China

Hunting as Sports

Hunting as Sports

Name: Mohamed Hasan Al Menhali

ID: H00205451

Instructor: Hedley Butterfield

Executive Summary

Hunting as a sport was allowed only for the rulers and the nobles as they had power and wealth. They could hunt  for leisure activities as evident in ancient Egypt when the huntsmen were a special class. They would attend the hunting of nobles while also hunting to meet their own needs. Open deserts were used for the hunting process while animals like sheep, hare, ostrich, gazelle antelope, and others were hunted.  Assyrians and Babylonians were also frequent hunters for sports as evident in pictures found in temples and palaces. Ashurbanipal was a king who was reputed to be fond of hunting.

Introduction

Hunting has been a popular activity for man since the early times. Hunting was primarily a method for getting food. As society progressed, hunting became a pastime in the ancient periods. However, this was limited only to the nobles and rulers who had the power and wealth to achieve these objectives. Hunting codes were established in the Middle Ages so that efficiency and effectiveness could be attained. It was in the 19^th century that hunting as a sport gained popularity because the industrial age had made hunting for food an obsolete undertaking. This sport became one of the noble and high-end sports with advanced gadgets and gear designed especially for this sport. This became a multi-billion dollar industry with its presence in almost all parts of the world in different forms and shape.

History

The ancient Greeks also developed hunting as a pastime in the 4^th century BC. Hare, boar and stag hunting were very much common. Animals would be taken in pitfalls or they would be killed with the use of spears (Wagner, 2012). The Romans considered hunting to be a sport for the lower social classes. Many people like the Franks were often fond of hunting but it was in late centuries that this activity was condemned by the clergy. The idea of game hunting was allowed for nobles who had huge areas of land which they owned. Hunting as a sport was allowed for the powerful members of society like the king and nobles. Edward the Confessor was a popular hunter of stags in the 11^th century England. Louis XV in the 18^th century was fond of hunting while in Russia the Czars were also fond of hunting. Some women also became famous hunters like Princess Fredrika of Eisenach and Diana de Poitiers.  Hunting codes were developed so that a distinction could be made between hunting for sport and food (Wagner, 2012). The Normans developed strict codes of behavior so that the standards could be enjoyed only by the royalty and nobles. The code for instance made it compulsory that the animals would be given complete chance to run away during the chase.

The Industrial Revolution changed the lifestyle of many communities as there was no need to hunt for food. Livestock could be raised in modern farms instead of hunting wild animals. Hunting therefore became a sport in the 19^th century. Guns were extensively used as a means of ensuring high levels of efficiency and effectiveness.  It was in the 19^th century that Europeans started to hunt for sports so that they could achieve trophies like head or pelt of an animal. This was taken by them because it helped to create a sense of strength and prowess. In many colonies, European hunters were involved in safari hunting which became popular as people wanted to pursue trophies (Struna, 2009). Safari hunting involved expeditions in which several hunters would participate for several days. Large numbers of bearers were used to carry equipment and supplies. Safaris would be led by professional hunters. Automobiles became popular in early 20^th century and air travel was also used after World War II.  Hunting as a sport in the modern age has been confined to specific restrictions because of the fear that some species would become extinct. Conservation has now limited hunting to specific species with the fact that licenses need to be obtained in order to achieve critical success (Wagner, 2012). In these days this is amongst one of the most popular sports of the world. In 2009, the economic size of this industry was estimated as 22.9 billion dollars on account of hunting expenditures and out of this the size of the hunting equipment and gear industry was estimated by 10.2 billion USD Dollars. More than 12.5 million people of age of 16 or more enjoyed this sport. (HBM Hunting Business Marketing, 2014)

 

Conclusion

Hunting has always been a major part of human lifestyle. Hunting as a sport has been a recent phenomenon but it has existed in some forms since ancient times. Hunting in ancient and middle ages was confined to the powerful members of society. It was in 19^th century that access to firearms as well as increased wealth helped hunters from all sections of society to engage in this sport. This sport also provides the opportunity to the participants to enjoy the nature in its most original form and spend some of their quality time by embracing the nature and reviving their basic instinct of survival.

References

Wagner, D (2012). History of Hunting. Oxford University Press

Nancy L. Struan, (2009). People of Prowess: Sport, Leisure, and Labor in Early Anglo-America. Star Publishers

HBM Hunting Business Marketing. (2014, June 06). Essential Hunting Industry Stats. Retrieved from http://huntingbusinessmarketing.com/: http://huntingbusinessmarketing.com/hunting-industry/