Wilderness and the Hunting Experience: What It Means to Be a HunterAuthor(s): Shawn P. GoodSource: Wildlife Society Bulletin, Vol. 25, No. 2, Deer Overabundance (Summer, 1997), pp. 563-567Published by: Allen PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3783492Accessed: 21/04/2010 15:55

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Perspectives on Hunting

IN MY EXPERIENCE

Pigeon Lake, in the heart of the Kawartha lakes, near Petersborough, Ontario, Canada. Duck hunting. Why do hunters put themselves on a floating piece of wood in the mid- dle of a lake at 5 a.m.?

Wilderness and the hunting experience: what it means to be a hunter

Shawn P. Good

The canoe slipped quietly through the bed of wild rice in the pre-dawn darkness. The only sounds other than my paddle that invaded the still, silent air were a few solemn croaks from bullfrogs (Rana cates-

beiana) somewhere in the darkness. It was 5:30 a.m.; sunrise was still half an hour away. I began plac- ing my decoys in the open water between the rice bed and my blind. Finishing, I turned the canoe and

paddled the 30 m to the point of cattails where my blind was located. As I was stepping out of the ca-

noe, I heard the first flurry of wings go by over my head. They were goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula); there was no mistaking the whistling sound of their

wings, giving them the nickname "whistlers." Adren- aline began coursing through my veins; excitement and anticipation built inside me. Hearing that sound

always affects me that way.

It was still 15 minutes before sunrise, and I had time to enjoy the solitude of the mid-November morning. The sun slowly illuminated the cloudless sky. Not a good day for duck hunting, but it promised to be a beautiful day nevertheless. The marsh slowly began to awaken. First, the red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) began to stir. Their morning songs were faint at first; then, building to a roar, hundreds of them lifted from their roosts in trees along the shoreline and filled the air with great black clouds. A small puff of feathers zipped by my nose and landed on the frame of my blind. Then an- other, and another. The chickadees (Parus caroli- nensis), brave and bold, lit in the cattails and reeds, chirping in defiance at me, an intruder in their marsh. As the morning light became brighter, I noticed bird

pellets on a corner post filled with tiny silvery scales.

The author was in the Department of Biology and Environmental Science at Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, when he wrote this article. His current address is Agency of Natural Resources, Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, RR #2 Box 2161, Pitts- ford, VT 05763, USA.

Key words: experience, hunting, values, wilderness, wildlife management

Wildlife Society Bulletin 1997, 25(2):563-567

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564 Wildlife Society Bulletin 1997, 25(2):563-567

A belted kingfisher (Ceryle alcyon) had been using my blind as a look-out perch, dive-bombing unsus-

pecting prey in the waters below. I caught a fleeting glimpse out of the corner of my eye and my trance was broken. Four mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were flying low and fast over my decoys. I found my call and began blowing, but it was too late. They weren't coming back, but there would be others. I turned back to watch the marsh wake up.

Living on Pigeon Lake in the heart of the Kawartha

lakes, near Peterborough, Ontario, this story is one that unfolds for me many mornings from late Sep- tember to late November, but the story is never the same twice. That is part of the fascination for me- the hunting experience, my wilderness experience. Although many would not consider a cottage-coun- try area of Ontario like the Kawarthas to be wilder-

ness, it is for me-at times. Wilderness is what I want it to be at any given time. I can experience wilderness hunting ducks in the Kawarthas or

portaging my canoe through the interior of Algon- quin Provincial Park. I believe wilderness can be

many things to one person, depending on his or her need at a particular time. This is what attracts many people to the sport of hunting. Hunters' percep- tions of wilderness are often quite different from most.

I hunt many game species: waterfowl, rabbits (Le-

pus spp., Sylvilagus floridanus), ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Each hunt takes place in a

slightly different location, different surroundings, dif- ferent habitats, and each time I go out, I learn or ex-

perience something new. I suppose that people who do not hunt, but spend time outdoors watching na-

ture, experience some of the same feelings as I do. But for me, hunting is what gets me out. It is my mo- tivator because I enjoy eating wild game. However, if I come home empty-handed, which is often the case, I still feel a sense of satisfaction.

Wilderness values Many definitions of wilderness can be found in the

literature, and every individual has his or her own

thoughts or opinions about what constitutes wilder- ness. Some definitions list criteria that an area must meet to be considered wilderness. For example, the

Algonquin Wildlands League (1980) defines a wilder- ness area as one that must exclude roads, permanent structures, mechanical equipment and vehicles, trap- ping, hunting, natural resource extraction, commer- cial exploitation, and any disturbance that is incom-

patible with wilderness and wilderness values. Simi-

larly, the Wilderness Act (1964, 16 U.S.C. 1131-1136) considers a wilderness area to be one that is undevel- oped, retains its character and influence, remains in its natural conditions, and is untouched by man. These are utopian definitions because few areas left on earth could meet all, or even most, of these criteria.

