Hunting

During the colonial times hunting was of huge importance. It was a status symbol to be able to provide your family with the finest meats in large quantities. Contests were held in the late 1700’s and early 1800’s to see who could acquire the most game in a given time and this was the beginning of hunting competitions in the United States. One reason that hunting was not only a good way to get food for your family but was also a popular sport traces back to the England times. In England hunting was restricted to the gentry and poorer lower class individuals who hunted were punished and it was looked down upon. Also in England gun ownership was limited and only with special permission could you get gun ownership. But, in American all of this changed. There were no rules on gun ownership and the land was open for all to use as they pleased. After a while Americans had manufactured a few different types of guns that were sufficient and worked well enough, but it wasn’t until the French stepped in and provided influence that they got more powerful more accurate firearms and hunting ability was greatly improved. The French were big on hunting and much of their passion rubbed off on us and inspired even more people cause of influence from New France. The French people’s whole economy and clothing is largely based on furs so they need to continue hunting to keep their economy up and running. The provided us with hunting techniques and new guns and gun powder and this made our hunting more precise and more fun for the colonists.