The first attack I generally hear against hunting is that it is somehow barbaric in our day and age. Well, hunting is anything but barbaric. Just think of how we all go to the supermarket and take our pick from rows and rows of “meat.” This meat comes from factory farms where animals endure some of the most barbaric conditions imaginable. When you hunt, you harvest animals from their natural habitat. They have lived a fuller life and are free from the artificial contaminants present in that steak from the store. If you’re going to eat meat, killing a deer with your bare hands is nowhere near as barbaric as buying a roast from the supermarket.

Besides barbarism, it is strange to me that I rarely encounter hunters and environmentalists who see eye to eye. I believe it is only because our broken political system is infecting our reality that hunting and environmentalism seem to be opposing ideas.

Harvesting your own food gives you an appreciation and respect for the animals you eat and where they come from. Also, hunting requires large swaths of undeveloped land, thereby fighting urban sprawl. Furthermore, it helps balance the predator-prey relationship that has been offset by human civilization.

Thus, beyond just teaching people to appreciate nature, hunting benefits the environment in a real way.

But no one hunts for the social benefits; they do it because hunting is a great time. There’s nothing like getting together with friends or family and heading out to the woods. And later, the joy of sitting around, swapping stories from the day is almost as good as being in the woods itself. After the hunt, every time you cook up a steak for the rest of the year, memories of good times with friends or family will come flooding back. When economist Adam Smith said, “Society and conversation are the most powerful remedies for restoring the mind to tranquility …” he must have had a hunting camp in mind.

Speaking of family, hunting also is one of the best ways for a family to bond and engender responsibility in children.

To this day, I can remember the lessons from hunter’s safety class. “Guns are for recreational activities only.” “Never ever point a gun at another person.” And so on. So while my extended family told me tales of my heritage, I also was learning how to responsibly handle these dangerous weapons.

To this day, I only see guns as recreational tools. Consequently, I have trouble understanding the justification for allowing guns whose only purpose is to aim at other people. I’m talking about pistols and assault weapons here. Maybe if more people hunted they would see guns as less of a political issue and more of a responsibility.

All of these are only positive externalities though, because the true reason to go hunting is how enjoyable it is. Being out in the wilderness is a good time, and it’s good for you. There are several recent neurological studies showing that spending time in nature improves creativity, focus, memory and mood. Once you add the thrill of the hunt to the already wonderful great outdoors, you create an experience that’s too thrilling to pass up.

With all of these reasons in mind, it’s easy to see why hunting is one of the best recreational activities around. So get out there, and maybe the next time that trophy buck steps out from behind a snow-covered pine, it will be your turn to feel the excitement of this sport. Even if you don’t come home successful you can still find solace in knowing that you had a helpful impact on your state. If I couldn’t convince you to get out there, I at least hope I have made you think twice before criticizing this wonderful Michigan tradition.

Christian Hokans is a State News guest columnist and political theory and constitutional democracy junior. Reach him at hokansch@msu.edu.