Hunting..

LikeAnOcean

I totally see it as acceptable for survival, or population control..

But as a sport?

People actually get entertained by killing and mounting a creatures head as a trophy?

I was watching a hunting show today and couldn't help but thinking there is some sort of sick gene still stuck in people that gives them pleasure in killing???

I'll admit, as a kid I killed ants with a magnifying glass.. but I was a kid. My brain was still undeveloped. Sure they were only ants, but the sad part was I enjoyed it. I was acting on something unexplainably primitive.. Thats PRIMATIVE, Mr. Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin.

LONGRD

It never bothered that much b/c I have family members who are hunters, but I myself was never interested in that act at all.

Only fired a gun into the air a couple of times out in some local nature trail parks, but that's about it. Like you, the only killings I've done are ants and bugs.

It also makes me wonder how certain animal-related sports/activities are acceptable and others are condemned.

DriftingByTheStorm

LikeAnOcean wrote:

I totally see it as acceptable for survival, or population control..

But as a sport?

People actually get entertained by killing and mounting a creatures head as a trophy?

I was watching a hunting show today and couldn't help but thinking there is some sort of sick gene still stuck in people that gives them pleasure in killing???

I'll admit, as a kid I killed ants with a magnifying glass.. but I was a kid. My brain was still undeveloped. Sure they were only ants, but the sad part was I enjoyed it. I was acting on something unexplainably primitive.. Thats PRIMATIVE, Mr. Dick Cheney and Sarah Palin.

Most people in America hunt deer.
Deer are overpopulated ... because of human impact on the environment ... and man is now correcting the created imbalance by shooting the problem.



Whats the issue, exactly?
That its republicans doing the hunting?

Creatures kill other creatures all the time.
Is it the glaring nature of this particular reminder that man is no longer "in harmony" (was he ever?) with the natural world?

Surely there are other, more depraved (but possibly less subtle) examples of the same phenomenon.

Right?

LONGRD

DriftingByTheStorm wrote:

Most people in America hunt deer.
Deer are overpopulated ... because of human impact on the environment ... and man is now correcting the created imbalance by shooting the problem.



Whats the issue, exactly?
That its republicans doing the hunting?

Creatures kill other creatures all the time.
Is it the glaring nature of this particular reminder that man is no longer "in harmony" (was he ever?) with the natural world?

Surely there are other, more depraved (but possibly less subtle) examples of the same phenomenon.

Right?

He did say he accept it as a population control but his question is why do people get so much joy from it as a sport by killing them and mounting their heads and such as trophies.

LikeAnOcean

DriftingByTheStorm wrote:

Most people in America hunt deer.
Deer are overpopulated ... because of human impact on the environment ... and man is now correcting the created imbalance by shooting the problem.



Whats the issue, exactly?
That its republicans doing the hunting?

Creatures kill other creatures all the time.
Is it the glaring nature of this particular reminder that man is no longer "in harmony" (was he ever?) with the natural world?

Surely there are other, more depraved (but possibly less subtle) examples of the same phenomenon.

Right?

It's about the joy.. why do people get joy and entertainment out of killing?

And there's an imbalance of deer because we killed off all of their natural predators..

Again, I don't have a problem with hunting, but why do people get enjoyment out of it?

jeffbr

I don't hunt and haven't for a couple of decades. But hunters control populations. They keep animals from starving to death. They also, through hunting licenses, do more for conservation than non-hunters.

LikeAnOcean

jeffbr wrote:

I don't hunt and haven't for a couple of decades. But hunters control populations. They keep animals from starving to death. They also, through hunting licenses, do more for conservation than non-hunters.

Did you not read what I just posted???

I asked, why do people enjoy hunting? As in entertainment..

It's one thing if you are getting paid to keep population down because we fucked up in the first place by killing off natural predators, but why the hell do people partake in it as a hobby?

DriftingByTheStorm

LikeAnOcean wrote:

It's about the joy.. why do people get joy and entertainment out of killing?

Why do people die while hanging themselves in the act of masturbation?
Human beings are complex creatures. Hunting is one of the first activities man engaged in with tools. It is deep rooted. Modern man is just acting out on a long seated prey drive.

Why do dogs who get food in their bowl every night still kill helpless little animals? Why do they get "joy" out of it?

