Hunting License

In Short

James V. McConnell’s 1955 science fiction short story presents a dystopian future where human beings are legally hunted for sport within a heavily fortified Game Preserve. Two wealthy, middle-aged suburbanites, William Karsten III and Thomas Thurman, hire a professional guide to help them track down sentenced criminals stripped naked and painted with color-coded warning stripes. Dressed in state-of-the-art heated hunting jackets and equipped with supersonic whistles, the men navigate corporate boredom, polite etiquette, and bureaucratized murder, capturing a chilling snapshot of casual societal cruelty masked by leisure and privilege.

The Story

The narrative opens in a serene, sunlit forest clearing early in the morning. Helicopters buzz overhead while two wealthy friends, William Karsten III and Thomas Thurman, enjoy coffee by a campfire. They are waiting for their hired guide, Emmett Packer, to coordinate with the Preserve's Warden. Karsten wears a high-tech, temperature-controlled bright red hunting jacket, while Thurman relaxes nearby. The surroundings are peaceful, but a tall metal fence encloses the clearing, isolating the Game Preserve from the outside world.

When Emmett returns, he assures the men that horses are ready and that he has secured their permits. Soon after, the Warden arrives in a sky-blue helicopter. The group discusses the current season's prospects with polite casualness. The Warden notes with mild professional regret that criminal numbers are declining due to societal progress, which unfortunately lowers the yield for hunters. He issues the hunters supersonic whistles and earplug receivers designed to establish claims on spotted quarry without alerting the hunted. He also mentions that the paint used to stripe the convicts' bodies—black for general crimes, red-and-black for crimes of passion, and solid red for subversives—has been made indelible to prevent unsportsmanlike tampering with trophies.

At ten o'clock, the hunting season officially begins. Karsten, Thurman, and Emmett ride out into the terrain. Emmett insists on leading them toward a narrow pass where he previously helped a client harvest a massive criminal. Though the hunters debate alternative locations suggested by magazines or fellow hobbyists, they defer to Emmett’s professional guarantee.

Upon reaching the pass, Emmett scouts ahead and locates a human target hiding in a thicket. Karsten and Thurman set off on foot, using their supersonic whistles to claim the find. The quarry, a naked man painted with red subversive stripes, hears their approach and flees into the dense woods. A long, methodical pursuit ensues. Despite the physical exertion, the hunters track the fugitive through thickets, across streams, and over grassy knolls. They outmaneuver another hunting party by signaling their prior claim through their earpieces.

The chase ends in a dead-end box canyon. Trapped against a fifty-foot cliff wall, the fugitive, an elderly man with gray hair, desperately hurls a stone that falls far short of its target. Karsten wins a coin toss for the shot, but as he aims through his telescopic sight, he recognizes the man as one of his former college professors. Repulsed by the breach of decorum involved in killing an acquaintance, Karsten steps aside and offers the shot to Thurman. Thurman aims carefully for the body to preserve the head as a trophy, fires, and kills the man instantly. The hunters fire a signal flare for Emmett to handle the carcass, then casually discuss where to eat lunch as dark rain clouds gather overhead.

How It Unfolds

The morning camp Karsten and Thurman sip coffee in a forest clearing bounded by a massive steel fence, impatiently awaiting their guide and the official start of the hunting season.

The Warden’s briefing The Game Warden lands his helicopter to check paperwork, hand out supersonic claim whistles, and explain the indelible, color-coded paint stripes applied to the naked convicts.

Entering the preserve The hunters ride out on horseback at ten o'clock, arguing over hunting strategy before trusting Emmett’s recommendation to head toward a high-yield mountain pass.

Flushing the quarry Emmett spots a human hiding in the brush, prompting Karsten and Thurman to signal their claim with supersonic whistles and give chase as the target runs.

The forest pursuit The hunters track the running man through thick woods and streams, noting his red subversive stripes while relying on his exhaustion and lack of food to close the gap.

Trapped in the canyon The fleeing man becomes trapped in a sheer-walled box canyon, where his desperate attempt to defend himself by throwing a rock fails completely.

A matter of etiquette After winning a coin flip to take the shot, Karsten recognizes the gray-haired target as his former anthropology professor and yields the kill to Thurman out of polite distaste for shooting an acquaintance.

The clean harvest Thurman shoots the man through the torso to keep the head intact as a trophy, after which the duo fires a flare to summon their guide for cleanup and head off to eat.

The People

• William Karsten III: A middle-aged, wealthy sportsman whose face is marked by deep lines. Driven by a desire for domestic display and status, he hopes to harvest a red-headed quarry to balance the taxidermy head collection above his fireplace. Though eager for the hunt, his adherence to social etiquette prevents him from shooting a target he realizes was once his college professor.
• Thomas Thurman: Karsten’s heavy-set, athletic hunting companion who approaches human hunting with easygoing camaraderie. He seeks the outdoorsy thrill of the sport, remaining preoccupied with minor logistical details like avoiding bloodstains on his car's paint during transport. He calmly takes the final shot when Karsten steps aside.
• Emmett Packer: A veteran, registered hunting guide wearing a bright yellow jacket. Mindful of his professional reputation and business guarantees, he takes pride in leading clients to large trophies and controlling the logistics of the trip.
• The Warden: A jovial, rotund official in a sky-blue uniform who enforces preserve regulations with cheerful bureaucracy. He views the decline of criminal populations through a dual lens of societal progress and sport management.
• The Quarry ("Old Mac"): An elderly, gray-haired former college anthropology professor branded with red subversive stripes. Stripped naked, starved, and hunted through the brush, his final act of resistance is throwing a rock at his armed pursuers before being shot.

In Its Own Voice

"After all, it isn't every day in the year that you come hunting humans, you know."

Thurman casually reminds Karsten to set aside his office worries and enjoy the recreational nature of their trip while waiting for the Warden.

"A few years ago there were so many of them... But, then, there's still enough to go around, and that's the important thing."

The Warden reflects on how social progress has inconveniently reduced the supply of convicts available for the annual hunt.

"I don't remember him too well, but I think he taught me anthropology."

Karsten explains to Thurman why he passed on taking the shot, treating the execution of his former teacher as a mild breach of personal taste.

What It's Really About

McConnell’s story targets the terrifying ease with which human cruelty becomes institutionalized, commodified, and normalized under the guise of civilized leisure. By framing state-sanctioned execution as an outdoorsman's sport complete with hunting licenses, guides, and trophy displays, the narrative exposes how bureaucracy and consumerism deaden moral empathy. The characters are not sadistic monsters; they are ordinary middle-class suburbanites who care deeply about car finishes, weather-controlled jackets, and house decor. The story argues that when a society categorizes human beings by legal status—literally color-coding them with paint—it strips away basic humanity, allowing extreme violence to be conducted with polite manners, administrative order, and complete moral indifference.

Why Read It Today

Hunting License remains a sharp, disturbingly quiet piece of mid-century science fiction. Readers who appreciate satire that avoids grandstanding in favor of deadpan realism will find it particularly compelling. McConnell writes with a flat, everyday clarity that makes the horror of the situation creep up through mundane conversation rather than overt violence.

The story presents little difficulty in terms of language; its prose is accessible, direct, and unencumbered by dense archaic dialect or lengthy descriptions. Its impact comes from contrast: the idyllic warmth of a sunny spring morning set against the systematic slaughter of a human being. The casual discussion of mounting human heads alongside domestic interior design choices creates an uncomfortable resonance that lingers long after reading. It serves as a memorable reflection on how easily barbarism can adopt the manners of polite society.