What are you're thoughts on recreational hunting?

Here's the thing. In my state of Pennsylvania, every year, schools are closed on the first day of deer season. I cant drive down the road without seeing a bloody carcass laying in the back of someone's pickup truck this time of the year.

Have you ever wondered why we still hunt? Or better yet, why do we do it for fun? Scientifically speaking, we our omnivores and  hunting wild game is not necessary. Especially considering all of the processed foods that we have today. I'm not going to lie..I love venison. lol I just find it completely ridiculous to actually make a sport out of hunting.

There are various reasons most people give for going out hunting this time of the year. Most people say it is to enjoy nature. My thoughts are...cant you enjoy nature without killing it? People often go hunting because of family tradition, or maybe just the thrill of it all. you know, as if being a complex being with a gun is a fair fight.

Also, I find it a little disturbing how desensitized people are to killing living things. We are all living things, what makes a human more sacred? And what is it about the human mind that gets pleasure out of making the kill? Is it an acomplishment? A right of passage? Probably. Personally, I just think that it goes to show us how barbaric we as humans still are. Some of us in particular have a lot more evolving to do.

Here's something else. I find it interesting how our government gets to make a profit off of our licenses to go hunting every year. The department of conservation even says that hunting is necessary to control the population of wild game. What exactly are they afraid of? Natural balance? Why do they feel that we have to play god?

I used to go hunting. I grew up into it. Every male member of my father's side of the family has been hunting ever since they were twelve years old, and until recently, I was no exception. I never really liked it. not because I'm vegan, or obsessed with animal rights or anything, I just never enjoyed getting up early in the morning and freezing my ass off in the woods for hours on end. That's another point. What kind of hunting is it when all you have to do is sit there with a loaded firearm? ah, but I am getting off of the subject again. anyway, the reason I went hunting when I was younger was because of our family tradition, but mostly because my father worked a lot of hours and the only time I got to spend with him, were our hunting trips to the cabin.

Well, that was my rant for now..I'm sure I'll have more to add later.

I'm looking forward to everyone's opinion on this mater.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Doug Reardon on September 2, 2012 at 7:24pm

I have no problem with sustenance hunting, but those who just enjoy killing I have a problem with.

Permalink Reply by matt.clerke on September 2, 2012 at 7:52pm

Here's a thought.... hunting is not a sport. 100000 years ago, people hunted to get meat and feed their family. It is a survival activity, not a sport.

Permalink Reply by James Lee Wilson on September 2, 2012 at 8:21pm
Here's a thought. You have no right to judge others. My dog will, who's the sweetest dog ever, will kill a cat just to kill it, and simply put, there's no way to say that killing other species is wrong. You can't even remotely prove it.
Permalink Reply by Colleen on September 3, 2012 at 12:17pm

James - Before, I was trying to take your "you can't prove it's wrong" argument to it's logical end.  I see no way that we can objectively prove that something is right or wrong, and you offered nothing to the contrary.  If this is the only measure by which someone can be of the opinion that something is wrong or by which a law may be formed, then I believe we would live in a world with no opinions and no laws.  The very nature of the words right and wrong is subjective.

Permalink Reply by Reggie on September 4, 2012 at 11:06pm

What if someone killed your dog?

Permalink Reply by matt.clerke on September 5, 2012 at 1:54am

I didn't say anything about its rightness or its wrongness... I just said its not a sport since people were doing it before the concept of sport was concieved (probably).

Permalink Reply by Grady Jean on September 3, 2012 at 3:24am

My family never had a lot of money. When my dad killed a dear or two during the hunting season, it was a matter of lining the freezer with good, hardy meat for the leaner times of the year. For the price of a bullet and a bit of patience, we could fill our freezer with delicious, lean venison. We used EVERYTHING. Steaks, cutlets, roasts. We ground the excess into sausage and ground venison, and sold the pelts to reenactors to turn into proper period garments. Mind you, I'm only twenty years old. This is modern times. In my family, the idea of hunting purely for sport was abhorrent. Even when money was easier to come by, we still hunted because, again, it was a good way to preserve our funds.

Permalink Reply by Ed on September 3, 2012 at 4:59pm

Mother Nature is replete with predation. The cycle of life is vicious and unforgiving. Their is no compassion, no regrets. Survival has no conscious.

I am a part of that cycle of life. I respect the sacrifice of all animals I ingest and realize that life is not necessarily fair. Only the strong survive. 

archaeopteryxPermalink Reply by archaeopteryx on September 3, 2012 at 7:50pm

Just sitting here in front of the computer, listening through my open window, as 6-feet men fire 12-gauge pellets at 6-inch doves - fun times --

Permalink Reply by Ed on September 5, 2012 at 5:06pm

Dove are  better tasting than Reese's  Peanut Butter Cups....

archaeopteryxPermalink Reply by archaeopteryx on September 5, 2012 at 5:27pm

Just the same, I'll stick to gunning down Reese's Peanut Butter Cups - PULL!

Permalink Reply by Marc on September 4, 2012 at 3:51pm
I think that there are a few different things going on. The gun tradition, like the hunting, tradition, and religious tradition, are things that many Americans grow into always knowing. I don't remember a time as a child not getting up for church on a Sunday or getting up early and watching my Dad and uncles leave to go hunting. Today, I'm a 47 year old father of two, and my Dad at 82, is still trying to give me a gun he bought for me to have when I was a child. Much like the religious tradition, if you get your teachings and social group activities implemented early enough, you have a high rate of success that it passes to the next generation. And, not only do the traditions get passed along, but so do the excuses and reasons for doing so, not matter how ridiculous, illogical, and incomplete they might be. Besides, very few will admit to bloodlust, although I believe it prevalence is higher than one might think. Whether its a behavior that is made needless by our progress, or still lurks within many of us, I struggle with the idea of the 'sport' of hunting, though I will eat any animal protein put in front of me. I like alcohol a lot too.

Secondly, for many I think it acts as a continued justification for having guns around and at arms length (no pun intended) along with target shooting, whenever a 2nd Ammendment discussion pops up. If we keep hunting, no matter how critical it may or may not be to an individuals survival (as I do remember families growing up that got a lot of their meals from hunting and needed to), then the volume and flow of guns into people's hands stays high, and the idea of any kind of gun control is met with a high percentage of citizens with guns. That threat is also useful to keep the government in line as they tend to get 'uppity' from time to time.

For the record, I only hunt wabbits, so be vewy, vewy, quiet.

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