This past December, I shot two deer at my family’s farm in West Virginia. I posted a picture of myself with my buck and received a comment that read, “Disgusting.”
It’s understandable that some people think hunting is wrong. Our generation is hunting less than ever, with animal cruelty being a primary ethical concern. No one should be hunting protected species like tigers or elephants, nor should anyone kill for the thrill and discard perfectly good meat.
When done ethically, hunting can give you a different perspective on nature and nourishment. For me, hunting connects me to my family heritage and the benefits it brings to the natural environment.
Jared Lamb, a recent graduate of the NC State master’s program in fisheries, wildlife and conservation biology, wrote his thesis on how urbanization affects white-tailed deer populations. He said hunting provides the hunter with a valuable, full-circle experience that is often misunderstood.
“From when you’ve shot [the animal], to butchering it yourself, cooking it yourself, you develop that connection with your food, which is a real deep, intrinsic value,” Lamb said.
Hunting is also one of the most powerful ways to get back to your roots — roots extending far before Neanderthals became modern day humans. For more recent generations, hunting is often a way for families to honor longstanding traditions.
Where my family comes from, hunting feels less like a hobby and more like an intangible heirloom. Although my brothers and I grew up in Raleigh, our dad taught us how to hunt to get us out of the city and develop our appreciation for a cherished tradition.
Carrying on traditions like hunting and fishing is especially important in a generation driven by technology and social media. There’s no better way to get a break from technology than to sit in a stand for a few hours, absorbing nature with all your senses. You won’t have much luck harvesting a turkey if your phone screen is illuminating your stakeout spot.
One common misconception is that hunters have little regard for the life of the animal they are taking. In reality, the time and effort that goes into hunting demonstrate a deep respect for wildlife.
“[Hunters] spend every waking moment of their free time thinking about deer, planning how they’re going to hunt, understanding the anatomy, the physiology, the behavioral characteristics,” Lamb said. “Not many people know more about the specific ecology and biology of white-tailed deer outside of hunters.”
Moreover, it’s arguably more ethical to consume wild game and poultry than what’s in the grocery store meat section. Before criticizing someone for killing an animal themselves, consider the living conditions of the chickens that supplied your late-night Bojangles stop. You won’t find a product that’s more free-range than a wild duck, and you don’t have to worry about whether wild boar was raised in a tiny cage or fed a diet full of hormones.
Although it may sound counterintuitive, we have the hunting community to thank for preventing the loss of multiple native species. Market hunters in the late 1800s drove wild turkey, boar and white-tailed deer to near extinction, but recreational hunters stepped up to put an end to unregulated hunting practices.
“They established rules and regulations that not only limit the amount of deer you can harvest, but also provide a framework to fund future conservation efforts leveraged by the desire to hunt these species,” Lamb said.
Contrary to what many say, hunters are some of the most environmentally conscious people you will ever meet, and it comes out of respect for their predecessors’ conservation efforts.
“They set the North American model for wildlife conservation, these different pillars that wildlife management in our country today is built on,” Lamb said.
One way to practice ethical hunting is to cause as little suffering to the animal as possible. That means making sure your shot placement will kill the animal instantly and painlessly. Ethical hunters also respect the law by killing a limited number of animals during their designated hunting seasons.
“Management regulations are backed by sound research and numbers and population trajectories,” Lamb said. “If you don’t abide by those things, you’re going against the whole ethics of [hunting].”
Hunting is more than just scoring an animal to mount on the wall — it’s a precious tradition for many and a way to support the natural environment’s equilibrium, and educating ourselves on its value prevents us from condemning others for supporting it. Before you criticize me for killing a turkey, consider how I’m trying to preserve an intangible heirloom and wildlife populations for years to come.
