Arguments in Favor of Fair Chase Hunting
A Founding Father Theodore Roosevelt founded the Boone and Crockett Club in the late
1800s as one of his very first steps toward protecting not only the
United States' natural resources, but also its wildlife. The Boone and
Crockett Club began publishing and spreading the "Fair Chase" hunting
ethics soon after its founding [source: Boone and Crocket]. |
In a world of insider trading, and anti-theft devices, it can be hard to recognize what role ethics have come to play in our society. But in fair chase hunting, the role seems clear, at least to some hunters; it is seen as the ethical way to hunt. And there are many sportsmen out there who believe in this code of conduct. Much of this attitude comes from the reasons these people starting hunting in the first place -- to conserve nature and its species.
As the human population grows, so does its dependency on space and natural resources. We're constantly expanding, taking land and converting it for new use. This puts added pressure on wildlife to find habitats and food. Fair chase hunting follows strict rules, ensuring advocates hunt animals that are within the law and regulations of the land. By hunting some animals, others will be better able to attain the basic necessitates of life.
So hunting has its foundation, but why fair chase? One hunter says that when the animal isn't given a fair chance to escape and protect itself, then the sport isn't really hunting. Instead, it's just killing or murder. Following the rules of ethics makes hunting a fair sport [source: Briggs].
But it's not exactly a case of clear-cut right and wrong, as it may seem. The next page highlights the cons of fair chase hunting.
