My brilliant wordsmithing in that lyrical headline aside, please bear with me briefly for some self-serving exposition. At first, it was difficult to convince the wonderful leadership at ATL that I was deserving of a column here. What, after all, do the good people of the New York legal community and the many other sophisticated readers of ATL need with the opinions of some bumpkin from Minnesota?
Now, a solid readership (you folks really are world-class) and several legitimately viral articles later, I think Ive at least justified my own existence. But all along, for me at least, part of what I brought to the table was the perspective of someone who is not sitting in some Manhattan skyscraper, staring out at the Hudson.
Just as our coastal brothers and sisters might stare down at the generous spaces between lights during the redeye to L.A., and wonder what those people down there could possibly be thinking, many a Midwesterner has peered eastward with questions that roam far beyond the limits of their vision. Sure, Americans in general have more commonalities than differences. Yet, part of what Ive always hoped to accomplish with this column is making it just a little bit easier, for at least a few people, to understand the value of the differences between a place like New York City, and a place like my hometown of Long Prairie, Minnesota.
So today, I want to talk about something that probably seems a bit foreign to those ensconced in a big city existence: Deer hunting. Yes, deer hunting, the grand and noble tradition of nearly freezing to death so that if youre lucky, you get to field-dress some game, which is just a euphemism for reaching inside a splayed abdominal cavity to pull out a steaming pile of entrails.
I really cant think of a way to describe the physical conditions of hunting that make it sound tolerable, let alone great, and yet, somehow it is. Its the way you feel moving swiftly and quietly in the morning darkness, the crunch of freeze-dried switchgrass stems barely audible beneath your boots, the pillars of frozen breath from the companions at your side billowing into the corners of your vision. Its a weighty process, the power and responsibility of both taking and sustaining life. If you dont want to hunt, try going to the most remote petroglyphs you can find after dark. Turn off anything electronic and light a candle or a torch. Thatll give you an idea of what Im talking about.
Though many cant articulate it, people get something bordering on the spiritual out of hunting. Even Justice Elena Kagan, whod apparently never handled a gun before being appointed to the Supreme Court, became a convert to hunting after her friend Justice Scalia introduced her to the concept.
Deer hunting is also a big economic engine. In Minnesota, nearly half a million people participate in the firearms deer season. Combine that with bow season and muzzleloader season, and out of every 10 Minnesotans (including children), one of them is going out deer hunting. In-state residents pay $35 for a deer license multiply that by the number of hunters, and youve got about $17.5 million in revenue in this state alone. Factor in the roughly 10 million pounds of lean healthy meat harvested each year in Minnesota, along with the property damage and human lives saved by preventing deer-on-vehicle car accidents that would otherwise occur, and you are well on your way to understanding the many benefits that a healthy deer population and a well-managed hunting season provide. There are states where deer hunting participation rates are much higher than in Minnesota, of course, and there is deer hunting in every state, including Hawaii.
And that brings me to the gratuitous headlines about zombie deer that plagued all of us last year, and are starting to spring up again. Chronic wasting disease is a neurological illness affecting some deer, elk, and moose populations. So far, there have been no reported cases of CWD affecting humans, although it is certainly not advisable to knowingly eat infected meat. Everyone in the hunting community has known about CWD just about forever, and knows that symptoms in an infected animal might include drastic weight loss, stumbling, listlessness, and eventually, death. Symptoms certainly do not include rearising after that death with an insatiable craving to devour flesh, an inability to be dispatched (barring a headshot), or anything else that would really be zombie-like. So, I guess were using the phrase zombie deer to describe deer with CWD because some of them are thin and stumble. Not really that good of an analogy.
CWD is a degenerative neurological disorder. There are similar diseases in humans, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and no one would call one of the roughly one-per-million sufferers of CJD in the human population a zombie. That would be stupid and offensive. Chronic wasting disease is a serious issue, it is something departments of natural resources across the country need to keep working on, and hunters in particular need to take responsibility in addressing CWD. But calling it zombie deer disease is just shallow clickbait nonsense trying to cash in on the surprising longevity of pop cultures zombie craze (meaning no offense to the fad itself; I myself just thoroughly enjoyed Matthew Brodericks brilliant turn [spoiler alert] as the cannibalistic Barron Triumph in Netflixs Daybreak).
You dont have to like deer hunting to accept its place in this particular stage of our society. Deer season is not a wanton orgiastic slaughter. Its thought out. Its important. Its meaningful to people. This year, lets try to understand it a little better if its not something we grew up with, and lets also try not to sensationalize one of the most pressing challenges in cultivating a healthy deer population with a lot of nonsensical, clickbaity article titles about zombie deer.