LikeAnOcean wrote:

And there's an imbalance of deer because we killed off all of their natural predators..

Agreed. I acknowledged this in my original reply.

LikeAnOcean wrote:

Again, I don't have a problem with hunting, but why do people get enjoyment out of it?

Look up. Re-read.

LikeAnOcean

DriftingByTheStorm wrote:

Why do people die while hanging themselves in the act of masturbation?
Human beings are complex creatures. Hunting is one of the first activities man engaged in with tools. It is deep rooted. Modern man is just acting out on a long seated prey drive.

But is that something to be proud of and then display our "trophies"???

I have a relative who does this, but he's not the creme of the crop.. to me it just seems like something that is sick in nature.

jeffbr

LikeAnOcean wrote:

Did you not read what I just posted???

I asked, why do people enjoy hunting? As in entertainment..

It's one thing if you are getting paid to keep population down because we fucked up in the first place by killing off natural predators, but why the hell do people partake in it as a hobby?

I was typing my response when your post appeared.

Why do people like collecting stamps? Beats the hell out of me.

Most hunters I know like the challenge. Non-hunters stupidly think there is no challenge, and it is like shooting fish in a barrel. But the truth is that most hunters have to hike in, track the animal, etc... When I hunted, most of the time I never even had a buck in my sights. In addition, every single hunter I know goes in hopes of filling up the freezer for the winter. I'm happy to eat their deer sausage, venison steaks, deer jerkey, etc...

LikeAnOcean

jeffbr wrote:

I was typing my response when your post appeared.

Why do people like collecting stamps? Beats the hell out of me.

Most hunters I know like the challenge. Non-hunters stupidly think there is no challenge, and it is like shooting fish in a barrel. But the truth is that most hunters have to hike in, track the animal, etc... When I hunted, most of the time I never even had a buck in my sights. In addition, every single hunter I know goes in hopes of filling up the freezer for the winter. I'm happy to eat their deer sausage, venison steaks, deer jerkey, etc...

I can see where it's challenging, but playing Tetris can be challenging..

I just think there's more modern ways to challenge ourselves.. I guess if you are hunting for population control as a challenge its ok, but it all still seems weird to me.

I guess I enjoy running people over in GTA4 so who am I to say..

I don't see why people should be proud of this..

LONGRD

jeffbr wrote:

I was typing my response when your post appeared.

Why do people like collecting stamps? Beats the hell out of me.

Most hunters I know like the challenge. Non-hunters stupidly think there is no challenge, and it is like shooting fish in a barrel. But the truth is that most hunters have to hike in, track the animal, etc... When I hunted, most of the time I never even had a buck in my sights. In addition, every single hunter I know goes in hopes of filling up the freezer for the winter. I'm happy to eat their deer sausage, venison steaks, deer jerkey, etc...

Fair enough.

I think the closest thing I've done in comparison to hunting is paint-ball. Somewhat of a novice challenge in comparison to hunting, but I do get a rush out of it. I guess the difference between the two activities is the aftermath of its result.

MrBrian

LikeAnOcean wrote:

It's about the joy.. why do people get joy and entertainment out of killing?

And there's an imbalance of deer because we killed off all of their natural predators..

Again, I don't have a problem with hunting, but why do people get enjoyment out of it?

I'll tell you the worst kind of hunting for joy, when the pretty much trap a lion in a small amount of land (fenced up) and hunt them down for the kill.

It's popular in africa, funny, many americans go for it. I mean what better joy than to kill the King of the jungle.

As for myself, I'm all for people hunting just for sport. On one condition, no weapons.

dangerboy

DBTS...

"most people in america hunt deer"? i hope you were kidding. couldn't tell

and dogs get food in their bowls every night but still kill harmless little animals for "joy"? animals don't know that you plan to feed them later. animals have no concept of plans for the future, or where their next meal is coming from. it is instinctive for them to chase and kill prey. i don't believe they do it for the "joy"



re: hunters. most of the hunters i know do eat the deer they kill. the "trophy" part of that is the modern-day version of the sort of chest-pounding, alpha dog kind of boasting that existed as part of human peer relations since the dawn of humans. you know, "look what i did! i killed the biggest deer that will provide the most meat for the group! i am the greatest hunter of all!" kind of thing

and trophy hunting purely for sport? i don't get it either, honestly. i think it is yet another manifestation of dudes with tiny penises trying to overcompensate for their own insecurities

know1

I don't know. I enjoy the outdoors, but I do not hunt and can't watch hunting shows. I don't understand why people like it so much. I think it's sad (although I do realize that it's necessary for some population control).

cincybearcat

LikeAnOcean wrote:

Did you not read what I just posted???

