Research Proposal: Primal Instinct

It is 5:30 am and you are stalking a herd of elk that have just moved from their bedding area. You have scouted this area for some time now and understand their movements. Being completely camouflaged, the elk don’t even realize you are there and neither does any of the other wildlife. You moved in down wind from them and hope the wind doesn’t shift when you get within range. Even though you have tried to eliminate any scent, they know what a human smells like. You are being as silent as possible and getting closer to a reasonable shooting distance. Your heart is pounding in your ears, you are trying not to breath too loudly, and with this much adrenaline moving through your veins it is virtually impossible to keep from shaking. You are now within 20 yards of a 750-pound wild bull elk with antlers the size of a radar dish. You pull back your bowstring, the bull senses your movement and looks directly at you. He doesn’t understand what you are. You try to remain still so he doesn’t get spooked. You can’t shoot while he is looking at you, the arrow doesn’t move as fast as a bullet, the elk will simply duck under it. You’ve been holding the string back for what seems a lifetime. You’re muscles are starting to shake from the strain, he is still looking at you, you can’t hold it any more, you have to let the shot go. You take one final deep breath to steady yourself, you take aim, and struggling to keep the sight on the elk you shoot…

Some consider hunting cruel and unnecessary, especially in America where food is readily available. Some cultures use hunting as their primary source of food. Conservationists believe that hunting is necessary to maintain wildlife populations and prevent starvation and disease. Why do we need to hunt when we can just go to the store and buy the meat? I believe there is a primal need. When he blends in with the environment using full camouflage and scent control. When he becomes one with nature using stealth, agility and his heightened senses. When he brings down his prey using the most basic of methods. The Bow Hunter represents the essence of the primal instinct for mankind to hunt.

I believe the hunting instinct is in all of us. We all don’t express that need in the same way however. In The Human Animal, Desmond Morris discusses the primeval hunter inside us finding other creative outlets for this need. Morris states that “Today, working takes the place of hunting. The workplace has become a symbolic hunting ground. Young males try to make a ‘killing’ in the city to ‘bring home the bacon’ for their families.” He goes on to further explain his theory, “For some, the workplace lacks the excitement of the hunt. The tasks are monotonously repetitive. For these individuals a symbolic hunt must be found elsewhere, in their leisure time, through sport and other competitive pastimes. Hunting substitutes take many forms. Some ‘hunters’ travel on long journeys to take ‘shots’ with a camera; others spend hours searching for hidden treasure; still others compete furiously to bring home a symbolic prey in the form of a sporting trophy” (66-67, ch. 2). No matter what form of ‘hunting’ you partake in, the primal need to hunt is within all of us.

Hunting plays an important role in the history of man. It has been the foundation of many cultures’ beliefs for thousands of years. For many, hunting forms a spiritual connection with nature. James Swan’s book titled In Defense of Hunting states “The history of man shows clearly that cultures who revere nature, make it the center of their spirituality, tend to depend on hunting for survival. For them, it seems that the need to take life is at the core of their reverence for animals. They turn their spiritual attention to the need to hunt and kill to survive and as a result give us many important insights into how to cope with being ethical murderers. Coming to feel a deep respect, even love, for the creatures they kill is a core issue for all hunters” (132, ch. 4).

Although I do not need to hunt to survive, I have the same respect and love for the animals that I hunt and kill. As a child growing up, I spent every summer and weekends on my grandpa’s farm in northern Michigan. I learned at an early age where the food on the table was coming from. My grandma killed and dressed the chickens and geese. My grandpa slaughtered and butchered the hogs. The entire family hunted for deer, rabbits and pheasant to feed the family. My grandparents were far from wealthy and buying meat simply was not in the budget. My first kill was a rabbit with my BB gun. I was 10 years old and had been sitting in the blind for a few hours before the rabbit came into view. I took careful aim and shot the rabbit, it was a perfect shot. I was very excited when I went to pick up my kill. I ran over to the rabbit, but when I got there, I just stood there and stared at it. A second ago it was eating and hopping around, now it was dead, and I had killed it. I cried. When I got back to the house however, I had a feeling of pride and fulfillment that I didn’t really understand. We had fried rabbit for dinner that night and it was good. I had helped feed the family with my hunting skills. I never cried again. Now when I make a kill I always pay my respects to the animal and thank it for providing for my family. The need for me to provide is fulfilled and I am one with nature.

Why then are so many people against the traditional form of hunting? When they see my primary source (the picture of the bow hunter), they are offended by someone killing another living animal. They don’t believe it is necessary anymore. Is this true? Is the killing of an animal necessary anymore? I don’t believe the killing is what makes hunting so fulfilling. For me it is not about the killing, it is about the hunt. Yes, I kill the animal when I can and provide my family with food, but it would not be the same if I simply walked up to a cow and shot it with a gun. The hunt is where the fulfillment comes from. When I look at my primary source, I see a person completely blending in with the environment, using all his senses and skills to stalk his prey. I see someone performing on an instinctual level fulfilling his primal needs.

Why can’t a hunter find other means to ‘fill the need’? For those that have tried hunting and either are indifferent or don’t like it. Other activities can replace their need. For a passionate hunter, there is nothing that takes the place. The feeling of being one with nature and the adrenaline rush are irreplaceable.

Don’t hunters care about the animals they kill? Absolutely, in fact hunters are often the most active in the conservation of wildlife. When you are bow hunting, you feel a sense of belonging. You are part of the environment and in tune with the wildlife. You see the natural behaviors of the animals and have a tremendous amount of respect for them.

I plan to use the Auraria and Longmont libraries as my primary source for investigation. There are many aspects of this discussion I would like to research further. The possibility of violence being the alternate method of meeting the need to hunt is particularly interesting to me. Behavior evolution, evolutionary psychology and human evolution are the major categories in which my research will be conducted.

I will also use the Internet to help find papers written on this subject. Academic Search Premier will help me find related scholarly journals. Other web sites such as Lexis Nexis and CQ Researcher will provide additional information I can incorporate into my paper. The book titled The Hunting Debate written by Trudy J. Hanmer provided me with a list of websites for organizations for hunting and against hunting. This was helpful in getting opinions on both sides of the issues.

I will continue researching during the weeks of June 18th and 25th, focusing on more articles, journals and web-based information. The first week of July will be spent creating my Annotated Bibliography that is due July 11th. My Research Logs will continually be completed through out the month of June and July and is due on July 25th. I will begin writing my Final Paper within the next few weeks, updating and refining throughout the month of July. The Final Paper is due on August 3rd.

I am a bow hunter. I never really thought about why I hunt before this project. I have been asked many times throughout my life why I hunt, and I usually answer by saying “It’s hard to explain, I just feel a deep sense of peace while I am hunting. I guess you have to be a hunter to understand.” I want to be able to explain why I hunt and the reasons I feel the way I do. It should be easy to explain. Doing this research will not only help me to understand, but also help others, hunters and non-hunters, to understand the primal need to hunt. This work can help bring awareness to the people who are against hunting, about the significance of the primal instinct. We are not simply cruel individuals that are out to kill something for the sake of killing something. We are fulfilling a deep behavioral need and building a respect and love for nature that cannot be equaled by some one who has never experienced the hunt.

Works Cited:

Hanmer, Trudy J. The Hunting Debate: Aiming at the Issues. Enslow Publishers, Inc.

Morris, Desmond. The Human Animal. Crown Publishers, Inc.

Swan, James A. In Defense of Hunting. Harper San Francisco.