Many definitions of wilderness include the con- cept of an area where hunting or the removal of nat- ural resources is prohibited and where human activi- ties are minimized. Other definitions refute this. For example, Dearden and Rollins (1993) argue that nat- ural-environment parks, such as Algonquin Provincial Park, are often considered to be wilderness areas and that in these parks, which are managed for multiple- use, hunting may be allowed.

There are conflicts in determining how wilderness areas should be used. Some believe that the areas should not be used at all, while others believe that they should provide recreational values to the gen- eral public. The suggestion by Dearden and Rollins (1993), that hunting can be allowed in a natural-envi- ronment park (i.e., wilderness area) if it does not neg- atively affect natural and recreational values, is, to me, a contradiction in terms; I consider hunting to be a recreational activity, as do millions of other hunters in North America. I believe that of all the outdoor recreational activities that take place in wilderness ar- eas, hunting has the fewest impacts on natural values. Since the end of the last glacial period 10,000 years ago, human beings have survived and flourished on the North American continent through hunting and gathering. These activities have had minimal impact on the natural environment.

Recently, the environmental movement and the change in attitudes towards wilderness and wilder- ness values by the general public has put hunters un- der increasing pressure. Various antihunting and en- vironmentally related groups have attempted to end hunting by claiming that it is harmful to the environ- ment and does not promote wilderness values. To combat this movement, I believe hunters and wildlife managers must first understand what motivates peo- ple who oppose hunting, and second, understand how hunters' attitudes relate to the modern-day phi- losophy of wilderness and environmental health. It is important to understand what hunting means to peo- ple who hunt and what their experiences are.

How do typical hunters express their experiences? What are hunting values and how do they relate to wilderness values? Can an area be considered wilder- ness if hunting occurs? How is hunter success and satisfaction measured? To answer these questions I analyzed hunting stories and accounts from recent, popular, outdoor magazines and identified common

In my experience * Good 565

Why do people hunt? Companionship of others?

themes, key words, and phrases related to the hunt-

ing experience as a wilderness value. I reviewed the

following magazines: Angler and Hunter, Bow- hunter, Buckmasters, Deer and Deer Hunting, Ducks Unlimited, Field and Stream, Fur-Fish-Game, Ontario-Out-Of-Doors, Sports Afield, and Wildfowl. I read an average of 10 issues of each publication and

analyzed >40 accounts.

Hunting values As with most forms of recreation, individuals par-

ticipate in hunting for their own personal reasons.

Surveys, however, have revealed that most of these reasons can be grouped under common themes. I found 2 such surveys in the literature.

Kellert (1978) conducted a national survey (U.S.), in which he categorized hunters versus nonhunters based on their stated reasons for being hunters. He found that hunters' incomes were significantly higher than those of nonhunters, that hunters and nonhunters had received similar educations, and that hunters were younger than nonhunters (35-40 yrs old), from the middle class, and >85% male. Most hunters were from rural backgrounds; exhibited a

strong interest in and affection for wildlife, as well as a concern for the environment; and scored higher than nonhunters in their knowledge of animals.

Kellert (1978) divided hunters into 3 groups. "Util- itarian-meat hunters" (43.8% of all hunters sampled) were strongly identified with a utilitarian attitude. This group scored relatively low on the other attitude scales. "Nature hunters" (17.7% of the sample) hunted primarily to be close to nature. Although this was the least common type, nature hunters had a

higher proportion of persons who hunted often (35.3 %), which indicated a greater commitment to hunt-

ing. "Dominionistic-sport hunters," the third cate-

gory (38.5%), had low animal-knowledge scores, comparatively high negative-attitude scores, and low

humanistic scores. These hunters apparently valued animals because they provided them with an oppor- tunity to engage in a sporting activity that involved

mastery, competition, shooting skills, and expres- sions of prowess.

Contrary to Kellert (1978), Arthur and Wilson (1979) found that the opportunity to experience the natural wildlife environment was a major determi- nant of user satisfaction, followed by the opportunity to enjoy the companionship of others with similar in- terests. This may reflect a basic difference between the motivation to participate in an activity and the factors which determine whether the experience is

satisfactory. Arthur and Wilson's (1979) survey results are

closer to my findings than Kellert's (1978). After an-

alyzing the contents of >40 hunting accounts from outdoor magazines, I found a group of key words, phrases, and themes (Table 1). Many of the articles reviewed were regular monthly columns by individ-

Table 1. Key words, phrases, and common themes searched for and tabulated in hunting accounts taken from 41 outdoor and wildlife magazines spanning approximately 10 years.

