First, it is of utmost importance to follow the laws and regulations set before us when we hunt. After all, we are called to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and submit to all governing authorities (Luke: 20:25; Romans 13:1). I can also assure you that there are ecological and ethical reasons for bag limits, hunting equipment restrictions, and other rules set before us. Following these rules prevents over-hunting, allows for healthy populations, enforces ethical harvesting of wildlife with the proper tools, and glorifies God by obeying the authorities that he has established. For instance, do not hunt on someone else’s property without permission. Would that not upset you as a landowner? Does that seem like a God glorifying practice?
Second, it is vital that we hunt safely. It is one of my worst nightmares to not come home to those who depend on me because something preventable happened. As Christians, would it bring glory to our Lord if we went into the field haphazardly and got ourselves or someone else hurt? Wear your safety harness in the tree, point your gun to the sky or the ground when walking, follow the rules of firearm safety, set your gun down when crossing a fence, do not use your weapon as a walking stick, do not shoot at low birds or a deer on the horizon, and bring all your necessary gear to ensure a productive hunt.
Frankly, if there is anything that will make you sick or lose sleep it is either missing completely or, even worse, making a poor shot and not getting the job done. Unfortunately, I have done both. To hunt ethically, though, I believe that we ought to do our best to quickly and effectively end the life of the animal that we are seeking to harvest. Not just for our own personal satisfaction, but because we are taking the life of a piece of God’s creation. God created all things in the beginning and declared them to be good (Gen. 1:25), and I think that we ought to give God’s creation the proper respect it deserves by not allowing it to suffer any longer than necessary. Therefore, be sure to sight in your weapons yearly, practice shooting your bows regularly, make sure your gear is in working order, inspect your bullets as you put them in your gun, do not take unclear or rushed shots, and take your pre-season preparations seriously. Hunting does not merely begin in the woods, but also in the midst of all the getting ready beforehand.
In his movie and documentary, Stars In The Sky, Steve Rinella covers the topic of ethics as it regards to hunting, and, if my memory serves me well, one of his points is that you should feel something if you take a life.[1] This movie is not coming from a biblical standpoint, but, nonetheless, it begs you to consider the sanctity of life. Again, God created all things to be good and glorifying things to him, and we ought to respect his creation. There has only ever been that one, unique animal, at that one, specific time and place, and we should have a level of reverence after we harvest it. Through all the excitement, fist pumping, and whooping and hollering, I make it a point to kneel down, touch the animal, and give thanks to our Lord for the wonderful opportunity to interact with his creation in an intimate way. My wife often says at dinner “thank you, deer, for your life.”
It is our duty as Christians to hunt in an ethical manner that brings glory to our God. We ought to do whatever we do, whether we eat, drink, or hunt, to the glory of our Lord (1 Cor. 10:31). Therefore, my Lord, thank you for the deer.
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