My thoughts on Hunting

Many hunters have visited my webpages and did not appreciate my previous comments about hunting. When I wrote those comments, it was before I have taken various wildlife courses in college. Although hunting is not likely something I will ever take part in, I do believe it is essential for the balance of nature.

When I first got into squirrels in my mid-teens, I hated the idea of hunting. I thought hunters were no more than a bunch of rednecks. But through the years I've realized that hunters do not hunt out of hatred or for fun, but rather because it is beneficial to nature. Conservation is the key goal that true hunters reach.

However, there are some so-called "hunters" that do it for fun or profit, and do not care about conservation. "Varmint" hunters would likely fall into that category. Such people have not had any type of education that would give them the title of a true hunter. There are also irresponsible hunters who hunt any time of year regardless of the breeding season of their game. Many of them are kids, so their parents really need to educate them on when to hunt. Some states and counties actually allow year-round hunting of certain species. Even when this is legal, I believe it is totally wrong. It puts baby animals in jeopardy if someone hunted their mother. There should be a closed season during the times mother animals are nursing their young.

I have been told that hunting does not have an adverse effect on wildlife populations If it wasn't for hunting, populations of animals, including squirrels, would be so high that most individuals would starve to death. Also, many hunter programs provide food and shelter for wildlife, so it would be wrong to hate the hunter.

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