Jonathan Wolf is a litigation associate at a midsize, full-service Minnesota firm. He also teaches as an adjunct writing professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, has written for a wide variety of publications, and makes it both his business and his pleasure to be financially and scientifically literate. Any views he expresses are probably pure gold, but are nonetheless solely his own and should not be attributed to any organization with which he is affiliated. He wouldnt want to share the credit anyway. He can be reached atjon_wolf@hotmail.com.
- The Cranberries' Zombie - the story behind the incendiary song - Louder - April 22nd, 2024
- Chris Riddell on the zombie Tory government falling apart at the seams cartoon - The Guardian - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie grave dating back 4,200 years discovered in Germany, photos show - Miami Herald - April 22nd, 2024
- Steam zombie survival game leaves early access 11 years on, and you've got one week to get it cheap - PCGamesN - April 22nd, 2024
- "Zombie" cicadas with STDs are coming to Virginia - Axios - April 22nd, 2024
- Deathtroopers is the Star Wars zombie horror game I never knew I needed - PC Gamer - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie Army VR Reveals The Story In Latest Trailer - Bleeding Cool News - April 22nd, 2024
- Where Infected "Zombie Cicadas" In The US Will Emerge In 2024 - TheTravel - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie anti-abortion laws are menacing American women - The Hill - April 22nd, 2024
- Joe Manganiello to Zombie It Up in Mountain Man Adaptation - Reactor - Reactor - April 22nd, 2024
- Frozen Soul Covered White Zombie and It Rules - MetalSucks - April 22nd, 2024
- Arizona's abortion ban could bring zombie laws back to life in other states - Fast Company - April 22nd, 2024
- Arizona abortion ban shows the dangers of reviving zombie laws - MSNBC - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie fires smoldering near Canadian oil and gas wells threaten production following 2023 wildfires - WorldOil - April 22nd, 2024
- You'll Never Guess Who Doesn't Want to Repeal a Zombie Abortion Ban - The New Republic - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie Army VR: New trailer gives a glimpse of the gruesome campaign - MIXED Reality News - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie Tests: Is the SAT Back From the Dead? - Fair Observer - April 22nd, 2024
- How likely are you to survive a zombie apocalypse in Connecticut? You may want to travel north - Hartford Courant - April 22nd, 2024
- Missouri Reports 162 New Cases Of Deer 'Zombie' Disease In 2023 - Lake Expo - April 22nd, 2024
- Zombie Fires Pose Looming Threat to Canada's Oil and Gas Infrastructure - OilPrice.com - April 22nd, 2024
- Rob Zombie Presenting House on Haunted Hill Soundtrack on Vinyl - ComicBook.com - April 22nd, 2024
- Take on Zombie Stormtroopers In This Star Wars Fan Game - IGN - April 22nd, 2024
- The Best Zombie Game of 2023 Has a New Expansion Out Now - Esports.net News - April 22nd, 2024
- Frozen Soul Debuts Frosty Rendition of White Zombie's 'Creature of the - Knotfest - April 22nd, 2024
- 'Dawn of the Dead' at 45: A Zombie Love Affair That Never Died - The New York Times - April 12th, 2024
- Hyper-sexual 'zombie cicadas' infected with bizarre STD fungus will emerge in US - New York Post - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie malls and other retail centers getting extreme makeovers to keep up with the times - Chicago Tribune - April 12th, 2024
- 'Zombie' drug xylazine found in cannabis THC vapes in UK - BBC.com - April 12th, 2024
- Taxing health insurance: The Republican zombie that refuses to die - Roll Call - April 12th, 2024
- Fungus-infected Zombie Cicadas with hypersexuality to emerge in the US this year: Expert - Hindustan Times - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie Classic Dawn Of The Dead Coming Back to Theaters for 45th Anniversary - MetalSucks - April 12th, 2024
- E-News | 'Zombie cicadas' infected with sexually transmitted fungus expected to emerge this year in parts of US - WVU ENews - April 12th, 2024
- Deadly Zombie Sedative Penetrating The U.K.s Illicit Drugs Market - Forbes - April 12th, 2024
- Seattle Police warn that base ingredient in 'zombie drug' tranq is being sold as standalone pill - FOX 13 Seattle - April 12th, 2024
- Opinion | Today's Opinions: Haunted by zombie law and thrown into abortion time-travel - The Washington Post - The Washington Post - April 12th, 2024
- Rob Zombie Teases 'House of 1000 Corpses' Book With Rare Photos, Original Script and More! - Bloody Disgusting - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie malls getting extreme makeovers to keep up with the times - Detroit News - April 12th, 2024
- 2000s Horror Fantasy Is One Of The Most Unique Takes On The Zombie Genre - Giant Freakin Robot - April 12th, 2024
