2020 Hunting Season Resolution: Hunting With Less Impact
Chances are if you’ve hunted or fished long enough, you’ve left more non-biodegradable waste behind than you care to think about- all in the name of having fun. If so, you aren’t alone in your guilt. Fishing line, snagged lures, wind blown packaging, shotgun shells- you get the picture. I find myself thinking about this more the older I get. That’s why I’m making the 2020 hunting season resolution to hunt with less of a trash impact. With as rough of a resume that 2020 has developed so far, if we as hunters work together on this, we can certainly help end the year on a more positive note. The best way to do that is by demonstrating the care we hold for the ecosystems we spend so much time in during the hunting seasons.
The first way I think we hunters can lessen our impact is by keeping track of spent shell casings when we are hunting. This is something I have put some effort into in the past, but I must admit I have failed to give my best effort to recover all of the old shell casings I have left behind when throwing lead at a flushing rooster or a speeding rabbit. This year I am committed to no longer neglect that extra bit of plastic laying in field edges and CRP strips that I hunt. If you care enough about your impact on the landscape to be reading this article, I assume you at least round up your shells after spending an hour or two shooting clays, or sighting in your new scope at the range. If not…. c’mon man!
Photo by Jakob Puff on Unsplash
Procrastination is another thing that leads to hunters leaving blemishes on the face of the earth. My own guilt in this regard can be found in a couple of dilapidated hunting blinds that I either need to pick up and dispose of responsibly, or spend some time refurbishing. In my days of shed hunting I have found more than a few forgotten blinds or old tree stands that also fit into this category. I know it takes work to get those structures set up in the first place, but we can’t shrug off the responsibility that is inherently included when we decide to use blinds and stands. This summer we should all take inventory of all of our blinds and stands, and make sure that any these structures that are no longer useful are removed and disposed of properly. We will sleep better at night knowing that you are using the land responsibly.
Carelessness with wrappers and other packaging material is another way we as hunters add trash to the landscape. Some hunters have the bad habit of stuffing their used field dressing gloves under a gut pile. Or something we can all picture- the plastic wrapper that contained the hand warmers we just opened transforming into a pocket sized kite in the gusting winds of late November. Of course accidents happen, but we should do our best to prevent them by securing our trash/recyclable material in a zipper closed compartment on our backpack or coat. If we make this small additional effort these accidents will happen far less frequently. I also suggest packing a Ziploc bag (silent) to hold all of your messier trash (such as the field dressing gloves) for responsible disposable after you are done hunting for the day. If you really want to be environmentally minded you can rinse your Ziploc out after disposing of the offensive material.
Speaking of accidents, many lucky hunting socks have lost their match in the deer and turkey woods as an integral part of the accident avoidance plan. When nature calls, there is no putting it on hold. Undoubtedly all manner of products suitable for self cleansing have been used in a pinch, and if I were a betting man, I’d wager that most of these products are not exactly eco friendly. Do the world a favor and plan ahead by packing some biodegradable wipes before you head out to your tree stand. Then when the morning coffee kicks in, you can keep your sock drawer full, your hunting drawers empty and the earth healthy.
As hunters we can’t expect the planet to take care of us if we don’t reciprocate the gesture. Consciously dedicating our hunting activities to have less of an impact on the landscape is our responsibility. Please join me in adopting this approach as a 2020 hunting season resolution.