The Shotgun Conservationist Why Environmentalists Should Love Hunting

At the intersection of hunting and conservation, a man shares his personal journey from staunch anti-hunter to compassionate, ethical hunter, weaving together a larger history of humans, animals, the environment, and our food systems.

The Shotgun Conservationist doesn’t teach us how to hunt, it explores why we should hunt. As public lands remain imperiled, factory farms pollute the earth and subject animals to inhumane conditions, and global uncertainty presses us all to be more self-sufficient, there has never been a better time to take up hunting. Writer, natural historian, and public speaker Brant MacDuff has done just that. An avid animal lover and raised as a non-hunter, MacDuff started his journey intending to investigate the claim that “hunting is conservation.” So convinced, he now holds a hunting license in four states and gives lectures on the positive impact it has on conservation efforts nationwide.

Armed with years of experience in the field and a deep love for the natural world, MacDuff tells the provocative, humorous, and insightful story of how he became a hunter. Along the way, readers meet a cast of colorful characters and learn the firsthand research that helped change Brant’s mind. You may not book a hunting trip after reading The Shotgun Conservationist, but you’ll have a new perspective on and appreciation for those that do.

Brant MacDuff is a taxidermist and conservation historian. An avid outdoorsperson and jack of many trades, Brant has worked for a variety of museums and aquariums, all while supporting his primary work as a public speaker. He teaches instructional classes on taxidermy, gives tours at the American Museum of Natural History, and lectures on natural history at schools, businesses, private events, outdoor retreats, and museums. When not on the lecture circuit or at home in Brooklyn, Brant can be found indulging in his many outdoor hobbies including hunting, horseback riding, shooting sports, kayaking and rafting.