The Woods Are Not Safe

Culling the Herds

Many Ways to Kill Wildlife

Department of Natural Resources

Problems and Solutions

Final Thoughts

Take Action

Can Killing Really Be Called an American Tradition?

Hunting, we are told, is a tradition—one whose roots are at the very heart of what it means to be an American. However, killing wildlife for sport is inherently cruel and uncivilized. Hunters who hunt for the thrill of the kill lose themselves in an ancient belief that humans rule over the animals. We do not. In reality, hunting disrupts migration and hibernation patterns. It decimates animal family units and degrades habitat. Some hunters leave trash that soils the earth and harms the animals, their campfires burn out of control, and their recreational vehicles create noise and air pollution.

Approximately 5 to 10 percent of the U.S. population hunts yet hunting is permitted on public lands and in national wildlife refuges. That hijacks the outdoor space the remaining 90 to 95 percent of the population can enjoy during hunting season. The few are controlling the desires of the many and are controlling the destiny of our wildlife.

Culling the Herds                                                                                         Back to Top

Many hunters profess they are culling the herd so the old and infirmed don’t die slow deaths from disease or injury or are killed by predators, yet the animal they are most likely to take is the large, young, 10-point buck. The process of natural selection, which nature handles quite well, means that the weaker get taken by their predators while the stronger live to pass their strong genes on to the next generation. When hunters take the strong and leave the weak, we see the reverse of evolution—the reverse of survival of the fittest. To make up for the loss of strong genes, weak genes must reproduce more vigorously in the hopes that some will make it to the next generation.

We humans have created what is perceived to be an overpopulation of some species of wildlife. We did this by first killing off predators, so their prey increased. For instance, when wolf populations are low, deer flourish. Next, we took way wildlife’s natural habitat to build roads, homes, shopping centers. And then, we became angry when wildlife moved into our backyards and even our convenience stores.

Yet, can hunting ever be justified? Yes, there are some societies that hunt in order to eat. Often their members give thanks and bless the sacrifice the animal made. Also, there are a few societies that use the raw materials from animals to build their homes or make clothes. Today, hunting for food, especially for impoverished segments of our population, may be considered acceptable, but sport and trophy hunting isn’t and never should be.

Many Ways to Kill Wildlife                                                                        Back to Top

Hunters come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, anywhere from those who stalk their prey while toting their own rifles to those who sit at their computer and, through a webcam and remote controlled gun, shoot their prey. Other forms of hunting include aerial hunting from small planes and helicopters and bow and arrow hunting—considered the most inhumane as most bow hunters are not particularly precise. Their prey is wounded but not killed instantly and often runs into the woods to die a slow death never to be retrieved by the hunter.

Dogs in Hunting

Some hunters use dogs who find, chase, and retrieve prey and sometimes kill it. Some of these dogs are raised in horrible conditions—living at the ends of chains until hunting season rolls around and then let go once the season is over as they are too expensive to maintain. They may not receive proper, or any, veterinary care, vaccines, or heartworm medication.

Trophy Hunting

Another type of hunting, trophy hunting, involves going after big game and mounting all or part of the animal in a trophy or game room where the hunter’s weapons may also be on display. Since some trophy hunters often want only the head, the carcass is left to the vultures or other scavengers. Some of the big game these hunters prize include lions, African elephants, Cape Buffaloes, leopards, black and white rhinoceroses, bears, tigers, hippopotamuses, moose, deer, elk, bighorn sheep, coyotes, cougars, mountain lions, panthers, and boars. Small game include rabbit, squirrel, opossum, raccoon, beaver, red fox, mink, and muskrat. Game birds include turkey, grouse, pheasant, bobwhite, quail, and dove. Waterfowl include ducks, geese, and swans.

Canned Hunts                                                                                             Back to Top

Canned hunts involve hunters shooting captive animals. These animals come from a variety of sources—bred for the purpose, taken from the wild, or “retired” from zoos and circuses. Some are so used to being around humans they don’t see any danger in a hunter walking up to them.

Hunters use a variety of methods to entice wildlife into their sights. These include using decoys or lures, dogs, noises replicating the sound of the animal being hunted, camouflage, driving animals in a particular direction, flushing animals out of concealed areas, waiting in blinds for animals to come along, using nets shot out of cannons to trap the animals, spotlighting or shining artificial lights to find or blind animals, stalking, and tracking.

Department of Natural Resources                                                             Back to Top

Most states have a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that is responsible for protecting natural resources and keeping wildlife safe from harm. Most state DNRs are funded 100 percent by hunting and fishing licenses and from a portion of the federal excise tax on hunting and fishing equipment. DNRs create feeding stations to lure wildlife to places hunters can go to get their shot. Instead of protecting and defending the natural resources, state DNRs are exploiting them for financial gain. As these so-called sports fall out of favor, DNRs are trying to lure young people into the fold through programs geared especially to youth.

Managing wildlife should not mean making them easy targets for hunters. Setting up feeding stations, clear-cutting and controlled burns to open up areas to hunters, constructing target-shooting ranges for hunters to practice, and other practices to make hunting easier for the hunter should not be the principal methods for controlling wildlife in any area. Wildlife management should be about making wild areas safe for their inhabitants.

