Tourist Trophy Hunters

[xSilverPhinx]

As a small child I used to love going "hunting" with my air rifle and shoot birds, but I grew out of that.

I don't see what is so "brave" or skillful to shoot an animal. Target shooting requires similar shooting skills, photography requires similar stalking skills.
If a person really wants to test themselves against nature they ought to go bush for a few months and see if they can survive. Guns seems like cheating, Maybe just a small knife, the clothes on their backs and that's it, see what they can make of it. Might need to run or climb a tree when the lions, tigers, elephants, hippos are near though.

Me too, we all had our air guns and the best idea for spending some family time with my father was going on one of his hunts.

Couldn't agree more. Hunting an animal while putting it at such a disadvantage doesn't exactly help with the status some of them are looking for. Maybe just among their buddies of similar disposition... 

[Crow]

Those pictures are amazing.

[markmcdaniel]

^  Right!  In the UK the town councils trap loads of urban foxes.  Instead of just killing them, they have to release them in the countryside, thanks to the animal-rights mob..  Thanks a lot, bunny-huggers.  But anyhow these foxes don't know how to cope without dustbins to raid, they don't have territories and starve to death if they don't get killed in fights.  How much better if they were put down painlessly in the trap - but oh, no!  That's barbaric.

The "animal rights" types that liberate lab animals show the same appalling ignorance of the animals that the "free". Oh well, I suppose that the local predators have a field day with the sudden if temporary increase in prey.

[xSilverPhinx]

^  Right!  In the UK the town councils trap loads of urban foxes.  Instead of just killing them, they have to release them in the countryside, thanks to the animal-rights mob..  Thanks a lot, bunny-huggers.  But anyhow these foxes don't know how to cope without dustbins to raid, they don't have territories and starve to death if they don't get killed in fights.  How much better if they were put down painlessly in the trap - but oh, no!  That's barbaric.

The "animal rights" types that liberate lab animals show the same appalling ignorance of the animals that the "free". Oh well, I suppose that the local predators have a field day with the sudden if temporary increase in prey.

Legislation surrounding the use of lab animals is actually better than most in the general population would expect it seems, in Brazil. I was actually a bit surprised with that. You can't, at least, use lab animals indiscriminately. It evolved a bit since I would have to sit through fish, bird and mammal  dissections in High School which is pointless.

Also, it makes all the sense in the world to think that lab animals are well treated, because an unhealthy animal sort of defeats the purpose.

[Beachdragon]

So, I'll chime in here with my opinion.  I have no trouble with people who hunt to feed their family and or use the meat.  I have no trouble with culling herds that might otherwise starve to death due to over population or culling animals that are invasive to the area harming indigenous animal populations.  (We have programs in my county that cull overpopulated deer herds and either eat the meat themselves or donate it to homeless organizations.)

I have a lot of trouble with people who go out and kill something for the fun of it.  I have trouble with people who kill an animal and then dance and hoot and holler and high five each other that they killed something for the fun of it or to stick its corpse on the wall to admire their "accomplishment".  This is doubly so with canned hunts, where the animal doesn't have a fair chance to escape.

I've often asked hunters, and I'll ask you all here as well...when you are without a gun or weapon (could be a bow and arrow too) and see a deer or other sort of animal, do you admire the animal's beauty?  Or wish you had a weapon to kill it?  I posed this to a friend who is a deer hunter and he said basically all he thinks about is killing it.

What's your take on this?

[xSilverPhinx]

Only in Skyrim.

I used to only hunt birds and smaller animals when I was young, in organised hunting outings with my father and his friends, but I don't look at birds these days and want to kill them. I don't need to. If I did, I would. There certainly isn't a lack of opportunity in a city full of pigeons that can be seen as and can frequently are called vermin.  

I don't see any of the "honour" or "hunter's glory" that trophy hunters boast about when they kill a large and potentially dangerous animal from a safe distance with a sophisticated killing weapon that they can't even take the credit for inventing.

[En_Route]

So, I'll chime in here with my opinion.  I have no trouble with people who hunt to feed their family and or use the meat.  I have no trouble with culling herds that might otherwise starve to death due to over population or culling animals that are invasive to the area harming indigenous animal populations.  (We have programs in my county that cull overpopulated deer herds and either eat the meat themselves or donate it to homeless organizations.)

