Large Fierce Mammal

Editor’s Note: Not unlike my own self, my esteemed friend Eric Noeldechen takes an old school approach to the basics of life. At the end of the day, while new tools may come along, the basics never change, which is why they are called “basics”. Eric is a husband, father, Scout Leader, craftsman of fine carrying systems for knives and tools, and most of all, a realist. He can walk the walk.

I don’t personally cotton to trophy hunting, preferring to limit my killing to things I either intend to eat or that have demonstrated an intention to eat me, and I can’t speak for Eric, but he makes some valid and thought provoking arguments here with respect to African big game hunting.

Eric submitted this article to me a few days ago and I found it more than worthy of being published here under the LFM masthead. Please welcome LFM contributor Eric E. Noeldechen, a Large Fierce Mammal in his own right.

"Longhunter" by Marian Anderson

Let’s face facts. Human Beings are omnivores – hunters and gatherers. At least we used to be.

For man to hunt is natural, innate and simply part of what makes us human beings. As far as I’m concerned, anyone who doesn’t have the urge to hunt has mutated DNA and is the weaker of the species, ripe for the picking of Natural Selection.

100 years ago, there were no grocery stores, no one to do the killing and butchering, no large corporate owned “farms”, no steroids, no hormones, no chemicals injected into our food. Hunting wasn’t just a part of life, it WAS life.

If you didn’t hunt or fish you died. In one way or another something somewhere has to die for us to be able to live. There is NO way around it, denying it, or wishing it away. It’s Life; deal with it honestly.

What has changed in those 100 years? A few things – one of them is the Commercialization of our food.

No longer do you have to go out to the chicken coop, pick out a bird, chop its head off and dress it for dinner. Now, you simply go to the store and pick out your bird all nicely “cleaned” and packaged, ready to go. No bloody hands. Out of sight, out of mind.

We not only don’t know where it came from, other than the familiar corporate logo, we also don’t know how it was treated, what it ate, what it was injected with, or how long it’s been dead. 100 years ago if you were having chicken for dinner, it was probably still alive at high noon. 100 years ago, you knew that chicken’s history. Now, not so much.

For the truly lazy of our species, the food is already seasoned, cooked and all that needs to be done is to toss it package and all (Hungry Man Dinners) into the Nuke-u-lator and in a few minutes you’re good to go, never mind the disturbing list of ingredients.

All the dirty work is done. No guts, no blood, no killing and no thought. Let’s eat!

To the anti-hunter and/or vegan/vegetarian it is either a distaste for animal flesh or a moral dilemma . The conscience wrestling with the consequences of killing another living creature, which is understandable to a degree. Death is ugly, however it is what it is.

We as hunters, understand that. We know what is involved and the majority of us are extremely passionate about hunting. We take killing an animal very seriously. They were not put here to look at, they were put here as a resource to be used and managed. Otherwise they would all taste like old rubber tires.

Some say it is wrong to kill wild animals, yet they have no problem gobbling down a Big Mac, or stuffing their faces with pre-packed factory made Frankenfood.

Yet others will only eat vegetable matter thinking that their “impact” on nature and their conscience is clear of any animal torture, abuse, death or wrongdoing.

Commercially grown vegetables on large corporate sponsored farms that tamper with genetics are directly responsible for the deaths of millions of rodents, mammals, reptiles, birds, valuable insects and amphibians every year by machines that crush, chop, slice and dice and plow their way through fields and wildlife habitat.

Chemicals, such as herbicides, pesticides, fungicides add their own figures to the staggering body count, with the longer lasting and deeper reaching effects of gene mutations, cancers and a host of other diseases. The natural order of things is no longer.

Don’t think for a moment that being a vegan doesn’t have an impact on wildlife. The bottom line isn’t so “green” and friendly when you get right down to it, is it?

Nature is in a constant state of flux. There are many factors involved in the health of any given species. Urban sprawl, population density of animals, disease, weather conditions, pollution, predator/prey relationships all have an effect on every creature big and small.

As cities expand, more people are looking to get away from the Hell that is a large city.  Land which was once the home to countless animals is now housing developments that suck up large tracts of land into the urban sprawl vortex.

The building of a single home on what was once fertile deer habitat and trails that deer having been traveling on for literally thousands of years can change the way deer move across the land, and absolutely force them to cross high traffic roads.

These new suburbanites enjoy the country life, but also don’t approve of that intimate connection that we as hunters have with the animals we hunt. I call that the “Yuppie Syndrome”, and I say if you want to save wildlife, move up and not out, as in get an apartment.

