Wildlife_Management__a_Hunting_Controversy

Wildlife Management: A Hunting Controversy Wildlife Management: A Hunting Controversy Wildlife Management: A Hunting Controversy Is hunting a cruel and unusual method of wildlife management' With many organizations that are trying to influence society on how “hunting” is cruel to the animals being harvested by hunters, it is up to the sportsmen and women to educate the public on how this is false. Wildlife management is a controversial topic, but with proper education on the steps that are needed in accomplishing this task, the controversy will be viewed differently. Is hunting a barbaric means for wildlife management' Look at the alternatives; starvation and disease are crueler to wildlife than any hunting method. Wildlife management is dependent from revenue collected from hunters. Accomplishing wildlife management starts with the biologists, men and women that work for state agencies and are assigned to different regions within that state. The source of the funding for these positions can be attributed directly from hunting excise taxes collected directly from the federal government. “Each year, nearly $200 million in hunters' federal excise taxes are distributed to State agencies to support wildlife management programs, the purchase of lands open to hunters, and hunter education and safety classes,” (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2007). Now, that is a very large amount that is generated for maintaining a healthy and viable wildlife population for every state and ensuring that hunting is done in a safe manner. In addition to the revenue generated by the federal excise tax, hunting also generates revenue for a vast variety of businesses. “12.5 million people 16 years old and older enjoyed hunting a variety of animals within the United States between 2001 and 2006. They hunted 220 million days and took 185 million trips. Hunting expenditures totaled $22.9 billion,” (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2008). In looking at total expenditures from hunting trips cannot be ignored and the contributions that hunting men and women provide for economic benefits. Next, looking at the effect of wildlife overpopulation, this affects every person, everywhere. This is very controversial, with many points and views on what is right, and what is wrong. The overpopulation of wildlife can have drastic results in relation to human contact and the pets individuals care for. The encroachment on wildlife habitat increases the chance of pets coming into contact with wildlife and meeting an untimely demise. “The re-introduction of predators to do the work that the hunters do can have a negative effect on family pets and having these carnivores stalking not only pets, but children as well. Will you still feel so good about it when those predators hunt your own animals, livestock, and children' That's not fear mongering... that is a fact” (Lane, 2006). Almost every day of the week there are news reports of coyotes seen killing family pets or a bear being spotted in a suburb wandering aimlessly looking for food, and these are the types of encounters that will happen more where hunting is banned. Overpopulation takes on many faces, and with not only the fact of unwanted contact between an individual’s pets, there is the matter of depredation of our forests. “If a forest or shrubland is subjected to continued elevated deer densities, the understory and mid-story layers will disappear. The long-term impact of such a scenario is the creation of “deer savannas” or “deer parks.” These aesthetically pleasing but biologically destitute areas are characterized by higher densities of ferns and grasses (species not preferred by deer) or park-like habitats of large trees completely lacking an understory that are clear and open beneath, allowing extensive visibility for long distances” (Rooney, 2001).The potential for the transference of a disease is greatly increased where wildlife populations go unchecked. “Wildlife resources are under constant change due to human population growth, habitat loss and overall ecological degradation.  All of these factors can contribute to the emergence of infectious diseases.  Wildlife species are also subject to diseases resulting from exposure to bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins, and other biological and physical agents. Wildlife species can be natural hosts for diseases that affect humans.  The diseases which are directly transmitted from animals to humans are referred to as zoonotic diseases.  Diseases transmitted from animals to human via vectors (usually through insect bites) are referred to as vector-borne diseases” (AZGFD, 2009). The list of these diseases, be it not long, has a great potential to harm both humans and wildlife. “Approximately two-thirds of the infectious diseases that affect humans are of animal origin. Over the last 30 years a great preponderance of these diseases, including most emerging and resurging infectious diseases, have wildlife roots” stated by Milton Friend a USGS Emeritus Scientist and is the Founding Director of the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NBii, 2010). How do individuals protect against such potential diseases' Individuals should keep a fair distance from wildlife and do not try to physically touch wildlife. In protecting pets, owners have some resources in acquiring deterrents for certain wildlife species, but with the issue not being addressed the problem will only get worse. With overpopulation and disease in mind, are there any other resources to combat these two issues other than hunting' This question has been discussed thoroughly and has brought about issues of relocating over populous wildlife areas, but that would just be creating another area where overpopulation and disease will become the new problem. Many individuals have a false perception regarding hunting and have failed to recognize the important role that hunters provide in wildlife management. “People who don’t hunt should recognize that the motive of the hunters we work with is not simply to increase the numbers of animals for hunting, or even to have more places to hunt,” says Matt Miller, a lifelong hunter who works for the Conservancy in Idaho. “It is a much bigger view of the land and the wildlife. I think of [late Sierra Club leader] David Brower. He loved to climb mountains, but he didn’t work to preserve the mountains just so he’d have a nice place to climb” (Herring, 2010). The perception of those who disagree with hunting is that of an individual shooting an animal just for the trophy, when 99.9% of all hunters are hunting for the food that comes from harvesting an