I guess to get some idea we need to answer the question ourselves: What is hunting? Some will say it’s a tradition and our heritage, and they are correct. Some will say it’s a sport, which is, well, okay in some aspects. I guess so, anyway. Who am I to argue? Others think of it as a life style, and I’m with ya. Some would say it’s a management tool to control the deer population, be it to grow the population or shrink it. This is the one I lean toward the most, but I believe the others are all true as well. Maybe there are other definitions I’m not aware of? I'm sure they're pretty right, too.
Here in NH, along with a couple other states, we have a common law on open lands. Way back in the old world, everything belonged to the crown, and to get away from that - the mentality - in the infancy of the US, some states chose to say that the animals belonged to the state, or the citizens of the state, not to the land holder. So, hunting is a heritage and a tradition here, not to mention that back then we needed to eat or we died. Then the resources, almost all resources, were nearly all gone. Laws were then passed to preserve the resources. These laws were changed and modified over the years as both the resources and we changed. They also brought back most animals, but in particular deer, to numbers considerably higher than ever. These laws are written and changed from state to state to maintain and control a HEALTHY population of deer.
Hunting is the tool that the state and game managers use to maintain that healthy population. So, hunting is now a management tool. We, with the thought of hunting as a tradition and heritage, need to understand that tradition is not the only aspect of hunting, and that this management is as important, if not more important, than that history that comes with the hunt. I only say more because, without proper management, there will be no hunting allowing us to maintain that tradition and keep our heritage alive. I can even remember when there were very few deer or no turkeys in NH, and I’m not all that old.
The way I see it, we are all out there for our own reasons and, for the most part, that makes the hunt the right thing to do. I, myself, have different modes. If I’m on a trophy hunt, I can, and have, passed on that 140” buck while holding out for bigger. I have also taken button bucks because I’m putting meat in the freezer. I have gone to PA to take does for the freezer.
The folks with the right education - those who know the deer population best around there - want a set number of does taken. So, I was more than willing to do my part. This way I don’t have to shoot the does here in NH, which is what our biologists want to see happen, the passing of does. That’s why the doe season has been shortened so dramatically. There are those that say, "I’m not a trophy hunter," but have no problem showing off that nice buck they shot. Hey, here's a tip: We are all trophy hunters. It's just to different degrees is all, and some of us can adjust that whenever and wherever like a thermostat.
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