I first heard this term when I was in Colorado Hunter Safety class to get my bird hunting license. The teacher was an official NRA Instructor, and he was very fond of using the term "harvest". This ties into the basic philosophy of Hunting as it is seen by the Wildlife Division of most States : It is a way of managing a renewable resource. If deer populations were not "harvested", an excess of deer would occur, leading to over-browsing, erosion, starvation, etc. Due to the elimination of natural predators, hunters serve the purpose of "harvesters." I know that we are guilty of wiping out the natural predators. You'd have to be a Cattle Rancher with a family of nine kids and a Grizzly Bear for a neighbor to fully understand why.

I don't hunt much anymore, but I understand why it serves a useful purpose, and I know that the dollars generated by hunting are a major asset to preservation of natural wilderness areas. The hunters often play on the same side with the most vegetarian environmentalist when it comes to habitat maintenance.

Now excuse while I go harvest a cheeseburger and fries. :>}

LEJ