Large Predators: Them And Us!

Reprinted by permission from the author.

Valerius Geist, Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science, The University of Calgary
Calgary, Canada.

We pay close attention to large predators. We do so because we evolved as prey. It was our ancient fate to be killed and eaten, and our primary goal to escape such. Our instincts are still shaped that way.

There is thus a reason why the bloody carnage on our highways is a mere statistic, but the mauling of a person by a grizzly is news. It’s not only that so many fossilized remains of our ancient ancestors are meals consumed by large predators in secluded caves or rock niches, but also that we speciated like large herbivores. That is, our pattern and timing of forming species, of adapting to landscapes, mimics and coincides with that of deer, antelope or cattle, but not that of large carnivores. And that despite our fondness for meat, despite “man the hunter”, and despite the fact that at least on species of humans, Neanderthal man, grew into a super predator. Read more

What It Means To Be A Bowhunter

By Craig Gillock

Bowhunter. That’s a word many of us use to describe ourselves. We say it with pride and conviction. It describes who we are and what we do. We wear it as a badge of honor. Why? What is it about that word and what it implies that motivates so many of us to do all the things we do? What does it mean to be a bowhunter?

The answer to that question is very complex and no one answer is enough to explain it all. Add to that the fact that bowhunting means something different to everyone and it makes the question almost impossible to answer. So with that in mind I’m going to explain what being a bowhunter means to me. Read more