How Hunting with Respect for Life Works

by Simon Shadow

Arguments for Hunting with Respect for Life

Those wh­o appreciate hunting with respect for life view it as more than a way to hunt; they view it as a way of life, a deep-seated belief and a moral and ethical code. Hunters who believe in respect for life:

  • Respect nature and natural order
  • Do not take more than they need
  • Appreciate nature's bounty and strive to keep populations healthy
  • Follow the rules and regulations set up by state and local government

Respect for life hunters place high value on maintaining and properly using their tools. Whether hunting with a bow, knife or gun, hunters understand how to use their tools to implement quick, clean kills that will result in the least amount of suffering possible. They follow through on a kill immediately to ensure that the animal is not lingering in pain.

Arguments in support of respect for life hunting include:

  • Respectful hunting maintains animal populations and prevents overpopulation, which leads to sickness and disease and unnecessary suffering.
  • Hunting is the most popular form of wildlife management and conservation. Hunting and fishing licenses provide needed revenue for fish and game organizations. Hunters provide $1.7 billion dollars each year for conservation [source: Eaton].
  • Children who are properly educated in hunting and shooting learn lessons of self-control, responsibility, compassion and humility. Some believe that getting youth involved in hunting decreases aggression and actually helps boys become more peaceful and less violent as they become men [sources: Eaton, Coughlin].
  • Hunting is a more humane way to kill animals than other options.
  • Hunting helps protect agriculture and the environment from predators and animal pests.

Believers in respect for life have put a lot of effort into backing up their arguments. But what about the other side of the argument?

Becoming One with Nature

In an article showing both sides of the hunting dilemma, Dr. Randall Eaton states: "When we hunt we experience extreme alertness to the point of an altered state of consciousness. For the hunter everything is alive, and he is one with the animal and its environment." He continues on to say that the "conscious and deliberate humbling of the hunter to the level of the animal is virtually a religious rite" [source: Conservation Force].