The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting

Hunting can be both “environmentally and animal friendly,” according to natural historian MacDuff’s fervent debut. Formerly zealously opposed to hunting, MacDuff got into the sport after realizing he didn’t want to give up eating meat, but wanted to consume it in the most planet-friendly way possible. He recounts his first kill, a buck in New Jersey, noting that its heart was “the first meat I had ever eaten that was environmentally and emotionally guilt free.” MacDuff makes a case that, through the taxes and fees hunters pay, they are largely responsible for financially supporting most governmental conservation programs, and that hunting is the most climate-friendly way to acquire food. Responsible hunting, he notes, comes with such benefits as habitat preservation, maintaining sustainable wildlife populations, and combating climate change, as “biologists can use the information gathered by hunters to understand the most drastic changes taking place in localized segments of the environment.” Without getting overly sentimental, MacDuff eulogizes each of his kills while recognizing that “it’s impossible to value the individual and the group with the same weight.” MacDuff’s conversational writing will keep readers hooked, and his well-considered reflections offer plenty of food for thought. Nature-minded readers will find this full of insight. (Apr.)