Category: Hunting
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180: Hunters Just Are
Not long ago I posted a tweet: “Hunters are not good or bad, they just are. Therefore, they must be managed just like, and as a part of, the wildlife they hunt.” It was an attempt to condense my thoughts about our relationship with wildlife and nature. I purposefully used the word “our” because I believe that we are all hunters; it’s just that this instinct is dormant in most of us. The reactions ranged from incredulity to accusations of…
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179: Sika Deer: Pest or Precious?
Sika (cervus nippon) is a mid-sized deer that was introduced to Ireland in the 1860s to the Powerscourt Estate. Soon after that, it started spreading across Ireland. Today, the main concentrations of sika are in Kerry, Wicklow, Tyrone and Fermanagh. More recently, it has also been found in Waterford, Galway, Limerick, and Wexford. The National Biodiversity Data Centre in Ireland lists sika as an invasive species. Despite that, it’s afforded protection under the Wildlife Act. It is prized by hunters…
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175: SOTKA Wetlands with Veli-Matti Pekkarinen and Heikki Helle
Finnish SOTKA is a large-scale habitat restoration project and a part of a larger Helmi Habitats Programme aimed at restoring Finland’s biodiversity. It is run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of the Environment. SOTKA’s objective is large-scale habitat restoration through wetlands rehabilitation, restoration of mires and catchments, non-native (i.e. invasive) predator control and building a network of resting areas for waterfowl. It is also a great example of cooperation between hunting and non-hunting organisations for…
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Hunters for Conservation, Goals and Ambitions
“Hunters are conservationists” or “hunting is conservation” are phrases that we hear so often that they might sound clichéd. I have discussed whether such generalisations are true or not countless times on my podcast. Regardless of your opinion, it is undeniable that hunters and hunting organisations across the world can and do contribute to great conservation work. The results of such work are even better when hunting and non-hunting organisations join forces to achieve common goals for the environment. After…
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168: Coexistence with Wolves in Estonia with Helen Arusoo
On my podcast, we talk a lot about coexistence with large carnivores and the challenges it poses. Some of those challenges might seem insurmountable to some. To shed some light on overcoming these hurdles, I contacted Helen Arusoo, an Estonian nature journalist and the leader of the National Animal Working Group. In this conversation, we talk about how Estonia overcame these hurdles and created something that I would consider the gold standard of coexistence with large carnivores. Unsurprisingly, the majority…
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164: Shotgun Conservationist with Brant MacDuff
The story of Brant MacDuff, the author of the book under the title “The Shotgun Conservationist: Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting” is in many ways similar to mine. We were both born and raised in the city without any contact or access to hunting. We overcame not insignificant obstacles to get into hunting later in life and both of us decided to share this experience with others who might want to do the same but don’t know where to start.…
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163: The EU Review of Wolf Protection Status
The human-wildlife conflict with wolves has been brewing on the ground in the EU for some time. On the one hand, it has been fueled by a remarkable recovery of wolves across the continent, and on the other, by politicians trying to hijack it for their political gains. In September 2023 the European Commission invited “local communities, scientists and all interested parties” to submit the latest data in order to review the conservation status of wolves and decide whether to…
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161: Archery Insights with Jim Clark
It feels like I’m one of the only very few who talks about bowhunting with European listeners in mind. Indeed, I would like to see hunting with archery tackle being legalised and popularised on the old continent. In my view, the notions that it’s inhumane or somehow unethical are ill-advised and plain wrong. It is especially disturbing when such unwise opinions are expressed with confidence by hunters or veterinary practitioners who have no experience or previous exposure to bowhunting. To…
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160: Safari Club International with Ben Cassidy
Safari Club International (SCI) is one of the world’s most prominent hunting organisations. They pride themselves on being the leader in defending the freedom to hunt and promoting wildlife conservation across the world. Their tagline, “First for Hunters” says it all, really. Today, we continue the exploration of the public perception of hunting, the issue of social license to hunt and some current topics related to hunting. Certain issues such as the use of lead in hunting ammunition or the…
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Animal Welfare and the Environment: Is Meat Consumption Still Possible?
Nutrition and meat consumption are probably two of the most controversial subjects on the entire Internet. I’m really not sure how we arrived at this point, but here we are. So, before I share some of my thoughts about these subjects a few disclaimers are due. First, I don’t pretend to have a societal solution for balancing meat consumption with animal welfare and environmental concerns. My considerations are very much on a local and individual level. Moreover, I acknowledge that…