Game (hunting)

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Common pheasant, widely introduced and hunted as game Phasianus colchicus 2 tom (Lukasz Lukasik).jpg
Common pheasant, widely introduced and hunted as game

Game or quarry is any wild animal hunted for animal products (primarily meat), for recreation ("sporting"), or for trophies. [1] The species of animals hunted as game varies in different parts of the world and by different local jurisdictions, though most are terrestrial mammals and birds. Fish caught non-commercially (recreational fishing) are also referred to as game fish.

Contents

By continent and region

The range of animal species hunted by humans varies in different parts of the world. This is influenced by climate, faunal diversity, popular taste and locally accepted views about what can or cannot be legitimately hunted. Sometimes a distinction is also made between varieties and breeds of a particular animal, such as wild turkey and domestic turkey. The flesh of the animal, when butchered for consumption, is often described as having a "gamey" flavour. This difference in taste can be attributed to the natural diet of the animal, which usually results in a lower fat content compared to domestic farm-raised animals.

In some countries, game is classified, including legal classifications with respect to licenses required, as either "small game" or "large game". A single small game licence may cover all small game species and be subject to yearly bag limits. Large game are often subject to individual licensing where a separate permit is required for each individual animal taken (tags).

Africa

A hunter and local guides with his kill, 1970 Zdravko Pecar During an Elephant Hunt (1).jpg
A hunter and local guides with his kill, 1970

In some parts of Africa, wild animals hunted for their meat are called bushmeat; see that article for more detailed information on how this operates within the economy (for personal consumption and for money) and the law (including overexploitation and illegal imports). Animals hunted for bushmeat include, but are not limited to:

Some of these animals are endangered or otherwise protected, and thus it is illegal to hunt them.

In Africa, animals hunted for their pelts or ivory are sometimes referred to as big game.

Also see the legal definition of game in Eswatini. [2]

South Africa

South Africa is a famous destination for game hunting, with its large biodiversity and therefore impressive variety of game species. Many creatures have returned to former areas from which they were once taken as a result of being killed for big-game hunting. Commonly hunted species include:

South Africa also has 62 species of gamebirds, including guineafowl, francolin, partridge, quail, sandgrouse, duck, geese, snipe, bustard and korhaan. Some of these species are no longer hunted, and of the 44 indigenous gamebirds that can potentially be utilised in South Africa, only three, namely the yellow-throated sandgrouse, Delegorgue's pigeon and the African pygmy goose warrant special protection. Of the remaining 41 species, 24 have shown an increase in numbers and distribution range in the last 25 years or so. The status of 14 species appears unchanged, with insufficient information being available for the remaining three species. The gamebirds of South Africa where the population status in 2005 was secure or growing are listed below:

Oceania

Australia

In Australia, game includes:

New Zealand

Game in New Zealand includes:

North America

Canada and the United States

Big-game hunting American big-game hunting; (1901) (18117144345).jpg
Big-game hunting

In the United States and Canada, white-tailed deer are the most commonly hunted big game. Other game species include:

Bobwhite quail, an important North American gamebird Virginia-Wachtel 2007-06-16 059.jpg
Bobwhite quail, an important North American gamebird
White-tailed deer White-tailed deer.jpg
White-tailed deer

Asia

People's Republic of China

In the PRC there is a special cuisine category called ye wei, which includes animals in the wild.

Russia

"The Hunters at Rest" by Vasily Perov, 1871 Wassilij Grigorjewitsch Perow 004.jpg
"The Hunters at Rest" by Vasily Perov, 1871

Europe

United Kingdom

Game birds at Borough Market in London Game birds Borough Market.jpg
Game birds at Borough Market in London

In the UK game is defined in law by the Game Act 1831. It is illegal to shoot game on Sundays or at night. Other non-game birds that are hunted for food in the UK are specified under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. UK law defines game as including:

Deer are not included in the definition, but similar controls provided to those in the Game Act apply to deer (from the Deer Act 1991). Deer hunted in the UK are:

Other animals which are hunted in the UK include:

Capercaillie are not currently hunted in the UK because of a recent decline in numbers and conservation projects towards their recovery. The ban is generally considered voluntary on private lands, and few birds live away from RSPB or Forestry Commission land allegedly.

