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Erin Martin

Professor Lacey

ENGL 111

23 October 2019

Daily Survival

Hunting is a common practice in American culture involving specific animals being

killed for human’s food, recreation, the removal of dangerous predators, or trading among each

other. The animals being hunted is referred as ‘game’ or ‘prey’ which is usually mammals or

birds. There are several different hunting types in America such as bird hunting, big game, small

game, wild boar, and bait hunting. Hunting can be extremely expensive involving Americans

spending money on different firearms and equipment to be prepared on their adventure of finding

their prey. While hunting in America, hunters use different weapons and methods of killing their

prey. For example, hunters can use firearms such as rifles or shotguns, bows such as a traditional

compound bow or a crossbow, or can use a handgun. Hunters also use different hunting

equipment and hunting gear to be camouflaged while tracking their prey to be invisible for a

clean shot. Hunting is a key importance for survival because the animal provides high protein

meat which is valuable for the human body nutrition. Also, the animal’s fur can be used as

materials for making blankets, coats, etc. Hank Shaw is an outdoorsman’s who hunts for his food

and resources. In fact, he’s also an American chef and author who explains his experiences while

hunting and the importance of it. In his article, “On Killing Wild Game for Food” he explains the

importance of hunting by describing how Americans can use the meat from the animals for

positive reasons. He goes further into detail by giving recipes for certain species and proper
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cooking methods. I hunt for a lot of reasons, but for me the endgame is always the table. (Shaw,

2017).

Hunting in America is beneficial for economic gains and a reliable food source for

consumption. The Interior Press wrote an article entitled, “New 5-Year Report Shows 101.6

Million Americans Participated in Hunting, Fishing & Wildlife Activities” which explains the

benefits for economic growth from hunting animals on American land. Ryan Zinke, the U.S

Secretary of Interior, says “Hunting and fishing are a part of the American heritage.” The U.S.

Department of the Interior found compelling data by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that

shows that 101.6 million Americans which is 40 percent of the U.S. population 16 years old and

older participated in wildlife-related activities in 2016, such as hunting, fishing, and wildlife-

watching. (Interior Press, New 5-Year Report Shows 101.6 Million Americans Participated in

Hunting, Fishing & Wildlife Activities) On the other hand, some Americans view hunting as a

crime. Kimberly Turtenwald, environment writer for iWebContent, writes an online article,

“How Does Hunting Affect the Environment?” arguing how hunting creates an imbalance in our

environment because during specific hunting seasons those animals are targeted more than

others. For example, deer hunting season is from October 1st – January 1st which hunters can

only hunt deer which leaves other animals legally protected and can’t hunt them. This cause a

problem within our food chain by limiting specific animals in our environment to be hunted

which ultimately leads to overpopulation.

Hunters must follow strict state laws when hunting animals in America. If hunters

disobey the laws set in place, they will be fined for poaching. Poaching is defined by illegal

killing, trapping or capturing animals unlawful during hunter seasons. The state sets these

regulations for the safety of animals and humans. The department of natural resources provides
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hunting information for safety tips, buying a license, and seasonal information about hunting

specific animals. A writer for mlive, Julie Mack, online article entitled, “10 things to know about

deer hunting in Michigan” discusses the importance of hunting safety and follow the state

regulations in order to hunt in Michigan. Michigan issued over 620,000 licenses to hunt deer in

2017 which allowed him to legally hunt in wildlife, forests, and farm fields without being

penaltied by the state of Michigan’s DNR. On the contrarily, some hunters disobey the laws

resulting in poaching. Orietta C. Estrada writes an article, entitled, “The Devastating Effects of

Wildlife Poaching” where she argues some hunters will illegal kill animals for economic growth

by selling the animal or personal satisfaction of killing a specific animal. Wildlife poaching has a

negative affect for wildlife populations and the environment, but some hunters disagree and will

not follow the state’s or country’s regulations. Hunters will sell animals on the black market for

positive personal economic growth even though it’s a crime. For example, hunting rhinoceros in

Africa is illegal. Hunters over killed rhinoceros results in them becoming extinct because they

would sell their horns for money, instead of hunting rhinoceros properly. Another example of

poaching is the Sumatran Tiger. Hunters will illegally kill them because their skin, fur, teeth, and

bones can be sold upwards to $5000.

