The wildlife population seems to have exploded here in Connecticut. Every day I see a new social media post of a bear, fox, lynx, or herd of deer galloping through someone’s backyard. Environmental improvement has definitely helped, but there has been a serious decline in registered hunters here in Connecticut in the last few decades, has this become a lost art?
Hunting has never really been for me. I’m a carnivore through and through, but I prefer to remain ignorant about the harvesting part of the process. I respect those who enjoy it locally, but I despise the big game hunters who kill an animal for a trophy or for pure enjoyment. One of my old co-workers in Hartford loved to hunt and eat squirrels, and one day he even brought me some to try, but I turned them down. I have tried venison several times, but I prefer beef, chicken, or pork.
According to thefw.com, Connecticut ranks 44th on their list of states with the most registered hunters, and even then, registered hunters only make up 1% of our population. It’s even worse for a couple of our neighbors, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Rhode Island, which have even fewer registered hunters than we do. Our little neighbor to the east has the second lowest population of registered hunters in the United States, poor little Rhode Island, you just beat out the most environmentally protected state in the US: California.
Is it the cost? Strict limits on when and what you can take home? Or have decades of watching Animal Planet and documentaries about how our food is processed made us more respectful of all life?