What's Wrong with Hunting?

Hunting has a long story and may well pre-date the rise of the specie Homo Sapiens. Evidence from Western Kenya suggests that hunting has been happening for more than two million years. The oldest kind of hunting can be considered just simple persistence, where people keep chasing an animal till the animal is exhausted and stops running, then the hunter approaches the prey and stabs the animal with sharp sticks.

 

There are still today two main types of hunting, Survival Hunting

(searching for food)and Hunting for Sports (hunting as a recreational activity).

 

The Stone Age and The Early Human Society

Around two million years ago ancient humans used complex hunting techniques to ambush and kill antelopes, gazelles, wildbeasts and other large animals for survival and to obtain food. Even though, our first human ancestors were small-brained apemen, scientists assumed that the meat they ate was gathered from animals that died from natural causes or were left behind by lions, leopards and other carnivores. However research shows that our cavemen ancestors, although primitive, were capable of ambushing herds of large animals after carefully selecting individuals for slaughter. The appearance of this skill so early in our evolutionary past has key implications for the development of human intellect.

Source: "Humans Hunted for Meat 2 Million Years Ago." Humans Hunted for Meat 2 Million Years Ago. Theguardian, n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. <http://www.theguardian.com/science/2012/sep/23/human-hunting-evolution-2million-years>.

 

 

• Early humans were hunter-gatherers (plants and animals for food

• Lived in caves and shelters made out of rocks, branches and animal skins

• The men hunted while the women gathered resources

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Weapons did the Ancient Humans use?

Not much evidence was found from the Cavemen times, nevertheless some cave paintings and scattered artifacts have been discovered as are good proof of their traditions and customs.

 

Cavemen used knives, arrows, and mostly spears both for hunting and defense. The tools they used to hunt were all hand made.

The Cavemen hunted many animals such as wild cattle, young saber tooth tigers, horses and red deer. They ate the animal organs, bone marrow, tongue, and even the eyeballs! They also used the fur from the animals to warm themselves up during the winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Middle Ages

A distinction between hunting for food and hunting as a pastime and recreation was first made in this time by the Normands. New techniques for farming and strict codes of behaviours were developed and used, and sedentarism became more common rendering hunting (for survival) virtually useless.

 

In the early Medieval Times hunters who killed to survive needed first to needed a harsh education. Educating a hunter began when he was only seven years of age. The student was assigned a tutor who taught him basic skills for this trade including fletching, crafting and surviving in the wilderness. When the young hunter was seven, he was allowed to watch and learn from his own master while, at the same time, looking after the tools. When the apprentice was about 17 years old, he was permited to go hunting alone and later on, if he belonged to a noble and wealthy family he was  requested to attend a ceremony that would take place to celebrate him becoming a new hunter. 

 

As mentioned above, hunting for the aristocracy was not viewed as a of means survival, but, on the other hand, as a recreational activity and training. Weapons were different than those used for gathering food purposes. For example, crossbows were the most frequently used. The most commonly used weapon, however was the bow (specially the short bow). Additionally, spears, swords and shields were all used when nobles hunted.

 

Hunting itself was not a main source of food. Farms brought vast quantities of bread, vegetables and fruits, but it was noted that those who complimented meat with that food would grow healthier. Nobles were those who ate the most meat and the poor hunters, instead of eating the meat for themselves, frequently sold it to the aristocracy in exchange for money to buy cheaper food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What Weapons did the People in The Middle Ages use: 

Bows and archers - they are regular bows used for hunting. Sometimes these varied, but most of the time the bows used for warfare were the same used for hunting.

 

Swords - Swords were also used for hunting. They were mainly used for training purposes and to kill animals when already hurt by a projectile.

 

Spears - Spears were common for hunting as well. They were not as common as swords and bows, but they were frequently employed by the poor since they could be improvised and easily fixed.

 

Dogs-were also a very common used for hunting since they helped hunters capture their prey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modern Day Hunting

Today's motivations and reasons to hunt are very different than in the past. Hunter normally hunt to seek an adventure, face a challenge and compete against themselves and nature. This activity today is very regulated by governments and conservation organizations to protect the wildlife and habitats. In the beginning hunting was also used as training exercise for battles while today people have more specific training for to pursue this purpose. It is very interesting to mention that archery is still a very popular weapon for hunting in addition to rifles and other weapons. Even though hunting follows traditions, it is still debatable to this date since most people feel strong emotions for animals' deaths. Furthermore, transportation, equipment and healthcare has improved significantly to ensure that hunting is a safe sport. 

 

The activity of hunting in the contemporary world is not only limited to survival or defense but became a thoughtful and complex phenomenom. This sport, while highly controvertial, has a considerable impact on the social and economical development of local communities and nations as it promotes tourism, the creation of employment and the development of infrastructure and a new industries.