Modern Hunting, Ancient Philosophy

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Why do we hunt? For meat, trophies, challenge, companionship, the simple pleasure of being outdoors? In part, we hunt because we are biologically and psychologically predisposed to do so. And just as we need them, the animals we hunt need to be hunted in order to stay wild, healthy and free. In “A Man Made of Elk,” accomplished nature writer and avid hunter David Petersen looks at our human hunting history, the role of predation in a thriving ecosystem, and what it means to be an ethical hunter in today’s culture of “techno-hunting,” convenience and ego. Petersen also shares insightful anecdotes and sage advice gleaned from his decades of traditional bowhunting.
Why do we hunt? For meat, trophies, challenge, companionship, the simple pleasure of being outdoors? In part, we hunt because we are biologically and psychologically predisposed to do so. And just as we need them, the animals we hunt need to be hunted in order to stay wild, healthy and free. In “A Man Made of Elk,” accomplished nature writer and avid hunter David Petersen looks at our human hunting history, the role of predation in a thriving ecosystem, and what it means to be an ethical hunter in today’s culture of “techno-hunting,” convenience and ego. Petersen also shares insightful anecdotes and sage advice gleaned from his decades of traditional bowhunting.
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Without the precise sort of physical and intellectual exercise provided by predation and evasion, spectacular prey species such as elk, deer and antelope — so beautifully sculpted by the artful knife of natural selection — would devolve into mere meager shadows of themselves, as pampered park and suburban deer are even now becoming in many parts of North America.
Without the precise sort of physical and intellectual exercise provided by predation and evasion, spectacular prey species such as elk, deer and antelope — so beautifully sculpted by the artful knife of natural selection — would devolve into mere meager shadows of themselves, as pampered park and suburban deer are even now becoming in many parts of North America.

The following is an excerpt from A Man Made of Elk by David Petersen (TBM Inc., Boise, Idaho, 2007). In this beautifully written exploration of the hunter’s heart, Petersen, former Western Editor for MOTHER EARTH NEWS, traces humanity’s evolution in cooperation with wild creatures and shares his own personal tales of the hunt — tales in which meat and antlers are secondary rewards compared with the pleasure of just being out in the wild. Petersen also presents ways in which we can shape stronger and more meaningful hunting ethics for ourselves and for the next generation of hunters. This excerpt is from Chapter 28, “Modern Hunting, Ancient Philosophy.”

The out-of-doors is our true ancestral estate. For a mere few thousand years we have grubbed in the soil and laid brick upon brick to build the cities; but for millions of years before that we lived the leisurely, free and adventurous life of hunters and gatherers. How can we pluck that deep root of feeling from the racial consciousness? Impossible! — Edward Abbey

Why do we hunt?

More precisely: Why do so many among us want to hunt, and why does it feel so deeply satisfying when we do it well? Digging as deeply into our hearts and minds as we can manage and bear, what might be the ultimate source of our shared need to hunt, the prime mover underlying all other, more visible and measurable motivations? What hidden engine powers the more obvious drives — those things we so often name as “reasons” for hunting but which in fact are merely among its more easily identifiable rewards — including meat, trophies, challenge, companionship, and the far-flung pleasures of being outdoors?

Assuming that such a prime mover can be identified, we then must ask whether it provides a suitable foundation upon which to base a revitalized hunting philosophy today. If not, we may well be in trouble. But I say yes, and yes. There is a universal, bottom-line reason we hunt, and it does provide a rock-solid base for rethinking and revitalizing our current hunting philosophy, which is horribly crippled.

  • Published on Sep 21, 2011
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