Reprecussions of hunting

Conservation is very important to hunters. Please view this video on the role the hunter plays and why.

The Hunter's Purpose - Blog

It's 4a.m., still black outside. Coffee is brewing as we get our equipment ready. The hunter washed himself down with scent remove soap so he can be one with the woods. After spraying down his clothing with scent removing spray, he slips them on quietly so he won’t disturb the silence of the time before dawn. Before heading out, he smears female deer urine on myself to attract that big buck! A cup of coffee in him-no time for a meal- he sneaks out to the stand before the first light of the day is shining. Waiting in the dark can be eerie, but seeing the woods come alive is as close to God in Heaven he wishes to be at this point in his life. Birds begin to sing and squirrels scurry about. Soon he sees a rustle in the bushes too big to be a rodent. He picks up binoculars to glass the area. Who will be the winner this season? He picks up his gun to get him in his sights, waiting patiently for a clean kill shot. He moves; the hunter watches in silence. The methodical planning that has gotten him to this point is hard for a non-hunter to understand. It is almost like a religion. The patience and acceptance that what will be will be between man and beast. Hunting is a great way, I’m told to connect with nature and with yourself. You are alone in a field with nothing but your wits and weapon. Whatever happens is your responsibility. Another responsibility of the hunter is conservation. “As practiced on refuges, hunting, trapping, and fishing do not pose a threat to the wildlife populations, in in some instances, are actually necessary for sound wildlife management.” (Why are Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping allowed on National Wildlife Refuge? Fws.gov Accessed 27 April 2017)
Many people take to hunting every year. In 2011, 477 thousand Minnesotans sixteen years and older registered to hunt. You can view these statistics of the 2011 census from US Fish and Wildlife here. Hunting has an economic impact as well. As hunters arrive in these small towns where their camps are located they buy groceries to feed the members of their exclusive camps. I have come to realize that deer camp locations are sacred knowledge. When in town to buy provisions, if you are asked where you are hunting you give a very vague answer like, “South of the pond” or “2-4 miles out of town”. The prep work that goes into securing a good hunting season is treasured secrets. It starts in early spring, I’m told in confidence, with planting seeds of plants deer enjoy eating such as alfalfa close to deer stand areas. Deer are known to follow the same paths over and over to eat and get to water or sleeping grounds. You can control this path by planting food they enjoy in areas. This is not just a labor of providing for your family but of love. It takes time and attention to small details. To think people have been doing this in some fashion or another since the dawn of time makes it that much more symbolic.

 It goes without being said that hunting has been a necessary food source for humans for millions of years. It continues to be more humane then the way our beef cattle and many other protein sources are notoriously treated on farms and lead to slaughter.  The meat is leaner and healthier for us to eat with absolutely no added growth hormones or antibiotics.The economic and environmental gain is substantial as well. I am sure that a lesson in life is somewhere in this adventure much like the chapter in the “Empathy Exams” The Immortal Horizon when Leslie Jamison says “The sheer ferocity of the effort implies that the effort is somehow worth it. The purpose by implication rather than direct articulation.” The purpose of hunting is implied by history. Much like the Barkley “forces its runners into an appreciation of what they might not otherwise have known or noticed…” This journey has immersed me in the rich culture and religious-like rituals that are deer hunting. It also has opened my eyes and heart to the importance of hunting for the economy and the environment.

Works Cited

Allowed on National Wildlife Refuges?” Official Web Page of the U S Fish and Wildlife

      Service,        www.fws.gov/refuges/hunting/whyAllowed.html. Accessed 27 Apr. 2017.

“Deer proliferation disrupts a forest's natural growth.” Media Relations Office,          mediarelations.cornell.edu/2014/03/07/deer-proliferation-disrupts-a-forests-natural-growth/. Accessed Karen Leggett, National Wildlife Refuge System. “Why Are Hunting, Fishing and            Trapping 30 Apr. 2017.

          https://www.census.gov/prod/2013pubs/fhw11-mn.pdf