In this episode, we sit down with Blake Dudzik, longtime hunter, as him and Dean break down their experiences deer hunting in Illinois and Wisconsin.

A common misconception of hunting is that people often think it is a cruel sport that people do purely for self-satisfaction. While there are many forms of hunting and different hunters with different intents, deer hunting across the United States is typically a sustainable and ethical way to maintain deer populations.

Due to the extirpation of natural predators such as wolves and bears in certain states, deer do not have many, if any, natural predators. This causes their numbers to grow exponentially to an amount that their habitat cannot provide for. Without hunting, many of these individuals would die due to starvation or disease, specifically chronic wasting disease (CWD).

CWD is a fatal neurological disease that affects deer, elk, and moose and is also known as "zombie deer". CWD is a cruel way for these animals to die and is one of the reasons that hunting of these animals is not only allowed, but encouraged during hunting season.

Deer populations are monitored closely and determines how many permits are given and how long hunting seasons can last. A quick death by gun or bow is far more ethical than starving or getting CWD and is why deer hunting IS ethical and supported when in accordance with the seasons and laws.

Tune into this weeks episode to learn more from Blake and Dean as Jake takes the backseat to learn from these two longtime hunters. If you're enjoying the podcast, make sure to like the video and subscribe to the channel to help us grow our community!

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