The Shotgun Conservationist

Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting

By Brant MacDuff

At the intersection of hunting and conservation, a man shares his personal journey from staunch anti-hunter to compassionate, ethical hunter, weaving together a larger history of humans, animals, the environment, and our food systems.

The Shotgun Conservationist doesn’t teach us how to hunt, it explores why we should hunt. As public lands remain imperiled, factory farms pollute the earth and subject animals to inhumane conditions, and global uncertainty presses us all to be more self-sufficient, there has never been a better time to take up hunting. Writer, natural historian, and public speaker Brant MacDuff has done just that. An avid animal lover and raised as a non-hunter, MacDuff started his journey intending to investigate the claim that “hunting is conservation.” So convinced, he now holds a hunting license in four states and gives lectures on the positive impact it has on conservation efforts nationwide.

Armed with years of experience in the field and a deep love for the natural world, MacDuff tells the provocative, humorous, and insightful story of how he became a hunter. Along the way, readers meet a cast of colorful characters and learn the firsthand research that helped change Brant’s mind. You may not book a hunting trip after reading The Shotgun Conservationist, but you’ll have a new perspective on and appreciation for those that do.

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Brant MacDuff

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Review quotes

“MacDuff’s conversational writing will keep readers hooked, and his well-considered reflections offer plenty of food for thought. Nature-minded readers will find this full of insight.”

— Publishers Weekly

“A self-described ‘hunter blatherer’, MacDuff cheerfully covers a lot of ground with grace, humor, and plain old-fashioned common sense. Rarely have the connections between hunting and environmentalism been made so clear.”

— Jim Tantillo, Cornell University, Department of Natural Resources

“MacDuff skillfully navigates the choppy waters of modern hunting with humility, sincerity, good humor and authority. Weaving facts and figures into an engaging personal narrative, he explores the many sides of hunting, from conservation and politics to ecology. An excellent read.”

— Professor Adam Hart, University of Gloucestershire, author of Unfit for Purpose: When Human Evolution Collides with the Modern World

“MacDuff provides a wonderfully fresh take on sportsmen and women, and the unique role hunters and anglers play in supporting the foundation of conservation funding in America. I encourage hunters and non-hunters alike to pick this one up!”

— Christy Plumer, Chief Conservation Officer, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership

“All wildlife enthusiasts, whether they hunt or not, should understand hunters’ contributions and that successful wildlife programs would cease to exist without them. Brant paints a complete portrait of the value of hunting to all wildlife species and their management.”

— Kip Adams, Chief Conservation Officer, National Deer Association

“MacDuff present a strong case that birders, backpackers, and everyone else should acknowledge the vital role hunting has played in protecting habitat—and welcome efforts to grow and diversify the dwindling ranks of hunters—even as we explore new ideas for sustaining and growing those efforts.”

— Audubon