I asked, why do people enjoy hunting? As in entertainment..

It's one thing if you are getting paid to keep population down because we fucked up in the first place by killing off natural predators, but why the hell do people partake in it as a hobby?

I mostly agree with you...but I live around many peole that do hunt.

I think they "enjoy" hunting for many different reasons...part of it just being the adventure...going out with your friends. Others, it's the peace and solitude. To them they are connecting with nature. They view hunting as natural as it can be, so to them it's being a part of the more primitive, natural being and gettign away from the service world of concrete for a period of time. Now, I don;t know any hunters that aren't planning to eat what they kill, so I can;t speak strictly to the "sport hunters".

That being said, I eat meat...but I'm very happy I can get it from the grocery store...I'm a wussy carnivore.

Riverrunner

jeffbr wrote:

Most hunters I know like the challenge. Non-hunters stupidly think there is no challenge, and it is like shooting fish in a barrel. But the truth is that most hunters have to hike in, track the animal, etc... When I hunted, most of the time I never even had a buck in my sights.

A challenge....really? I live in an area where lots and lots of people hunt. Members of my family hunt. Deer hunting consists of walking or riding a 4-wheeler to a tree stand. Placing deer urine around the tree to attract other deer. Then climb into the stand and wait for something to walk by. Sounds real challenging. As to never seeing a deer - around here all you gotta do is drive down the road at dusk. They are everywhere. The reason you didn't see a buck is probably because the snipers sitting in trees had already killed most, if not all, of the big bucks. As you admitted, that is what people want - the big trophy to brag about - not meat in the freezer. Otherwise they would shoot more does and not sit around waiting for the "big buck."

jeffbr

Riverrunner wrote:

A challenge....really? I live in an area where lots and lots of people hunt. Members of my family hunt. Deer hunting consists of walking or riding a 4-wheeler to a tree stand. Placing deer urine around the tree to attract other deer. Then climb into the stand and wait for something to walk by. Sounds real challenging. As to never seeing a deer - around here all you gotta do is drive down the road at dusk. They are everywhere.

Sounds like less of a challenge than around here where you pack into a more remote area, watch trails, look for signs of bedding or droppings, pick your spots and see what happens. Shooting down out of a stand on a baited trail does sound more like shooting fish in a barrel. I've never done it and would have no desire to.

Riverrunner wrote:

The reason you didn't see a buck is probably because the snipers sitting in trees had already killed most, if not all, of the big bucks. As you admitted, that is what people want - the big trophy to brag about - not meat in the freezer. Otherwise they would shoot more does and not sit around waiting for the "big buck."

Different story out here. You need a specific (and limited) tag to shoot a doe. A deer license allows you to shoot a mature buck. I would always see doe, but rarely see buck during hunting season. I'm sure there are trophy hunters that wait for the "right" buck, but around here, you wait for a buck because that's the law.

RolandTD20Kdrummer

If you kill for the joy of killing...no good

Native American style. Pay your respects, and don't waste.

