As hunters, most of us have had to confront the fact that we are imperfect advocates for the things that we love. This was first illustrated to me when I was in high school almost 30 years ago. It was well known amongst my friends that I was obsessed with wild animals, in particular moose and caribou, and that the annual trips I took every year with my family to go hunting were my favorite times of year because I so loved being around those amazing animals. One of my friends once asked me that if I loved caribou and moose so much, why did I go to such great lengths to kill them. As a teenager I was not yet aware of the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation and the legacy of environmental action and protection that proceeded me as a hunter, and I didn’t really have a reply other than that spending time around those animals made me care about the health of the species and population even if I ended up killing an individual bull each year.

I think this illustrates a common contention of non-hunters when hunters state that they love wild animals. Most of us encounter this perceived contradiction during our lives as hunters and respond, correctly, that the hunting community has been at the forefront of protecting wild animals and wild places for over century. We do, however, need to accept that, especially in a places like Alaska where the ecosystem remains intact and game populations often do not rely on hunting for population management, that we are essentially imperfect advocates who cause direct harm to the things that we claim to care about most, even if our tag fees and Pittman Robertson Act dollars go directly to conservation efforts.

In recent years, I've also found myself becoming an imperfect advocate for the awareness of the implications of climate change on the animals and places that I care about more than almost anything else in the world. Alaska’s Dall sheep, in particular, have captivated me in a way that almost nothing else in my life has. I was fortunate to grow up in a house less than 1,500 vertical feet below a frequent lambing area. Each spring I could literally count Dall sheep while lying in bed on the long spring evenings. Since then, I’ve increasingly structured my life and work schedule around being able to spend as much time as possible walking around in sheep country every year with my bow and performance hunting gear, just in hopes of seeing some old rams. In many ways, the sheep hunts have shaped who I am as a person, and I have no doubt that the time I’ve spent in pursuit of them has made me a better husband, father and person. 

Recently however, many of the sheep populations in the state have been in a relatively steep decline. At the 2023 Sheep Show in Reno, Nevada, Wild Sheep Foundation President, Gray Thornton stated that the consensus among experts was that climate change was the primary culprit in Alaska's sheep decline. This theme has continued to be the primary topic of conversation throughout the last couple of years during Board of Game deliberations in Alaska about our sheep populations. Organizations of professional wildlife biologists who study Dall sheep, like the Northern Wild Sheep and Goat Council and The Wildlife Society have issued statements that substantive actions must be taken to limit and adapt to climate realities.

Similarly, many hunting-based conservation groups have acknowledged the issue with statements, such as the Boone and Crockett Club’s position that it “is committed to policies that reduce greenhouse gases and combat their effect on climate in accordance with its mission to conserve and sustain abundant wildlife populations and their habitat for future generations.”

As someone living in a state with a largely oil based economy, who flies in a jet to work in the Arctic every month and guides helicopter skiing in the winter, I find myself in the uncomfortable position of being a very imperfect advocate for action on climate change. I recognize this position will be considered as hypocritical by many just as my non-hunting friends have pointed out their perception of the hypocrisy of someone who cares deeply about wild animals but then spends months every year hunting them. I've struggled with this climate change contradiction for years and have concluded that, aside from my family, there's nothing more important to me in the world than the wild animals and wild places where they live here in Alaska. I recognize that my lifestyle and my personal actions sometimes have adverse effects on both the animals themselves and the climate at large, but that doesn't mean that I won't continue to extend my voice in advocacy for the things I care most about.

So, as a hunter and conservationist who recognizes my own negative impact on the things I care about, what can I do? Like generations of hunters and conservationists before us, hunters of our era need to speak up about the issues having the most impact on animals and the landscape. In the 21st century, climate change is certainly at or near the top of the list. As E. Don Thomas wrote in his book, How Sportsman Saved the World, contributions of hunters and fishermen to environmental causes “have been far more substantial than those of ‘environmental’ organizations that have taken a stance against hunting and fishing.”

Hunters of our era are the legacy of the greatest conservation effort the world has ever seen, and it now appears that we are facing another existential threat to the animals and places we love most. With that in mind, I feel obligated to do something, however small or insignificant, to follow in the legacy of hunters who work to protect that things we hold dear. For me, so far, that has been joining the board of directors of several conservation organizations, attending meetings, getting to know local biologists and spreading awareness through podcasts and articles. It’s not much but I’m learning to find my voice and I’ll keep doing the best I can. I know that my advocacy is imperfect but I also know that imperfect advocacy is the only kind I have and that if we all can accept that and make our voices heard, we might make a difference.

Note: A recent SITKA Ecosystems Grant project titled “Mountain Goat and Avalanche Relationships in Coastal Alaska aims to study climate change and avalanche-related population declines in Alaskan mountain goat populations, with the intention of increasing understanding, awareness and advocacy. Learn more at SITKAGEAR.COM/GRANTS.