Any Hunters Here?

FredFlintstone

I need someone to explain to me...I am a huge animal rights person.
On cable I watched a program of a man going to Africa to trophy hunt.
Among several other animals, The dude gunned down a gorgeous elephant bull in front of its herd. Then they celebrate/high five etc... then leave.

Are there any trophy hunters on here? I am not looking for a debate on the merits or morality of hunting or anything, I am just honestly trying to figure out what the motivation is. Is it a thrill being in the wild? Can anyone tell me what I am missing...because the image of the elephant being shotgunned to the brain and dropping like a ton of bricks is still bugging me.

What is the fun of hunting?

tybird

I am not a hunter, but I support their rights to their culture....and I am happy that their money is what keeps the U.S. National Wildlife Refuge site funded.

As to hunting the elephant.....there is scientific merit to this.....because the African elephant population is so fragmented across the continent, you will find regions where the critters are too abundant for their own good and the health of the eco-system. They have nowhere to go in some cases...in some cases, individual elephants have been captured and re-located for genetic diversity and habitat growth. Sometimes hunting is the only pressure valve for a regional population. North American zoos are already over-stocked with both sexes of African elephants, so that is not an answer to the problem.

69charger

FredFlintstone wrote:

I need someone to explain to me...I am a huge animal rights person.
On cable I watched a program of a man going to Africa to trophy hunt.
Among several other animals, The dude gunned down a gorgeous elephant bull in front of its herd. Then they celebrate/high five etc... then leave.

Are there any trophy hunters on here? I am not looking for a debate on the merits or morality of hunting or anything, I am just honestly trying to figure out what the motivation is. Is it a thrill being in the wild? Can anyone tell me what I am missing...because the image of the elephant being shotgunned to the brain and dropping like a ton of bricks is still bugging me.

What is the fun of hunting?

I will try and defend this one...

For the most part these hunters are only taking animals that the local authorities deem to be neccessary to cull the heard. Too many animals in too little space is unheathy for the heard as a whole.

I personally would not go on a trophy hunt for an Elephant.

I would, however, love to put a bullet in the brain of that asshole Elephant I met at the Vilas Park Zoo in Madison. Winkie, I will fuck you up some day!