Wildlife Conservation and Biology Essay

There are 6.5 million species of land mammals. Wildlife biologists get the privilege of studying and spending time with these animals as their everyday life. I should be a wildlife biologist so I can study land mammals. Wildlife biology is a field of biology in which land animals are studied. It deals with all animals with backbones and studies individual species of wildlife, their habitats, and surrounding ecosystems (Fitzgerald). It also studies how animals may interact with their ecosystem. Without wildlifebiology we would not have extensive knowledge of other animal species, and how they could be linked to humans. Wildlife conservation in the United States has been based on the Public Trust Doctrine where in wildlife and...show more content...

The first national park, Yellow Stone National Park, was established in 1872 by Ulysses S. Grant (Brown). This was one of the last explored areas in the west. This establishing of a national park led to more wildlife conservation national movements. In 1887 President Roosevelt gathered a group of influential American hunters in New York to form the Boome and Crockett Club with a mission of preserving big game in North America (Brown). In the 1930's management of wildlife resources began in earnest. Funds were mostly provided by levies on hunters (Brown). The 1930s were also the beginning of wildlife research in the United States. The leader of this effort was Aldo Leopold (Brown). Wildlife biologists need many years of schooling and hands on experience to become experts at their jobs. Altogether with bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees, it is close to 12–14 years. Each university is different in how many credit hours are needed. The areas are general biology, ecology, genetics, cellular biology,evolution, wildlife management, and fisheries management (Everyday Life). Deciding on a school is based on what area I want to work in. If I want to be a marine biologist, schools on the coasts of oceans are the best for me to go to. To become a wildlife biologist, colleges with programs that focus on land mammals are the best option. One college that is very popular for this study is Texas A and M University. Texas A and M University is constantly ranked among Get more content

It's a brisk November morning like any other day, but today isn't any other day, today is the first day of firearm deer season. Shots are going off everywhere like world war three declared on deer. I'm wrapped in every hunting garment I own but winters cold embrace always finds its way in. My cheeks are rosy red and my breath was thick in the air. As I raise my shotgun and pull the trigger, my heart races and my hands shake. As I race after my prize, the sounds of leaves crunching beneath my feet are muffled by the ringing in my ears. I'm walking face to the ground like a hound on a trail and then my eyes caught it, my very first whitetail. I will never forget my first deer and the joy I felt sharing it with my family.Hunting...show more content...

Do not leave gates open or mess with livestock. Leave everything as it was or how the farmer tells you to leave it. When you are hunting deer with a firearm or your just in the woods during firearm season you must wear blaze orange . Deer hunters can only harvest two bucks a year and as many does they want as long as they have tags. If the buck has antlers three inches or less you can stick a doe tag on it (Dnr.Illinois.gov). In some rare occasions does can have antlers and if harvested one must put a buck tag on the deer, if its antlers are bigger than three inches. Albino deer cannot be shot, but pieball deer can. In Illinois you can use a pistol, muzzleloader, shotgun, bow or crossbow to take down a whitetail. All of them have certain calibers and weight that are legal to shoot a deer with. A pistol needs to be at least a .38 caliber. A shotgun can't be smaller than a 20 gauge and use a slug. An archer must be pulling a weight of forty pounds at least to shoot a deer. There is no deer rifle hunting in Illinois. A hunter should be a certain distance away from a road or a highway (Dnr.Illinois.gov). Another way to learn is to go hunting with a avid hunter or outdoorsman that's had experience. Hunting safety in general is mostly common sense. When taking your hunters safety course it will teach you and show you the does and don'ts of hunting. A good hunter is a safe, legal, and moral hunter who knows what he or she

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