nside20

In general I stay out of most of these hunting threads but I'll reply to this one. Feel free to bash away when I'm done because the subject of hunting, like many issues in this country, tends to evoke strong emotion based response. The problem I have with that is unfortunately, a lot of them aren't education based responses. I would never waste my breath trying to sway someone because everyone is entitled to there opinions, and that's cool with me, but often hunters aren't given the same respect for their opinions and are bashed for something they are lawfully participating in. It's usually "hunters are idiots "or "they are just trying to prove there manhood by killing defenseless animals" , blah blah blah. I have hunted for last 32 years. I am mainly a waterfowl/ upland bird hunter but I have killed 14 deer in my life. I do not advocate "sport" hunting. I also don't agree with a lot of what I see in hunting shows. People whooping and hollering after killing an animal is beyond me. I eat 100% of everything I kill and I don't kill more than what I can store and use in a year. Most of the people I know who hunt donate time and money for conservation causes. I personally donate about 2 grand a year to conservation and wildlife. Most of my money goes to help save our depleting wetlands. I have also built and put up numerous wood duck boxes. I have filled up countless trash bags with crap left around public lakes and wooded areas by those less respectful of OUR public lands. If I didn't hunt I, like a lot of people who don't spend time in the woods or on the water, would probably care less about these things. It's not to say I couldn't care or couldn't do these things, but growing up south of Chicago I doubt I would be aware of a lot of the things I am now.
I would also like to address the subject of people going out and blasting away at everything they see. I had a great day last October I estimate in 6 hours I called in approx. 1000 ducks. 25 here 50 there etc. etc. I shot one and only one duck out of the last bunch. Why? Because it's not about blood lust for me or bragging rights or anything else. I simply was enjoying the migration in my own way. In a world where we are constantly bombarded with economic down turns and the latest celebrity mess I cherish my time alone hunting. Just a couple of more things and I'll wrap this up. I will agree there are plenty of idiot hunters out there who have little respect for the animals or anything else and I can't help that I am associated with them. However, the association to me is similar to those of you who smoke weed and are associated with gang banging crack slingers. Your all drug users right? your all the same, right? Of course not you have got to look at the individual. Again, I'm not trying to sway anyone I'm just pointing out how emotion based generalizations aren't always the best way to look at a group of people.
Lastly, I really wish some of you would stop saying that it's republicans that hunt. You sound foolish. I can only assume your city dwellers and don't spend a lot of time in farm country. Nobody but nobody loves a Gov. handout like a farmer. 98% of the ones I know are Dems and they all hunt. Please take a good look at Obamas state of IL. mainly democrats. Southern Il used to be considered the goose killing meca of the U.S. and the vast majority of the people who live down their are dems. Just something to think about.
Peace

meistereder

I could not hunt. I fish though. Most often, catch and release fly-fishing. I have to admit it is one of my favorite hobbies, but it is about being part of the river and the challenge, and nature. And Again, I generally don't keep what I catch when I do that. I use a tiny barbless hook so it doesn't do any damage to the fish.

Sometimes, I fish for big game fish like tuna, and then I keep it and eat the fish. For me, it's not about killing the fish. I figure fish are generally pretty simple animals, and I eat seafood anyway. So I don't have a moral issue with killing the fish myself and eating the meat. But as I said, usually I catch and release for sport.

That said, I could not kill a deer or bird.

know1

meistereder wrote:

I could not hunt. I fish though. Most often, catch and release fly-fishing. I have to admit it is one of my favorite hobbies, but it is about being part of the river and the challenge, and nature. And Again, I generally don't keep what I catch when I do that. I use a tiny barbless hook so it doesn't do any damage to the fish.

Sometimes, I fish for big game fish like tuna, and then I keep it and eat the fish. For me, it's not about killing the fish. I figure fish are generally pretty simple animals, and I eat seafood anyway. So I don't have a moral issue with killing the fish myself and eating the meat. But as I said, usually I catch and release for sport.

That said, I could not kill a deer or bird.

I like to fish as well. Almost entirely catch and release. I haven't kept a fish in a couple of year, but I have kept them before. I think it's quite different from hunting.

Someone once put it this way - in fishing, at least the fish has a choice.

And if you let them go, there's really not a problem in my opinion.

meistereder

know1 wrote:

I like to fish as well. Almost entirely catch and release. I haven't kept a fish in a couple of year, but I have kept them before. I think it's quite different from hunting.

Someone once put it this way - in fishing, at least the fish has a choice.

And if you let them go, there's really not a problem in my opinion.

I hear you. Although, fly-fishing has started to turn me into more and more catch and release. I went backpacking a couple weeks ago and kept two fish for dinner, and I kind of felt guilty about it because they were such pretty fish.

JaneNY

nside20, I stay out of hunting threads too. I am a vegan, so I choose not to eat anything of animal origin, and obviously I don't hunt, but I found your post to be so respectful of your environment and the world around you. If all hunters were like you I think the world would be a way better place.

eyedclaar

Hunting isn't hard nor is it a sport. I know, I've done my share... a long time ago. Killing animals is a piece of cake and that is why I don't do it. I prefer competition on a level playing field and hunting isn't it.