After reading Joshua McCracken’s latest article on the barbaric act of hunting I felt it necessary to express an opinion which is not derived from what is probably a complete disassociation with the hunting community. I am from north central Wisconsin, the heart of whitetail deer hunting, and I have developed a much different opinion from McCracken’s through being raised in this environment.

Mostly, I see a great value in hunting. First and foremost, I know dozens of hunters and I have never seen any one of them who hunts for sport discard of the body of a deer as perceived by McCracken. While not all parts of the animal are utilized, there is almost never a waste of venison (deer meat). Even sport hunters, who typically shoot deer whose meat is not considered great, will still at least take the field dressed animal to one of the many charitable organizations which will cut it up and donate the meat to a needy family. As far as what’s left in the woods, my Alaskan friend said it best while we were hunting together on Kodiak Island: “a gut pile never lasts more than one day,” meaning that animals will always eat the rest of the deer.

I would like to point out another great benefit of hunting. It is ignorant to assume that as humans we should remain unattached from our surrounding ecosystem under the assumption that nature will take its course. As humans, we are part of the food chain and ecosystem, and it is vital to have a presence within nature outside of destroying it through suburbanization. Whitetails are extremely hardy animals. With a population in the millions going into each season, they are far from being thinned out. We are now their greatest natural predator because we have done serious damage to other wildlife populations that would hunt deer, like bear, wolves, and even cougars.

Honestly, if we didn’t hunt them, their population would greatly increase and yes, that is a problem. It is not uncommon for the rural Wisconsinite to hit 10 deer in their lifetime with their car. Just talk with people from rural Wisconsin and a good majority will express an appreciation for hunting because after the season they can actually drive for a couple months with a little less tension at the wheel. Having hit three deer myself, I can assure you that the fate of dying at gunpoint is much more humane than being sideswiped by an SUV. I didn’t find any of the deer I hit, yet I would bet they died…slowly. Even if you consider both of these deaths cruel, which is the lesser of two evils? The DNR does a good job of tracking and regulating the deer population, and has even instituted such programs as “earn-a-buck” to keep a balance among deer herds.

Another point I would like to make is that the act of hunting is typically far from an expression of manhood. I was taught to hunt to learn patience, appreciate solitude, and, maybe most importantly, develop a respect for firearms. Having to use a gun appropriately as a 12-year-old is definitely a maturing experience. The perception of hunters as primal, blood thirsty he-men destined to prove their ability to subdue an animal is a negative and unappreciated stereotype.

There are two more points I would like to quickly address. While it is highly unlikely that any American hunter is starving and hunts solely for food, the economic benefit of shooting a deer can be substantial for any lower class family. My brother lives in Alaska and while he enjoys hunting, it also provides all of his meat for the year; I would estimate roughly $2,000 worth of meat. Lastly, you stated that you are aware that people cannot live on one of two options, meat or vegetables, yet you are wrong. The human body is quite amazing and it is possible to live a healthy existence as a vegan. Cultures in the past have also lived solely on meat.

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