No. of stories, Frequency of Key word, words, or occurrence (%)

phrase, or theme phrases found (n = 41)

Experience-hunting and wilderness 38 92

Excitement 36 87

Companionship of others 28 68 Beauty 27 65

Scenery 26 63 Appreciation of the animals 26 63 Anticipation 25 60 At one with nature 24 58 Tradition 23 56

Having an opportunity for a kill, but letting it go 23 56

Solitude 21 51 Wilderness 19 46 Affection for and knowledge

of wildlife 19 46 Quiet, peaceful 17 41

Heritage 15 36

Sanctuary 14 34

Importance of shooting an animal, meat 14 34

Challenge of stalking and

hunting 14 34

Morality 13 31 Ancestral 12 29 Ethics 11 26

Integrity 9 21 Urban wilderness 6 14 Adrenalin 6 14

Regret for killing an animal 4 9

566 Wildlife Society Bulletin 1997, 25(2):563-567

ual hunter-writers. Therefore, whenever possible, I chose stories that were not written by staff writers. In addition, I omitted stories that dealt with trophy hunting because they would have introduced bias to- ward one form of hunting.

In my survey the most common word association was "experience." It is difficult to determine what

experience the author was referring to just by look-

ing at the numbers. The word association must be understood in the context of the sentence or para- graph. This is difficult to do because in most cases 1 author's experience is different from another's. For

example, Spring (1995), in the article "Full circle," re- counted how he was introduced to hunting. He at- tended university and in his first year took a wildlife

management course. During the first lecture, the 2

professors teaching the course told the class that they were both deer hunters. Spring was shocked, not un- derstanding the connection between management and hunting. As the year wore on, however "... both teachers amazed me with their blend of biological and practical experience. They not only had formal schooling in wildlife management, but also the prac- tical experience of contact with people and wildlife through hunting" (Spring 1995:13). On the other hand, Haig (1994) wrote of "experiencing" his first- ever duck hunt on the St. Lawrence River. Haig re- called that seeing 6 drake Goldeneyes appear out of nowhere and landing in his decoys was an experi- ence he would never forget. Ninety-two percent of the stories reviewed discuss a type of experience. Therefore, I believe that many hunters take part in the recreation for the experience.

Hunters also hunt for the excitement. Home (1979) presented accounts of his hunting trips in Scotland in the early part of this century. For Home, a large part of the hunting experience was the ex- citement that came with the hunt and the learning that accompanied it. Home wrote that the hunter "... moves among the birds and the beasts and the mountains and valleys, and will learn about natures ways. He will know the excitement of anticipation, and the luxury of reminiscence." These are feelings commonly experienced by hunters; excitement was the second most frequent word association (87%) in

my survey of hunting accounts. The third most common theme (68%) found in the

hunting accounts was the "companionship of others" during a hunt. Most people would not think of this as a reason for hunting, which is often thought of as a solitary recreation. In fact, 51% of the accounts men- tioned some sort of "solitude." Arthur and Wilson (1979) found that companionship was the second most frequent reason cited for participating in hunt-

ing. Although there are times when I enjoy being alone in my duck blind to witness the dawn of a new

day, on the whole, a hunting trip always seems more successful when a companion is there to share the

experience. Appreciation of the "beauty" of nature and enjoy-

ment of the "scenery" ranked fourth (65%) and fifth (63%) in my study. This has always been a large part of my hunting experience. I often wander through the forest or paddle through the marsh in awe of na- ture. I drink it up, learning as I go. Many people ap- preciate this type of scenic beauty, but at a distance.

Many people's wilderness experience comes from

seeing nature through a car window at 60 km/hour while driving through a national park. For me, and I

suspect for many others who hunt, nature is best ap- preciated at the close range hunting provides.

Further down the list of reasons of why people hunt is "having the opportunity for a kill, but letting it go." This theme was found in 56% of the accounts in contrast to the "importance of shooting the ani- mal, the meat, the kill," found in only 34% of the ac- counts. For people who do not understand hunting and think of hunters as blood-thirsty killers, this may be surprising. However, being a hunter myself, I un- derstand this result. Home (1979) wrote about a goose-hunting trip he went on in Scotland, when geese were considered to be a prize catch. He wrote of watching a flock fly by about 6 miles (9.6 km) out. "Suddenly the leader turned at right-angles and from that moment they came as straight as an arrow to my decoys ... It was so exciting and exhilarating that I let them settle, and then gratefully sent them away." This is a scene played out, I'm sure, far more often than any nonhunter would imagine. This demon- strates the deep respect and appreciation many hunt- ers have for wildlife.

