Hunting

[ConnorGiles]

Saw a article in the news about Ricky Gervais publicly humiliating a hunter. (For sport and pleasure, not for eating.)

Just would like to know where you guys stand on hunting?

I would very much like to hear from the guys over on the Gun control thread.

My Opinion on Hunting (For Sport):

An Absolutely disgusting thing to do. I mean why on earth would you set out to kill a giraffe or a wildebeest for sport? Just why? I would understand tribes killing animals and hunting for food and nutritional needs. But killing for sport just isn't right in my books.

I cannot bear to imagine how many animals have become seriously endangered due to hunters. There is (apparently) only 1 male white rhino left in the world. I would put this down to hunters.

I would really like to hear a hunter justify why hunting for sport is okay?

And I hope all you hunters run into this woman out there!

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/p...eteran-hunts-poachers-in-africa-10182325.html

 

[Frothingslosh]

Hunting to survive, I have absolutely no issue with.

Hunting for sport, if you're going to eat/use the carcass, I have very little issue with, depending on what you're hunting. (While I don't hunt, in Michigan, it's the state sport. It's the reason American automakers do their facility upgrades in November. Folks end up eat a LOT of venison here come December.)

Hunting just to kill big game? To me, that's right up there with adults fighting MMA matches against first-graders, and in the vast majority of cases, just about as dangerous.

"Hey, look at this lion I killed. Man, big game hunting is tough!"
"Tough? So you killed it with your bare hands, then?"
"Um, nope."
"So a knife. Puts you on more even terms."
"Nope again."
"A spear? You'd have a huge advantage, but it'd still be tough."
"No, you idiot, I ambushed it and shot it from a hundred yards away. It never knew what hit it."
"Very brave of you. At least you had some tasty lion steaks, right?"
"Nope, cut the head off for my trophy, left the rest for the buzzards."

 

[ConnorGiles]

Hunting to survive, I have absolutely no issue with.

I agree.

Hunting for sport, if you're going to eat/use the carcass, I have very little issue with, depending on what you're hunting. (While I don't hunt, in Michigan, it's the state sport. It's the reason American automakers do their facility upgrades in November. Folks end up eat a LOT of venison here come December.)

Depending on what terms you mean by "Use the Carcass" - I don't mind hunting for food. That's the way of life. But say you kill a crocodile to use its hide for boots or a bag. Just plain wrong. I have no quarrels with killing an animal for food and then selling the left overs (Hide, Teeth, Tails etc...) to companies for money. That would be using the whole animal rather than as you say "Leave the rest for the buzzards".

Hunting just to kill big game? To me, that's right up there with adults fighting MMA matches against first-graders, and in the vast majority of cases, just about as dangerous.

"Hey, look at this lion I killed. Man, big game hunting is tough!"
"Tough? So you killed it with your bare hands, then?"
"Um, nope."
"So a knife. Puts you on more even terms."
"Nope again."
"A spear? You'd have a hunge advantage, but it'd still be tough."
"No, you idiot, I ambushed it and shot it from a hundred yards away. It never knew what hit it."
"Very brave of you. At least you had some tasty lion steaks, right?"
"Nope, cut the head off for my trophy, left the rest for the buzzards."

Just as Ricky Gervais said when the woman hunter killed a giraffe. "Well done. You managed to shoot a stationery, 14 foot peaceful creature with a high velocity rifle. Very sporting."

What do they have to gain from this? They kill beautiful creatures just to have their head mounted above their fireplace.

Can't explain how much it angers me. (Must've been how my parents raised me to be an animal person.)

 

[Brianwarnock]

Trophy hunting which you appear to be talking about is sick, the hunters are perverts and nothing will change them.

The topic of hunting in general was covered many years ago but the thread appears to be lost, maybe during the hack.
It is a fairly complex issue and not a simple case of right or wrong although many see it as any hunting is ok or all hunting is wrong.

Brian

 

[Rabbie]

In my opinion killing an animal to eat it is OK provided it is done humanely. I also have no problem with people killing animals to control the numbers when there are no natural predators. I have seen the problems caused by the unrestricted growth in the number of badgers in SW England where many small mammals have been reduced to near extinction because the top predator has been allowed to dominate. I want to see a countryside with badgers, hedgehogs and other small mammals not just badgers.

 

[Vassago]

In my opinion killing an animal to eat it is OK provided it is done humanely. I also have no problem with people killing animals to control the numbers when there are no natural predators. I have seen the problems caused by the unrestricted growth in the number of badgers in SW England where many small mammals have been reduced to near extinction because the top predator has been allowed to dominate. I want to see a countryside with badgers, hedgehogs and other small mammals not just badgers.

Agreed. We have many areas in the US where bobcats and coyotes have become a burden on the ecosystem balance and are impacting not just their natural food population, but attacking farms as they continue to deplete their own resources at alarming rates while reproducing faster than their prey. I think it's ok to hunt for the sake of saving your food as well.

The "woman" in question in the original post is disgusting. I've seen her many many "hunt" pictures. She tried to defend killing the giraffe by stating that the villagers asked her to because it was older and was falling behind the rest of the herd.

