the inaccurate claims of anti-hunting extremists and beware of politicians trying to steal our conservation funding , the vast majority of which we — not the general public —" donated " for wildlife management .
Working with government wildlife agencies are dozens of private conservation organizations that push for political solutions and raise millions of dollars to directly support wildlife . These groups , funded almost solely by hunter donations and sweat equity include Ducks Unlimited , Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation , Pheasants Forever , National Wild Turkey Federation , Safari Club International , Mule Deer Foundation , Wild Sheep Foundation and many more . Blaming regulated sport hunting for endangering wildlife is not only inaccurate , but ineffective . It clouds the real issues endangering wildlife .
Check the list of North American extinct species and you ' ll find mostly tiny rodents , songbirds and insects , not game species . The same applies to endangered species . Of 85 mammal species and sub-species listed , 30 are obscure voles , mice , rats and shrews . Nine are bats and eight are whales . Four are subspecies of kit foxes living on islands .
The few " game " species on the list are endangered only locally or as isolated subspecies . Virtually all are in trouble due to loss of habitat , i . e . Florida ' s key deer , Sonoran pronghorns in the desert of southwest Arizona , etc . As for common , annually hunted mule deer , whitetails , elk , moose , pronghorns , coyotes , raccoons and the like , populations are thriving — because hunters care , hunters work and hunters pay to perpetuate wildlife through the NAWCM . Scientific wildlife management works .
An Argument : Hunters ’ Assault on Nature A small segment of Western society believes — fervently — that hunting is evil , vile , cruel and destructive . An affront against Nature . They see strident opposition to hunting as a tenant of environmentalism . He or she who is against sport hunting commands the moral high ground .
But is that true ? Is hunting evil , an assault on Nature / God ? Perhaps we should consult nature on this question . After all , she is , by her very nature , the ultimate authority on environmentalism , the final arbiter on questions of environment because Nature / God built the system . She / He should have the ultimate answer to the burning question :
Is sport hunting environmentally justifiable or an assault on Nature ?
To appreciate Nature ’ s stance on this , one must determine if humans are children of Nature . With our four limbs , two eyes , air-breathing lungs and oversized brains , are we one with the apes , wolves , lions , falcons , chickadees , whitetails and quail ? Or are we something other , something apart , displaced , perhaps “ left behind ” extraterrestrials isolated from the panoply of life on Earth ?
Evidence argues strongly that we are and always have been products of the same Nature / God that has replenished the Earth for countless millions of years . Humans don ’ t carry some 98 percent of the same DNA as chimpanzees because one is from Mars and the other from Venus .
This reality suggests we are subject to the same natural laws as the rest of life . We breathe , eat , drink , shelter , reproduce and die , our material parts recycled through Nature ’ s system
Predators , including coyotes and humans alike , exist by design in Nature to keep prey populations in check with available habitat .
28 SPORTSMENSALLIANCE . ORG