Hunters often discuss technology, and many have strong opinions. Some equate technology to electronics, and believe anything electronic is bad for hunting. That idea has some problems. Here are two of them.
First, technology isn't limited to electronics. Technology has always been a feature of human civilizations. The stone age had technology. The invention of the wheel was technology. A catapult was technology. To be human is to make and use technology.
Second, some who argue against electronics can't avoid using electronics themselves. Electronic technology is in the pickup the hunter drives, in the phone he carries, in the flashlight hanging from his belt, and often even in the caller he uses to call up foxes and coyotes.
Some hunters feel like "a man from another time," but as much as any of us think that about ourselves, each of us is a product of the time we actually live in, and the technology we use comes from that time. We can escape some technology simply by refusing to buy new things, but we can't escape all of it because technology has always been connected to hunting, and it's impossible to find a line between the two. That's not to say all technology is appropriate for hunting. It's not. Poison-tipped arrows are used in some hunting cultures, but modern hunting regulations outlaw them.
Maybe you know exactly where the line should be drawn between hunting and technology. I don't, but if you have good reasons and argue your point well, maybe I and others will agree. For starters, read this week’s "The Everyday Hunter" column (August 23, 2021), "Hunting and Technology — Where To Draw the Line?"
To access more of my writing on hunting topics, go to the home page of my blog, Mission: Hunter.
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