Hunting has existed as long as humans. The tools and tactics used have evolved, but the act has remained untouched. There are many ecological benefits related to hunting which cannot be contested. Hunting raises revenue for wildlife preservation and is used to control trouble species. One issue that is being contested however, is the legitimacy of hunting being a sport - even though there are many reasons making it evident that it absolutely is. Hunting is a sport, which requires multiple skills, an understanding of herd behavior, strenuous physical capabilities, and is included in multiple Olympic events.
There are many skills needed in hunting. In the article “Is Hunting Animals a Legitimate Sport” Michael Fox addresses many of these required skills. Hunters must be intelligent: there are many rules and regulations that a hunter is required to follow when hunting. Knowing all these rules and being able to insure they are not breaking any in the split second they have to take the shot requires enormous amounts of intellect. Fox agrees with this when he states, “Knowledge is critical for anyone to use when it comes to trying to be a more successful hunter,” (Fox 1). Intelligence is just one of many skills needed in a hunters arsenal.
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To be successful a hunter, one also needs to be stealthy in order to sneak up on his prey. Fox states, “Plenty of stealth is needed with regards to getting the best possible shots off,” (Fox 1). To become proficient at being sly, a hunter must practice just as any other athlete would have to practice the skills in his sport. Without practice, the hunter would never be able to get close enough to take a well-aimed shot. Along with being able to be covert, a hunter must also be able to navigate very harsh terrain.
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Hunters must rely on their own skills in navigation in order to make it to the area they are hunting. In the article, “Sport Hunting: Moral or Immoral,” Theodore Vitali agrees that hunting requires enormous amounts of skill. Vitali states that hunters must execute, “… excellent performance of human powers and skills” (Vitali 14). Hunters put themselves in areas that contain no one else near, and if they fail to navigate they could become lost with no one around to find them. Being able to navigate in a forest is not something that just anyone could accomplish. This is a skill that one must practice in order to master. Sailboat racing is a recognized sport and requires similar navigational skill. This skill must be studied and practiced by sailors and hunters alike, but unlike sailboat racers, the hunters life could depend on it. All sports require the athlete to practice certain skills and hunting is no different. More then just possessing multiple skills a hunter must also understand herd behaviors.
Hunters are required to understand how a herd moves in order to find their prey. In the article “Find the Food, Find the Elk”, author Jay Houston talks about how important herd behaviors are to hunters. He discuses how the most important habit to learn when hunting is where the animal’s food source is. Houston states, “If you are serious about elk hunting, you should get serious on learning about their feeding habits,” (Houston 32). This shows how important understanding herd behavior really is to hunters. Just like understanding how your opponents will react in football, hunters must understand how their prey is going act throughout the day all the way to throughout the season. This is yet another reason why hunting is a sport. Along with understanding herd behaviors a hunter must also be physically fit.
Hunting requires strenuous physical capabilities. Many hunters will hike over ten miles a day through very rough terrain in order to find and track their prey. More then just hiking a hunter must also carry all of their gear and supplies with them which can weigh over thirty pounds. This can be physically exhausting and it requires a great deal of training to be able to do this. When talking about the physical requirements of hunting Fox states, “It only makes sense that the activity be interpreted as a sport because of this feature that few other sports share,” (Fox 1). The physical demands alone are enough to categorize hunting as a sport due to the fact that not just anyone could do it, only those who train and prepare. In addition to the physical demand many Olympic events are based off aspects of hunting.
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Hunting originated as a survival technique but now has evolved into sport just as fighting and running, which were originally survival techniques, also evolved into sports. This is obvious in a number of Olympic events, which are either based off hunting or are at least related to one aspect of hunting. Currently, “There are fifteen events in the Olympic programme,” that all fall under the shooting category (Shooting Equipment and History). Shooting is whole category of the Olympics, and yet it is just one small aspect of hunting. If just one small portion of hunting is considered a sport, then hunting as a whole should definitely be considered a sport. The Olympics also have the pentathlon, which is comprised of, “… pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running,” (Shooting Equipment and History ). The pentathlon has aspects which are similar to all aspects of hunting, and has been one of the biggest Olympic events dating all the way back to the games of Ancient Greece.
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Some may feel that hunting is not a sport due to it being individual or because it may be too barbaric to be considered a sport. There are many widely accepted sports that are indeed individually practiced such as golf, singles tennis, skiing, rodeo, and swimming. Therefore, to argue that hunting is not a sport because of its individuality in nature is just naïve. Those who may argue that hunting is too barbaric need to realize that, “Boxing is cruel and barbaric, and that does not exclude it from being a sport,” (Fox 2). Many other sports such as football and hockey could also be considered barbaric, yet they are never questioned as to their legitimacy of being a sport.
There may also be people who may feel that hunting shouldn’t be considered a sport because it involves killing, but hunters prevent overpopulation of animals and are highly regulated in what they are allowed to hunt. Also, hunters invest more in the habitat preservation than by paying for licenses than any other group of people. Without this funding, many habitats would be destroyed (Vitali).
Hunting is a sport because it requires multiple skills, which must be learned and then practiced over and over to master. It takes an understanding of herd behavior, similar to learning your opponent’s strategies in soccer. Hunting requires above average physical capabilities that are obtained through training and preparation. Many Olympic events are based off of survival techniques such as hunting. Conclusively, there is no legitimate argument as to why hunting should not be considered sport because it meets or exceeds all of the requirements of other widely recognized sports.
Works Cited
Fox, Michael. "Is Hunting Animals a Legitimate Sport?" 16 December 2010. Helium. October 2011
Houston, Jay. "Find the food, Find the elk." Houston, Jay. Elk Hunting 301, Making it Happen in Elk Country. Jackson Creek Publisher, 2006. 144.
Shooting Equitment and History . October 2011.
Vitali, Theodore. "Sport Hunting: Moral or Immoral." St. Louis University, 2004.
Good job on your paper! The only thing is in your definition you use the word herd. The only animals that herd for hunting are elk as mentioned Antelope, reindeer. Deer travel in groups not large enough to be called herds. Also by using the word herd you eliminate waterfowl hunting. Which to me makes your definition weaker. Other then that you did do a good job at making your topic seem correct.
ReplyDeleteI thought this was a great paper! It was presented in an easy-to-follow format, and you had strong qualifiers. You also did a good job of addressing your opposition. I thought you supported this well, and used good sources. Your paragraphs were linked well.
ReplyDeleteThis paper was one of the most organized papers of them all. You stated your qualifiers and effectively defended them with great logical and emotional appeals. Your simple definition of "hunting is a sport" is a little questionable but your qualifiers support it enough. Well done!
ReplyDeleteAlthough I still disagree with your definition I thought it was a very interesting paper! Your definition and qualifiers were stated clearly in your essay and then defended throughout your paper. I did like that you made references to tennis and the olympics for those of us who have no hunting experience. That really helped me to understand your point. I thought it was a good paper!
ReplyDeleteInteresting topic-I have never thought about hunting in this perspective. I loved your word choice. One thing that I couldn’t help but notice while reading your paper is you began many of your sentences with “hunters.” I can tell by reading your paper that you put a lot of thought and work into your paper. Good Job on anticipating the opposing arguments.
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