Problems and Solutions                                                                           Back to Top

Problem: Too many wildlife

Solutions:

Implement better wildlife management policies. By setting aside habitats where animals are safe and where no development zones are established, wildlife can flourish without creating problems for the human population.

Return natural predators who have been systematically wiped out to effect a balance of nature. Predators take care of surplus prey animals and all live in balance as nature intended. Hunting actually increases the population of certain wildlife contrary to what hunters profess. When too many animals of one species die (or are killed) in one area, there’s more food for the remaining animals so they reproduce more aggressively and often have multiple births instead of just one offspring. Instead of a population decrease brought about by hunting, hunting brings about the opposite result.

Encourage people to leave wildlife alone. Feeding wildlife may make them dependent upon people for food. Wildlife will congregate where food is easy to obtain and plentiful. Hunters know that—that’s why they set up feeding stations. They know wildlife will become dependent on this food and make them easier targets to shoot. Unsuspecting humans may in fact be setting wildlife up to be killed when they set up feeding stations for them and cause them to become comfortable around humans. Wildlife become easier targets if they are not afraid of their pursuer.

Use nonlethal means to control deer population. Immunocontraception technologies are commercially available. These contraceptives work for several years before the population begins to increase. During that time, the wildlife population will have declined by natural causes.

Finally, and only as a last resort, hunting may be used for wildlife management purposes and then such hunting should be done only by qualified sharpshooters who can kill instantly.

Problem: Wildlife causing accidents                                                             Back to Top

Solutions:

Drive more slowly especially during mating season. The same crash at 50 mph will be quite different from one at 75 mph. Drive defensively. Constantly survey the landscape. Speed and distractions account for more than just accidents with wildlife, they account for most accidents in general.

Keep roadside vegetation cut low so animals won’t congregate at the edges of highways and motorists can see wildlife before they enter the highway.

Reflecting lights on the highway may be a deterrent to animals crossing the road; car whistles may also deter deer from entering the roadway.

Studies have shown that hunters are the cause of some deer/auto accidents. Wildlife becomes frightened as bullets whizz by them. They run in any direction. Some run into the road and hit or are hit by passing vehicles. In fact, some insurance companies report an increase in vehicular accidents with wildlife starting on the opening day of hunting season, decreasing only when hunting season is over. Of course, the fact that hunters feed wildlife also causes wildlife to congregate in larger groups than normal, many of whom eventually come into contact with the vehicles on the road.

Problem: Wildlife eating people’s plants                                                        Back to Top

Solutions:

Plant flowers, shrubs, and crops that deer or other major grazers don’t like. You can obtain a list of such vegetation from your local extension office. By planting undesirable plants (smell and taste) around the perimeter of a garden, wildlife might not enter the garden to dine on your favorites. If there’s an abundance of deer friendly shrubbery, they’re going eat it.

Consider planting native shrubs and trees that will regenerate easily in case wildlife does cause some destruction to your garden.

Erect fencing around crops and plants or cover trees and shrubs with mesh or netting to keep wildlife from eating them. If appropriate, use lighting at night to keep wildlife away.

Problem: Health threats (lyme disease, rabies, lead poisoning)                       Back to Top

Solutions:

Check for ticks each time you come in from the yard or woods. Wear white socks and possibly white clothing so ticks are easier to spot. Ticks are everywhere. Wildlife may carry them but so can we. We can pick them up while we’re out in our garden or taking a walk in the woods—or just through our neighborhoods.

Avoid direct contact with wildlife as they may carry a variety of diseases that can cause humans sickness and death. Rabies, for example, is carried by a number of wildlife and can be passed on to humans. If immediate medical attention is not sought for a person who has had direct physical contact with a rabid animal, that person may die.

Lead poisoning threatens human and nonhuman animal life. Lead bullets wind up in the flesh of the nonhuman animals, contaminating that flesh, which humans may eventually eat. Plus, the lead leeches into the soil and water ways contaminating underground water sources. This contaminated water feeds into wells and municipal water supplies. Nonhuman animals may be poisoned by drinking from contaminated bodies of waters.

Final Thoughts

Millions of animals die yearly and many more millions are crippled and orphaned due to hunting. Some animals may have been shot multiple times before dying. Many carcasses are never retrieved. But wildlife are not the only living, breathing, sentient beings harmed when others go hunting. Innocent bystanders and companion animals can be injured and killed. Additionally, hunting hurts everyone because we destroy part of our natural environment and our connection to it when we kill and injure wildlife for sport.

Before supporting a wildlife or conservation group, make sure the group doesn’t support hunting. Many organizations with words in their titles such as “wildlife,” “wilderness,” or “conservation” do actually support and promote hunting. Others do not. These organizations may be on the local, state, or national levels. Some have close associations with environmental issues that people today are interested in supporting. However, as with any organization you’re interested in, don’t just write a check or send in your membership form; investigate.

Take Action to Help Save Wildlife      

What can you do to change what is happening to wildlife? First, you can respect nature and her inhabitants. What you don’t respect, you do not save. Other humane actions include:

• Urge legislators to change wildlife management practices to protect, not destroy, wildlife and to vigorously enforce laws already enacted.
• Educate family and friends as to the harm hunting does to natural resources.
• Join organizations against sport hunting, attend meetings, get involved.
• Urge state wildlife organizations to have a balance of hunting and nonhunting individuals as staff members.
• Take pictures, not lives.

November 2009                                                                                          Back to Top

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