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Blaze Biddix

Davey Mills

AP English 4

October 2, 2017

Hunting Gives More Than It Takes Away

In todays diverse atmosphere, there are many topics that would be classified as

controversial topics. Many people feel strong about their beliefs or principles, and as soon as

they feel that someone has intruded on what they stand for, they become defensive. Hunting

would definitely be one of the top topics on that controversial topic list. Many people feel that

hunting is a selfish act towards innocent, defenseless animals. The fact of the matter is that

hunting is actually the exact opposite Hunting is one of the best types of conservation available

and has been a part of the world for centuries (Hunting and Wildlife conservation go hand in

hand).

The personal benefits of hunting wildlife are one of the most beautiful aspects about the

rare sport. Being outdoors is one of the best types of stress relievers available (McWilliams, Jr.).

One can really free their mind when they begin to build a connection with all of the elements of

nature (McWilliams Jr.). Not only does hunting free your mind, it also provides a great

opportunity for exercise while venturing through the vast amounts of terrain that come with the

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sport (McWilliams Jr.). There's nothing like the sense of accomplishment that a hunter receives

when he or she harvests an animal that they have spent endless hours of preparation and also

mass amounts of money to succeed in doing so. Hunting provides a non-substance way to

escape reality and enjoy yourself. (McWilliams Jr.). Anytime someone is going through some

tough times in their life, hunting seems to provide a slight sense of peace after you return from

spending a day with nature (McWilliams Jr.). One of the most important and valuable aspects

about hunting is the bond that you build with the people who spend this unique time with

(McWilliams Jr.). McWilliams Jr. states that the bond is a special and strong bond. Hunting

surrounds you with the people that you begin to care for more than anyone else (McWilliams

Jr.). A hunter spends more time with the people that they hunt with more than other family

member they might have, this creates an unbreakable bond (McWilliams Jr.). The bond starts as

just family friends coming together for a relaxing event, but as time passes, it becomes more of

enjoying one anothers presence as well as the discussion that occurs. (McWilliams Jr.). I

personally can agree with all of these statements judging from the countless amounts of hunts

that I have been on since a child. After every hunt you feel a sense of accomplishment and

reward, even if your hunt is not successful. Hunting will forever be one of the greatest ways

regain your true self. The so called bond between relatives and friends is realistic as well, I

myself have grown very close to many family members, thanks to this humbling activity. If one

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ever gets caught up in this busy world and lose sight of who you are, take a trip to the woods and

see what wonders it will work.

 Many people would typically say that hunting does less good for the environment rather

than benefiting it. However, if they were to do some research and dig deeper into the topic, there

is more that meets the eye. Hunting is the primary source of wildlife conservation (U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service). The Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937 created an excise tax on guns,

ammunition, bows, arrows and other hunting-related equipment, this money is then distributed to

state wildlife agencies depending on the land area and the amount of licensed hunters in the

state. The Pittman-Roberson Act of 1937 ensures that every penny of the tax contributions from

license sales go directly to wildlife management (Hunting and wildlife conservation go hand in

hand). The beautiful thing about hunting taxes is that hunters do not complain about paying the

extra money because they understand what their spare change does in the long run in order for

them to continue to participate in the sport they adore most.

The sale of hunting licenses, tags, and stamps is the primary source of funding for most wildlife

conservations efforts from state to state (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). By paying federal

taxes on hunting equipment and ammunition, hunters contribute towards ensuring the

maintenance of wildlife and habitats of the future (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). Hundreds of

millions of dollars are being contributed to the conservation programs that secure the benefits of

both hunted and non-hunted species. Annually, 200 million dollars is distributed to state

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agencies to support wildlife conservation programs, purchasing game lands, and hunter

education safety classes (U.S fish and Wildlife Service). It is the duty of local hunting clubs and

national conservation organizations to protect the future of wildlife so that generations to come

will have the privilege that hunters have today (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).
 Overpopulation is a very big issue when it comes to a species ability to thrive. The

common thought of most anti-hunters is that hunting deteriorates the population of species.

