By Jeff McNelis
Why do I hunt? The reasons are many and varied, not the least of which is that hunting is educational. No, I don’t set out each morning with a goal of seeing how much information I can absorb, but somehow I end each day just a bit more educated to the world of nature. Consider this.
I let my 10-year-old son take off school one day to go along with me on a hunting trip. It was just small game, and he was too young to actually hunt, but the weather was to be great, and I felt being afield on a day like that would help to kindle the fires of desire to become an outdoorsman. It must have had a positive influence because he fell in love with the sport. We had a great day together, walking for grouse, occasionally sitting for squirrels and generally just exploring and wandering all over the mountain. The weather was perfect with blue skies and a brisk fall breeze. The leaves were at their peak of fall color. I didn’t harvest an animal that day, but we had many experiences and thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent together.
I sent him to school the next day with a note explaining what we had done, and he returned with a note explaining that taking off school for hunting was considered an unexcused absence because, “There was no educational value in it.” I was OK with the unexcused part — I expected that. But when I thought about all we had done on the day we spent together, I had a real problem with the fact that they said there was no educational value in it.
I decided to take them to task with this letter.
To whom it may concern:
My son recently missed a day of school because he accompanied me on a hunting trip. You have indicated that you consider such an outing to have no educational value. I would respectfully like to disagree with that policy for the following reasons.
On a typical day in school, my son would expect to be educated in science, math, English and geography for a total of about five hours of classroom time — how much of that time he would actually be interested enough to pay attention is anyone’s guess. In nature’s laboratory, he spent a full 10 hours of hands-on interaction with all aspects of nature — and I can guarantee you it held his attention the entire time.
Although we didn’t harvest any game animals, we encountered five different animal groups (birds, mammals, reptiles, fish and amphibians). And he learned how these groups all live together in the same habitat and that some have symbiotic relationships, while others have predator-prey relationships. He learned that the predator is necessary and is not the villain in the equation, because without the predator, the animal populations would swell, and disease would become rampant. He now realizes that the predator is an essential factor in promoting the health of many different species. He also learned that predators themselves can become overpopulated, and that man must sometimes be the factor that controls their numbers or nature will do it via disease and starvation. He understands that hunting and trapping, along with having great recreational value, are necessary to control these animal populations.
Together we encountered and studied the whitetail deer, and he learned the differences between bucks and does and how their behaviors differ. He learned the year-round life cycle of this animal and how they can harm the very habitat in which they live. He now knows that hunting this animal is necessary because the natural predators that used to keep the deer’s population in check are now nonexistent or so low in numbers that they’re no longer a factor. He knows that man is now the most prominent predator of the whitetail and has the responsibility of controlling their population numbers. He understands that the process of hunting the deer, while an enjoyable recreational pursuit for the hunter, is also a valuable management tool to be used in deer population management.
We observed gray squirrels, fox squirrels, red squirrels and chipmunks. He learned that these species are almost solely responsible for the reforestation of the eight species of oaks and the five species of hickories and they accomplish this by constantly burying acorns and hickory nuts. He learned that these animals work diligently in the fall storing food for the long winter, when food isn’t as plentiful — and if they don’t work hard, they don’t eat. They seek out these meals using their acute sense of smell but that they store many more than they find and the ones they don’t find germinate and become seedlings. Of these thousands of seedlings that sprout each year, only one in 1,000 is privileged to become a mature tree. He learned that when one of these giants is felled by lightning or an ice storm or just dies of old age or disease, the sunlight that reaches the forest floor in its absence nourishes the seedlings and saplings till one is chosen to replace it. He learned that the replacement is chosen by nature’s harshest law — only the strong survive — and that the weak are doomed to wither and die, ensuring the future and strength of the species.
In the mountain stream he observed native brook trout, as well as salamanders and frogs in the deeper pools. He was fascinated by the wood turtle that we discovered under the fern cover. The shed snake skin that he found in the hollow log led to a lesson on how snakes grow bigger. He learned forest ecology — that the animals are in balance with each other as well as with the plant life of the forest. He learned dendrology — he can now name at least 10 species of trees and can tell you various facts about each. Without actually mentioning the science of each, we touched on biology (life cycle of the frogs we saw), chemistry (acidic rain), zoology (the number of fawns a deer has is controlled by genetics, available food sources and population numbers), botany (some tolerant plants can grow in shade while others need sunlight), meteorology (cloud formations can forecast coming weather), conservation (lack of ground cover and plants can cause erosion), geology (our ground is on the edge of the eastern plateau), astronomy (the moon comes up at different times and can affect animal feeding cycles), wildlife dynamics (any range will only support a limited number of animals), orienteering (use of a map and compass to determine where we were and where we were going), and forestry (thinning existing trees makes room for and opens the over story for different species to develop). And since this was not an actual
classroom, he didn’t find the learning process boring but grasped the information readily.
He also learned many human qualities this day. He learned patience, vigilance and physical endurance — all things hunters must have to be successful. He learned it’s worth getting out of bed two hours early even if all you see is a stunning sunrise. He learned to appreciate and to understand the laws of nature. He found that Mother Nature isn’t always a kind old lady when we discovered the carcass of a deer with two broken legs that had been snapped off this past winter in the thick ice crust. We learned compassion as we stood in silence and viewed the remains and couldn’t help but imagine the agony the poor thing must have gone through. We also realized from this that almost always a hunter's bullet is more humane than Mother Nature’s ways. But he understood that this animal’s passing enabled other animals that received nourishment from the carcass to live, and that no part of the deer’s body would be wasted. And we learned reverence when we saw the last rays of a brilliant sunset fade to gray.
Maybe “learned” isn’t the right word to use for these experiences. Possibly “absorbed” is a better word, because he absorbed the knowledge with such eagerness that I know he will retain most of it. And this day was not an exceptional day. This was a typical day — a day that can be repeated regularly, although with different experiences each day. This day afield was not wasted. We shared an experience together that neither of us will forget. He learned more about his natural world in this one day than he would in a month in a classroom setting. So, I ask you to reconsider your decision in light of the fact that he spent the day in a very educational setting — nature’s outdoor laboratory.
I never received a response, but I learned something in the experience of writing the letter. I hadn’t really realized until I put it down on paper how many varied and wonderful things we encounter on a typical day in the outdoors. And, whether we admit it, and whether we like it, we are learning new and different things every time we go out. The above took place about 25 years ago. Although hunting may still not be considered a valid excuse to take a day off school, in light of increased public awareness of our natural resources and the fact that we are entrusted with their care, most schools are much more forgiving. I still feel the old saying is true: “Even a bad day hunting is better than a good day at work, or school or anywhere. In addition to being a soul cleansing experience, it can be extremely educational.”
