I have been hunting for over 10 years now and I have a great appreciation for the animals and the sport itself, which is why I will always defend it. Most people think that hunting is harmful to the environment, unsafe for people, and inhumane to the animals. In reality, hunting is not harmful to the environment and is safe due to regulations by law. Also, hunting is humane because hunters aim for the vitals of the animal so that they pass away quickly and with little pain. There are very few hunters out there who are unethical and society likes to focus of these people to make points on why hunting is bad.

Hunting is a very healthy sport for the environment and actually helps the ecosystem. Hunting is only healthy for the environment when there is an abundance of the animal that you are hunting. There are very strict regulations set by law and enforced by DNR officers that prevent overhunting. For example, hunters have to purchase permits for the animal they are going to hunt and with most animals there are a certain amount of permits you can purchase. The money from the permits helps support the state conservation and wildlife programs as well as the federal aid in wildlife restoration program. This law prevents overhunting of animals which can cause them to become endangered. In fact, when a certain species such as deer, become over populated they become very harmful to the environment because they will destroy corn/bean fields. They will also venture into populated areas and become a nuisance. More and more people die each year due to car crashes caused by deer and other large animals. Abolishing hunting will only cause these populations to grow way out of control which will cause major problems. Eventually, if hunting is abolished the ecosystem could completely change for the worst. This is because humans are the only predator for most of the animals being hunted.

People assume hunting is dangerous because it involves weapons and killing animals. This is completely false because of the DNR. According to The Department of Natural Resources, Illinois hunters are required to go through a hunter safety course that teaches people of all ages how to properly use a gun and bow safely. This class also teaches students how to be an ethical hunter and teaches students how to respect the environment. Also, to use or purchase a gun you need a FOID card which you can only get if you have taken the course. These laws help keep people safe while hunting because they are all educated in how to handle guns and bows. Also, all guns that hunters are allowed to use have a safety button which disables the gun from firing. There are only a few accidents a year due to hunting but that is expected when the numbers of hunters is climbing each year. It can become unsafe when an area is being hunted by too many people because the risk of an accident is much greater. Luckily, most states that allow hunting on public ground have a certain hunter to acre ratio making hunting public ground safe. Most of the time hunting is done in tree stands which can be up to 20 feet in the air. Because it is dangerous to be that high up, many companies make a safety system that is connected to the tree and also to a harness that you wear outside your clothes. This harness makes it a lot safer in the tree because if you fall from your stand it will catch you, which could save your life. However, it is not required to wear this safety harness so hunters who choose not to wear it are at their own risk. I have always used a safety harness because falling from the top of a tree could easily kill you. Fortunately I have never actually fallen out of my tree or needed to use my safety harness but it always keeps me a peace knowing it’s impossible for me to fall when I’m strapped to the tree.

Hunting is one of the oldest activities known to humans and the only sport which has played a vital role in the survival of the humans over the years. Every hunter knows where to shoot an animal to kill it in the most humane way. No one likes to see an animal suffer for no good reason which is why hunters sight in their guns and bows so that they can make a clean kill. There are many shooting ranges that make it safe to sight in guns in town. This saves people from going out into the country and shooting at homemade targets which can be dangerous. For most animals you should aim for the heart and lungs so that the animal will die quickly. Once the animal is dead most hunters take it to a butcher or meat locker where they remove all of the meat so that nothing on the animal gets wasted. The fur can be sold to stores where they can make nice coats or jackets that are always very warm. Other hunters skin and remove all of the meat themselves which can save money and still puts nothing to waste.

Hunting is the only sport that has allowed the human race to survive thousands of years ago and grow its technology to where it is today. Hunting is just as safe as all other sports, is humane for the animals, and is not harmful to the environment if regulated. I completely understand why people are against hunting and mean no disrespect, but I strongly disagree with them. I believe that we will have hundreds of more problems if we abolish hunting because the ecosystem will become out of control. As humans we are a part of the ecosystem and I believe it is our job to continue to be in control because we have the ability to understand how we can affect our environment.