Considering the Practice of Hunting - Jonas Miller

 The discourse surrounding the practice of hunting animals is a frequent conversation when considering modern environmental ethics. One side suggests that hunting, partially for food but more prominently for sport, is an archaic practice that is outdated in today's society. This ideology seems to view hunting as an act against animal autonomy, and is often backed by vegan and vegetarian practices. In my personal opinion, supported by wildlife management practices and consideration of food-sensitive communities, responsible animal hunting is not only an acceptable practice but highly necessary to maintain ecosystem health in the US.  

In order to understand the reasons for modern hunting, we must consider the environmental history up to modern time. During the early years of American history, settlers found conflict with the environment as wolves, mountain lions, bears, and other predators would often feed upon livestock and disturb agriculture. The common practice of predator species management was simple and effective: a completely open season on killing predator species. Hunting and trapping were often used to achieve this goal, although poisoning was also used to kill animals in rare cases. This was especially effective on the east coast, where the Eastern cougar and Eastern red wolf locally hunted to extinction. A very small population of red wolves still remains in North Carolina and Canada, however, the odds of long-term species survival is slim. Local populations of black bears also witnessed steep declines, thankfully recovering in modern times. Such predator removal resulted in a hole in the food chain and a massive explosion in prey species, notably the whitetail deer. Many herbivores the whitetail competed with, such as the elk and bison, where also hunted to near extinction. All these variables allowed whitetail populations to explode to such an extreme that more whitetail deer live in the US now than during the first stages of European colonization. 

The re-introduction of predator species is a notoriously unpopular decision amongst the voting public, meaning another method of species management should be employed. As briefly discussed by Dr. Redick's son, responsible hunting, regulated by seasons, harvest limits, and sex distinction, is encouraged across America and enforced by a variety of law enforcement agencies. Hunting allows us to maintain ecosystem health by preventing over-population of species prone to overpopulation. Furthermore, invasive species such as feral hogs may be controlled by hunting practices. Hunting also provides a partial solution to food insecurities throughout rural America, especially in states with vast wilderness such as West Virginia, New Mexico, Alaska, and many more. In some cases, a family's comfort around the dinner table hinges on putting hunted meat in the freezer. The importance of hunting to American culture and ecosystem stability is paramount, and should be a source of pride for our country.