RE: Are we really better off as hunters today?
Well, here's my 2 cents based on limited lifetime hunting experience, folks:
Better off? Yes - for the technology that has granted us the freedom to better our hunting experience, should we choose it. If not, there's no crime in that, certainly. I don't have much hunting experience yet at age 39, but I have to say that, to me, the best hunters are still the ones who have their woodsmanship, tracking and stalking down, and don't rely on technologyto get them close to the game for the shot. I have one rifle, a 30-06 FN Mauser that was built by my father, and I don't feel the need for another one anytime soon, as well as the one shotgun I have.
Better off? No - Most hunting magazines you pick up nowadays are filled with ads for gear and guides to God knows where, and they're about possession, plain and simple. They appeal to the most basic element of human nature in all of us. There are rare exceptions, but hunting does seem to be a billion dollar plus industry, selling to stay alive and thrive, trying to convince you that you need a closetful of gadgets and special clothingand what not to "bag" a "trophy" deer. I personally enjoy the experience of hunting, withou or without the kill, and when I'm in the woods, I take comfort in the serenity, and if I take game, I'll eat it and give thanks totheGreat Spirit that it was provided to me. I don't need to provide for myself by taking game, since I grew up near a Safeway and have lived neara grocery store nearly my whole life, but, I take pride in the fact that I can take responsibility some of the food on at least my own table now and again.
I don't prefer to hunt private land, but public land, since, hey, it's free, and we're paying for it anyway, right?