"You're Killing Bambi!"

I have heard this phrase uttered in reference to those who kill deer during hunting season, and I must admit that I'm operating from a pretty close wavelength to that. I've enjoyed the outdoors all my life, and I love to go out and shoot at animals -- with a camera. But when it comes to hunting, I can't help but cringe. I would never be able to shoot an animal like that; it's just not in my nature. But is it wrong for anyone to do it? That's a very difficult call to make.

When I see a deer out in the woods, I see a beautiful living creature. If I saw one killed before my eyes, it would devastate me. But the fact of the matter is that there is an entire portion of the year which is designated for killing these animals. Hundreds of people look forward to the opening of deer season so that they can go out and bring home a trophy and feast on deer jerky and venison for weeks to come. Deer are not the only animals that are hunted, of course, but they are the animals that enter my mind first when I think of hunting. So is it wrong to hunt these creatures down just for the fun of it? I don't really know.

A few years ago I would have said yes, yes, unequivocably yes, but I've come to realize that the world is not that simple. Hunting has been a part of human nature for millennia, and it can't be expected that we will simply stop now that we are in a position of privilege. I certainly can't argue with hunting when it is essential for survival, as awful as it seems. And I do realize that animal products are used in everyday life in more ways than we are aware of. I became acutely aware of this when I tried unsuccessfully to become a vegetarian. So I feel a bit of a hypocrite condemning hunting.

So I won't condemn it, but I will continue to express my uneasiness with it. What does it say about a person when his or her greatest joy is derived from depriving another being of life? No life should be destroyed simply for bragging rights. I believe that if an animal must be killed, it should provide nourishment or clothing or some other basic need. This is far too serious a matter to be mere "fun". Hunting purely for sport is contradictory to our humanity.