Slipping along a shallow beech ridge I marveled at the size of the trees. Trunks so wide that two grown men could reach around them and not touch hands tapered upward several stories tall. I wondered at their age, imagining the forest primeval until I glanced ahead at a dilapidated stone wall winding down through the woods. The ancient forest had once been hewn and converted for farming or livestock, then had returned. What was it like back then? How many hunters had trod the same ground in similar pursuit, and how much has hunting changed over the relatively short history of our country and our continent?

For the first explorers who wandered over the Bering land bridge and myriad generations to follow, hunting was principally a means of gathering food, though over time it could also be a rite of passage and a source of tokens and artifacts to represent bravery or status. Bones, skulls, antlers, horns and feathers adorned the lodging and the people.

Much the same was true for the first explorers and settlers from other continents, with one notable exception. Most left behind a feudal system where the land and all the creatures that resided on it were property of an elite class. Fish and game in the new world was initially free and available for the taking by anyone. That would eventually change in a small but very profound way.

Civilization eventually spawned a division of labor. Rather than a subsistence lifestyle, where each family was responsible for producing or procuring their own food, some remained or became farmers while others cut timber, built homes or sailed the seas to bring home oil to light the lamps. And some became hunters.

The “New World” was teeming with a seemingly limitless bounty of fish and game. Waterfowl and passenger pigeons blackened the skies during migration. Deer and antelope played on the prairies and in the woodlands from coast to coast, and buffalo roamed the plains in numbers unimaginable. Atlantic salmon flooded the rivers and cod could be caught close to, and even from, shore.

The growth of urban centers and specialized labor created increased demand for food, which was supplied by fishermen and commercial market hunters. Ducks were shot by the hundreds, sometimes the thousands, and packed in barrels and shipped to places like New York and Boston. Deer came from the north woods of Maine by train, as did buffalo from the plains.

Not all were in it for profit, though. A growing number of hunters and anglers sought fish and game as a source of recreation and sport. With fewer ducks arriving each fall, fewer pigeons roosting each spring and fewer deer frolicking in the fields, they recognized the bounty was not limitless. They began lobbying local, state and even federal governments to take action, pleas that went largely unheard until the situation became so grave that some species teetered on the brink of extinction.

The modern conservation movement was born of hunters and anglers. Their pleadings eventually prompted governments to take action. Closed seasons and bag limits were implemented to protect species from over-harvest, particularly where and when they were most vulnerable. While commercial fishing continued, market hunting was eventually abolished and game became largely a recreational resource.

This philosophy eventually became the North American model of wildlife conservation, where fish and game were considered to be common property, owned by all but managed through stewardship by government agencies. The intent was to ensure resources remained sustainable and also fairly and equitably available to the public.

Recently there has been a more subtle change within the hunting community. Once they were merely consumers in pursuit of recreation and food. Increasingly more are taking on a larger role, becoming good stewards of the land and the wildlife that reside upon it by improving habitat through things like forest management and food plots. Rather than being satisfied with taking any deer, hunters are more cognizant of the importance of balancing age and sex ratios within the herd, harvesting a sufficient number of does and passing up young bucks.

More hunters are becoming involved, actively or passively, in wildlife conservation organizations. Groups like Ducks Unlimited purchase and manage vital but rapidly diminishing wetland habitat. The National Wild Turkey Federation spearheaded efforts to trap, transfer and restore birds to their historical range, and in some cases beyond. The National Deer Association has combined the forces of the Quality Deer Management Association, the Mule Deer Foundation and Whitetails Unlimited to ensure proper management and minimize the impact of diseases like EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease) and CWD (chronic wasting disease). The future looks bright but we should remain aware that it is hunter dollars that largely ensure continued conservation and preservation of all wildlife species.

Bob Humphrey is a freelance writer and Registered Maine Guide who lives in Pownal. He can be reached at: bhunt@maine.rr.com