Why Hunters Have a Bad Rep, And Why Nyles Lehnen Says They Shouldn’t

People often imagine that hunters are immature, violent people who like to play with guns and kill defenseless animals for sport. While Nyles Lehnen concedes that hunters hunt for about as many reasons as other people do things like read or cook, he assures people that not every hunter is out to kill anything cute and fluffy in his or her path. Similarly, not everyone who buys a butcher knife is a serial killer. 

Many people eat what they hunt, including Nyles Lehnen. While hunters enjoy the sport as much as the meat in many cases, Nyles Lehnen knows that a large portion of the meat he brings back from a hunt ends up in the freezers of friends and relatives. 

Nyles Lehnen also points out that hunters serve to help control animal populations in growing rural and suburban areas. As people continue to encroach on animal habitats, the odds of an individual running into a deer on the side of a busy interstate increase. Designated hunting seasons allow hunters to help control the population in a given area, so that the area is capable of sustaining the animal population after the season ends. In the off-season, the animal population has a chance to recover from the hunting season. Animals are more likely to cause car accidents when resources are scarce, because animals are more likely to be on the move. 

Many hunters are unusually aware of the plight of animal populations and the impact that human beings have on them. Hunters are keyed into more information about wildlife habits, habitats, and behaviors than many an animal lover. Nyles Lehnen encourages people who have a negative view of hunting and hunters to reconsider. He recommends that we recognize the service that hunters provide to the entire community, both human and animal.