HUNTING 101

ARTICLE BY DAN CHASON

Becoming a parent made me want to leave something for tomorrow. Becoming a grandparent made me want to leave something for generations.  

When people ask “why do I hunt” the answer to me is simple in my daily life. I enjoy the beauty of the outdoors. I enjoy the harvesting of fish and game for my consumption. But those needs and likes dim in comparison to what I want to leave for the next generation.

The greatest conservationist I ever met was George Franklin, II. I don’t recall a single time ever seeing Mr. George that he did not have a load of trees to plant in his truck and trailer. He planted every sort of tree you can imagine. Every type of tree that fed or nourished wildlife, trees to prevent erosion and trees to provide cover to the critters that called his woods home. Mr. George planted primarily hard woods. Trees that over his lifetime never matured but today provide daily shade and shelter as well as a food source to the animals and people enjoying his efforts.

Why I hunt is biblical. “Arise, kill and eat” was the command from the Almighty and many like-minded people like me enjoy the inalienable rights afforded by our Constitution to hunt and fish. Tax dollars do not fund my efforts and every dollar spent by hunters in the purchase of tags and licenses are earmarked to go directly to the agencies who manage and regulate our sport. What most people do not understand or remember is how this all came to be in America.

In the 1800s it was common for market hunters to slay thousands of animals just for the reward of dollars for their meat and hides. When President McKinley was assassinated and against public scrutiny, we were blessed by the elevation of the Vice President to the highest office in the land, and his name was Teddy Roosevelt. President Roosevelt was solely responsible for the earmarking of millions of acres of land to become national forests and preserves.  He saw that if we did not save something for tomorrow, there would be no game left to hunt. After his years in office and through a World War, President Franklin D. Roosevelt followed his lead and established protections for our wildlife that are still in place today.

When the Pittman-Robertson Act was established, we now had a method to not only protect wildlife, but we had a manner to finance it via the very people who enjoyed the sport. Had these men not looked to the future, you and I would not have anywhere to hunt today.

The other question asked is “how can you kill an animal?” Nature in all of its wisdom has a pecking order. From small game to the largest, all of them have predators, naturally placed there for one reason, to regulate and manage the population. What we are seeing today, in particularly deer hunting, is the onslaught of a disease called CWD or chronic wasting disease. This is primarily found in areas with large deer populations. Without human intervention, this disease will continue to grow. Look also at the wild hog. The wild hog population has exploded for one big reason. Hogs have no natural predators in the US as they are not a native species to North America. Their only predator is man… the hunter. Should no one trap or hunt the hog, their populations would grow to the level of inhabiting areas populated by humans. Subdivisions, towns and your local streets would soon see these eating and breeding machines, right in your backyard. By nature’s law there is a pecking order, and I sit on top of that line.

Most don’t see the pure reason we hunt.  I will admit there are two types of people who call themselves hunters. There are the ethical and there are the non-ethical hunters.  The latter to me aren’t really hunters. They go into the woods and appear to be one but when all is said and done they are just killers. Wanting to shoot something with little regard for conservation, management or for the future. These “hunters” are the ones who think nothing of shooting a deer from the road, after hours, with unethical manners (thermal scopes, suppressors for deer) and after harvesting an animal, never even get their hands dirty. They take their photo, post it on Facebook and call themselves a hunter. A real hunter challenges themselves. They spend much more time working the land and hunting than they do actually hunting.  They share this experience with others and take a kid, a veteran or an elderly person with them to give back. They clean their own game and donate parts of it to the less fortunate. They don’t trash up the roads and woods with empty grain bags and are the first one to volunteer to help someone track or drag a deer for a friend. They don’t break game laws even when they could and never worry about being checked by a warden because they are harder on themselves than the law ever could be. These are hunters. 

I attempt to pound this into the hearts and minds of my grandsons. The hunt is not about shooting something. It is not about seeing that big buck. It is about the solitude and comfort of a cold morning, listening to the wood ducks make their way into the slough. It is about faith, family and friends. Sharing what we have with others and inviting non-hunters to join so they can better understand why we do what we do.  Yes, I am a hunter. I am blessed to have this desire to be outdoors and to enjoy what our forefathers left us. I am blessed beyond measure and happy to be in the group who share this love for the great outdoors.