Iceland

In Iceland game includes:

Nordic countries

Roe deer Kopf eines Rehs (Capreolus capreolus).jpg
Roe deer

Game in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland includes:

Poland

In Poland, legal game includes: [3]
Big game

Small game

Preparation

A kitchen interior with a maid and a lady preparing game, c. 1600 Attributed to Frans Hals, 1625-1630, A Kitchen Interior with a Maid and a Lady Preparing Game.jpg
A kitchen interior with a maid and a lady preparing game, c. 1600

Game meat is typically taken from a wild animal that has been shot with a gun or bow. Hunters must be absolutely certain of their target before shooting and should make every effort to get the animal down as quickly and painlessly as possible. Once obtained, game meat must be processed to avoid spoiling. The method of processing varies by game species and size. Small game and fowl may simply be carried home to be butchered. Large game such as deer is quickly field-dressed by removing the viscera in the field, while very large animals like moose may be partially butchered in the field because of the difficulty of removing them intact from their habitat. Commercial processors often handle deer taken during deer seasons, sometimes even at supermarket meat counters. Otherwise the hunter handles butchering. The carcass is kept cool to minimize spoilage.

Traditionally, game meat was hung until "high" or "gamey", that is, approaching a state of decomposition. [4] However, this adds to the risk of contamination. Small game can be processed essentially intact, after gutting and skinning or defeathering (by species). Small animals are ready for cooking, although they may be disjointed first. Large game must be processed by techniques commonly practiced by commercial butchers.

Cooking

Generally game is cooked in the same ways as farmed meat. [5] Because some game meat is leaner than store-bought beef, overcooking is a common mishap which can be avoided if properly prepared. [6] [7] It is sometimes grilled or cooked longer or by slow cooking or moist-heat methods to make it more tender, since some game tends to be tougher than farm-raised meat. Other methods of tenderizing include marinating as in the dish Hasenpfeffer, cooking in a game pie or as a stew such as burgoo.

Safety

The Norwegian Food Safety Authority considers that children, pregnant women, fertile-aged women, and people with high blood pressure should not consume game shot with lead-based ammunition more than once a month. Children who often eat such game might develop a slightly lower IQ, as lead influences the development of the central nervous system. [8] This can be avoided by using copper bullets or arrows to hunt for wild meat.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Galliformes</span> Order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds

Galliformes is an order of heavy-bodied ground-feeding birds that includes turkeys, chickens, quail, and other landfowl. Gallinaceous birds, as they are called, are important in their ecosystems as seed dispersers and predators, and are often reared by humans for their meat and eggs, or hunted as game birds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phasianidae</span> Family of birds

The Phasianidae are a family of heavy, ground-living birds, which includes pheasants, partridges, junglefowl, chickens, turkeys, Old World quail, and peafowl. The family includes many of the most popular gamebirds. The family is a large one and includes 185 species divided into 54 genera. It was formerly broken up into two subfamilies, the Phasianinae and the Perdicinae. However, this treatment is now known to be paraphyletic and polyphyletic, respectively, and more recent evidence supports breaking it up into two subfamilies: Rollulinae and Phasianinae, with the latter containing multiple tribes within two clades. The New World quail (Odontophoridae) and guineafowl (Numididae) were formerly sometimes included in this family, but are now typically placed in families of their own; conversely, grouse and turkeys, formerly often treated as distinct families, are now known to be deeply nested within Phasianidae, so they are now included in the present family.

<i>Perdix</i> Genus of birds

Perdix is a genus of Galliform gamebirds known collectively as the 'true partridges'. These birds are unrelated to the subtropical species that have been named after the partridge due to similar size and morphology.

<i>Lagopus</i> Genus of birds

Lagopus is a small genus of birds in the grouse subfamily commonly known as ptarmigans. The genus contains three living species with numerous described subspecies, all living in tundra or cold upland areas.

Upland hunting is an American term for a form of bird hunting (fowling) in which the hunter pursues upland birds including quail, pheasant, grouse, woodcock, prairie chicken, chukar, grey partridge, and other landfowls. Unlike aquatic and semiaquatic bird species, upland birds are terrestrial and tend to be found strictly on the dry lands above the high mark of waterbodies, often hidden in heavy groundcover, so hunters generally employ the use of gun dogs to locate, expose and retrieve game. The average group consists of 2-4 hunters with 1-2 dogs. Normally, if there is one dog the owner usually handles the dog while the others focus on shooting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upland game bird</span>

Upland game bird is an American term which refers to non-water fowl game birds in groundcover-rich terrestrial ecosystems above wetlands and riparian zones, which are commonly hunted with gun dogs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunting and shooting in the United Kingdom</span>

In the United Kingdom, the term hunting with no qualification generally refers to hunting with hounds, e.g. normally fox hunting, stag (deer) hunting, beagling, or minkhunting, whereas shooting is the shooting of game birds. What is called deer hunting elsewhere is deer stalking. According to the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) over a million people a year participate in shooting, including stalking, shooting, hunting, clay shooting and target shooting. Firearm ownership is regulated in the UK by licensing. Provisions exist for those without a Firearm or Shotgun certificate to shoot under the supervision of a certificate holder.

