Kristen Davis

Hunting, whether being called cruel and murderous by animal rights organizations is a growing topic of conversation in our community as a social and economic issue. "How is comparing hunters to murderers and criminals different from racial/demographic profiling or stereo typing? This sort of thing is a prime example of hatred, intolerance, prejudice and discrimination. It is unacceptable to speak or act hatefully toward demographic groups based upon their race, religion, gender or sexual preference. But somehow it is ok to categorize responsible, law abiding citizens who hunt and own firearms as violent criminals. " (Lapierre) Though for me hunting goes much deeper than that, growing up on a ranch, waking up before the crack of dawn, devouring a plate of hot grits, wrapping a biscuit in foil and shoving it in my pocket and making my way through the trees and undergrowth to my favorite deer blind was just like for most people going to the supermarket. The only difference being I knew what I was eating, "in this day and age, we are detached from the realities of where our food comes from" (Lapierre). So for me it is difficult to understand how "it is acceptable to pay someone to kill the cows, pigs and chickens we purchase at the supermarket" (Lapierre) but then for me to do it myself is wrong. While many animals spend their lives in cramped cages these animals roamed free and were left in their natural habitat. Without hunter there to regulate the wild game populations we would be losing one of our most valuable resources to starvation. Hunting not only provides a source of food, but for me a way to bond with my father. We would wake up extra early the opening day of deer season, pile on clothes until we looked like camouflaged Michellan men and would then waddle, bows in tow, to seek out our first target. I have never seen my father so proud as the day I shot my first buck, it took one bullet and it dropped straight to the ground, a perfect hit. The second we got back to the ranch house, with my trophy whitetail buck in the bed of our rusty old pickup my dad couldn't spread the word fast enough of what I had done. Hunting brings back some of my fondest memories and experiences that I would not trade for the world. Yet despite the deep family connections it provides for me and many others for some it goes even deeper than that, it is a means of sustaining their way of life. This is especially true in in many wildlife rich African nations, where "growth of wildlife populations can either create major pest problems or provide resources for sustainable use". (Science i.e. 1855-1856) A program called Communal Area Management Program for Indigenous Resources, also known as CAMPFIRE which was implemented in Zimbabwe, Africa "although not without problems, provides concrete examples of community-based natural resource management success in raising income levels of poor rural communities and simultaneously increasing wildlife populations" (Science i.e. 1855-1856) Under this program arrangements for hunting tourism have been able to provide an increase in income, and because of the high value of the exotic African animals being hunted these animals are also conserved which caused the "income earned by villagers from wildlife [to rise] from zero before 1989 to a cumulative total of $4.9 million by 1996" (Science i.e. 1855-1856) The proper use and management of these natural resources have allowed communities to to find their "greatest opportunity for success…where agricultural alternatives are problematic". (Science i.e. 1855-1856) Without hunting these regions would continue to increasingly suffer physically and economically. PETA, referring to hunting as "nothing more than a violent form of recreation" (PETA), fails to recognize that hunting is a regulated activity, which requires licenses and permits, and instead blames hunting for "the extinction of animals all over the world" (PETA) not acknowledging that the killing of endangered species is not hunting but more accurately referred to as "poaching which is very much frowned upon in the hunting community" (Lapierre), which is illegal and punishable by law. As the daughter of a hunting ranch owner, I first hand know the lengths that hunters go to to maintain their wild game populations to ensure that their game populations are properly maintained and that the resources provided by these animals are not wasted. The meat is processed and if the hunter chooses not to keep the meat, it is then often donated. Hunting protects animals rights through limiting the number allowed to be killed and regulating how many an area can sustain so that these animals are not suffering due to starvation or a lack of necessities that are key to their survival. PETA calls "starvation and disease…tragic" but then justifies it as "natures way of ensuring that healthy, strong animals survive and maintain the strength level of the rest of their herd or group". (PETA) Hunters do this in a method referred to as culling the herd, in which the animals that do not provide the rest of the group with beneficial genetic traits to pass down, are shot and killed, the only difference is that now instead of these animals suffering and their meat rotting and going to waste, they are able to be used for human consumption. "Some people claim that game animals are defenseless and non-threatening. Cows, pigs and chickens are defenseless and non-threatening, but it is acceptable to pay someone to kill them so that we can eat them." (Lapierre) Where as the wild game animals being hunted have strong defenses such as their sense of smell and hearing which is far superior to ours. "No hunter wants to see an animal suffer needlessly" (Lapierre) this is would completely defy the purpose of the hunt, in that it would then be a failure, as a wounded animal that just runs off is often difficult to locate for another shot. Hunting is not only a sport, it maintains vast amounts of peoples ways of life, provides a means of economic income, and for me personally a way to connect with my dad. It allows for a peaceful escape to tie ones self back to their roots and appreciate all aspects of nature and gives us a greater appreciation for certain natural resources.