It is distressing to see the profound lack of understanding displayed by politicians and some members of the public advocating the closure of hunting in road corridors.
When listening to the arguments made by those attacking hunters’ rights, common themes are that road hunting is “unsporting,” that road hunters are somehow making pathetic attempts to feed their ego and that “real” hunters don’t road hunt.
All of these concepts are pure nonsense.
Road hunting is not about “sport,”“ego” or being a “real hunter.”
Road hunting is subsistence hunting, period.
It’s about people needing to fill their freezers for the winter.
There isn’t a road hunter out there who doesn’t wish they could afford to take two weeks off work to get their moose every year in a dedicated hunting trip, or wouldn’t like to be able to own tens of thousands of dollars worth of ATVs and boats to mount large, expensive hunting expeditions.
A large portion of road hunters are also those who are physically unable to mount vigorous and exhausting hunts deeper in the wilderness, but still need to eat over the winter.
The fact is, many of those who rely on wild meat for sustenance simply cannot hunt by any other means.
But, for the most part, they can put a tank of fuel in their truck, and a pack and a bag lunch before heading out for the day to try and bring home some meat for their families.
Road hunters are not the shortsighted, brutish rednecks they are ignorantly portrayed to be.
They are the young family who can’t afford time off work and an ATV, the oldtimer with the bad back and the elder on a fixed income.
Guy Coderre
Whitehorse