Hunting, its benefits, and its drawbacks will most always bring out debate between the sides that are entrenched in it. From quail to deer and more, more game meats mean more people having access to diets that are more nutritious. This makes them healthier for most diets than other animal food sources. Game animals tend to be on the leaner side of the protein scale making them healthier for human consumption than fattier meats. Restaurants and grocery stores an utilize game meat in their repertoire of product offerings allowing for nutritious product.īeyond just the harvesting of the meat is the nutritional value associated with it. Hunters can kill game that allows their family to be fed and also provides, in some locations, for a meat industry that employs and feeds many people. Specifically speaking, it provides a source of food. While hunting is mostly seen as having a level of sport attached to it, there are other benefits and outcomes that result, too. As any hunter knows, most developed countries or areas where hunting is popular have rules and regulations surrounding the sport. One of the main reasons that hunters and those that support this community feel it is good is because it is not without its restrictions. As such, hunting is good in that it creates a boost to domestic economies and a hunter’s impact can go far beyond their own wallet. This extends to state revenue systems as well. This benefits the economy both on the front (commercial sales) and back (taxes) ends.
Moreover, as hunting businesses such as ammunition sales, gun sales, and equipment, are-as noted-businesses, that means that they contribute to the economy through annual taxes. This revenue helps drive parts of the economy and provides an economic boost to those businesses and individuals connected with the sport. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, for example, in the United States, over 500,000 jobs are connected to the hunting industry with over twenty billion in annual spending. There are millions of dollars exchanged each year all related to hunting. Hunting with a focus on a particular population control in mind can greatly reduce these environmental and economic impacts.
As noted prior, these alternative sources can be detrimental to both business and the greater ecosystem. The result is animals that will look elsewhere to find alternative feeding sources. If a population increase occurs rapidly in a species, food sources can run greatly short. As such, there can be a population boom which impacts other wildlife, hurts crops, and causes other concerns in regards to agriculture. For instance, certain animals procreate at a much higher rate than others. For some species, however, thinning out of the population can be deemed a good thing. One of the most controversial aspects of hunting is rooted in the discussion surrounding the killing of animals. After all, if a species suffers to the point of complete elimination, then, the sport itself would die and hunters attached to that sport would not benefit.
They take time, energy, and spend countless hours working to preserve the population that they seek to hunt. As a result, hunters become some of the best advocates for preservation of the species. deer, duck, turkey) are actually more apt to care for this population and its growth. According to the NRA, hunters associated with a particular game type (i.e. While many hunters are looked at as the enders of life, for many in the sport, it is actually all about protection.