Decelerate. Before you call PETA to request that they send in a hit man, hear me out. Most people eat meat, so why is farming a better source of meat than hunting? As it turns out, it’s not, at least in terms of their respective “green” scores. When it is done for sustenance and not fair for sport, hunting can actually be an environmentally friendly activity.
Let’s be clear: this statement only applies if you follow a specific set of guidelines. You are consuming or using every part of the animal you kill, to the best of your ability, and you are not just killing for the sake of killing. The animal population you are hunting is one that truly requires control, and that control is managed professionally and/or appropriately. He’s also doing everything he can to make sure the animal is killed humanely and that the weapon he uses to do it is efficient.
Think about Jake from Avatarnot Uncle Jimbo’s South Park.
With all of that in mind, consider that hunting has been a part of human history for countless generations. It is an ancient food source that connects us with our wildest selves and with nature. It may come as a surprise, but here are 5 ways that hunting is actually environmentally friendly.
1. Maintains and controls animal populations
At least in the United States, hunting is a highly regulated activity. There are laws at the local, state, and federal levels that keep the number of prey animals in check. These efforts help us do things like reduce collisions between cars and deer and protect our produce from grazing wildlife, helping us coexist. At the same time, the general health of the species is also protected in most places due to conservation laws that limit what animals can be hunted, when and where they can be pursued, and how many can be taken.
The process has and will always need constant management, so populations of animals that are popular with hunters may have an advantage as they will be more closely monitored for conservation as well as to preserve the sport.
2. It ignores livestock practices
Entire books have been written about the environmental debacle of large-scale cattle ranching. Let’s just cover the basics. We use 30% of the land on earth to grow vegetables used to feed livestock such as cattle, chicken, and pigs. We only use 10% to feed ourselves directly. we also use one third of Earth’s fresh water that hydrates our farm animals. Not to mention, methane emissions from livestock, produced as a byproduct of digestion, account for at least a third of all agriculture-related greenhouse gases.
Like any other mass-produced food, commercially grown meat often goes to waste. Supermarkets, restaurants and consumers buy more than they need and end up throwing away too much. And unlike animal habitats in nature, ranching has already required the destruction of millions of acres of carbon-sinking forests around the world, accounting for up to 15% of global carbon emissions.
While smaller-scale and “backyard” farms are great alternatives to large-scale commercial sources of meat, hunting is also a viable option. Deer, elk, wild boar, duck, and rabbit are good substitutes for traditional cattle.
3. No added ingredients
One of the best things about eating game meat is knowing that it tastes exactly as nature intended. And you may be surprised to learn that much of our commercially raised cattle actually has added ingredients.
Farm animals are often given small doses of antibiotics. Not to prevent infection, as one might think, but to promote growth, an accidental side effect discovered in the 1940s. This is a problem because the practice leads to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Although the potential impact on human health has yet to be quantified, the possibility of a future outbreak certainly exists.
US farmers often give livestock steroid hormones or synthetic equivalents to promote growth and metabolism of feed into meat. The FDA states that these chemicals are safe for human consumption, but studies have shown that they are excreted in feces, where they can find their way into water systems, causing endocrine disruption for fish and other wildlife, and possibly reaching as far as we.
Unless you’re buying organic or grass-fed meat, the meat you buy at the store was likely raised on GMO foods. Genetically modified animal feeds are made from plants that either produce pesticides on their own or are bred to withstand heavy applications of nasty chemicals designed to kill bugs. Those chemicals are not removed from the plants before they are delivered to livestock. Instead, they accumulate in the fat of animals, which we then cook and eat, exposing us to substances that cause cancer, reproductive problems, and many other health problems.
As long as you’re not hunting in an area with known environmental contamination, you don’t have to worry if your game meat is full of nasty things you can’t even spell the names of. No, just pure, natural, chemical-free and flavorful cuts.
4. The sport stays wild
Hunters are among the most active conservationists. It stands to reason: to enjoy hunting as a sport, the land must remain wild. Without well-conserved habitat, game species simply won’t thrive and access to them will be limited.
People who buy hunting equipment also make a large financial contribution to the protection of hunting habitats. In 1937, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Pittman-Robertson Act, which allowed an 11% tax on firearms, ammunition, and bows and arrows. The inventive legislation has been a steady and uninterrupted source of conservation funding ever since, raking in more than $18 billion in total. The money is distributed annually to states to spend as they choose: education, research, restoration, or however they see fit. The results, such as the resurgence of bighorn sheep populations in the southern Rocky Mountains, have paid off.
Fees paid to obtain a hunting license or tag also help conservation efforts. States use the revenue to lease land for hunters to access, keeping it at least temporarily undeveloped. They also use it to operate fish hatcheries, combat invasive species, keep wildlife populations healthy, and offer special programs and education. In Colorado, the Department of Parks and Wildlife estimates that 62% of its funds dedicated to wildlife efforts come from license fees, and all taxes and grants combined only contribute 34% (donations and grants). direct sales make up the rest).
In short, the country hunt for itself. Hunters as a group give back more than they take by paying higher taxes and fees on products and services associated with hunting, and by promoting land use that requires it to remain as is.
5. Create a lifelong appreciation of nature.
Learning to hunt skillfully can give you a solid appreciation of both animal behavior and the rules of nature. It teaches you respect for the earth and animals, for the cycle of life and death, for our dependence on other forms of life to survive.
Hunting a deer is an all day effort, if nothing else. It’s just not possible to spend so much time in nature and not connect deeply with it. Hunters learn to work with the land, rather than against it, to achieve their goals, and the enjoyment of their time in the great outdoors leads to a naturalistic passion that knows no bounds.
Are you a hunter? Has hunting brought you closer to nature? In what other ways do you think hunting can be environmentally friendly?