The state of Michigan follows hunting very closely making sure hunters obey their laws.

They achieve this by hiring employees of the department of natural resources to scout lands and

river systems for proper hunters and hunting techniques. The department of naturals resources

writes an article, “Michigan angler over the limit – by 1,400 panfish” which discusses the

importance of hunting lawful and the consequences of hunters disobeying. Local DNR received

multiple tips of local anglers about people over fishing in Gladwin County in Michigan on Lake

Laner. Conversation Officer Mark Papineau says, “The angler’s vehicle often was spotted in the
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parking lot of a private boat launch and the angler himself was witnessed fishing Lake Lancer

several times per day” (DNR, 2019). His determination to protect wildlife environment led him

to solve illegally fishing in Michigan. He later found over a suspect who possessed over 1,400

panfish inside his freezer located in his garage. The 67 year old Gladwin suspect was fined for

illegally over fishing Lake Lancer. Some hunters disagree with the department of natural

resources’ laws and try fighting them. Beth LeBlanc, a writer for Detroit News, writes an article,

“Ted Nugent blasts Michigan DNR as 'stupid' over deer, elk baiting ban” where she describes

Ted Nugent arguing to the press about hunting laws and unfair techniques. Ted Nugent, a hunter

in Michigan, believes baiting deer should be allowed in Michigan, but the DNR values baiting as

poaching animals by luring them in purposely to kill them. He continues to argue against the

laws by commenting, “Don’t you ever take our money and hire someone to shoot our deer?

Should I hire someone to play a guitar for you?” He mentions this because the Department of

Natural Resources generates over 83.5 billion dollars from hunting and fishing fees from

licensees resulting in Ted Nugent hatred towards the laws set in place.

In conclusion, hunting animals in America is widespread by many Americans. Hunting is very

prosperous for personal food and economic growth. When hunting, hunters will kill certain

animals for specific meats. For example, whitetail deer meat which is called venison can create

steaks, hamburger, and jerky sticks. These different types of processed meats from the deer will

be able to feed a whole family though the winter without worrying about going hungry. Hunters

create economic growth by buying equipment and licenses to properly hunt. When hunters buy

firearms and equipment, they support local business which create more jobs within the United

States and helps the GDP. Even though hunters are educated on safety and knowledgeable about

laws, some still continue to disobey. This creates the problem many hunters argue over. They
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feel they can hunt whatever animals they choose and gives them the right to posse their

materials. If that was the case, there would be wildlife population environmentally problems

leading to imbalances of specific animals which would affect the food chain and consuming food

from grocery stores meat department.

References

DNR, M. (2019, August 26). Michigan angler over the limit – by 1,400 panfish. Retrieved from

https://www.outdoornews.com/2019/08/26/michigan-angler-over-the-limit-by-1400-panfish/.

Estrada, O. C. (2019, January 25). The Devastating Effects of Wildlife Poaching. Retrieved from

https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/the-devastating-effects-of-wildlife-poaching/.

LeBlanc, B. (2019, September 17). Ted Nugent blasts Michigan DNR as 'stupid' over deer, elk

baiting ban. Retrieved from https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2019/09/17/ted-

nugent-blasts-michigan-dnr-stupid-over-deer-elk-baiting-ban/2350295001/.

Mack, J. (2018, September 10). 10 things to know about deer hunting in Michigan. Retrieved from

https://www.mlive.com/news/erry-2018/09/127f4051478387/10-things-to-know-about-deer-

h.html.

New 5-Year Report Shows 101.6 Million Americans Participated in Hunting, Fishing & Wildlife

Activities. (2017, September 7). Retrieved from https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/new-5-year-

report-shows-1016-million-americans-participated-hunting-fishing-wildlife.

Season Information. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-350-

79119_79147_82106---,00.html.

Shaw, H., Tomales Bay Ecological Reserve, & Intrepid Pioneer. (2017, January 31). On Killing

Wild Game for Food. Retrieved from https://honest-food.net/on-killing/.

Turtenwald, K. (2019, March 2). How Does Hunting Affect the Environment? Retrieved from

https://sciencing.com/hunting-affect-environment-11369486.html.
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