Hunting: your opinion.

good god. the op CLEARLY knows nothing about living with nature and what human being are. we hunt for meat. i prefer it over store bought. and yes, we take our daughters. what a bigot the op is. you see REAL life and death. yeah, it sorta makes you the sort of person who doesn't cry like a baby when you run over a rabbit or see a dead squirrel. but you KNOW what death is. you know what your responsibility is.

 

That is a tough call. People mature differently so it would be difficult to have a set age across the board.

About to go off on a bit of a side road here to justify my comment-

Perhaps I was harsh since so many took offense, but it was not posted w/out thought. Generally, communities with a strong hunting influence are a bit more old fashioned and conservative. There are a lot of areas who still hold true to more traditional mentalities such as it is a woman's job to care for children. Of course the father will be involved w/ the kids, but a lot of times there are certain boundaries that he will not cross. It is not fitting, and in the small town communities everyone knows more than they should about everyone else... There are certain expectations of both a man and woman in that society. An example is if the woman is the bread winner and the man is a stay at home father, that would be far less acceptable in said community. I'm not saying this applies to all hunters, but it is not uncommon.
Now, when it comes to something like hunting, driving, sports, or working; it is perfectly acceptable for a father to be closely involved (again, in said old fashioned society). Hence the "only w/ a beer and rifle" gag (ie. things closely associated w/ men). I am not saying this is how it should be, but it is very often the case. These are people who would stay clear from a hippie message board, so this obviously doesn't apply to anyone here.
Is it "stereotypical?" yes.
Is it true? Sadly, more often that not I'm afraid.

Thank you, and yes, thats true.

In most cases the deer populations would explode thanks to their natural predators being killed off. Man killing cougars and wolves is the initial problem.

No, I do not eat meat. I have eaten it in the past though. I'd never buy meat at a store based on principles alone. Like you said, the animals are pretty much tortured beyond any reason. It is outrageous and everyone knows this, yet they continue to support the industry. It's funny, most hunters I know still buy meat at the store. It is very odd, but apparently it is common.

Anyway, getting back on topic; I am against hunting for recreational sport (pretty much all hunting in today's context). When you get right down to it most hunters just don't kill out of necessity these days. Anyone who argues otherwise would be hard pressed to convince me logically, though I am open to read any attempts. Yes, I know most hunters take the animal's carcase with them and consume it later, but you'd be hard pressed to find any hunter who didn't take joy in the activity. He doesn't do it because hes forced (ex, out of necessity), he does it out of choice. The attraction here is the kill.

Being in nature is great, getting away from it all is great, and the social aspects of it too if you're not alone; but all of these feelings can be obtained without the shooting of an an animal.

The thrill of hunting also comes from having the firearm- the ability to take life at your slighted whim. It can give you a sense of power and self-confidence. The fact of knowing that you, yourself, have killed the beast and will reap the rewards from it. You didn't need anyone else, you can provide for yourself, etc....

I know for many it is a sense of triumph over nature, you went to the beast and defeated it, you claimed it as your own. I commonly hear the saying: "there's nothing like eating the meat from an animal that you killed yourself."


These are the reasons people hunt, if anything, being in nature is the bonus, since really, you can be in nature w/out the intent to kill.
I also suspect perhaps deep rooted "warrior" feelings may be stimulated for males in this kind of situation; The hunter provider type as well.


Whew, long post! Feel free to tear it apart, I'll prepare a counter, lather, rinse, repeat. I am enjoying our conversation and no hard feelings fellas continue on.

 

really strange that you have had folks from one end of this country to the other in this thread agreeing that what you say is a "majority" is indeed a very small minority of hunters yet you continue to insist that your assumption is correct..

that being said,its been my experience that people like you cant be swayed so theres really not much else i can say here.. keep spreading your anti hunting propaganda if you wish..
it just makes you look like a uninformed animal rights wacko..

 

yeah it is my choice to eat deers and wild turkey cause I see em everyday and I know what they eat... If I feed a bunch of squirrels and they do eat good.. Then I can live off them too.. there are many and not to worry about it... I had to take bunnies last week to many bunnies in the fields behind home... and ate up all my letuce and cucumbers.. I ate a few bunnies to make up the difference.. And Im thankful to the woods and the spirits and winds, elements to that helped provide all the critters I can live off..
And thats how we do it in the country.... and we eat fish and crawdddddaddys too... and ducks and what not.. mm and frogs.
which reminds me I could go for a good frog hunt..

 

n we r gonna have to slaughter a couple deer this fall in order to make up for the difference in what the cloven hooved bastards stole out of my food plot instead of eating from there own plot.... For some of us hunting and eating game is still a necessity because we dont buy into the supermarket BS we actually live what we type instead of living in some sort of fucked up fantasy land that the OP seems to think we all do....

 

ribbit...