However, hunter actually save the population of animals by preventing overpopulation which

leads to destruction of habitats and the species as a whole. A species thrives best when there is

an abundant source of food and other natural resources. Without hunters, overpopulation occurs

and the animals will run out of resources and die out. If there are hunters on the land to maintain

the population, then the species can thrive and have healthy offspring. One last valid point is

that humans have removed the deer's natural predators through urbanization/expansion, therefore

hunters are becoming one of the few predators left to prevent overpopulation (Jeff Lane).

Hunting has always been controversial considering todays widespread public beliefs or

opinions (Interview With Rex Anders). Many people including animal-rights activists feel that

hunting is unnecessary in todays atmosphere because for the most part humans dont have to

hunt for survival anymore. With the beauty of the spectacular creatures that are commonly

found in our environments and ecosystems, it is hard for people to understand how someone

could take that animals life away. Without a doubt it is one of the hardest obstacles to

overcome when it

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comes to harvesting an animal. Hunters are blessed with some of the strongest mentalities that

one could obtain (Interview With Rex Anders). It requires an abundance of grit and bravery to

willfully kill an animal. What the public does not understand is that hunters are not cold hearted

or have no mercy, they fight internally after taking an animal's life. Many feel a sense of guilt or

sadness, it is common to feel this way, I mean after all, you are killing something right? But
what every sportsman comes to realize is that this is a normal part of the food chain, animals die,

regardless of what kills it, eventually that animal will serve as a source of energy for another in

the food web.

The meat from the animal should never be wasted and is usually used to its utmost

potential (Interview With Rex Anders). A good sportsman will never leave a carcass to rot,

killing the animal and leaving it is not a common happening when it comes to hunting. True

hunter despise others who waste the animals that they harvest and do not like to consider those

who do so sportsman. These wasteful humans are the reason why hunters get a bad name from

the public, one bad apple ruins the bunch right? It is important to overlook the small minority

of those who participate in the sport and abuse its privileges and to focus more on those who do

their best to ensure the best possible outcome of a successful hunt (Interview With Rex Anders).

Growing numbers of hunters are donating part or all of their harvest to the less fortunate and

homeless. The national campaign Hunters for the Hungry is a mission that delivers game meat

to local food banks and shelters (Elisabeth Salemme). The group was originally founded in

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Georgia nearly 25 years ago and in 2006 more than 1,000 hunters donated 5,000 pounds of game

meat. These numbers generated around 25,000 meals for people who desperately needed them

(Elisabeth Salemme). In December of 2007, the organization delivered its one-millionth meal.

Donors such as Rick Wilson feel that this is a God-given resource and that views the group as

a feeding ministry rather than a hunting organization (Elisabeth Salemme). In Georgia the

season limit of deer allowed to be harvested is 12, this is double of North Carolinas season

limit. This is all because Georgia has one of the highest whitetail deer populations in the
southeast. Many animal-rights activists feel that the hunters should use the money they spend on

going on hunts and paying for equipment to simply donate to charities to help feed the homeless

(Elisabeth Salemme). This is the prime example of lack of knowledge of the subject at hand, all

of the money that sportsman spend on licenses and equipment go right back to restructuring the

habitats for the animals and restoring the populations if there happens to be a life threatening

disease that comes through the region. One last concern of the meat donations is the health

concerns of potential contaminated meat (Elisabeth Salemme). Farm-raised meat required

inspection before it is available for purchase, however donated meat could be eaten with little

regulation. This circumstance just happens to be one of the few withdraws of meat donations

and in the end the pros outweigh the cons by a long mile.

