Essay #1 Final Draft

Death From Above

Imagine yourself living in a small rural community in the wilds of the Alaskan bush. Subsistence hunting is vital for survival of the community. Moose and caribou herds that roam freely throughout Alaska are the foundations of many subsistence diets. Wolves are one of the primary predators that prey on caribou and moose herds. As the wolf population increases, so the herd populations decrease. On August 26, 2008 Alaskans were given to vote in favor of or against a measure designed to prohibit the shooting of wolves with use of aircraft. The measure was rejected, and we now hear loud cries against aerial hunting. Although aerial hunting is frowned upon, it is not as cruel as some of the news media would have Alaskans believe because it is an effective form of predator control, it provides a clear line of sight, and it decreases the need for poisons on the ground.

This brings to question: How is it not cruel? Popular media campaigns seem to demonize hunters using aircraft to track and pursue wolves. Supporters of the PAW Act (Protect America’s Wildlife) would have the general public believe that private hunters are irresponsible, and are not capable of supporting state guidelines. Although Alaskans have voted before on the issue at state level and passed the initiatives that prohibit private hunters from utilizing aircraft, the state legislature has overturned the decision each time. The Anchorage Daily News reports that, “most opposition to the hunts is built around an affection for wolves by proponents.” Something these groups fail to realize is that aerial sport hunting was made federally criminal in 1972 with the Federal Airborne Hunting Act. So if not for sport, then why does aerial hunting still exist? Aerial hunting exists in Alaska as a very effective means of predator control.

In an effort to protect the wild herds, locals require wolf hunting rights, regulated both through local and state government. There are many places in Alaska where it is not feasible to track and hunt wolves on the ground, places like the Brooks Range, the Wrangell Mountains, and the Alaska Range. In similar locations it is also not feasible to wait for the nearest state park official to arrive and organize the hunt. It is not unusual for state personnel to be days and even weeks late to remote villages and communities. Allowing local private hunters to utilize aircraft for tracking and hunting wolves in these places gives the local government a way to see and follow found wolf packs. They can then relay the collected wolf pack data to state officials. When the communities’ livelihood is in jeopardy because of wolves they must take their opportunity while in the air to eradicate the predators menacing their food source. In locations that are otherwise inaccessible, shooters can both locate the predators and achieve a clear line of sight on their targets, making for a clean shot. But is a clean shot humane? There is little chance of taking a wolf painlessly while shooting from a bounding, bouncing snow machine. There is little chance of taking a wolf painlessly while hiking days through rough mountains and inhospitable tundra. One’s line of sight to the target should be steady and unobstructed. In most ground or standard hunting situations there is a substantial chance of missing the target altogether or only wounding it. A missed target means that caribou and moose will die. When a wolf is wounded, it will still attack if only more ferociously. A mortally wounded wolf that chooses to flee will spend the last moments of its life in excruciating pain. But, a bird’s eye view from a steady flying plane allows for a simply great shot, affording little chance of missing the target, and little chance of wounding rather than killing it.

There are some people, still, who protest hunting as a whole. Those people should live a year in the bush, among the native residents. Hunting is necessary for survival, and aerial hunting of wolves as a means of predator control is the most humane means to protect wild herds from depletion due to wolf attacks. After we have exhausted ourselves with unsuccessful ground hunts, and have been banned from using aircraft, there is only one other alternative for predator control. Using poisons on the ground is the alternative we are left with. This method allows wolves to die in an apparent natural way because they would come upon the poisons in their natural feeding places. But poisons are indiscriminate. Poisons have a far reaching effect from the wolves themselves, to other animals that were not the intended targets. One must consider the effects of poisons on plant life, as well as subterranean creatures. Poisons too are capable of leeching into the water table.

Hunting wolves is a necessary measure in Alaska. Utilizing aircraft is the state's way of conducting effective predator control. They conduct the hunts legally and in a way that is the most humane to the animals. There is only a single shot to put the animal down, and there is no worry about the far reaching effects of poisons. The news media and lobbyist groups that find Alaska's current legal measures inhumane are out of touch with the reality of life in the bush.