Hunting is a Good Thing

According to Irena Knezevic hunting is a much needed aspect for a more healthy wildlife environment. In her article, “Hunting and Environmentalism: Conflict or Misperceptions”, Knezevic points out that the main misconception people are led to believe is that hunting is the main factor for animal’s extinction, but in reality animals are extinct because of habitat loss. People do not understand hunting has many good qualities. Therefore, I believe hunting is good for society because it provides food, helps with overpopulation, and it creates a better living environment for the animals.

Whenever someone sits down at a table whether it is in a restaurant or their home, one has to realize that the meat on the table was provided by someone who hunted. When the early settlers came to America, they relied on hunters to provide their food. Without hunting, none of us would be here today. People need to better understand where the meat they eat comes from. There are two types of hunting, commercial and recreational, both of them provide food. Fishing is a main provider for commercial hunting. These fisherman set out for months at a time rounding up thousands of pounds of meat to be killed and sold to restaurants. Another type of commercial hunting business is cattle ranching. Cattle ranchers buy and sell cattle looking for the best quality of meat. After buying the cattle, they raise it for several months or until the suggested weight and then kill and sell the meat from the cattle to restaurants. I’m a recreational hunter and I can honestly say that I do not know anyone that kills just to kill. As someone who only hunts for recreational purposes, I still have yet to meet another person who loves to hunt just for the kill. The meat from the animals I kill is always saved for food. I either eat it myself or give it to someone less fortunate. I believe that a lot of people appreciate my hunting. I believe that all hunters use the animal’s meat for consumption.

Hunting also helps control the overpopulation of meat. There are a few negative aspects to overpopulation, two being hunger and disease. For instance, an overpopulated lake of bass is a bad thing. When their food source is scarce, they begin to eat each other or die from starvation. In order to avoid this problem, you must take out a certain number of bass, so the bass to food ratio is correct. Also an overpopulation of deer can cause a greater risk of disease amongst the herd. I have a two thousand acre farm in Mississippi, and every year the Mississippi Wildlife Agency drives around our farm calculating the number of deer that need to be killed each year. The number is different every year, but if we do not get kill the number given to us, the deer are in a greater danger of disease. Therefore, while being a recreational hunter, I can still help the environment.

Hunters put a lot of time and money into producing a better living environment for animals. One of the best conservation organizations in America is Ducks Unlimited. Each year Ducks Unlimited raises millions of dollars for wetland conservation. Their goal is to create a better living habitat for ducks. This organization travels all over the US buying and fixing property. As a hunter I joined this group, and I donate money each year for land conservation. This organization helps, and saves countless animals. Thus, hunters help animals by conservation.

People need to understand why hunting is necessary. When you compare the pros versus the cons, the number of pros is substantially larger. Meat for food is very necessary; therefore, hunting is needed. Also, hunting helps reduce the overpopulation, which allows for a better life for the animals, because they do not have to go hungry or worry about diseases.