Editing Hunting (section)

===United States===
{{Main|Hunting in the United States}}
[[File:Camp on Schoodic Lake, ME.jpg|thumb|right|Hunting camp with [[Field dressing deer|dressed deer]] at Schoodic Lake, [[Maine]], in 1905]]
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| caption1 = An archer with a compound hunting bow
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| caption2 = Carrying a bear trophy head at the [[Kodiak Archipelago]]
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North American hunting pre-dates the United States by thousands of years and was an important part of many [[pre-Columbian]] Native American cultures. Native Americans retain some hunting rights and are exempt from some laws as part of Indian treaties and otherwise under [[federal law]]<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Coggins |first1=George Cameron |last2=Modrcin |first2=William |date=1979 |title=Native American Indians and Federal Wildlife Law |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/1228367 |journal=Stanford Law Review |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=375–423 |doi=10.2307/1228367 |jstor=1228367 |issn=0038-9765 |access-date=13 September 2022 |archive-date=13 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913161626/https://www.jstor.org/stable/1228367 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }}</ref>—examples include [[eagle feather law]]s and exemptions in the [[Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972|Marine Mammal Protection Act]]. This is considered particularly important in [[Alaska Native|Alaskan native]] communities.

[[File:Hectors photos 109.JPG|thumb|A man target practicing for the hunting seasons]]
Gun usage in hunting is typically regulated by game category, area within the state, and time period. Regulations for [[big-game hunting]] often specify a minimum [[caliber]] or [[muzzle energy]] for [[firearm]]s. The use of [[rifle]]s is often banned for safety reasons in areas with high [[population density|population densities]] or limited [[Terrain|topographic relief]]. Regulations may also limit or ban the use of [[lead]] in [[ammunition]] because of environmental concerns. Specific seasons for [[Bow (weapon)|bow]] hunting or [[Muzzle-loader|muzzle-loading]] [[Black powder|black-powder]] guns are often established to limit competition with hunters using more effective [[weapons]].

Hunting in the United States is not associated with any particular class or culture; a 2006 poll showed seventy-eight per cent of Americans supported legal hunting,<ref>[http://www.responsivemanagement.com/download/news/newsrls_09_06.pdf Results] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070615231714/http://www.responsivemanagement.com/download/news/newsrls_09_06.pdf |date=15 June 2007 }} from a 2006 poll (813 people were polled) done by Responsive Management</ref> although relatively few Americans actually hunt. At the beginning of the 21st century, just six per cent of Americans hunted. [[Southern United States|Southerners]] in states along the eastern seaboard hunted at a rate of five per cent, slightly below the national average, and while hunting was more common in other parts of the South at nine per cent, these rates did not surpass those of the Plains states, where twelve per cent of [[Midwesterners]] hunted. Hunting in other areas of the country fell below the national average.<ref>National statistics from [[United States Department of the Interior|US Department of the Interior]], Fish and Wildlife Service and [[United States Department of Commerce|US Department of Commerce]], [[United States Census Bureau|US Census Bureau]], 2001 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation, 27.</ref> Overall, in the 1996–2006 period, the number of hunters over the age of sixteen declined by ten per cent, a drop attributable to a number of factors including [[Habitat destruction|habitat loss]] and changes in recreation habits.<ref>Jackson, Patrick. [http://www.trailcamerareviews.net/number-hunters-dwindling/ ''Number of hunters is dwindling—Urbanization and cultural changes discourage newcomers to the sport''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722081508/http://www.trailcamerareviews.net/number-hunters-dwindling/ |date=22 July 2015 }}.</ref>

The principles of the [[fair chase]]<ref>Interpretations of the Fair Chase can be found on the web sites of various hunter's organizations, such as the [http://www.boone-crockett.org/huntingEthics/ethics_fairchase.asp?area=huntingEthics Boone and Crockett Club] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051210081513/http://www.boone-crockett.org/huntingEthics/ethics_fairchase.asp?area=huntingEthics |date=10 December 2005 }} and [http://www.huntfairchase.com/ Hunt Fair Chase] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130125171130/http://www.huntfairchase.com/ |date=25 January 2013 }}.</ref> have been a part of the American hunting tradition for over one hundred years. The role of the hunter-conservationist, popularised by Theodore Roosevelt, and perpetuated by Roosevelt's formation of the [[Boone and Crockett Club]], has been central to the development of the modern fair chase tradition. ''Beyond Fair Chase: The Ethic and Tradition of Hunting'', a book by Jim Posewitz, describes fair chase:
<blockquote>
"Fundamental to ethical hunting is the idea of fair chase. This concept addresses the balance between the hunter and the hunted. It is a balance that allows hunters to occasionally succeed while animals generally avoid being taken."<ref>{{cite book |last= Posewitz |first= Jim |title= Beyond Fair Chase: The Ethic and Tradition of Hunting |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=dkkmL8TuiMkC&pg=PA57 |date= 1 August 1994 |publisher= [[Globe Pequot Press]] |isbn= 978-1-56044-283-7 |page= 57 }}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
</blockquote>

When [[Internet hunting]] was introduced in 2005, allowing people to hunt over the Internet using remotely controlled guns, the practice was widely criticised by hunters as violating the principles of fair chase. As a representative of the [[National Rifle Association of America]] (NRA) explained, "The NRA has always maintained that fair chase, being in the field with your firearm or bow, is an important element of hunting tradition. Sitting at your desk in front of your computer, clicking at a mouse, has nothing to do with hunting."<ref name=HSUS-FactSheet>Humane Society Wildlife Abuse Campaign, [http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/internet_hunting/facts/internet_hunting_fact_sheet.html#.UzjiW61dW9Y Fact Sheet on Internet Hunting] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722083944/http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/internet_hunting/facts/internet_hunting_fact_sheet.html#.UzjiW61dW9Y |date=22 July 2015 }}</ref>

Animals such as [[blackbuck]], [[nilgai]], [[axis deer]], [[fallow deer]], [[zebra]]s, [[barasingha]], [[gazelle]] and many other exotic game species can now be found on [[game farm]]s and [[ranch]]es in [[Texas]], where they were introduced for sport hunting. These hunters can be found paying in excess of $10,000 to take trophy animals on these controlled ranches.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ferguson |first1=Wes |title=How Texas Hunting Went Exotic |url=https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/how-texas-hunting-went-exotic/ |website=texasmonthly.com |date=20 January 2021 |publisher=Texas Monthly |access-date=14 April 2023 |archive-date=14 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414221006/https://www.texasmonthly.com/travel/how-texas-hunting-went-exotic/ |url-status=live }}</ref>