It’s a brisk November morning like any other day, but today isn’t any other day, today is the first day of firearm deer season. Shots are going off everywhere like world war three declared on deer. I’m wrapped in every hunting garment I own but winters cold embrace always finds its way in. My cheeks are rosy red and my breath was thick in the air. As I raise my shotgun and pull the trigger, my heart races and my hands shake. As I race after my prize, the sounds of leaves crunching beneath my feet are muffled by the ringing in my ears. I’m walking face to the ground like a hound on a trail and then my eyes caught it, my very first whitetail. I will never forget my first deer and the joy I felt sharing it with my family. Hunting is a passed down tradition for my family and friends. Throughout the world, millions of people participate in the spoils and adventure of the hunt. Hunting has been a pastime since the beginning of man. Hunting is one of those things either you like or you don’t like. It’s hard to explain the joys of hunting ,because it’s something one must experience for his self. Hunting does have laws and regulations you have to abide by. Are hunting regulations benefiting the hunter or the animal? This paper will discuss some of the regulations and laws, types of game, disadvantages of regulations, the pros of regulations, poachers, and ways to preserve wildlife and there habitat. To hunt in the state of Illinois one must obtain a green card from the hunters safety course. Then they need to buy a hunting license for whatever county they hunt in. When firearm hunting by yourself you also need a Foid card, or literally, a Firearms owner identification card. You also need tags for the animal you are goin... ... middle of paper ... ...ake, but what they give is endless. Without anything to regulate game it would be a wild frenzy among hunters, but with regulation hunters try to enhance their wildlife and habitat, they use precision, skill, and try do whatever they can to better their chances or fix their mistakes every year. Without regulations and laws it’s just killing, but with them it’s a fine art that holds new challenges around every turn. Works Cited 1. Dnr.Illinois.gov 2. www.NWTF.com 3. The hunter in conservation by The Council for wildlife Conservation and education. inc 4. The Duck hunters book by Lamar Underwood & Tom Hennessey 5. Field and Stream magazine November 2013 6. Treasury of Big Game Animals by Erwin A. Bauer 7. Advanced Whitetail Hunting by Ron Spomer & Gary Clancy 8. The Art and Science of patterning Whitetails by Dr. James C. Kroll and Gordon Whittington
A point has to be made about hunting and outdoor life in Illinois, which is a common interest throughout Illinois. Though it may not interest everyone, the livelihood and a portion of income is g...
Thesis: The population of white-tail deer in Alabama has drastically increased over the past century causing significant damage to property and homeowners, caused by hunters being less active.
QDM: Can Your State Make It Happen? Deer and Deer Hunting November 1999 Krause Publications Inc.
White tailed deer are the largest game animal in North America. This is due to their over abundance and annoyance to farmers. An average of 300000 deer are hunted down each year. A tragedy has been another 3000 are hit by cars every year. Many human efforts have been made to prevent these accidents, such as fencing and deer repellents near freeways, but many seem to think that hunting and controlling the population is the best way.
Environmentalists call this problem the Urban Deer Dilemma. This exists when the number of deer exceeds the ability of the environment to support the deer (2). During the 1600s, when Jamestown’s first settlers arrived, there were between 24 and 31 million white-tailed deer in North America (4). As settlers pioneered farther west, the deer population steadily decreased until a dramatic drop in the 19th century. By the end of the century, less than half-a-million deer were left. In some parts of the United States, there were none. In 1886, the US Supreme Court forced hunters to get licenses and follow certain restrictions. Conservationists urged hunters kill bucks instead of does. Because of these precautions, by the 1940s, 30 states in the United States had deer herds large enough to starve themselves (4).
When a Minnesota dentist killed a prized African lion named "Cecil" he received an onslaught of criticism and reignited the debate concerning big game hunting. Is big game hunting wrong? Should big game hunting continue? Big game hunting has been a very controversial topic for some time and these types of questions are being asked daily. There are a lot of people for it and a lot of people against it. This issue causes a lot of extreme behaviors and ideas by both sides. Those who oppose it believe it to be morally wrong, unfair to the animals and damaging to the environment. Those individuals for it believe that it is the citizens' rights and a way to be involved in the environment. Hunting is the law and shall not be infringed upon. In defense of the hunters' I believe that there are five main issues of concern.