 

Your logic is flawed. You assume that since 4-5 people on a hippie internet forum agree on something, that a majority of the rest of the word follow suites. We are a niche group of hippies on the internet, I'd say with most issues we are in the minority - You are delusional if you think otherwise. I see a lot of replies talking about the wood spirits and elements and winds guiding them, that alone cuts down any argument that their mentality is shared by the majority of hunters.

The majority I am referring to isn't the type to post on an internet message board, let alone a hippie forum. You continue to base your opinion on little more than anecdotal evidence. You make an assumption based solely on the select few you encounter. Do you not see the flaw in this?

I've met a man who bragged about how he's skinned a raccoon alive while out hunting. He is a maniac. I've also met a hunter who was very civil and humane and never actually killed, he hunted only once in a blue moon to appease his father. Now imagine if I threw all hunters in one lump based on either of these men. Anecdotal evidence is never a good way to base your opinion if you want any sort of accuracy. Just because you and the people you associate yourself with feel a certain way, doesn't automatically mean others share your beliefs. Only in a fantasy world do the majority share your belief in forest spirits and the like. Even you lot would be hard pressed to find a hunter who doesn't go to the grocery store on occasion. Hunting out of necessity is a true rarity and based on some posts here, I'm beginning to wonder if folks, even here, in fact hunt out of necessity, rather than choice.

The majority of hunters fall into the category of which I described in my previous post. If you can look beyond the select few radicals who live by these "wood spirits" and "wind elements" you'd realize that your group is greatly in the minority. Most people hunt for recreation; It is a fun time, people do it because they enjoy the hunt, the social aspects of it, and for the the rewards after. You are delusional if you try to argue otherwise.

I rest my case.

 

dilligaf is my old lady,, im the one thats going to "slaughter" the deer..

after all are not all animals that are eaten "slaughtered"?,its just a fucking word.

you keep saying mine is anecdotal evidence.. if the 6 people here saying the same thing ,as well as i being over double your age which if nothing else all but guarantees ive met FAR more hunters than you is anecdotal,,then your opinions must be based on nothing more than speculation,it surely is not based anymore on fact than mine and the others who responded here are..

you certainly must have a narrow mind and a large ego to somehow think that your is fact and the rest who have responded are "delusional"

like i said its not worth my time going any farther here. you are convinced of something that it would seem everyone else here believes to be false so theres really no point in trying to convince you otherwise..

 

Desperation much? Playing the age card should always be a last resort. Posting it did not help your argument any, especially considering the follow up with age granting you more anecdotal evidence.

But please read my post about the demographics of hunters. You disagree? Since you seem to assume that the majority of posts here = the majority of the hunter's community, take a second read through the thread. Aside from a few differences (this being a hippie board - its expected) they all fall right into that category.

"And thats how we do it in the country."

"My tribe lives in the woods"

"i happen to live in an area where hunting is quite commonplace and popular."

"I'm thinking that the OP lives in an urban/suburban type area. I've always lived in rural areas and hunting, fishing and farming is how a lot of people put all their food on the table"


These quotes were all taken directly from this thread. Since you seem to think the opinions of those here equates to the hunting community as a whole, then this would prove my point by your standards, no?

All of them from smaller, more secluded, and less populated areas... A "small town" if you will. Small town communities are generally more old fashioned and more conservative with certain standards (hence why hunting is still commonplace). You simply cannot deny this. As always, there are a few exceptions, but for the most part this is common knowledge.

I'd say its more than just speculation, its common sense knowledge. In today's society people do not hunt because they are forced to, they hunt because they want to. I know I've said this over and over again, but you insist on opposing it. For hunters, hunting is fun. It is recreation, it is an escape, it is something they enjoy. They are not doing it out of necessity, not the majority. Today, hunting is by and large regarded as being recreational - a sport, a fun time, an outing.

There is some truth in this. To the deer it makes no difference. They don't care whether you take the meat or leave its body to rot, they are already dead. It always makes me laugh when I hear someone say that they show respect and honor for the beast before they kill it, as if that justifies anything to the deer. Your "honor" and "respect" for it as an individual mean nothing to the dead animal - You've claimed its life, you've killed it. End of story.


Well, it was fun while it lasted, thanks for putting up for me for so long HHH, good luck to you.

 

actually Ive been behind drivers that have hit deers and Ive taken them...So I didnt kill it.. Ive seen a 8 point deer die from heart attacks Id assume from being pushed by other hunters and never fired a shot and the deer isnt hit, Ive seen deers pushed over hillsides and never fired a shot.. I didnt kill those.. They just died..
And I should say I have intentionally swerved to hit em on the road to eat em though...

I dont care how much money I make working and I can eat from wal mart...And mcdonalds.. Id rather not..
State games lands #95 Pennsylvaina is my back yard...
I didnt always live here I grew up in the city and I used to fish and hunt when I was a kid and no my family isnt a hunting family but my friends were.. And I got this house from my friends family.. cause my friend left for St Louis to do meth.. true story...

