When I was small, my dad went hunting and put pheasant on the table in South Dakota not as a sport thing (although he liked it), but because it was cheap meat. Bad news is that today you could probably chase my Mom down the street with a chunk of roasted pheasant.

We had to spit B-Bs on the plate every now and then.

I've got the luxury of being able to trap and release the irritating critters in my back yard. Farmers usually don't. My grandpa did a lot of varmint plugging.

I don't know anyone in my family who ever hunted deer, but that was mostly a matter of preference and opportunity, I think. In later years my Dad was a big fishing fan up in the northern lakes of Minnesota.

Hunting in the U.S. has evolved into a well-regulated activity, with concern for preservation and sustainability as well as sport.

It should not be forgotten that hunting organizations were heavily into wild land conservation before it became "cool." Ducks Unlimited, founded in 1937, is almost as old as the Sierra Club (1892).