By Steve Meyer, for the Redoubt Reporter
“We cannot live harmlessly or strictly at our own expense; we depend on other creatures and survive by their deaths. To live, we must daily break the body and shed the blood of creation. The point is, when we do this knowingly, lovingly, skillfully, reverently, it is a sacrament; when we do it ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively, it is a desecration. … In such desecration, we condemn ourselves to a spiritual and moral loneliness, and others to want.” — Wendell Berry
I was fortunate to grow up in a rural environment. Some of my earliest memories are of my dad bringing home ducks, geese, pheasants and deer. The idea that something had died so that I was able to eat supper was as natural to me as peeing on everything is to a Labrador retriever puppy. It was always a mystery to my mother how I was able to learn everything there was to know about animals, birds, trees, plants and most anything outdoors, and yet I was unable to grasp the significance of washing once in a while.
We were farmers and had livestock, but that never kept us from hunting whenever possible. The lion’s share of meat on the table was wild game. I learned about animal anatomy not from science books in school, but from cleaning and butchering the game we ate. I earned my way into the hunting field by cleaning the various animals and birds brought home, starting at age 5 or 6.
Our world has changed a lot since those days and it is not particularly surprising that plenty of people are disconnected from the simple fact that our existence depends on the death of other living things. Or how many may not understand the “fire in the belly” that drives those of us who would rather provide sustenance at our own hand than purchase it a store. In the often sterile environment that people are now subject to, it isn’t really that surprising and is one reason the conservation groups I associate with are focused on exposing our youth to the wonders of being not just an observer, but a part of the natural process.
One cannot simply tell others how much better a steak tastes at the end of a hard day in the field that’s taken from an animal you hunted fairly and took reverently, than a steak bought at the store. Of course, the taste doesn’t actually change, regardless of how the meat is brought to hand, but the perception does, and that’s the difference of the experience itself.
Throughout history there have been those who hunt and those who do not. Those who do have always been the minority, just as they are today. But historically the majority that does not hunt understands and accepts what hunters do as part of a natural process. With that, hunters need to pay heed to how they conduct themselves in the field. Public perception is just that and when hunters conduct themselves “ignorantly, greedily, clumsily, destructively” they lose the all-important majority public opinion. Hunters have on their side the rich culture, tradition and heritage that is quite literally as old as the presence of man on this planet. And it is a culture that has expanded in recent times with the proliferation of women joining the ranks of hunters. I suspect there has always been women with the same “fire in the belly” that men have, they just never had permission to act on it. Now they don’t need anyone’s permission.
Hunters also have the history of being at the forefront of virtually every conservation issue on the North American continent. That there still exists natural fauna, both game species and nongame species, can be credited in a large part to the conservation efforts of hunters.
But as the country has grown and more people who do not hunt but enjoy the outdoors are exposed to the natural world, hunters must now more than ever be proud of their place in nature and present themselves in a proud manner. Like it or not, we as hunters are on the stage being judged by the court of public opinion, and we need to be cognizant of actions that impact that court negatively. An example of this is what the perception of “trophy” hunting has become.
There was a time that the taking of a trophy animal meant you worked extremely hard hunting an area and harvested the biggest animal in your area. It was simply an additional element in the overall experience and took nothing away from the sustenance that animal provided. The taxidermy of such animals has always been a testament to the magnificence of the animal. That it was in the “book” had no real significance.
While that still exists and probably is still the predominate and rightful way hunters respect animals they take, there is another element out there that presents much a different and, to many, offensive approach. These “trophy hunters” are presented as individuals who will spend any amount of money, use any means available, including “hunting” so-called trophy animals that are raised on fenced land.
I know this won’t necessarily find favor with everyone, but it is disturbing considering the perception it depicts to the nonhunting public. An individual from Idaho shot the new world-record elk in Utah in 2008. The individual spent $180,000 to accomplish this. The tag he purchased was a special Utah governor’s tag that enabled the winning bidder to hunt during muzzleloader season in a muzzleloader-only area, with a modern rifle. There are numerous accounts of how the animal was taken, probably none of them completely accurate, but it does seem clear that, at best, this fella didn’t work very hard to kill this animal.
Of course, one could say he worked hard during his life to be able to afford the tag. Who knows? And there is the point that a majority of the money he spent went to support game management. But the perception is he bought a world record taken under circumstances that would never have happened on a traditional hunt. This situation caused quite a stir, even among diehard hunters, and certainly brought questions from those who are not.
Was it legal? Yes. But as oftentimes is the case in the hunting world, being legal doesn’t always make it right, and sometimes we need to do a gut check to know the difference
Steve Meyer has been a central peninsula resident since 1971 and is an avid hunter, fisherman and trapper. He can be reached at oldduckhunter@gci.net.
