The American Hunter In Transition

The public's perception of the American hunter has changed. Hunters went from being viewed as brutish men in decline to romantic figures who contributed to a sense of American Identity, and to an understanding of the continent itself. By the time of the Civil War, hunting was a signal of progress, having by this time borrowed the sport hunter ideals of European counterparts, many of them aristocrats, and making hunting attractive to men of power and wealth. Through these recruits, hunting was to navigate the corridors of political influence, finalizing its legitimacy within the cultural fabric of the nation.