Gamebird hybrids are the result of crossing species of game birds, including ducks, with each other and with domestic poultry. These hybrid species may sometimes occur naturally in the wild or more commonly through the deliberate or inadvertent intervention of humans.

This is a list of the fauna of Finland. Finland borders Sweden to the west, Russia to the east, and Norway to the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland, allowing an ecological mix. Finland contains many species of mammals, birds, and fish, but only a few reptiles and amphibians. This article discusses all the vertebrate animals which can be found on Finland itself, not the oceans.

Romania has a long history of hunting and remains a remarkable hunting destination, drawing many hunters because of its large numbers of brown bears, wolves, wild boars, red deer, and chamois. The concentration of brown bears in the Carpathian Mountains of central Romania is largest in the world and contains half of all Europe's population, except Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Game pie</span> Savoury pie made with wild game

Game pie is a form of meat pie featuring game. The dish dates from Roman times when the main ingredients were wild birds and animals such as partridge, pheasant, deer, and hare. The pies reached their most elaborate form in Victorian England, with complex recipes and specialized moulds and serving dishes. Modern versions are simpler but savoury combinations of rabbit, venison, pigeon, pheasant, and other commercially available game.

Australia has a population of about 25 million, with the Commonwealth Government's 2019 survey estimating there are 640,000 recreational hunters in the country. There are around 5.8 million legally owned guns in Australia, ranging from airguns to single-shot, bolt-action, pump-action, lever-action or semi-automatic firearms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks</span>

The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish, and Parks (GFP) is the U.S. State of South Dakota's state agency charged with the management of the state's public recreational and outdoor resources. The GFP manages the 13 state parks and 43 state recreation areas within the state parks system, totaling over 96,000 acres of public lands. The agency manages the hunting of game and the state's fisheries, manages several wildlife management areas and game production areas to restore or establish habitat for a variety of species. The agency conducts public outdoor education programs, typically focusing on hunting and boating safety. The department issues hunting and fishing licenses along with issuance of boat registrations. The agency is also charged with enforcement of fish and game laws, including invasive species regulations. The agency is headquartered in Pierre, South Dakota.

Henry Alexander Shaw is an American chef, author, and outdoorsman who runs the wild foods website Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. He is the author of five cookbooks about preparing fish and wild game for the table: Hunt Gather Cook, Duck Duck Goose, Buck Buck Moose, Pheasant Quail Cottontail and Hook Line and Supper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hunting in the United States</span>

Hunting is a significant subsistence and recreational activity in the United States. Regulation of hunting began in the 19th century. Some modern hunters see themselves as conservationists. American hunting tradition values fair chase, which values the balance between the hunter and the animals. A 2006 poll showed that 78% of Americans support hunting. 6% of Americans have hunted. Hunting is most popular in the Midwest.

Athos Rodolfo Giorgio Alessandro Menaboni was an Italian-born American artist who spent the bulk of his career in Atlanta, Georgia.

References

  1. "Game | Definition, Wild Animals, & Preparation | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
  2. The Game Act Archived 2004-06-18 at the Wayback Machine Swaziland Legislation
  3. "Rozporządzenie Ministra Środowiska z dnia 11 marca 2005 r. w sprawie ustalenia listy gatunków zwierząt łownych" [Regulation of the Minister of Environment of 11 March 2005 regarding specifying list of game species]. Regulation of 11 March 2005 (PDF) (in Polish). 2005-03-22. Retrieved 2022-07-27 via Sejm (isap.sejm.gov.pl).
  4. Oxford English Dictionary , 3rd edition, s.v. high adj. A.II.12d, gamey 1a
  5. "Game-to-Eat". 2007-05-02.
  6. "About Game Meat". 2007-05-19. Archived from the original on 2007-05-19. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
  7. Venison Direct to Your Door Highland Game
  8. "Mattilsynet: – Barn kan få lavere IQ av storvilt" (in Norwegian). NRK.no. 29 August 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.