Hunting Regulations in America

Hunting Regulations in America

 Ghillie suits, rifles and ammo—all instruments that are associated with hunting in America .  Hunting has been a part of human history for thousands of years.  In fact, North American hunting predates the United States by several millenniums.  Hunting today has changed slightly.  While Native American cultures still retail most of their hunting rights and are exempt from various laws, everyday U.S. citizens are highly regulated in their hunting activity.  This is primarily due to environmental law that protects endangered animal species.

 Regulations on hunting differ from state to state.  States will have very specific demands involving protected species, though they will rarely limit the hunting of unprotected species.  Varmints refer to unprotected non-game animals that are seen by most as pests.  This means that the animals usually pose a threat to farmers’ crops, other livestock, landscaping, infrastructure or even domesticated pets.  Because hunting varmints is seen as a means of controlling unwanted predatory animals, there may be little to no regulation on these hunting practices.  Varmints include various types of rodents, coyotes, birds, foxes, cats and hogs.

 In the category of game animals there are a few categories to consider: big game refers to deer, reindeer, moose, elk, bear and bighorn sheep.  Small game refers to cottontail rabbits and squirrels.  Furbearers include two species of fox, red fox and mink.  Predators refer to cougars, including mountain lions and panthers as well as coyotes.  Lastly, there are categories of upland bird, like grouses and pheasants, as well as waterfowl, which includes duck and geese.

 The hunting of game animals does require a hunting license.  In order to qualify for a license you will usually be asked complete a hunting safety course.  In addition, hunters will have to purchase tags for each animal they plan on hunting.  Tags are often limited, especially in areas where there are more hunters than there are quotas for animal species.  As evidenced, hunting is a game to be taken seriously.