I was surprised when I stumbled across this story that is fairly balanced from a national media source.
There aren’t that many boys today who grew up the way I did—kids who are willing to put down their Gameboys, pick up a rifle and head out into the field. Hunting in America has entered a long twilight. The number of license holders—roughly 15 million through 2004—has actually shrunk by about 2 million people since 1982, when the population was 230 million (versus 300 million today).
There is no doubt that our numbers are shrinking and surprising at a time when deer populations in many areas are higher then they ever been. Land access is a big barrier to those who want to hunt. I know across North Carolina the cost of leases for hunting land has steadily climbed as more and more land gets developed.
The writer’s conclusion is an accurate one.
what I learned from hunting is that things in life aren’t always black and white, and that they’re not always easy, but the effort put in has a direct correlation to your success. You have to do it right. You respect the gun, you respect the animal and you respect the rules, and that translates to real life. It’s hard to kill something, but you develop deep appreciation of animals and the outdoors when you do it regularly. I know nonhunters think that’s absurd logic, and I understand why. But if it’s part of your culture and part of the road to being a man, you find a way to face up to the hard parts and the raw emotions of it and you do it honorably. Shooting an animal is often a gut-wrenching act, and not one that’s taken lightly by anyone I know. You respect it, you honor it and you never waste it. Most of all, you just give thanks for it.
In a day when hunting is often viewed in a bad light it was good to see that Newsweek has run a story that is a balanced report and I hope you read the rest of the story. The way you can help preserve our traditions is to introduce someone to the sport of hunting.
