On a cold autumn day, I sat on a ridge overlooking a quiet valley. The morning passed without anything interesting happening. However, as the day progressed, it began to snow, and with the snow came fog. It was almost impossible to see fifty meters in front of me. Disappointed, I began to pack my bags and head home. About fifteen minutes into my walk home, the snow calmed down and the fog dissipated. I began to walk with more awareness knowing that the best time of the evening for spotting game had approached, and that the weather had decided to cooperate with me. As I rounded a corner of the path, I stopped in my tracks. On the side hill I spotted what I had been looking for all day, a monster buck. I quickly but stealthily reached for my rifle and then fell to the ground. I fumbled to attach the shooting sticks, but finally succeeded. I steadied myself and, finding the buck in my sights, pulled the trigger. BANG! The recoil knocked me off target, but I quickly recovered and to my amazement missed the target! I quickly reloaded and fired another shot. Thankfully, this time, the dollar stopped in its tracks…dead. As I took the deer out, I felt tickled that I had a successful hunt today. Hunting is a sport loved by some, neglected by many and opposed by few. In today's world the popularity of hunting has decreased astonishingly and now more than ever people are against hunting. We as a people cannot allow this to happen; Hunting plays a vital role in our nation because it benefits the economy, conservation efforts and animal populations. Just like any other sport in America, there are people who actively participate in hunting. According to US Fish and Wildlife, approximately 4% of the US population......middle of paper......v/hunting/whatdo.html>.Economic Importance of Hunting in America. International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, 2002. Web. March 21, 2012. "The New York Times." As hunting declines, conservation efforts suffer. The New York Times 12/12/2010. Network. March 21, 2012. "Pheasants forever." Pheasants forever acquiring land. Pheasants Forever and Web. March 21, 2012. "Ducks Unlimited." Unlimited ducks and hunting. Pheasants forever and Web. 21 March 2012. The hunter and conservation. National Foundation for the Sport of Shooting, nd Web. 21 March 2012. .