ETHICAL HUNTING 101: Principles and Practices for Adult Onset Hunters

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1. Are you new to hunting or considering taking it up as an adult? This video explores the foundational principles and ethical considerations every aspiring hunter should understand.

   The hunting journey is profoundly personal and begins by asking the right questions. I pose three critical questions to help you reflect on your motivations, values, and the impact of your actions as a hunter. These questions are designed to guide you in aligning your hunting practices with a philosophy of sustainability, respect for wildlife, and responsible stewardship of nature.

   Whether you’re curious about where to start or eager to develop a solid ethical foundation, this video offers a thoughtful approach to becoming a conscientious hunter.

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2. Seeing a black studying naturalist get into hunting is so affirming. I’m an ecology grad trying to get in bow hunting, and your channel will be a beloved resource

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3. I feel that I have an ethical duty to understand how meat is produced if I am going to continue eating it. It just feels weird to b so disconnected from death and the circle of life.

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4. Started at age 44. Love it now. Hunting may or may not be ethical, it is natural.

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5. Just graduated high school and recently got my Hunter safety certification. I am looking to start hunting with a traditional bow soon.

   I live in a very liberal area in a liberal household. That’s not an issue in and of itself, and politically I lean that way as well, but it tends to bring with it attitudes that aren’t the most favorable towards hunting or outdoor activities in general. It’s been a struggle to get into hunting when my family hasn’t been the most supportive of my aspirations. It’s also been quite difficult to develop my skills, as my area has very stringent laws that prohibit stump shooting and there’s only one publicly accessible archery range within 20 miles.

   It’s nice to see someone like you online who shares a passion for the outdoors and hunting but is still scientifically-minded and educated. It astounds and disappoints me to see how many people love the outdoors but seem to care very little for conservation and sustainability, and it’s refreshing to see that mold broken by others.

   My answers to the questions:

   1. I want to hunt for a few reasons. I’ve always loved animals, nature and the outdoors, and have been fishing for years. Many people (my family among them) seem to think that hunting is mutually exclusive with compassion for animals.

   I believe that it is important for us to have the blood on our hands. Harvesting a wild animal is the only way you can truly know that it lived its best life and was killed ethically. It also makes sure that you don’t take it for granted.

   Hunting also helps to scratch my conservationist itch a little. Helping to manage populations, bringing revenue to conservation programs, and tying myself to the natural world. Relying on the natural world for my lifestyle is a way that I can keep myself passionate about protecting it.

   2. The prey I intend to go after when I begin hunting are rabbits, squirrels and groundhogs. They’re easy to hunt (legally speaking, that is. deer and turkey hunting have a whole lot of hoops to jump through in order to harvest them) but are also small and much easier to process. Unfortunately I don’t have anyone to hunt with, the only person I know with interest in hunting is shipping out for the army soon.

   3. As stated previously, I intend to hunt with a traditional (“American” or “Hill-style”) longbow. It’s challenging, but in my opinion the difficulty makes it more rewarding and more meaningful than if I was to use something more advanced.

   Although I myself am a white guy, I do appreciate your points about marginalized people in the hunting sphere. I think that hunting is a cultural heritage that all human beings in one way or another all share, regardless of recent ancestry. Nobody should be kept out of hobbies or activities by discrimination, and this is especially important for things like hunting and fishing where the number of practitioners is dropping and pushing people away is a serious threat to the practice.

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