There was a pretty sweet article on Extension Daily about hunting being more than just sport.
In the article, there are a few key takeaways:
According to Dr. Mark Smith, hunting licenses and the Pittman Robertson Federal Aid and Restoration Act are the two primary sources for conservation funding within Alabama. “The more licenses we sell and the more firearms we sell, the more money they have to do research, management, disease monitoring, not only for game species, but for all of Alabama’s wildlife species.” explains Dr. Smith.
Which is pretty straight forward. In Alabama, hunting is one of the main sources for funding conservation efforts.
I would wage that the same is true in other heavy-hunter states. Whether the hunters know it or not, they are helping conserve the environment!
Not only this, but obviously hunting also combats the deer population explosion.
Without hunting, it’s likely that deer would start to override and degrade the ecosystem in the habitats they live in.
On top of the environmental impact, there’s also a few other benefits of hunting:
- Survival skills and tactics. Learning how to find your own food/meat.
- Contributing in the same group that founded the National Park System.
- Physical Fitness.
- Minimizing the impact of deer collisions.
- Upholding a core American tradition.
So without a doubt, there are quite a few benefits of hunting.
It’s a very unique sport, and one that can give a lot of benefits for those that start. Plus, we can’t forget it’s great for practicing your gun rights and getting in some target training!
If you’re new to the sport and wondering how you get started, there all two great resources you should check out:
- The Truth About Guns has an amazing article covering the basics. It’s available here: Getting Started Hunting.
- If pdf’s and legalese is more your style, you definitely need to head over to National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Been hunting since my dad taught me when I was 12. Super fun hobby
And you get plenty of benefits in the process.
I didn’t know that hunters had environmental impacts (besides population control obviously), will have to look some of this up!
Check out the bottom links – they got a lot of interesting info I didn’t think about either.
I appreciate how you said that hunting allows you to learn survival skills and tactics as you learn to find your own food or animals to hunt. My cousin is looking for a fun activity to do with his son, who is interested in learning how to hunt in the outdoors as well. I’ll have to recommend that they find a guide outfitter cougar hunt, where they can go along for the ride and learn the skills necessary to identify, track, and chase these beautiful animals. https://arcadiaoutfitting.com/hunt-cougar/