ards derive great pleasure and satisfaction from the
pursuit of these efforts, which are basic instincts.
For those who argue that they haven’t a drop of
hunting blood in their veins, I contend that even if
they never hunt game animals, they still thrill to the
chase—whether it’s for a bargain at the shoe store,
the winning bid at an auction, the newest electronic
gadget, or adding a new species to their bird-watching list. Like these and other passionate pursuits,
hunting is about an enriching experience, not just
the occasional harvest of a game animal.
A Source of Solace
Aside from feeling genetically and instinctively predisposed to hunt, I treasure and enjoy everything
about it: the planning and preparation, the sights
and smells, the privilege of observing animal behavior, the scouting, the challenges and thrills of the
chase, the skillful cleaning of harvested game, the
final organic feast. Hunting enables me to use and
improve skills learned over a lifetime. It demands
physical fitness, personal discipline, and a code of
ethics. It recharges my personal batteries, improves
my perspective about life, and results not only in
rich experience but in priceless memories of great
times afield with family, friends, and colleagues.
Reared on a farm in north Alabama in the 1940s, my
earliest memories of hunting begin at about four years
old. Armed with a homemade slingshot and road
gravel, I hunted barn rats, common birds, bullfrogs,
and small game like squirrels and rabbits. Always
hunting with enthusiasm, I became more efficient as
I moved to a Red Ryder BB gun and then to a single-shot . 22 caliber rim fire rifle, which I purchased with
money earned from trapping. With help from our
beagle hounds, the loan of my uncle’s squirrel dog,
and my angling efforts, I kept our family supplied with
small game and fish to supplement the chicken, pork,
and beef produced on the farm. By the time I was 12, it
was clear to me that wildlife should only be killed for
food, fur, property protection, and self-defense (rabies
was fairly common). By high school my experiences
of ethical hunting, learned afield with mentors and
friends, helped me appreciate the reasons for laws
defining legitimate uses of wildlife.
Now, after 65 years as an avid hunter and 45 years as
a professional wildlife biologist, I believe that wildlife
management continues to rely on the vision of people
whose lives have been positively inspired and transformed by hunting. Fair-chase hunting teaches vital
life lessons including the connectivity and interdependence of life; dependence on the biological integrity,
viability, and extent of natural systems; awareness
of our environment; the importance of stewardship;
skills of observation, patience, and responsibility to
ourselves and to the animals we seek; self-sufficiency
and self-confidence; natural history; responsibility for
the safe use of lethal harvest equipment; humility and
gratitude; social cooperation with colleagues, landowners, managers, and local communities; survival
skills; and reverence for life itself.
at a friend’s farm in virginia in 2005, Jim Miller helps his grandson Brooks position
and aim his new rifle, a Christmas present. Since then, Brooks has become “safe and
proficient” with the rifle, says Miller, who enjoys turkey hunting with Brooks in the spring.
Credit: Doris Miller
To my mind, hunters are heroes. They were the
first to initiate efforts to stop the destruction of
habitats from development and the sale of wildlife and the first to call for legislation to restore
wildlife habitat and populations. They continue
to support and defend scientific wildlife management. Fair-chase hunters are passionate about
wild things and wild places, recognizing that wild
creatures are worthy of our respect and admiration. Such hunters understand the need for
enabling and supporting scientific wildlife management and sustainability.
Those of us who are fair-chase hunters have a major
responsibility to serve as mentors to those who
follow us and who indicate an interest in hunting,
fishing, trapping, and in becoming wildlife stewards.
In my many years of teaching young people about
hunting, I’ve tried to help them understand that
