Hunting
The Future of Hunting with Tommy's Outdoors
The Future of Hunting with Tommy's Outdoors
30th March 2023
Tommy’s Outdoors is a podcast and blogsite about biodiversity, conservation, hunting and fishing, rewilding and more. Richard Prideaux was invited onto the podcast to talk about the future of hunting as he perceives it.
With the current decline in wildlife populations alongside the growing human populations and an increasingly large disconnect with the rest of nature, hunting appears to be falling increasingly out of favour with the general public. Add to all of this the influences of social media and those who use it and the future could look rather bleak for the next generation of hunters and anglers.
Richard and Tommy delve into how more recent changes in the way that the outdoors is presented to people, and even the psychology of what we eat, is affecting the overall picture of what it means to be out hunting whether for sport or food. They discuss whether it could be that we are not educating people enough about what hunting entails and how it is important for our economy, culture and wildlife conservation as a whole. The changes in access laws in the early 2000s, and increased availability of outdoors equipment at affordable prices have enabled more people to spend time outdoors in wilder places, trying to connect with nature. However we haven’t seen an increase in understanding of these environments. What we have actually witnessed is a sense of entitlement that humans should be able to use the rest of nature to help themselves and to enjoy themselves, wild spaces are now seen more as a playground to visit than an intrinsic part of our life.
What it comes down to is really a need for honesty and openness from organisations on all fronts, be they related to sports which take place outdoors, rambling and hiking, fieldsports, farming or conservation. Wider discussions involving people from all fronts to lead the way and find common ground could be a useful way to ensure that future generations have the same (or better) opportunities as us.
Tommy’s Outdoors podcast is available on all the usual podcast players as well as his YouTube channel
A Mountain Leader with over a decade of experience across the UK and overseas, Richard is our Lead Instructor and a partner in Original Outdoors. He is a specialist in temperate wilderness skills and the wild foods of the British Isles, and also works as a consultant for various brands and organisations. Richard lives in North Wales.
A Life more Wild.
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