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The Humane Society or other wise known as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

currently has around 12 million members worldwide, this makes them the largest anti-hunting

group in the world (Hunters against PETA). In 2009 the group took in 160 millions dollars in

donations to stop sport hunting. Their goal is to put hunting for sport in the same category as

dog fighting says Wayne Pacelle, the president of Human Society of the US (Hunters against

PETA). The most sickening activity that took place was animal rights activists protesting their

beliefs while walking around with hunters as they were trying to hunt, this is known as field

protesting. This is the ultimate sign of disrespect towards another person who is just trying to

enjoy doing what they are passionate about (Interview With Rex Anders). PETA members were
also the frontline leaders for the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone which just so happens

to be wiping out deer and elk in the surrounding states (Hunters against PETA). If animal rights

activists are truly for the saving of animal lives, why would they want to introduce a higher

population of predator species into the National Park? Are the wolves not performing the exact

same task that hunters are performing? Hunters are simply predators, they do the exact same

harvesting as wolves would do. Instead of looking at humans as a separate species with no

rights of interfering with animals, animal rights activists must view hunters as simple predators

and part of the food chain. 160 million dollars coming from animal rights activists is a lot of

money towards the protection of wildlife. However Hunters actually donate much more than

that every year towards wildlife, roughly 200 million dollars is donated every year from hunters

purchases of guns, ammunition, and other equipment (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). So when

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you look at the facts, hunters technically support wildlife more than PETA members ever have.

One of the greatest presidents of all time; Teddy Roosevelt loved hunting and came up with the

idea of preserving large portions of forests and land. Since then, hunters have saved millions of

acres of land from construction and development (Hunters against PETA). When you look at the

facts, hunters are true environmentalists and strive to preserve the beautiful land that this Earth

contains. Hunters have done much more conservation than destruction of animals. In fact, in

1900 there were only 500,000 whitetails remaining. Today there are more than 32 million

whitetail thanks to the conservation efforts of hunters (25 reasons Why Hunting is Conservation).

Others species saved from extinction by hunter conservation include; wild turkey, pronghorn,

elk, and duck (25 Reasons Why Hunting is Conservation). Another key point that PETA
members do not understand, is that by removing hunting they are removing jobs, 680,000 jobs

that is (Hunter Against PETA). Hunting is crucial for everyone, not just the typical hunter.

There is too many positive attributes that hunting provides for Americas environment and its

economy to try and remove it from peoples lives (Interview With Rex Anders).

Countless studies have shown that there are three main reasons explaining

overpopulation, these would be; human overpopulation, eradication of natural predators, and

lack of hunting to cull the populations (Jeff Lane). However, some Americans can still not

accept the thought of hunting other than it being inhumane or cruel. Other suggestions aside

from the idea of hunting the animals include; relocating the animals, reintroducing natural

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predators, and even contraceptives (Jeff Lane). The main issues with all of these alternative

suggestions to stopping overpopulation is that they all result in the same problem, every option

will still somewhat harm the population just as much or more than hunting ever would.

Relocating animals will result in a more concentrated overpopulation in one area rather than the

other. Reintroducing predators is potential danger towards livestock and even small children

living in the area. Predators are lazy hunters and choose to feast on a slow moving farm animal

or even an infant playing in the neighbor's backyard rather than chasing prey all day long (Jeff

Lane). Once humans have reached this level of threat it is either them or the animals and this

will lead to killing of even more predators than before if the predators are viewed as a baby

killer. Giving a wild animal a contraceptive would be nearly impossible to get support from the
public and to actually accomplish the task. Therefore the only reasonable solution to

overpopulation would be hunting (Jeff Lane).

Whether you believe that God created animals to hunt and live off of or you believe in

Darwinism, in that humans are and were created as the top predator of the food chain, the only

persistent fact is that humans are always going to have to be a part of population control in order

for all species to live healthily and to the ecosystems advantage (Jeff Lane). This includes the

funding from federal taxes that comes from hunting equipment sales, habitat reconstruction,

disease prevention, and appropriate hunting laws in each state based on the population in that

area (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). As of right now hunting has and will always do more for

wildlife than animal rights activists could ever do. It has been this way for the past century and

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since then there has been nothing but an increase in most wild game populations due to the

funding and purchases of private land provided out sportsmans pockets in order to protect

endangered species (25 Reasons Why Hunting is Conservation). All of this is done

simply because, as hunters continue to participate in the sport, they appreciate nature more and

want to do their best to support the growth and preservation of its beauty.