Hunting Research Papers

Hunting has been a way of life and means of survival for different people groups throughout history. Today however, a large part of society is becoming less tolerant towards hunting. This anti-hunting sentiment comes as a result of poor hunting practices in the past which damaged wildlife populations; however, much has been done since then to improve the practice of hunting. Hunting today both sustains and helps conserve wildlife. Hunting practices today are sustainable because of strict regulations based on continuous research. This research requires money, much of which is generated through hunting. Hunters also generally have a high level of respect for wildlife which is important for promoting conservation in the face of industrial expansion.

In North America, the regulations and rules for wildlife preservation come from a conservation model called the North American Model (NAM). The NAM attempts to achieve sustainability by creating regulations and laws based on the “best available science” (Heffelfinger 400). The rules and regulations provided by the NAM are not based on economic needs as hunting regulations were in the past, instead they are focused on preserving wildlife and are based on up to date and relevant research. Surveys are conducted cooperatively by upper level government agencies in order to better understand population trends of hunted species as well as other non-hunted species (404). By following the NAM of conservation and basing hunting regulations on continual research, hunting in North America is done in a way that conserves

Every part of conservation requires money, but it is not commonly known where this money comes from. While some of this income is provided by environmental groups, much of it comes from hunters. Some of this money is donated voluntarily by hunters and some comes from requirements which were “built into the system by hunters who saw the value of a conservation model that protects nature…” (Heffelfinger 403). When hunters buy “sporting arms, ammunition and some other hunting gear” (Anderson 812), they are generating money in the form of special taxes which go towards wildlife conservation efforts. Whether mandatory or voluntary, hunters provide a significant portion of the money used for wildlife conservation.

Wildlife conservation is a complex issue which requires a significant amount of money, foresight, planning, and research; without any one of these things, conservation efforts will not be successful. After many years of research and learning from past mistakes, North America has achieved a constantly adapting model in which hunting is sustainable and provides some of the critical elements of conservation. Although some may still be opposed to hunting due to personal reasons, everyone should at least have a respect for hunting and the good that it does for our