In a previous article, we have discussed the negative effects of hunting, including how the forest can get affected. We try to elaborate on that here and also find out how we can reduce the damage caused to forests, as it’s not practical to stop harming the hunting environment altogether.
First let’s try to understand hunting in terms of numbers, so that we realize to what extent it can affect the forest and its inhabitants. With rifles, handguns, shotguns, muzzleloaders, scopes and bows and arrows, more than 200 million animals are killed each year in the USA. This figure includes approximately 42 million mourning doves, 30 million squirrels, 28 million quail, 25 million rabbits, 20 million pheasants, 14 million ducks, 6 million deer, and so many geese, bears, moose, elk, antelope, swans, cougars, turkeys, wolves, foxes, coyotes, bobcats and boars, according to The Fund for Animals, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state wildlife agencies. Hunting takes place in 60% of wildlife refugees and hundreds of national forests and state parks.
Pollution – One of the ways in which hunting affects forests is by polluting it. This pollution is manifold. The air, water and the soil can fall victim to man’s thoughtless activities. Campfires, recreational vehicles, trash (bottles, food wrapping, plastic and other non biodegradable material) and other hunting side effects hurt the forest. Noise pollution is another factor that disturbs the environment.
Deforestation- You might wonder how this is connected with hunting but then roads are built in wild land to facilitate access to hunters. To build roads, forests need to be cleared by logging or by burning. The same activities are carried out in order to increase the food available for game species, and in turn increase their numbers for hunters.
Natural food chains- The forest is a complex environment with its trees, plants, shrubs and of course the animal dwellers. The food chains keep a forest alive because energy has to be passed on in a certain way for the forest to thrive. When hunters take the scene, it disrupts the natural prey-predator cycles that are so important for the sustenance of the forest. Long term effects of hunting take a toll on forests and they are slowly lost to us.
So how can hunters go about their business responsibly? For starters, they need to be well equipped so that they don’t need to destroy the forest in case of any unexpected event. They need to follow the rules and regulations that have been put in place for hunting and respect the forest. Perhaps central to this respect is the understanding that there will be no hunting without forests. So it is in their interests to protect the environment.
Hunters should not leave their articles behind, such as plastic/synthetic material. They should take care if smoking because forest fires have started by careless behavior. Campfires should never be left unattended.
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