Hundreds of whitetail deer are killed every year by cars and are left to die on the side of the road. I have been hunting with my family for over 4 years and I am a better person because of it. Many people state that hunting is inhumane and “killing Bambi” but isn’t running over a deer just as inhumane, if not worse? In my opinion hunting should not be outlawed. I believe this for three main reasons, there are no preservatives or hormones in wild animals so they are healthier for you, deer are over-populated to begin with, and hunters get an overall better experience in nature.
First of all, there are no preservatives or hormones in a wild animal, but there are many in farm raised animals. Animals raised on a farm contain many preservatives to improve shelf life and overall taste of their meat. Examples are Carniform A, Carniform B, Cervelatwurst, Securo, Boric Acid, Potassium Nitrite, and Maciline according to www.foodnavigator.com. Ask yourself this, do you even know what those things are let alone know what they are doing to your body? Wild animals such as turkeys and deer have zero preservatives. You also have to take into consideration, the treatment of a farm raised animal versus a wild animal. There are many farms such as factory farms that have hundreds of animals in very small pens. These animals such as sheep are being fed growth hormones and preservatives such as the ones listed above so more money can be made off of their meat. Come on people isn’t that way more inhumane than hunting?
Second of all, deer are over-populated to begin with. In southern Maine for example a normal population of deer would be 20-25 deer per square mile. But as of 2010 there are 100 deer per square mile according to www.deerwildlifealliance.org. The average deer consumes over 5 pounds of food each day according to www.deerwildlifealliance.com, after the deer eat all of the plants in the area they must resort to people’s shrubs and vegetables to survive. This problem has caused over 1 million dollar’s worth of damage over the course of 1 year. “Hunters harvesting deer for their own table has proven over the years to be a safe effective way of population control for the whitetail deer herd.” This quote was stated by Randy Augsburger, who owns a sixth generation farm and whose passion is the outdoors and hunting.
Finally, my last reason that hunting shouldn’t be outlawed is because hunters get an overall better experience in nature. Everyday millions of people get in their cars drive to the store (polluting the environment along the way) and buy meat. Only 9.3% of people today are hunters and that number continues to decrease according to www.ahunterslife.com. That 9.3% of people have a better knowledge on the world and a better outlook on life than any person you will ever meet. For example, in Annapolis Maryland, the sun rises at 5:45 in the morning on average. Only 9.3% of people witness that beautiful sunrise in nature, not through the window of their car. Another example is, have you ever heard the sound of birds at four in the morning or seen a bear just waking up? 9.3% of people have, why won’t you stop sitting at home and watching TV and eating your store bought meat and join them?
So, in conclusion, like I stated before, hunting should not be outlawed. Hunting has been around since the early 1600’s when the first settlers arrived and even before that with the Native Americans, what makes it so inhumane now? I feel this way because there are no preservatives in wild animals, deer are over-populated, and as a hunter, you will receive a better experience in nature. “If you want to save a species simply decide to eat it. Then it will be managed, like chickens, turkeys, deer and Canadian geese.” This quote is from Ted Nugent, it shows where he and I both stand on the issue of hunting. Where do you stand?