Hunting semantics

In this “politically correct” society in which we live, how you use words to express yourself is a vital consideration. I am not politically correct, but I generally try not to offend people with how I say things. How I might speak among friends whom I know and trust can be quite different at times. Sometimes, you must speak your mind!

If you have paid attention, you know that I usually use the word “harvest” when I talk about taking fish or game for the table. To do that, you must kill the animal. That word “kill” can easily be offensive to those folks who don’t harvest their own fish and game. Most non-hunter/anglers get their food from a grocery store. Some have friends who willingly share their bounty, providing already processed, cleaned, and ready for cooking wild fish and game to their friends.

Some folks have lost touch with the real world to the point where they might think that nice cut of beef or the lovely fillet of fish came to the store in the cellophane and plastic wrapper, like it grew that way! They don’t realize that somebody, somewhere, killed that animal or fish and processed it for some consumer’s dinner table.

Many years ago, we sat down to a family dinner of fried squirrels, harvested by my father, brothers, and myself after returning from a hunting trip to southern Illinois. My youngest sister proceeded to lecture us all through dinner about how cruel and thoughtless we were to have killed those poor, harmless little creatures. The farmer whose land we had hunted would strongly disagree about the harmless part. H e wanted us to kill every squirrel we saw, even if that meant exceeding the legal bag limit!

Oh, did I mention that my sister was eating a thick beef burger the whole time she was lecturing?

We told her that the only difference between what she was doing and what we were doing was that she had, essentially, paid somebody else do her killing for her. We eliminated the middle man and harvested our own food. She eventually figured that out and, while she isn’t a hunter, she has no problem with us collecting our own meat. In fact, she understands how hunting can contribute to a healthy wildlife population by helping control animal numbers.

Another semantics situation in the hunting and fishing world is the use of the term “sport” or “recreational” in front of the words hunting or fishing. To many folks who don’t understand the hunting lifestyle, the use of the word “sport” implies killing for fun. They see hunters as people who enjoy inflicting pain and death on wild animals and fish. That is far from the truth!

Most folks who hunt in Alaska want to harvest good, high-quality, organic meat for their families. The state utilizes hunters to help keep animal population numbers in check to maintain healthy herds. These ethical hunters try to accomplish this harvest in the most humane way possible.

A moose can take six to eight weeks to starve to death. A properly placed shot can end that moose’s life in a matter of seconds. Which is more humane? I watched a video of a hunter shooting a black bear with a bow and arrow and the animal was dead in four seconds. I timed it! That same bear, if hit by a car or injured in a fight would not die nearly as quickly.

Can a person enjoy a hunting trip? Of course! For many of us older hunters, the trip itself is the prime attraction. The work, and I mean work, starts when you shoot the moose and it’s on the ground. Butchering and packing out 500 to 600 pounds of meat from a bull moose is not fun!

Would I like to shoot a trophy bull some day? Of course! But that is not the main reason I hunt moose. My grandfather used to always say, “Tracks and horns make thin soup!” Good, wholesome meat is why I hunt.

Hunting, by definition, involves killing an animal. For someone who has never done that, it’s almost impossible to explain the wide array of emotions that the hunter experiences. Sorrow at taking a life; joy to know the winter meat supply is secure, dread at the work in front of the hunter to pack out and process the meat; and the list goes on. Every hunter has his own set of emotions. What are yours?