days most of the above
have programs especially geared for ladies, and ladies are welcome in the world
of hunting.
If you do not like hunting, you don’t have to. But, please respect the diversity that Liberals
so often espouse. Allow those of us who
enjoy hunting to do so without interference.
God gave Adam and Eve clothing made from animal skins. He told us to subdue the earth and its
creatures. We have a custodial duty to
do so responsibly. Jesus taught that all
food is clean because it is what comes out of a person’s mouth that condemns,
not what goes into it. So, please be so
kind as to pull the log out of your own eye, before you try to pass laws to
remove the splinter from mine.
