Conservationists – Who We Are (Part II)

Hunters Are the #1 Conservationists

Another opinion towards hunters is that we destroy both the population of animals and their habitats.  That is far from the truth.  Hunters are the number one conservationists.  Contributing nearly $8 million daily to conservation.  There are also many behind the scenes actions that hunters do as well to create better habitats.  Prescribed burns, planting food plots, and hinging trees for better bedding areas are just a few things that many of us could do on our own time to contribute to the wildlife we not only hunt but love.

An Escape From the Real World

I’d be lying if I told you I didn’t get a thrill from hunting.  Hunting is nearly a drug for me, an escape from the real world.  The way outsiders see it is very stretched from the truth.  They think we are people who only hunt for the thrill to kill an animal, as “serial killers”.  But the respect we have for these animals is immense.

The thrill comes when all your hard work pays off.  From spending the majority of our mornings and evenings in a tree.  Enjoying the elements waiting for that one animal to walk by that we have been watching grow for years.  The thrill is telling your own child to take a deep breath and pull the trigger.  Watching them harvest their first animal to feed the family.  The thrill is building real relationships with these animals.  Finally laying your hands on them with a grateful but bittersweet ending to a chapter in the book.  The thrill is giving these animals a fair chance at life and hoping you can maybe outsmart them one day.

Maybe we are obsessed.  Maybe the adrenaline we experience is addictive.  All I can say is that in no way do us hunters enjoy seeing an animal die.  The respect we have for these animals is more than most humans have for one another.

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