 

I sort of agree with Super Smash Bros that most hunting is recreational in nature. It's a tough claim to say that hunting is economical, because you end up buying guns, ammunition, clothing, and then supplementing it with other gear. And on top of that you're spending time and energy in the hunt, time that, had you been working, probably would have gotten you enough money to buy lots more meat. So it really isn't that efficient if you look at it that way.


That being said, I really don't have any problem with hunters even though I don't eat meat. Wild deer are far better off than their domestic counterparts, and it isn't laden with antibiotics and growth hormones. And it seems a lot more humane than having someone else do the killing and never actually seeing where the meat comes from.
I respect someone who does it themselves. And I'm sure there's a certain satisfaction in you putting food on your table. Similar to the satisfaction of growing your own crops and I don't see anything wrong with that.

 

once a gun is bought its owned.... Like forever.. how much you think a 30-30 cost? $250.00
a box of ammo for said gun is $24.00... so many 500 square inches of daylight fluorescent orange cost nothing at all but a Road worker vest $2.30.. Blue jeans, and tennis shoes... A day hunting and killing for survival .........

PRICELESS.......

 

You make a good point about the two different types of hunters and the processing of meat. But I still have mixed feelings on the subject as there are
people who glorify hunting that don't really need the meat and kill for the sake of killing as they live in the city, yet there are those who hunt out of survival who kill out of necessity. There seems to be shades of grey in this dicussion as killing a living being is considered murder, yet killing an animal to stay alive is more morally acceptable. It confuses me. Yet if I had to hunt I would do so to survive and forgo my Buddhist precepts.

 

We're all part of nature, plants, animals, humans. We all have to eat something, whether we buy it at a grocery store, or dig it up, or kill it.

 

i cannot believe anyone who condones hunting, or anthing of the sort!! It infuriates me!

 

If people didnt hunt, the skills that are required to be effective at it would end up lost...Then what are you going to do if for some reason say food wasnt available at a supermarket anymore?

Hunters are the reason the deer heards are so much bigger now than theyve been in a long time. They plant food plots that allow the deer to live through the winter in larger numbers than nature could normally, mostly because we've destroyed so much habitat....

 

It's a difficult call. The most moral position would be strictly vegetarian, but I haven't chosen to do that yet. So I either eat animals killed in a slaughterhouse, or animals killed by a hunter, or I steal eggs from lots of poor chickens confined to cramped, dirty quarters in rural egg factories. My personal choice is to eat animals killed in a slaughterhouse, and I'm pretty aware of the terror these animals feel as they are forced up a ramp to the kill floor.

In a way, the hunted deer or elk goes through less trauma, because it doesn't suffer the horror that a cow undergoes from the moment it's loaded into a cattle liner. Then again, many deer and elk and other species are not killed, but wounded, and die a slow death from infection after they escape the hunter. In contrast, the vast majority of slaughtered cows/pigs/chickens die quickly.

So I have to say my personal preference is to eat slaughtered meat, but I'm not going to get up on a soapbox and denounce the hunter who kills out of grim economic necessity and doesn't allow the wounded to escape and suffer, and who consumes all edible portions (probably 15% by weight). Trophy hunters are beneath comment.

***

One more thing. Recently I saw a videotaped kill of a turkey on a U.S. (where else?) TV station dedicated to hunters. The young lady was using a well-engineered compound bow probably worth $1000 or more. She and her partners were all decked out in expensive camouflage clothing and the video camera was probably worth another $1000, not to mention the 4 wheel drive vehicle just off camera.

The video camera zoom lens caught the impact of the arrow into the turkey. If the turkey made an audible scream, the camera mike didn't pick it up. Then the camera switched to the young lady with the new clothes and the compound bow, with a huge smile on her face as her victim died in agony...

Survival hunting? That didn't appear to be the case here. So, just why was she wearing this huge smile? Hunters, please explain.

 

actually, hunting can be economical. hunters are and have been for quite some time big financial supporters of state conservation efforts.

 

I cant, Thats crazy, My cousin is a gooffy ass too. He buys all this unnecessary gear. And isnt even in the woods for a few hours at a time. Invests lots of money in weapons and junk.
None of this shit is needed.. Ive got cammo at yard sales, thrift stores, rigged all my stands, with scrap aluminum, and used lumber. boots are about the only thing thats ever on me thats new and they are not new for long.
Ive have a Jennings 80lb Compound I paid for it with a few gls of Diesel fuel 20 years ago.... I have game cams that were cheap at wal mart.
Feeds and Clover feilds ive planted for deers cost me more than anything in all. So they (deers) are happy till I put a beam on them.. LOL..
If I want to take a deer in a few hours all I need to do it hang a lure with maple syrup and cherrieos and they stick their necks up and BOOM..
The tv shows on hunting Piss me off.. All this bs they dont hunt hard or fall down hills, run a 1/4 mile chasing a hit, them game areas are controlled more then the average woods, and it glamorizes hunting and dont really show the dangers..
in spite of the conservation efforts they make hunting look like Nascar.

 

Dude, you admit to baiting game species (illegal in most states)and then dis peeps who don't hunt hard?