In West Virginia, lawmakers are looking to increase hunting (and therefore state conservation funding through licensing) by adding hunting education classes in schools.
From the NY Times article on the proposal:
“For us, guns and hunting was a way of life,” said Mr. Helms, the manager of Marstiller’s Gun Shop in West Virginia. “A lot of places seem to be losing that, and we need to bring it back.”
Really? Do we ‘need’ to bring it back?
Traditions are great. Tradition bonds older generations with younger generations, giving the human race a sense of continuity, stability – and there’s comfort in that.
But there comes a point when certain traditions fall to the wayside, for good reason. The human race is constantly evolving, and newer generations find better ways of doing things.
All the good points to hunting, such as feeling like you’re part of nature and getting exercise and learning patience, are points that can be made by practicing other sports and outdoor activities.
“In my day, you went looking for the animal — that was the whole point,” he said, adding that what makes hunting fulfilling is the exercise involved, discovering hidden trails and seeing sunrises, bobcats and bears while conducting the search. “The actual killing, that’s secondary.”
Why not take the killing out altogether then? Why not shoot the animal – with a camera?
The article lists as negatives effects of the hunting decline in West Virginia the decline in the state’s revenue and the increased number of deer-related automobile accidents.
Here’s the thing though: it’s simple supply-and-demand economics that says that if people aren’t hunting anymore, then maybe states should get conservation money elsewhere.
And secondly, it doesn’t make any sense to kill an animal because that animal might cause an automobile accident. Is that logical to anyone’s mind? It really doesn’t make sense to me. How is it that humans have become so far removed from nature and our part in it that we list deer as a hindrance to our modern, fast-paced, car-obsessed lives?
This man vs. nature nonsense has got to go. Man is part of nature, and the sooner we adjust to this simple truism the better off we’ll all be.