- Mysterious 'Zombie Neurons' Unlock Secrets of Learning in The Brain - ScienceAlert - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie SKUs: What They Are, How They Work & Results - JumpFly PPC Advertising News - April 12th, 2024
- Arizona Reviving Its Zombie Abortion Ban Is Trump's Doing - The Cut - April 12th, 2024
- Hyper-sexual "zombie cicadas" that are infected with sexually transmitted fungus expected to emerge this year - CBS News - April 12th, 2024
- Should we be concerned about zombie cicadas? - WGN Radio - Chicago - April 12th, 2024
- You need to play this underrated zombie shooter before it leaves Xbox Game Pass - Digital Trends - April 12th, 2024
- End the 'zombie' Comstock Act - Star Tribune - April 12th, 2024
- OPINION - Flesh-eating zombie narcotics are on our streets Britain is badly losing its war on drugs - Yahoo News UK - April 12th, 2024
- What Is Xylazine - The Flesh-Eating 'Zombie' Drug Linked To 11 Deaths in The UK? - Times Now - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie Cicadas To Emerge In Virginia: What To Know - Patch - April 12th, 2024
- What Is "Zombie Drug" Gripping The UK? - NDTV - April 12th, 2024
- OJ Simpson's Final Film Will Resurrect His Naked Gun Character - As A Zombie? - Looper - April 12th, 2024
- Flesh-eating 'zombie drug' sweeping US is linked to 11 UK deaths - The Telegraph - April 12th, 2024
- Flesh-rotting 'Zombie drug' tranq raises alarm in UK - The Times of India - April 12th, 2024
- Zombie Cicadas To Emerge In GA: What To Know - Patch - April 12th, 2024
- What was the first-ever zombie movie? - Far Out Magazine - April 12th, 2024
- Even Will Smith Couldnt Save Zombie Survival Game Undawn, Which Flopped Spectacularly - IGN - March 24th, 2024
- Rob Zombie Recommends This Surprisingly Wholesome Comedy - Dread Central - March 24th, 2024
- Army Writing and the Zombie (Noun) Apocalypse - Modern War Institute - United States Military Academy West Point - March 24th, 2024
- Fatal Fury's Mai Shiranui Is In This Zombie Survival Game For Some Reason - Time Extension - March 24th, 2024
- Should you be worried about 'zombie deer'? | College of Public Health - George Mason University - March 24th, 2024
- 'Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island' Scares Its Way to Blu-ray for the First Time This Spring - Collider - March 24th, 2024
- Rob Zombie hates my guts: GWAR's Dave 'Oderus Urungus' Brockie was a genius, and here's an interview that proves it - Louder - March 24th, 2024
- In the fight against gun violence, Rep. Frost Introduces the Destroy Zombie Guns Act - The Apopka Voice - March 24th, 2024
- Elfriede Jelinek's 'The Children of the Dead' is a historical zombie novel - The Washington Post - The Washington Post - March 24th, 2024
- Germany's Zombie Government Is Fueling the Far Right - The Atlantic - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie Survival Game Undawn Has Crashed And Burned According To A Reuters Report - MMOs.com - March 24th, 2024
- Will Smiths Zombie Game Has Been Hit Harder Than Chris Rock at the Oscars Its Astronomical Budget Was ... - imdb - March 24th, 2024
- Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island / Return to Zombie Island Blu-ray (Warner Archive Collection) - Blu-ray.com - March 24th, 2024
- Registration almost here for Dothans annual Zombie 5K Chase - WDHN - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie magic and gambling club Magic Island will come alive again this summer - Houston Chronicle - March 24th, 2024
- Undawn | The $140m zombie survival game starring Will Smith that bombed while nobody was looking - Filmstories - March 24th, 2024
- After 4 years, a cult classic zombie horror manga from Ga-Rei's creator is finally getting an official English release - Gamesradar - March 24th, 2024
- Will Smith's Zombie Game Has Been Hit Harder Than Chris Rock at the Oscars - Its Astronomical Budget Was ... - FandomWire - March 24th, 2024
- "The game literally no one knew existed": The Will Smith Zombie Survival Game is Reportedly a Big Flop and Fans Are ... - FandomWire - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie-palooza --- Get to the biggest undead music event in the latest Dead Island 2 expansion: SoLA - Gaming Trend - March 24th, 2024
- Bournemouth University medical students treat 'zombie attack' in mass training simulation - The Tab - March 24th, 2024
- Zombie car factories on the rise in China as buyers opt for EVs - Financial Times - March 16th, 2024
- Hey, Remember When Rob Zombie Was Going To Direct THE CROW 3? - FANGORIA - March 16th, 2024
- New Walking Dead Twist Shows How The Zombie Outbreak Will Finally End - Screen Rant - March 16th, 2024
- Candid conversations from death row with The Zombie Hunter - Arizona's Family - March 16th, 2024
- Zombie! The Musical - REVIEW - City Hub Sydney - March 16th, 2024
Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero