By STEVE GILLILAND
Explore Kansas Outdoors
I recently saw a Facebook post from Amanda Sellers in Arkansas, sharing her feelings concerning comments she received about a hunting picture she’d posted. Her reply sincerely struck a chord with me, so I asked for, and received her permission to share her post as a weekly column.
In this post, she shows such an awareness and gives such a good and simple explanation of the importance hunting plays in our country, that I thought it needed to be passed-on. So here, in her own words is Amanda’s perception of the role hunting plays in their lifestyle.
“I am a homeschooling mom of 12 kids, raised in north-central Arkansas. I have traveled to many countries and lived halfway across the U.S. just to sell everything and move back to our roots. We do mission work local and foreign, and I feel incredibly blessed to have the opportunity to raise my family the way we do - connected to the land and our heritage!
"I shared a hunting photo recently and it brought in a lot of strong reactions. I understand why. Hunting can feel uncomfortable if you didn't grow up around it. But I want to share why it matters where we live and why so many families in this region still participate in it.
"For generations, people here processed their own food. They understood where it came from. They used the meat to feed their families and honored the animal by not wasting it.
"Today most of us are so disconnected from our food system that we forget what actually has to happen for food to reach a store shelf.
"Hunting in our area is also part of caring for the land. When wildlife populations grow beyond what the ecosystem can support, animals face starvation, disease, and slow painful deaths. Regulated hunting keeps the population healthy and prevents suffering. It is one of the ways we protect the wildlife that lives in the forests around us.
"There is another point that matters to me. If we care this deeply about protecting life in the woods, we should care even more about protecting life in the womb. Human life begins at conception. It is precious from the very first moment it exists and deserves protection just as fiercely.
"My heart in sharing any of this is simple. Connection matters. Stewardship matters. Life matters. And understanding where our food comes from, and why we value all forms of life, is something worth talking about.”
Given the distance our country as a whole has chosen to distance itself from God, and given the fact that now, so many opinions are formed and so many decisions are made using emotions alone, with little or no factual input, its refreshing and comforting to hear the above.
Thank you, Amanda… Continue to Explore Kansas Outdoors.
Steve can be contacted by email at [email protected].