I’ve heard the grumblings of both sides of the fence for years now. The animal rights folks claim the “slaughter of innocent majestic animals” is barbaric. The radical anti-firearm folks who, far too often use hunting as a forum to grandstand for their cause, scream foul.<\/p>\n
These are the same people who complain when the Whitetail Deer comes romping into their yards and begins to feast on their shrubs and other precious landscape pieces.<\/p>\n
The anti-hunting group screams when they or a loved one has careened their vehicle into a deer that jumped out in front of them on the highway causing thousands of dollars in damage. What a shame it is to see those expensive BMW’s, Mercedes’ and Jaguar’s metal all tangled and full of Whitetail Deer fur and blood. It must stop!<\/p>\n
The zealots cry when in attendance of a loved one’s funeral because a buck came crashing through the windshield and pierced his\/her chest causing massive hemorrhaging resulting in death. Or maybe they tried to avoid the “majestic animal” and went off the road and slammed head on into a large tree. They want to blame the hunter for chasing the deer out of the woods. The anger and hostility is grossly focused in the wrong direction.<\/p>\n
Can someone please educate these ignorant people? The deer become more active during this time of year because its mating time. Hunters are unjustly crucified in public for the actions of the Whitetail Deer during the “rut”.<\/p>\n
The “rut” for those neophytes that may be reading this piece, is the time of year when able a doe comes into “estrus” or “heat” becoming reproductively receptive. As a result, the buck becomes more active in pursuit of a willing doe and much less cautious.<\/p>\n
These complainers also shout to the heavens when the economy is tanking during the hunting season due to low hunting purchases. Less and less hunters head for the woods than ever before.<\/p>\n
Though I cannot cite sources in this opinion article, I believe the negative stigma attached to hunters along with higher and higher licensing fees are keeping more and more hunters out of the woods. As a result, the aforementioned complainers will suffer even more.<\/p>\n
One complaint I will agree with is the ever shrinking green space that is being gobbled up by developers on behalf of large corporations and urbanites stretching their legs in an attempt to become suburbanites. This sprawl has devastating and long lasting effects on the environment and the natural habitat of all indigenous wildlife.<\/p>\n
I submit to you, the largest group to suffer the most from a lack of sportsmen and sportswomen in the woods with the purpose to harvest venison, is the local food banks. Food banks count on donations from hunters. On average, 50 lbs of high protein, lean meat is harvested from one whitetail deer. That’s a lot of meat that is missing from the freezer shelf at the local food bank.<\/p>\n
Again, I cannot cite numbers but, I’m sure you can imagine how much venison that is. If I were to venture a guess or a modest estimate, I would say over a ton of potential whitetail deer meat is missing as a combined result of the economy, the complainers and licensing fee increases.<\/p>\n
Nationally, hunters contribute to the economy in the millions of dollars if not more. Those contributions are dwindling each and every year as a result of the trickle down effect. Stop the madness!<\/p>\n
The contributions could be more, a lot more.<\/p>\n
What’s the answer? I don’t have hard line, silver bullet, fix-all answers but, I do have some suggestions.<\/p>\n
“Complainers”, get off the backs of hunters and stop trying to make them feel bad for doing what comes naturally as a part of the deeply entrenched urge of the human condition to survive. The genetically programmed human condition of hunter\/gatherer has been handed down generation after generation. Hunting is a way to harvest food for survival. Plus, it will benefit you, your car and your precious shrubbery, so back off!<\/p>\n
To the states in the union, stop over taxing the hunter and lower the licensing fees. For once, allow the hunting populous to go hunting without penalty. As a result, you may see the economy rise into the positive margin during this time of year. Think of the revenue from ammunition (shut up anti-firearm bleeding hearts) and gun purchases, clothing, gasoline, food and deer processing purchases and not to mention the donations to the local food bank. It’s not just the large retail chain stores or restaurants that benefit, it’s also the localized “Mom & Pop” outfitters, restaurants, taverns, taxidermists, underprivileged and the hungry that largely benefit from hunters.<\/p>\n
One last thing and I’ll come down off my soap box. Hunters are the most environmentally friendly and safety conscious people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. I’ve personally learned more about our environment, game preservation and gun safety since I became a hunter than I ever did in school (shut up anti-firearms bleeding hearts – guns don’t kill people, people kill people!).<\/p>\n
It’s tragic that school kids aren’t educated about firearms when they are the largest demographic to carry a gun (another rant for another time!). Although I must admit, there are those few bad apples that go out into the woods for the thrill of the kill and the trophy. I despise those few who do it for the wrong reasons! Those idiots are usually the ones who end up “accidentally” shooting another hunter (again, another rant for another time).<\/p>\n
Hunters love the outdoors and desperately want to preserve what outdoors are left.<\/p>\n
Stop trying to take it from us!<\/p>\n
Hunters, I implore you take a stand for what you believe in and take a child into the woods and educate them, if we don’t, no one will.<\/p>\n
Cheers!<\/p>\n