I've heard a lot of people before say that there really isn't one, while people who like to hunt say that they're simply "keeping the balance" and taking care of "nature's excess."

I don't really buy it. I think it's a ****ty way for people to exert power over something else. One thing I know for certain is that the last thing people are thinking of when they shoot their rifle is "I care about the environment."

What's your opinion?

 

What would one hunt in the wilderness of LA? The elusive Tofualope?

 

Well *most* hunters are NOT really hunting for a sense of power over other creatures. I for one hunt for the meat(deer) and It is also for sport. I agree with you that hunting just to kill stuff and wasting the spoils is wrong IMO, *unless* for instance there is an animal that is not native to that habitat and is a nuisance and creating imbalance in other species populations.

 

Actually I used to care about that yummy fresh liver. The only way I'll eat it. Then there's jerky, steaks, roasts, and Elk burger rules, mmmmmm.

Not that you can't buy the equivilant beef product in the store, but there's no comparison in taste.
Hopefully my dad gets one this year. They always bring me jerky when they come down if he does.

 

I hunt for the meat. I killed 2 deer last year (where I live in Kentucky, deer aren't that big) and my two daughters and I have just about eaten them up. I have not bought any beef at all. I hunt squirrel and rabbit also (yes I eat them too). I will also tell you that I have been known to shoot raccoons that come into my garage and try to get into the trash - no I do not eat them, I bury them - I havn't seen any around for a year so it must have worked. I don't kill just to kill, but I eat what I kill. I know there are very few hunters out there who are not ethical at all and kill just to kill, but you have people like that in every group. You just need to excercise a little maturity in your life and not think idiots like that are the way all hunters are.

As far as what you are looking for in an answer I have a question for you...are you some environmental *** who is trying to make friends here? Because you will not last long if you are.

I wish more people hunted deer where I live because that may help "keep the balance". Deer are killed on the highways all the time out here and it is just a waste of deer meat. More people should eat it because it is healthy and there is barely any fat (IMHO).

So my opinion is for you to go back to where all your tree hugging friends are - where you are probably loved by them - and continue to try to find a life for yourself and stop worrying about what people have been doing since the beginning of time.

This is not the kind of thread you start when you only have 25 (or so) posts to your name. It would have been better if you had referenced a news story about some hunter abusing the system and then given your opinion. Just go away!

runnert

 

I hunt deer for many reasons, and not one of them has anything to do with exerting "power" over another living thing.

First, I don't really care if I ever get a deer or not. Getting a deer is part of the experience, but it doesn't define the entire experience. When I hunt, I spend many days before hand scouting in the woods, and then spend MANY hours sitting still and watching and listening to the things going on around me in the woods. I've had birds come land on my shoulder not realizing I'm a living thing. I watch rabbits, squirrels, mice, eagles, osprey, ravens, chickadees, canadian jays, fox, fishers, bears, etc... all amble by where I sit. I watch packs of wolves pass by my stand every couple of years. Lots of things to look at and see in the woods that most people never pay any attention to. Who else just goes and sits in the woods all day.

All that time is good just to get away from reality and the rat race.

In my family, I am in the third generation of hunters that goes in the woods together. My grandfather, my father, and me. We spend lots of quality family time together, enjoying each others experiences and stories and working together to drag deer and hang them for curing, etc...

I enjoy the food the deer puts on my families table. No growth hormones, no factory farm, etc... high in protien, low in fat. My kids learn early on about where our food comes from. While Bambi is a nice story, they also learn to understand about the way mother nature sets up a food chain to provide for all of us. lets just say if you ask them where hamburger comes from, you won't get a blank look and some mumbling about the gocery store.

We've also screwed up the balance by not allowing natural predators to reclaim native habitat and by disturbing the woods with other activities. Thats good and bad. It means we unnaturally promote populations of deer that are not sustainable. Some predation of the herd is required to keep the herd healthy. If we won't let mother nature do it by natural predation and long term habitat change that favors other animals, we have a resposibility to do that ourselves.

My least favorite part is actually watching the animal go down. I always strive and pray that I make a good shot and make the end as quick and painless as is possible. So far, I have done my best, and thats what I expect of everyone i hunt with.

Thats my story. Agree or disagree, thats a bit of why I hunt.

 

Jumping to conclusions, aren't we?

I haven't actually gone hunting myself, and I might not ever, but if I did, it would be for the food, not for the sake of hunting. I think that trophy hunters are stupid, and it's a waste of money. No offense to the people who do that, but great offense to what they do.

 

[IMG]Jumping to conclusions, aren't we? [/IMG]

yadda yadda yadda :o

runnert

 

That makes alot more sense. You should try getting away from LA for a while, the fumes can warp you mind. You should give hunting a shot.

 

Well, you are from Kentucky so that explains a lot BTW, learn HTML code

 

yeah I missed the coding - got in a hurry here.


And shows what you know about where I am from, only been here 4 years. Can't you think of a better flame tree hugger???

runnert

 

Kind of hard not to.

You popped up with a comment from the moral high ground directed at a demographic that will largely disagree with you. Without knowing more about you the conclusions one would draw are:

1) You are a member of the the debate team and have been given the topic of "Hunting", and are therefore in search of viewpoints both Pro and Con.

2) You are naive and felt that this fourm was the place to recieve appropriate information on the subject, seeing that this site is devoted to philosophical discussions regarding environmental issues.

3) You are the aforementioned "environmental ***" looking for a fight.

4) You are a card-carrying member of the NRA on the lookout for members of PETA that have infiltrated this site, and are attempting to root out the heathens.

5) You are a drunk goat herder who can't remember his username and password, so you've logged on as someone else and are making a joke to pass the time during the hurricane.

If none of these apply I would be fascinated to hear the real motivation for your post.

 

I am not following your logic and I have never been hunting. Are you saying animals have a right not to have power exerted on them? A pet owner "exerts power over something else everyday". Leash laws are used to exert power over animals. Zoo's, circus, etc.

I just read an article stating that GA was raising the quota to 12 (from 8) this deer hunting season. They stated a few interesting facts why hunting will not be going away anytime soon. It generates revenue for governments from hunting license fees. It is cheaper to allow people to hunt animals than to trap and release. (Deer do not survive being trapped and released well). The article also stated something about how much it cost to bring professional hunters in to hunt the "problem areas".

How do feel about Fishing? Do you feel there is a difference? if so, why???

 

#4

That was difficult coming from a truck site and living in KY. You started with the judging by starting your post with assuming "all" hunters just do it to exert power over animals:

This tells me that you are talking about all hunters. So if you did not mean all hunters, then looks like you did not "completely" mean what you just said here. And then the little environment plug you added in tells me exactly who you have been hanging out with in LA. Savy?

runnert

 

Just my opinion and I'm not some tree hunging animal activist or anything. Just a city boy.

But I think if hunting is considered a sport then it's a pretty cowardly sport, and anyone who does hunt for the "sport" of it is a complete coward. But if you're doing it to survive and to eat while not letting any of it go to waste (the Indian way) then that's nature.