That's not even hunting to me! Let's hunt sick, old, or otherwise detained or weakened animals and call it sport! That's disgusting.

You can also bring in the founder of Jimmy John's sandwiches on this. He's pretty disgusting as well. Stories of him paying illegal "hunt" safaris where the animals are slightly tranquilized to make the "sport" easier are sick. I'll never be hungry enough to support that franchise.

 

[Frothingslosh]

To be fair, Jimmy John's sandwiches are also terrible, so there's another reason not to support them.

Here in Michigan, we've pretty much eliminated the animals that normally prey on deer (especially wolves), so the deer hunting doubles as population control, with the number of tickets granted being determined by the estimated deer population each year. Also, only adult male deer are legal targets. That, plus the fact that most deer hunters bring the entire animal home to dress and eat, so I don't have too much issue with that.

Now Ted Nugent, on the other hand, he's just a dick.

 

[Bladerunner]

I pretty much agree with most of you concerning hunting for trophies. Keep in mind that hunting is a sport. In TN the TWRA (TN Wild Resources Agency) keep a tight control on hunting, hunters and TN game.

I live in an area where I could hunt day and night, however, I have always hunted within the limits of the laws set forth. If I did not, how could I teach my children to obey any laws if I did not obey them myself?

p.s. I grew up with the same philosophy from my parents and grandparents I have today. If the animal poses no danger to you, your family or domestic animals then leave it alone otherwise if you don't eat it, don't kill it.

Blade

 

[Brianwarnock]

Here in Michigan, we've pretty much eliminated the animals that normally prey on deer (especially wolves), so the deer hunting doubles as population control, with the number of tickets granted being determined by the estimated deer population each year. Also, only adult male deer are legal targets. That, plus the fact that most deer hunters bring the entire animal home to dress and eat, so I don't have too much issue with that.

There is talk of reintroducing the Lynx into the wild in the UK to control the deer population which is out of control and destroying woodland. I wonder why they are not just culled and the meat sold, I love venison and one of my favourite restaurants sells it from the culling at a nearby estate.

Brian

 

[Brianwarnock]

In my opinion killing an animal to eat it is OK provided it is done humanely. I also have no problem with people killing animals to control the numbers when there are no natural predators. I have seen the problems caused by the unrestricted growth in the number of badgers in SW England where many small mammals have been reduced to near extinction because the top predator has been allowed to dominate. I want to see a countryside with badgers, hedgehogs and other small mammals not just badgers.

There are also problems with foxes since the hunting ban.

Brian

 

[Bladerunner]

There is talk of reintroducing the Lynx into the wild in the UK to control the deer population which is out of control and destroying woodland. I wonder why they are not just culled and the meat sold, I love venison and one of my favourite restaurants sells it from the culling at a nearby estate.

Brian

We here in TN have a 'road kill' law. everybody laughs at it but it is a way to preserve the meat from a deer that has been hit by a car.. Of course there are limits but mostly around here the picture is : a car hits a deer along a country road. In order for the insurance to pay (collision) the Law has to be call and a official report made. This happens within an hour. The accident is called into the TWRA (Tennessee Wildlife Agency)and they make arrangements for pickup to a children's homes, wayward kids homes, and other needy people (usually public) to receive the meat from this deer. They provide butchering is absolutely needed.

This is good since the deer that accidentally lost its life can give it body to a needy person(s).

Before you say it,,,,,,If the deer was hit by a semi on a 4-lane, there is usually nothing left of the deer to eat. However, on these curvy back roads 35 miles an hour is about limit and the action of braking usually brings down the speed upon hitting the deer somewhere between 15-20 MPH. Of course there are times when there is no braking and the damage to both sides is severe. One night a neighbor hit a deer on one of our back roads. The deer actually came through the windshield into his wife's lap. No she was not hurt badly but it still left scares in nothing else but mentally.

How hard are they to miss. On night, I was driving home (north bound) and in the distance I saw out of the corner of my eye a deer running across the south bound side. I immediately hit the brakes to slow down in order to let him pass across in front of me.I did not slow down enough for his back left foot hit my bumper spilling him over into the ditch. We were both lucky that night as there was no damage to my bumper (steel) and him got up and ran off apparently unharmed. I tell you this to show just exactly how easy it is to hit one.

Blade

 

[Dick7Access]

In my opinion killing an animal to eat it is OK provided it is done humanely. I also have no problem with people killing animals to control the numbers when there are no natural predators. I have seen the problems caused by the unrestricted growth in the number of badgers in SW England where many small mammals have been reduced to near extinction because the top predator has been allowed to dominate. I want to see a countryside with badgers, hedgehogs and other small mammals not just badgers.

Hey, do they have prairie dogs in the UK, and Aussie, and are they called by the same name. I have only seen them one in the wild when I was out in Doge City, KS.
I don't hunt anymore, but have no problem with others that do, I am glad you all said ok if you eat them. The people that get me are those than don't want hunters, even those that eat them, then turn around and go to McDonalds.
I had a friend in High School that trapped muskrats to sell the hides for his spending money, What's you all's take on that.