what is hunting

Hunting is the practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to exploit the animals body for meat and useful products, and for recreational purposes. Hunting can be done with various weapons, including guns, bows and arrows, and traps. In some cases, hunting is used as a wildlife management tool to help maintain a population of healthy animals within an environments ecological carrying capacity. Hunting is also a popular outdoor tradition and sport around the world. In Great Britain and western Europe, hunting is the term employed for the taking of wild animals with the aid of hounds that hunt by scent, whereas the sport of taking small game and game birds with a gun is known as shooting. In the United States and elsewhere, the term hunting is used for both hunting and shooting. A person participating in a hunt is a hunter or huntsman.