Hunting is a practice in which humans kill or trap animals. It can be for multiple reasons like gathering food, recreational purposes or for trade. According to The Guardian, humans started practicing hunting animals about two million years ago. With the evolution of human practices such as sedentary colonies and the creation of tools that later became machines, humans started hunting recreationally and to uphold tradition, rather than out of necessity.
Nowadays, people tend to see hunting as a tradition passed down through generations. While some parents teach their kids how to drive or tie their shoes, others teach them how to use a weapon and kill animals like deer, bears, ducks and wild boars. Though, Native Americans see hunting as a ritual in which the slain animal is honored and valued greatly, some people who just do it recreationally in a way that does remind them of a particular tradition or group of ancestors. Hunting should hold more value than just killing an animal for “fun.”
I believe that hunting is one of the oldest practices in which can involve many emotions. One can become attached to the animal and simply want its death to be as painless as possible. So, as long as people hunt because it holds significance for them and they use the body of the animal as food or for other notable purposes, there is nothing wrong with hunting.
Hunting does have its limits. One can’t just grab a weapon and go on a hunting spree in the forest; there should be more involved than just having a weapon and the desire to go hunting. For example, if someone wants to go and hunt, he or she needs to make sure that the species they intend to hunt is not endangered. That’s part of the reason the U.S. has designated hunting seasons. Whenever there’s open season, a specific animal can be hunted. However, when there’s closed season, usually during an animal’s breeding season, those animals are off limits and this should be respected.
Overall, I can see why many people are against hunting. However, as long as people hunt and use it for a valid purpose such as food, ritual or tradition and abide by the seasons when they can hunt legally, I don’t see a problem with that. But, if people simply hunt for sport and without any significant purpose behind it, they just shouldn’t do it.
