The Benefits of Hunting and Trapping

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The killing of Zimbabwe's most well-known and much-photographed lion, affectionately named Cecil, ignited a firestorm of controversy and debate. This essay will explore hunting and trapping, both play key roles in maintaining a balance in the animal kingdom. Both sports have been a tradition since the beginning of mankind. Men needed to hunt and trap to feed their families and stay alive. For some people that is still true today and others it is a hobby that has become a passion.

Did you know that hunters pay $796 million a year in conservation programs? Sportsmen are a huge source of revenue in the United States. Also, hunters requested an eleven percent tax on guns, ammo, and archery equipment. All these sources of income add up to a total of $1.6 billion a year. If that money was cut out of the economy it would hurt it a lot more than the people fighting against hunting would ever realize. In this paper, the goal is to inform people why sports like hunting and trapping are needed to keep the world going. Not just financially but also to keep a balance between the types of wildlife.

Hunters contribute more than any other group to help maintain and keep wildlife habitat. According to this trusted source on hunting, “In 1907, only forty-one thousand elk remained. There are now over one million” , hunters are the reason these elk populations have improved. This hunting source also says, “In 1900, only five-hundred thousand whitetails remained. Hunters have now raised that number to thirty-two million” , hunters protect deer so they can continue to hunt them and keep the population strong and healthy. Waterfowl hunters fight to keep habitat for the ducks and geese to live and thrive in their area. This fact proves the ...

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