The Evolution of Man - The History of Hunting

Perhaps one of the eldest activities on the facecompetitions. Only certain individuals were hunters,
of the planet is hunting. The history of hunting, asallowing the select men to feed those in their
a result, is also one of the most diverse. Huntingcommunity.
for food has always been something that humanThe Third Era, The Middle Ages
kind has had to do, dating back to the beginningPerhaps one of the most interesting times in the
of any civilizations known to man.history of hunting, is the middle ages. This is the
As a result of this, there have been thousands ofperiod in time where hunting for food was a vital
weapons and devices used to hunt. The historypart of life for many, though restricted. Rules on
of hunting is far more complicated than any otherhunting, such as no hunting in the King's Forest,
history in the world, as it stretches so far into thewas the first real restrictions on hunting present in
past. In order to understand this history, youthe world. Only the rich prospered, and the surf
need to break down and study each era whereclasses hunted whatever they could, when they
hunting has been a major part of life. While therecould for survival. Hunting, from boar to deer to
are exact time lines of when certain guns orfox hunting, became primary sports for the
weapons were produced, understanding thenobility of the time frame. This started the trend
importance of hunting should be done on a farof organized hunts for sport.
broader scale. There is much more to the historyColonists to the New World required as much
of hunting than when the gun was created.hunting skills as possible, during this period of time,
The First Era, Pre-Civilizationalthough they progressed quickly from relying on
In this time frame, from before great cities toscavenging and hunting to creating farms and
the first starts of basic civilization, the human raceplantations. Popular weapons for use in hunting
survived on their skills of scavenging and hunting.during this time period was forms of archery,
In cultures similar to those of the first era andslings and throwing spears. The gun was also
pre-civilization, women had the roll of caring forused, although it had not quite yet reached full
the home and preparing the food brought in bylevels of popularity.
the men. Some portions of modern day AfricaThe Forth Era, The Industrial Period
have conditions similar to this, where they do notOn the heels of the Middle Ages was the
have a great deal of money, and a similar style ofIndustrial period. This era stretched from beyond
hierarchy. The men all learned how to hunt, andthe 1700s until just after the start of the 1900s.
they held these hunts daily to feed themselves.The evolution of machines brought about great
Unlike today, all hunting was for survival, and nonechanges in hunting. Large farms became very
of it for sport. All of the materials from the killedpopular, where livestock was raised instead of the
animals was used, from the bones to the pelt.practice of hunting wild animals, downgrading
Hunting was also a method of determining whohunting to only become a past time. Guns, ranging
was the bravest warrior. The bravest would huntfrom muskets to rifles, were being to be used
the ferocious creatures that lived nearby theirextensively. Archery was downgraded to sport
homes. These kills were a vital part of the earlyuse only, though it was very popular for tests of
hierarchies.skill.
A wide variety of different weapons were usedPresent Day
during this era, from slings to spears crafted ofThrough these stages of the history of hunting,
wood and stone. For large prey, the huntershumans have perfected this activity, with a wide
would work together in packs, similar to how arange of weapons. Archers, for example, have
wolf hunts to bring down their quarry. The onlymany types of bows to choose from. Arrows
trophies kept were antlers and teeth. Occasionallyare just as plentiful as bows, from metal to
the skulls would be kept as decoration or aswood, with many different types of tips. Guns
symbols of the clan or family group. This oldesthave evolved the same way, with many types of
form of hunting was the basis in which thebullets and guns for different types of hunting.
present was formed.Special guns and equipment designed for moose
The Second Era, Growth of Civilizationhunting, for example, wouldn't be the same as
As people gathered together and civilization reallydeer hunting supplies.
began, the role of men as hunters changed asCompetitive hunting, such as fox hunting, is still
well. Cities, by their very nature, require a varietygreatly enjoyed by many people who prefer a
of people with a lot of skills. There needed to belittle more action to their hunting. In the modern
craftsmen and weavers, animal handlers andworld, safety and skill are the requirements for
other trades so that everyone could have accesshunting, and it is open for anyone who is willing to
to everything they needed. Instead of the splitlearn proper weapon handling and obtain all of the
between men and women, hunting became thedocuments necessary to hunt. Regulations on
task of those most suited for hunting. Theseguns and hunting have been developed to prevent
were usually always men, as it was looked downspecies from going extinct. While hunting is still
upon for women to participate in this line of work.very popular, the modern day has a lot more
This was also the turning point where huntingrestrictions that in any other era in the history of
becoming a sport. Civilizations, such as thehunting.
Babylonians, the Egyptians, and the Romans allEach of these eras of the history of hunting have
had their hunters and craftsmen. The Romans,done a lot for the sport and trade, giving it a rich
took hunting as a sport to a whole new level,heritage that shouldn't be forgotten.
capturing prey alive for sale or gladiatorial