future of hunting...
screesurfer
3/24/07 10:26am
its raining in Denver today so I've got little to do other than ponder deep thoughts (and go shoe shopping with the wife here in a bit...)
So here's my deep thought for today (and maybe the month. I don't do this often):
The other day I was talking to a friend about hunting and the future of hunting. I grew up in the south before leases became popular. I could literally hunt right out my back door on timber company land. Shortly after I moved from my childhood home to the Dallas metro area hunting leases became the rage back home. For a few hundred bucks a year you could tie up timber company land and have hundreds of acres all to yourself.
In allot of ways this was very beneficial to wildlife. It all but eliminated hunting whitetail deer with hounds which greatly reduced the antlerless harvest (legal or illegal). Quality deer management came to the forefront of allot of folks minds while others become completely disenfranchised because they got 'screwed' out of the hunting lands that they grew up hunting on (possibly for generations). This led to allot of poaching, criminal vandalism and even arson. In the end the deer herd back home has exploded and the quality is literally unimaginable. We're really seeing what the age factor does to trophy quality in an area.
The down side is that hunting opportunity has plummeted. I can honestly say that if hunting cost as much (proportionately) when I grew up as it does today, then I probably wouldn't be making this post today. I'm fortunate that my desire to hunt was ignited at a time where hunting didn’t involve a substantial cash investment.
If the population of hunting public dries up then I fear our representation will soon shrivel as well. So here’s my question:
In this day and age, what can we do to introduce more folks to our passion of hunting in such a way that they catch the bug and join the ranks of hunting enthusiast that will ensure the future of our sport?
So here's my deep thought for today (and maybe the month. I don't do this often):
The other day I was talking to a friend about hunting and the future of hunting. I grew up in the south before leases became popular. I could literally hunt right out my back door on timber company land. Shortly after I moved from my childhood home to the Dallas metro area hunting leases became the rage back home. For a few hundred bucks a year you could tie up timber company land and have hundreds of acres all to yourself.
In allot of ways this was very beneficial to wildlife. It all but eliminated hunting whitetail deer with hounds which greatly reduced the antlerless harvest (legal or illegal). Quality deer management came to the forefront of allot of folks minds while others become completely disenfranchised because they got 'screwed' out of the hunting lands that they grew up hunting on (possibly for generations). This led to allot of poaching, criminal vandalism and even arson. In the end the deer herd back home has exploded and the quality is literally unimaginable. We're really seeing what the age factor does to trophy quality in an area.
The down side is that hunting opportunity has plummeted. I can honestly say that if hunting cost as much (proportionately) when I grew up as it does today, then I probably wouldn't be making this post today. I'm fortunate that my desire to hunt was ignited at a time where hunting didn’t involve a substantial cash investment.
If the population of hunting public dries up then I fear our representation will soon shrivel as well. So here’s my question:
In this day and age, what can we do to introduce more folks to our passion of hunting in such a way that they catch the bug and join the ranks of hunting enthusiast that will ensure the future of our sport?
3,196
excellent points! its always been about the adventure and as I'm selling my nephews and other friends on it that's what I'm pushing. Game on the ground is the icing on top of a really good piece of cake.
Sort of on that note, we need to make sure to take time to introduce others to the sport. I'm pretty bad about inviting folks out to lengthen my own time in the field.
The leases set up in most of the south were put together mostly by a group of guys who wanted a chance at quality deer. I belonged to one in MS and just over half of the property was 8 point or bigger. Guess where most of the folks hunted? On the 8 point side. The other side is where most of the kids were brought to hunt.
One tends to get a bit more selective the older they get. I'm sure todays youth will more than likely follow a very similar path as most of us have.
As I've gotten older I've come to appreciate the act of hunting almost more than actually harvesting an animal. Therefore I have no problems going home empty handed provided the trip went well, I hunted as hard as I possibly could, and got to see country that most folks don't venture into. That's what hunting is all about to me.
Now, one issue I see with the future of hunting and the dwindling numbers is the simple fact that the youth of today do not GO OUTSIDE!
TV, Movies, and VIDEO GAMES are turning these kids into little zombies that sit on thier backsides at home rather than expend energy hiking, climbing, and enjoying the great outdoors.
The second issue is today's "Instant gratification" mindset. As we all know, the vast majority of hunts are not successful, and most certainly are not "instantly" successful. A lot of work and planning go into a successful hunt and folks seem to think that they "do not have time" to do it right. I also think that this is why game farms/high fenced hunts are so successful (Which REALLY gets my blood boiling). It's much easier for the average lazy American to book a hunt, have the guide show you various pics of the buck or bull you're gonna hunt, and then walk you to it before you "harvest your trophy".
To cut to the chase, I think pure and simple laziness has really taken hold throughout America and the vast majority of folks do not want to have to do the "work" involved in hunting. If they would only get out of thier lazy-boys, put on some hiking boots, and get outdoors then I think a whole lot of them would find that it's rather enjoyable...and if it's enjoyable it CAN'T BE WORK!
Just my two cents worth.