Yes, my dad was a naturalist and so please excuse me if I step up on the soap box he lent to me upon his passing from time to time:

I miss the way my father would talk to me about hunting; without his words I spent quite a long time blindly hating the activity. In retrospect I blame it on the same thing that kept me from most activities young males are "supposed" to enjoy ..... general overly competitive douch-baggery that ruins the activity for everyone but the most socially sadistic individuals present.

I am not against hunting animals by any means but If you hold no respect for the natural ecosystem that made your "sport" possible in the first place than I will never respect you as a hunter. I'm not asking for a lot here. Just don't try to impress people with how much you've taken or how efficiently you take it from the wilderness .....this is not a game..... impress them with how much you can give back to it or your fellow citizens with what you've done. The other forms of life we share this world with are gifts one would be prudent to revere, please utilize the fruits of their labor as wisely and unselfishly as you can; at the very least out of respect for all they have done for humanity now and will continue to do for our descendants in the future.

Now .....back to my regularly scheduled insignificance.