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Why Hunting Isn't Conservation and Why It Matters with Kevin Bixby | By Land Podcast #125

Emory Wanger
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“Hunting is Conservation” has become by far the most popular slogan in the hunting/conservation industry in the past few years. If you’re a hunter, you’re well acquainted with its meaning because literally any and all conservation organizations promote hunting as THE way to preserve and protect wild animals in modern times. But, what if hunting ISN’T conservation? I’ve personally never accepted the idea that hunting is the ONLY way to conserve an animal population, but I can accept that hunting is one of MANY ways to do so.

Kevin Bixby is the Executive Director of the SW Environmental Center and recently published an article titled “Why Hunting Isn’t Conservation and Why It Matters” and I asked him on the show for this episode to help me better understand what he means by this. By no means is this an anti-hunting article, in fact Kevin is a hunter himself and is the first to admit that hunting has played a key role in the preservation of American big game animals. That said, he feels the modern conservation model needs to change in a way that reflects the values of ALL those interested in the preservation of wildlife. If you’re interested in reading the full article, you can find a link to this article in the show notes.

I sincerely enjoyed picking Kevin’s brain about the subject and I know that many hunters might fall out of their chairs just looking at the title of this episode, but I’d encourage those who have a vested interest in wildlife in North America, that they hear the message Kevin is putting out there and decide for yourself if you think the modern conservation model needs a facelift or not.

Enjoy!

Show Notes:

  • Introductions

  • Kevin Bixby and his background

  • How Kevin Bixby got into the political side of conservation

  • Science versus value systems

  • The rise of new value systems

  • America’s Wildlife Values Survey

  • The changes in cultural values

  • A short history of the modern wildlife conservation model

  • The need to pivot to a modern conservation model

  • What’s wrong with the “hunting is conservation” argument

  • How state and federal wildlife agencies receive funding

  • The impact of invasive species

  • Does industry impact conservation efforts?

  • Game management as crop management 

  • The current imbalance of decision making 

  • The topic of wolves and predators

  • The future of hunting in modern times

  • The  “hunting is conservation” mantra

  • What keeps Kevin going year after year

  • Border walls and the impact of wildlife migration

  • How to follow up with Kevin Bixby and his work

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