Hunting

Like a lot of other hunters around northwest Montana, I filled my deer tag last week. It was the first time for me in years, and it brought on a familiar, complicated and primal mix of emotions.

Killing an animal is not something that should be taken lightly. Maybe that's why we use euphemisms like "harvesting" or "tagging." Most hunters I know would admit that it's a bittersweet experience, the feeling of accomplishment mingling with regret at having taken a life.

Human beings evolved over millions of years to be at the top of the food chain, and the hunting instinct is a part of us. I respect those who have made a moral decision to follow a strictly vegetarian diet, but for the rest of us, animals must die to feed us.

Hunting simply to survive is no longer necessary for most of us. In the developed world, much of our food comes from "factory farms" that isolate us from the killing. Hunting becomes a recreational activity but perhaps more importantly a way to stay in touch with one of those things that makes us human.

As far as the animal is concerned, far better, I would think, to live a natural life in the wild and be struck down in an instant by a bullet or broadhead than to be raised in a pen only to be slaughtered in an environment far removed from nature.

If we choose to eat meat, we should face up to the fact that we've got blood on our hands. Hunting makes that much more than a metaphor and helps keep us from becoming hypocrites. - Brent Shrum