The fall season, in the northeast United States, brings with it cool temperatures, colorful foliage, harvested crops and the beginning of various hunting seasons. Just as the trails become covered in earthy scented leaves and the myriad bugs retreat out comes the high powered bows, rifles and shotguns – and an assortment of orange vests suitable for several species of mammals – humans, dogs and horses,

Hunting (game animals) provided needed sustenance for our ancestors but this activity is no longer necessary in order to supply humans with meat. However as factory farming, a practice that maintains animals in cramped and very unnatural states of existence, has become the norm one must wonder that if meat must be eaten isn’t a quick take down with a clean shot more humane? A quick take down may be in fact more humane but responsible and well-trained hunters are rare and many animals are not hit cleanly and, even more devastating, some are left to die a slow death from infection or slow blood loss from a misplaced shot.

Walking or horseback riding through the woods on a crisp autumn day quickly turns to folly when deer season is in full swing. Cows, horses, dogs, friends of Vice-Presidents and hunting partners are often considered collateral damage as the woods fill up with too many “Elmer Fudds” and too few properly trained and thinking hunters. A bullet whizzing past one’s head and spooking your horse is not a recommended experience nor is taking the time to paint “COW” on each head of a herd of cattle to help minimize loss during this year’s shooting free-for-all.

Hunting proponents claim that culling herds is a necessary activity for the health of the animals in question – that left unchecked overpopulated deer herds would eventually be susceptible to disease – ultimately this would cause death of the herds – hmm – seems that this might be more along the lines of the natural course of such things. And of course there are natural predators that very efficiently and for no other reason than to eat do a superb job of maintaining prey animal populations – or there would be if same said hunters had not, as well as continue to, eliminate such animals for fear that they will eat their sheep, cattle and grandchildren.

Hunters have, more than any other factor other than perhaps global climate change, upset the balance of nature. Chasing after wealth from fur, trophies, meat and fame they decimated many species of animals. Now, in order to protect their “rights” to continue to hunt, they lay claim to being the only ones that can restore such balance. Sadly even though this is nothing short of a wolf in sheep’s clothing this may be true – but only if done with the ultimate goal of balance in mind. Eliminating predators, many restored to barely sustainable populations by the tireless work of strict environmental and animal activists, in order to preserve game animals for human hunting is not the correct approach. Nor is any sort of hunting that baits or stocks animals, indigenous or other, in any way.

Complete stewardship of the land may be a more efficient and safe approach to management of all wildlife. Those people that understand the intricacies of a balanced ecosystem and have some ability with guns seems a more sensible solution to the current state of mayhem that accompanies “hunting season”. Enough money to afford the license and armament required to shoot does not a hunter make.

Regardless of the reasons cited hunting, as a sport, is really nothing more than a leftover instinct driven activity. Humans are after all nothing more than a top predator – and in today’s world a very well armed predator at that. Those that continue to kill animals for any reason other than survival of both human and/or animal are simply fulfilling a very base survival skill. The real question remains – is this appropriate behavior in a civil society and can we ever achieve our full intellectual potential while continuing to pursue, for pleasure, our more basic animals instincts?