animal. Yes there are those individuals that have not been taught proper etiquette in hunting, and it is those individuals that fuel the fire for anti-hunting organizations. “Some people are adamantly against killing deer, and while one shouldn't give up deer hunting just because of a few naysayers, proper etiquette requires showing everyone and everything respect as you pursue such chosen activity. For example, don't take pictures of the boys playing with a dead animal's carcass after a kill, and then show it to friends who hate hunting” (Thompson, 2007). Some disagree that hunting is a tradition, but what is a tradition' A tradition is something that has been handed down from one generation to the next, so when a hunter describes the activity as being a tradition, it is. “When the average modern citizen thinks of hunting, I'm not sure what they picture. Thanks to Walt Disney, the media, and a lot of animal-rights nuts, many of them will, no doubt, imagine cruel, sloppy men trudging through the forest, murdering the happy woodland creatures easily and without remorse. "Poor little Bambi!" they wail, hating us for the coldness of our hearts and the blood in our eyes. Nothing could be farther from the truth” (Chastain, 2010). The perception is brought on by animal rights activists stereotyping the entire hunting community to be cold hearted murderers which is not only false but shows what measures these groups will do to bring attention to themselves. “There are many types of hunting, but only one real type of hunter. The true hunter is respectful of others and of their property. He has great respect for his prey, and will never, ever shoot when he doesn't reasonably expect to kill cleanly” (Chastain, 2010). In viewing hunting as a moral issue is just that, it has to do with ones upbringing and the morals that were put in place at an early age. There is a hunter’s code of conduct that has been passed on from one generation to the next and is put to light as a youth hunter: Respect the Environment & Wildlife. Respect Property & Landowners. Show Consideration of Non-Hunters. Hunt Safely. Remember that hunting and alcohol don't mix. Know and Obey the Law. Support Wildlife & Habitat Conservation. Pass on an Ethical Hunting Tradition. Strive to Improve Outdoor Skills & Understanding of Wildlife. Hunt Only with Ethical Hunters Is it morally correct to let an animal starve, suffer, and die an agonizing death' No, it is not. But many anti-hunting organizations are so sympathetic that they would rather wildlife die from starvation and disease. Would an individual just let a pet die from starvation or disease' The answer is no, absolutely not! A prime example of starvation is that of the Roosevelt Elk herd that occupies the Mt. St. Helens Monument mud flow. These animals have not been hunted since the eruption of this mountain and the numbers have grown at an alarming rate, ending in the starvation of many animals. “Mt St Helens has long been a drawing card for visitors who enjoy the volcano's majestic beauty. But in recent years, a tragic scene of wildlife starvation has clouded the view. It's been a struggle to keep elk alive during winter on a state-managed wildlife refuge called the Loowit Wildlife Unit inside the Mt St Helens Wildlife Area” (McOmie, 2010). Over the last 3 winters there has been approximately 420 Elk carcasses discovered and the determination was that of starvation from malnutrition. Now these were not that of weak and younger animals, they included some mature bulls and healthy adult cows. Where are the animal rights organizations at when trying to come up with a solution to this problem' The answer is that they consider starvation just a part that nature provides in keeping a healthy population of wildlife. So why is it when a hunter harvests an animal it is cruel and unusual when you have hundreds of animals dying from starvation' We are the stewards of the land, taking responsibility for managing the wildlife that is living on our forest lands and ensuring that future generations have the opportunity to enjoy wildlife. With all the factual information presented, is it a moral view or is it simply an agenda that certain organizations need to persecute a tradition that has been passed on for generations' Looking at the facts, and reviewing how hunting not only provides economic growth, one can now understand that hunting is needed and is far less cruel to wildlife than dying from starvation or disease. References Center Association of Fish & Wildlife (2010). Living with wildlife: Human and wildlife conflict. Association of Fish & Wildlife. Retrieved September 21, 2010, from http://www.fishwildlife.org/bearsbackyardfacts.html AZGFD (2009). Wildlife diseases. Arizona Game and Fish Department. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/wildlife_related_diseases.shtml Chastain, R. (2010). Hunting: a tradition. About.com: hunting/shooting. Retrieved October 22, 2010, from http://hunting.about.com/library/weekly/aa051699.htm Herring, H. (2010). Today’s sportsmen and sportswomen are a powerful force for conservation. The Nature Conservancy. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from http://www.nature.org/magazine/autumn2006/features/art18601.html Lane, J. (2006). Hunting controls deer overpopulation. Chatham Journal. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from http://www.chathamjournal.com/weekly/opinion/chatlist/hunting-is-necessary-61228.shtml McOmie, G. (2010). Elk herd starving on Mt. St. Helens. KGW News Channel.com. Retrieved October 10, 2010, from http://www.kgw.com/news/Mt-St-Helens/Grant-McOmie-Elk-herd-starving-on-Mt-St-Helens.html NBii (2010). Wildlife Disease: human health connections. NBii. Retrieved October 22, 2010, from http://wildlifedisease.nbii.gov/humanhealthoverview.jsp Rooney, T.P.(2001). Impacts of white-tailed deer to forest ecosystems: A north american perspective. Forestry 74: pp 201–208. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from http://na.fs.fed.us/fhp/special_interests/white_tailed_deer.pdf Thompson, S. (2007). Deer hunting etiquette for the amateur hunter. Associated Content Inc.. Retrieved October 5, 2010, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/472450/deer_hunting_etiquette_for_the_amateur.html'cat=11 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (2007). What hunters do for conservation'. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Retrieved September 20, 2010, from http://www.fws.gov/hunting/whatdo.html U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (2008). Hunting statistics and economics. U.S. Fish & Wildlife service. Retrieved September 20, 2010, from http://www.fws.gov/hunting/huntstat.html