Decelerate. Before you call PETA to request that they send a hit man, hear me out. Most people eat meat, so why is farming a better source of meat than hunting? Turns out it isn’t, at least in terms of their respective “green” scores. When it is done for sustenance and not single for sport, hunting can actually be an environmentally friendly activity.

Let’s be clear: this statement only applies if you follow a specific set of guidelines. You are consuming or using every part of the animal you kill, to the best of your ability, and you are not simply killing for the sake of killing. The animal population you are hunting is one that really requires control, and that control is handled professionally and/or properly. He’s also doing everything he can to make sure the animal is killed humanely and that the weapon he uses to do it is efficient.

Think of Jake from Avatarnot Uncle Jimbo from South Park.

With all of that in mind, consider that hunting has been a part of human history for countless generations. It is an ancient food source that connects us with our wildest selves and with nature. It may be surprising, but here are 5 ways hunting is actually environmentally friendly.

1. Maintains and controls animal populations

At least in the United States, hunting is a highly regulated activity. There are laws at the local, state and federal level that keep the number of prey animals under control. These efforts help us do things like reduce car-deer collisions and protect our produce from wildlife grazing, helping us coexist. At the same time, the general health of the species is also protected in most places due to conservation laws that limit which animals can be hunted, when and where they can be hunted, and how many can be captured.

The process has and always will need constant management, so populations of animals that are popular with hunters may have an advantage as they will be more closely monitored for conservation as well as preserving the sport.

2. Overlooks ranching practices

Entire books have been written about the environmental debacle of large-scale ranching. Let’s just cover the basics. We use 30% of the land on earth to grow vegetables used to feed livestock such as cattle, chicken, and pigs. We only use 10% to feed ourselves directly. We also use one third of the Earth’s fresh water that hydrates our farm animals. Not to mention that methane emissions from livestock farming, produced as a byproduct of digestion, account for at least a third of all agriculture-related greenhouse gases.

Just like any other mass-produced food, commercially grown meat often goes to waste. Supermarkets, restaurants and consumers buy more than they need and end up throwing away too much. And unlike animal habitats in the wild, ranching has already required the destruction of millions of acres of carbon-absorbing forests around the world, accounting for up to 15% of global carbon emissions.

While smaller-scale and “backyard” farms are excellent alternatives to large-scale commercial sources of meat, hunting is also a viable option. Venison, elk, wild boar, duck, and rabbit are good substitutes for traditional livestock.

3. No added ingredients

One of the best things about eating game meat is knowing that it tastes exactly the way nature intended. And you may be surprised to learn that much of our commercially raised cattle actually have added ingredients.

Farm animals are often given small doses of antibiotics. Not to prevent infection, as you might think, but to promote growth, an accidental side effect discovered in the 1940s. This is a problem because the practice leads to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Although the potential impact on human health has yet to be quantified, the possibility of a future outbreak certainly exists.

US farmers often give livestock animals steroid hormones or synthetic equivalents to promote growth and metabolism of feed into meat. The FDA states that these chemicals are safe for human consumption, but studies have shown that they are excreted in feces, where they can find their way into water systems, causing endocrine disruption for fish and other wildlife, and possibly reaching as far as U.S.

Unless you’re buying organic or grass-fed meat, the meat you buy at the store was probably raised on GMO foods. Genetically modified animal feed is made from plants that either produce pesticides themselves or are bred to withstand heavy applications of nasty chemicals designed to kill bugs. Those chemicals are not removed from the plants before they are delivered to livestock. Instead, they accumulate in the fat of animals, which we then cook and eat, exposing us to substances that cause cancer, reproductive problems, and many other health problems.

As long as you’re not hunting in an area with known environmental contamination, you won’t have to worry if your game meat is full of nasty things whose names you can’t even spell. No, only pure, natural, chemical-free and tasty cuts.

4. The sport stays wild

Hunters are among the most active conservationists. It stands to reason: to enjoy hunting as a sport, the land must remain wild. Without well-preserved habitat, game species simply will not thrive and access to them will be limited.

People who buy hunting gear also make a large financial contribution to the protection of game habitats. In 1937, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Pittman-Robertson Act into law, allowing an 11% tax on firearms, ammunition, bows and arrows. The ingenious legislation has been a steady and uninterrupted source of conservation funding ever since, amassing more than $18 billion in total. The money is distributed annually to states to spend as they choose: education, research, restoration, or as they see fit. The results, like the resurgence of bighorn sheep populations in the southern Rockies, have been worth it.

Fees paid to obtain a hunting license or tag also aid in conservation efforts. States use the revenue to lease land for hunters to access, keeping it at least temporarily undeveloped. They also use it to operate fish hatcheries, combat invasive species, keep wildlife populations healthy, and offer special programs and education. In Colorado, the Department of Parks and Wildlife estimates that 62% of its funds dedicated to wildlife efforts come from license fees, with all taxes and grants combined only contributing 34% (donations and donations). direct sales make up the rest).

In short, hunting the country for yourself. Hunters as a group give back more than they take by paying higher taxes and fees on products and services associated with hunting, and by promoting land use that requires it to remain as it is.

5. Create a lifelong appreciation of nature

Learning to hunt skillfully can give you a solid appreciation of both animal behavior and the rules of nature. It teaches you respect for the land and animals, for the cycle of life and death, for our dependence on other forms of life to survive.

Hunting a deer is an all-day effort, at least. It is simply not possible to spend so much time in nature and not connect deeply with it. Hunters learn to work with the earth, rather than against it, to achieve their goals, and the enjoyment of their time outdoors leads to a naturalistic passion that knows no bounds.

Are you a hunter? Has hunting brought you closer to nature? In what other ways do you think hunting can be environmentally friendly?