“All work and no play make Jack a dull boy”. This is a very popular phrase and is commonly used as well. It simply means that working day in and day-out without having any fun at all does not make one’s life complete. As humans, we need time to bond, time to let loose and enjoy the outdoors and the beauty of nature. We need time to do things that make us feel satisfied and fulfilled. Some people choose fishing; some choose hiking; some like swimming but there are those who love to hunt.
Hunting has a long history and was seen as a necessity for the earliest peoples. Hunting animals was the only way of providing food to get nourishment. It not only provided food but also provided a form of clothing as ancient people used fir and other animal skins for clothing. The bones that were extracted from the animals were used as tools. As man became more sophisticated and tools, farms and other developments took place, hunting eventually became less essential. However, it is still practiced today for food or pleasure. Many people hunt for food because they prefer game instead of store bought meat while there are people who hunt just to enjoy the outdoors.
Sport hunting is very common and in this kind of hunting, the reward is usually animal heads, pelts, antlers or other body parts. The parts are cleaned by specialists and preserved for the gratified hunter. Similar to an art lover who collects art, the avid hunter keeps a collection of these heads and body parts in their homes.
In sport hunting, a gun or bow and arrow are the most common tools used to catch game. There are many different techniques that are utilized in sport hunting and they vary depending on the game being hunted and on hunting laws which differ among regions. Below are the most popular hunting techniques:
- Stalking – when hunting in an open field, the game can see the hunter afar way off just like how the hunter spots the game. The hunter has to use stalking which is using slow walking approach and using every possible object or shrub as cover to get closer to the game.
- Tracking – in this method, the hunter analyses physical evidence such as paw prints to ascertain where to find animals.
- Driving – this is when the hunter drives a herd of animals into the direction of another hunter so they can be shot or caught.
- Calling – in this method, the hunter tries to trick the animals that are being pursued. He does this by imitating other animal sounds that will attract the game in his direction so he can kill the animal.
Sport hunting is strongly debated especially when endangered species are involved. There are organizations that are committed to protecting animals that argue that sport hunting should be banned. However, people who engage in sport hunting argue that the activity poses no harm to the economy.
