Hunting Research Paper

Hunting is an activity of tracking and shooting wild animals for food or sport. Hunting was necessary at the beginning of time for man’s survival, providing food and clothing. Today, hunting is a part of American culture and connects man with his primal self. Hunters rise before the sun, watch the world come to life, remain still and quiet for long periods of time, and rely on instincts. Senses become heightened with the sound of the approaching prey. The first sight of the hunted is exhilarating. Taking the shot and providing food continues to be rewarding for the hunters. Opponents of hunting fail to understand how hunters can experience such an intense connection with nature while attempting to kill a prey. These opponents also fail

The impact of an overpopulated species can have a significant, negative impact on whole ecosystems. Overpopulation of a species has been shown to cause declines in the abundance and diversity of all kinds of forest creatures, from insects to mice to canopy-nesting birds(“Hunting Plays”) and destroy the natural habitats of these and other species. An example of overpopulation impact has been seen in areas with an overabundance of deer. Deer eat just about everything farmers grow. Deer eat greens, pumpkins, corn, wheat, cranberries, carrots, avocadoes, and grapes(“Even Small”). They do not discriminate between farmed and natural land, often damaging crops resulting in a loss of revenue for farms. An individual farmer can sustain tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of crop damage in a year and in many states has resulted in annual losses into the tens of millions of dollars(“Even Small”). Farmers in agricultural states encourage hunters to kill as many deer as possible. In some states, farmers are issued special permits to kill deer year around to protect their crops(“Even Small”). As deer destroy the crops of farmers, they also destroy food that we eat. Farmers that grow vegetables and fruits for local restaurants have lost thousands of dollars due to deer. Farmers kill deer year around to produce food for grocery stores. Don Waller with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources states "We should have longer hunting seasons and ask hunters to shoot more than one deer”(Levy par 16). Longer hunting seasons and giving farmers the rights to shoot more deer will ensure the restoration of crops and that the deer population will not increase to the point of negatively impacting natural resources, farmed crops and revenue of