Hunting is a very controversial topic. With more people than ever before moving towards plant based vegetarian and vegan diets as an environmental, ethical, and health focused choice, hunting is being frowned upon as a cruel and unnecessary act. Is it right to say that ALL hunting is cruel and unnecessary?
The reality is that all of our distant ancestors were hunters, gatherers, and fishers. We would not be alive today if it were not for their skillful methods of harvesting wild foods from their local ecosystem, and that meant animals too and insects too, not just plants.
Then agriculture happened… which is a whole other topic for another blog post.
I believe that hunting can be done in a beautiful and respectful way, but that isn’t the case for how most hunting is done today. It may not be necessary to eat animals to survive in this day and age, but hunting seems to be an important part of reconnecting to our natural origins.
Certain methods of hunting require a strong connection to nature, and a great understanding of the prey being hunted and it’s natural patterns and habitat. Compare that to meat bought in the grocery store… Most people have no knowledge about the animals they are eating or where the meat came from and how it was produced.
The same goes for fruits and vegetables… Do you know much about your head of lettuce? Unless you grew it and picked it yourself, your relationship with that food is almost non-existent. Wild foraging and at the very least, gardening, helps us develop a deep respect for our food…and The Earth that it comes from. The same applies to hunting for those who chose to eat animals. If you want to eat it, you should grow it, gather it, or hunt it yourself. This is something that is missing from our modern society and is a critical part of the Rewilding process.
Whether you hunt or not, and whether you eat meat or not “Who We Are” is a beautifully filmed video on respectful hunting that is shot in the stunning Northern Canadian Wilderness and is sure to make you feel something.
What does it make you feel? Do you think compassionate hunting is possible?
Watch the video below and tell us in the comments.