Since the beginning of time man has been hunting animals for food. Even before fire, man needed to hunt, because hunting was the only way to eat. At first man used things such as spears and rocks to kill its prey. As man evolved, they started using bows and arrows. Next came an early model of what we use today, the firearm. It is powerful yet easy to carry around. It puts the animal through less suffering and is a lot more efficient than previous techniques. Hunting was once a necessity, but now it is a tradition, passed on from father to son as a way to spend time together, enjoy the outdoors, and experience what our ancestors went through in hunting their dinner. Since it is considered a sport some think we are killing off the deer population, when in actuality, “While most other big-game species have declined with the spread of urbanization, the whitetail has been able to adapt to its ever-changing environment. Through the efforts of state agencies and conservation groups like Whitetails Unlimited, wildlife officials estimate today’s whitetail population to exceed 30 million” (www.whitetailsunlimited.org).
Since the European colonization of eastern Africa, big game hunting, also know as "trophy hunting", has been a very controversial topic. During the early days of trophy hunting, dwindling numbers of some of the world’s most unique and prized wildlife was not a problem like it is today. When a trophy hunting dentist from Minnesota paid $55,000 to kill a prized African lion, he unintentionally reignited the heated debate concerning big game hunting. Wildlife conservationists and hunters debate the impact of hunting on the economy and the environment. Legal hunting can be controlled without government intervention, and the expensive sport of trophy hunting could generate a large sum of money to support conservation efforts.
Many people have misconceptions about hunting. One such misconception is that hunting is easy and any person can go sit in the woods and wait for an animal to cross the hunter’s path. However, people who believe this are sorely mistaken. Hunting is not just sitting in the woods with a rifle; there are many other aspects that must be considered. An individual must have all preparations complete, purchase or gather the equipment needed, and know what to listen for while in the woods.
It is early in the morning; the majestic Elk bugles in the distance. The sun is kissing the tops of the peaks with the most beautiful gold, and painting the clouds rose red. The men and women who enjoy the outdoors whether it is hunting or just hiking help make these types of moments possible. Hunting and the ecosystem is tied closely to conservation of land and animals. The articles of “Hunting and the ecosystem” written by the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Department (SDGFP), and “Facts and statistics on wildlife conservation” written by Roger Holmes, director of the Fish and Wildlife, touch on how hunting is important in the environment to keep a good balance in the ecosystem. They also point out how hunters do more than any other organization for wildlife and environment. Our country was created by outdoors men who hunted and they passed their knowledge of the outdoors to their kids. Hunting has worked its way down from the generation and we should learn to “pass it on” Hunting is great for the environment and wildlife and should be preserved for the ages to come.
First, hunting can be a source of relaxation. Sitting in the woods with nobody else around, far from the routine life, can be very therapeutic. One’s life is hectic with all the demands of everyday living. Running away from them, and having a time for oneself can be very healthy.” Even If you don’t makea kill , you will benefit from the peace and quiet sounds of nature“(National Geographic News ,March,2007). Moreover, hunting is a good method to rid oneself of pent up anger. Emotions may build up, and anger might fill the mind; hun...
Hunters often reveal that being in nature provides time to clear the mind. In the woods, there is no rush, no schedule, and no deadlines; nature moves at its own pace. This interaction provides a deep spiritual connection with the land, the wildlife, and our planet. Hunting has been around since the beginning of time and has been in many people 's lives for generations, these are some reasons why people all across America continue to hunt. Hunting has many benefits such as reducing deer related car accidents, controlling deer densities in heavily human populated areas, creates jobs, and feeding and supporting families. Thus, deer hunting is necessary for several reasons.
Countless sportsman around the sphere commonly use guns for hunting. Occasionally this is the leading contributor to nourishing a family. Various men and women believe in supplying for their family in means of living off the land. Numerous animals are easy to come by in nature, which provides a variety of meat to hunters. To particular sportsmen this meat is superior to any store bought substance. Several sportsmen spend countless hours in the woodlands to pursue these animals. According to Bob Adams article, President Bill Clinton indicated in 1993 “I came from a state where half the folks have hunting and fishing licenses, this is a big part of American culture we even close schools for the first day of deer season.” Sportsmen prepare all y...
hunt as long as they do not break any laws while doing so. For instance, they
From the perspective of economy, ecology, and environmental conservation, hunting is very important. Hunting is necessary to protect agriculture and the environment from animal pest or overpopulation. For example, wild boars tear up many farmers land causing many problems as well with the deer population growing eating away farmer’s resources. Also with the growth of white tail deer are damaging every landscape east of the Mississippi river. Unfortunately, the harm is very overlooked, and accepted as somehow “natural”. Over the last 30 years higher dear populations have made a more negative impact due to climate change. (“Is Hunting a Good Thing?”) Hunting was legalized in 1993 to help bring overabundant wild animal populations down. The legalization