On one hand they like the wildlife around. They buy up large tracts of land and seed it with Kentucky bluegrass, which is complete and utter waste, speaking of a person’s vanity more than anything else.

I’ve lived in the same spot for nearly 40 years and have watched what once was farm field, bush and rural life, turn into suburbia. This is as country as country gets. The million dollar homes and traffic, on what was once quiet country roads, tell another story.

Our lifestyles are what direct us. Most people these days are too busy, or too lazy, or simply don’t know how to do the things that at one time were a necessity to do. The skills that once made us independent, self-sustaining and hardy as humans are all but gone.

For most, the thought of actually getting their hands bloody is unthinkable. Many would rather starve, and many will if the hydro runs dry and the Zombie Apocalypse Begins. They simply aren’t capable of fending for themselves. They will now become parasitic and will rely on the “government” for their handouts. There is no such thing as a vegan when the pantry is empty come February.

I on the other hand, have a firm grasp on what needs to be done and how it’s going to get done, because I have been paying attention to my instincts. I know where the deer run. I know what parts of the bush hold rabbits. I know where the fish hang out and I know where the Tree Rats hide their nuts. I also know what certain plants are used for, and I know how to treat water for safe consumption, using the skills I’ve been honing for as long as I can remember.

That actually puts me ahead of the game, non-parasitic and still Top of the Food Chain.

I take no joy in killing an animal for sustenance, it’s simply a matter of how it is; I am following my internal guide, and if I can do it with compassion and respect I will retain my true north compass, without causing conflict or guilt to my conscience.

Being a Hunter also makes me a conservationist. I believe in the conservation of animals, otherwise why would I bother to take the time to jump through governmental flaming rings or pay license fees, which can run in the hundreds if not tens of thousands of dollars in the case of large animals of the African flavor?

The proceeds of my hunting permits directly pay for the enforcement of laws, of which most hunters follow closely. Sure there are A-holes, and taking game out of season or without the proper permits is poaching, not hunting. If it weren’t for the dollars hunters inject into the system, there would simply be no one to enforce the laws, making the laws a moot point.

Anti hunters gasp at the thought of a hunter killing an Elephant, Lion, Rhino or Giraffe in Africa without giving thought to what is actually happening. “The poor Elephant!”

Yes they are Beautiful animals, yes they need protecting, but where does the money come from to protect these precious creatures? Revenue as a direct result of hunting an elephant actually protects the animal in itself. A license costs upwards of $20,000 – $30,000 depending.

Herds of elephants are followed closely 24 hours a day 7 days a week by  heavily armed security, to ward off  poachers. They live with the elephants with mutual respect. A simple formula can be deduced from this.

No Hunters + No Security = No animals. Simple!

Hunters allow sound conservation principles and laws to function properly.

There is also very good scientific reason for hunters to exist, and serves the animal that is hunted.

When it comes to bloodlines, a large old deer has gotten to that position in its hierarchy for a reason. A quality bloodline makes the herd strong as the large old buck’s qualities are passed down from generation to generation. That’s good only so far.

At some point it stops being a positive and becomes a negative. Somewhere new DNA has to be added to the herd to keep it strong and vibrant. If it doesn’t, those attributes that were once useful are eventually exploited one way or another by disease or what have you, and will become a detriment to the herd. This is exactly why we have laws against incest and marriage from within the same family.

By removing that wise old buck from the picture we now allow his second in command to run the show. The herd stays vibrant, healthy and strong. Without the Hunter, new blood is only introduced into the herd by sheer luck, disease and natural or accidental death.

The predator (man) is a part of the natural cycle of life to the prey animal in question. As long as the animal being hunted is sustainable, any outside interference is actually changing the natural course of events.

Imagine a ban on deer hunting with a National population of 25-30 million animals. If a deer hunting ban happens, I’m opening an auto body shop in a hurry. Deer/automobile collisions run in excess of $1 billion dollars a year. Think about that for a minute.

Again, Humans are omnivores. Hunting is natural and scientifically proven not only to be good, but rudimentary for nature itself to be healthy, thriving and sustainable. It is a renewable resource as long as common sense and science is followed and we don’t allow emotions to make the decisions.

The question I have is, are we Evolving into a Stronger Healthier Species of human being, or are we slowly de-evolving into a weaker subspecies of humans, who have little or no original instinct left? Anyone questioning evolution can see the results in less than 100 years of evolution in play.

I myself prefer to keep my OEM Instincts intact.

Keep your rod Stiff, and your tip Fast!