The fifth most important reason given for hunting (63%), along with the appreciation of scenery, was the "concern for the well-being of natural systems" felt by most hunters. Aldo Leopold, long considered the father of modem-day wildlife management, wrote about this feeling and called it the Land Ethic (Leopold 1949). Clarke (1958) described Leopold's Land Ethic as an ethical system, in which value was placed not on individual animals but on the biotic community as a whole. Authors of the accounts I read for this paper may not have been aware of the Land Ethic, or even have known who Aldo Leopold was, but they expressed similar feelings of concern for the whole of nature. I believe that, on the whole, and as suggested in Kellert's (1978) survey, hunters care about nature and wildlife, both game and nongame species, a great deal more than most nonhunters.

In my experience * Good 567

Hunters often use areas that would not be consid- ered true wilderness by any definition. These might include farmland, ravines and gullies, and small woodlots close to urban centers. Hunters' defini- tions of wilderness are often quite different from those of nonhunters, and wilderness for hunters can be different things at different times. Word associa- tion of "wilderness" and "sanctuary" were ranked tenth (41%) and twelfth (34%) in my survey. Spring (1994) wrote of a small 16-ha (40-acre) woodlot with a thicket in which he hunted deer. In the center of the thicket was a clearing only 65 m long and 44 m wide. Sitting in his tree stand in this thicket, he felt that he was divorced from the rest of the world, that he was completely alone in his own personal wilder- ness, even though, from time to time he could hear vehicles go by on the road 219 m behind him.

Conclusion There are probably as many reasons that people

choose to hunt as there are hunters. However, there seem to be a few commonalties among those reasons. Humans evolved as hunters and gatherers. Vicariously, in many ways we still are, though this is masked by mod- em agricultural mechanization and animal husbandry.

The ancestral urge to hunt, and to seek the com- panionship of those who do, is buried deep in the psyche of many humans. It emerges most often in those who have, or have had, a continuing associa- tion with the land.

It has often been said that the kill is a small part of the reason for hunting. If it were not, it would be in- finitely cheaper and more convenient to buy meat. It is true that there is additional satisfaction in a suc- cessful hunt, as in any successful endeavor, but some of the most enjoyable hunts are not the most suc- cessful. The significance of the kill tends to decrease with the maturity of the hunter. Companionship and sharing the hunting experience with friends, increas- ingly become the important motivations.

I am not a hunter all year long. At times I am an an- gler, a naturalist, a camper, or a hiker. Yet, I choose to call myself a hunter and conservationist. Why peo- ple hunt is a difficult question to answer. The philosopher Ortega y Gasset (1942:96-97) summed it up well when he said, "One does not hunt to kill; on the contrary, one kills in order to have hunted."

Literature cited ALGONQUIN WILDLANDS LEAGUE. 1980. Wilderness now: a statement

of principles and policies of the Algonquin Wildlands League. The League, Toronto, Ontario, Can. 72pp.

ARTHUR, L. M., AND W. R. WILSON. 1979. Assessing the demand for wildlife resources: a first step. Wildl. Soc. Bull. 7:30-34.

CLARKE, C. H. D. 1958. Autumn thoughts of a hunter. J. Wildl.

Manage. 22:420-426. DEARDEN, P., AND R. ROLLINS. 1993. Parks and protected areas in

Canada: planning and management. Oxford Univ. Press, Toronto, Ontario, Can. 336pp.

GASSET, ORTEGA Y. 1942. Meditations on hunting. Transl. by H. B. Wescott. Charles Scribner's Sons, MacMillan Publ. Co., New York, N.Y. 1985. 132pp.

HAIL,,J. A. 1994. Of ice and men. Wildfowl 10(2):10-13. HOME, L. 1979. Reflections on field and stream. Little, Brown, and

Company, Ltd., Toronto, Ontario, Can. lllpp. KELLERT, S. R. 1978. Attitudes and characteristics of hunters and an-

tihunters. North Am. Wildl. and Nat. Resour. Conf. 43:412-423. LEOPOLD, A. 1949. A Sand County almanac. Oxford Univ. Press,

Inc., New York, N.Y. 295pp. SPRING, J. M. 1994. The sanctuary. Deer and Deer Hunting

18(4):134-135. SPRING, J. M. 1995. Full circle. Deer and Deer Hunting 18(5):12-14.

Shawn P. Good holds a diploma in fish and wildlife manage- ment technology from Sir Sandford Fleming College's School of Natural Resources, Lindsay, Ontario, Canada, an honours B.Sc. in biology and environmental science from Trent Univer- sity, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, and an M.Sc. in fisheries science from Universite Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. An avid outdoorsman, Shawn participates in all forms of an- gling from ice-fishing to fly-fishing and enjoys hunting water- fowl, upland game, and big game. He has a personal interest in conserving and protecting the rights of anglers and hunt- ers-a passion he gained while working for the Ontario Feder- ation of Anglers and Hunters, a nongovernment organization dedicated to preserving outdoor heritage and conserving fish and wildlife resources and habitats. Shawn has recently ac- cepted and begun a permanent position as a District Fisheries Biologist with the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, Pittsford District.