I have a lot of trouble with people who go out and kill something for the fun of it.  I have trouble with people who kill an animal and then dance and hoot and holler and high five each other that they killed something for the fun of it or to stick its corpse on the wall to admire their "accomplishment".  This is doubly so with canned hunts, where the animal doesn't have a fair chance to escape.

I've often asked hunters, and I'll ask you all here as well...when you are without a gun or weapon (could be a bow and arrow too) and see a deer or other sort of animal, do you admire the animal's beauty?  Or wish you had a weapon to kill it?  I posed this to a friend who is a deer hunter and he said basically all he thinks about is killing it.

What's your take on this?

Rub 'em out. They're bad role models, disporting themselves as they do shamelessly in the  buff, hopeless conversationalists , plus some of them bite.

[Stevil]

I've often asked hunters, and I'll ask you all here as well...when you are without a gun or weapon (could be a bow and arrow too) and see a deer or other sort of animal, do you admire the animal's beauty?  Or wish you had a weapon to kill it?  I posed this to a friend who is a deer hunter and he said basically all he thinks about is killing it.

What's your take on this?

When I was young I would walk around the orchard shooting birds. It was exciting, I suppose I got an adrenaline hit.

Later on a person suggested I should feed the birds rather than shoot them.
I thought that seemed silly, no adrenaline there. Only pansies feed the birds.

But with maturity I know cringe about that. Feeding and admiring birds is awesome, shooting them is needless, our environment is to be admired and respected not shat on.

[OldGit]

Feeding and admiring birds is awesome, shooting them is needless...

I believe I've said this before on HAF:  Go into a flock of sheep at lambing time.  See a new-born lamb dying in agony because a crow has pecked out its entrails through its anus, while the ewe is still helpless.  After that you'll shoot any crow you see.

[xSilverPhinx]

I have an odd respect for crows, they're really smart birds. Nature is cruel, and if an animal has the opportunity to feed on the weak or easy prey, it will. Struggle for existence.

But that's when they become vermin however and in the struggle of priorities they loose when they cause financial loss to the shepard, unfortunately.

(no, I have never seen a lamb dying because a crow pecked it and I think that if I had a herd of sheep I would think about clearing the place of crows too, but probably through trained dogs or hawks, like the ones that remove birds from airport strips before planes take off. Trying to go after them yourself can be very tiring.)

[Stevil]

I believe I've said this before on HAF:  Go into a flock of sheep at lambing time.  See a new-born lamb dying in agony because a crow has pecked out its entrails through its anus, while the ewe is still helpless.  After that you'll shoot any crow you see.

The crow was feeding because it was hungry and wanted to live.

Some people kill because it is a thrill. They think it is fun and funny.
Was the crow sitting back and laughing? was it jumping up and down, smearing blood on itself and asking people to take a photo?

[Beachdragon]

I don't think the entire crow race should be decimated because of the actions of one crow.  However, I totally understand your feelings here.  I wouldn't want to see an animal suffer like that.  (I don't eat lamb, veal or goat anymore.  They are so adorable and it just seems so unfair to eat a baby.)

At least the crow did it for survival and not for kicks.

[Crow]

Feeding and admiring birds is awesome, shooting them is needless...

I believe I've said this before on HAF:  Go into a flock of sheep at lambing time.  See a new-born lamb dying in agony because a crow has pecked out its entrails through its anus, while the ewe is still helpless.  After that you'll shoot any crow you see.

That's easy to prevent, shoot a crow just before the beginning of the lambing season, cut it up and place the pieces around the area designated for the lambing. But make sure the crows see you do it they wont come anywhere near the location.

[OldGit]

I don't think the entire crow race should be decimated because of the actions of one crow. 

One?  This happens regularly every year.  But my wider point is that they're vermin and need keeping down.

[Crow]

I don't think the entire crow race should be decimated because of the actions of one crow. 

One?  This happens regularly every year.  But my wider point is that they're vermin and need keeping down.

The difference between crows and rats is that crows are actually quite easy to control without resorting to culling them on mass, they are intelligent enough whilst being stupid enough that we can easily take advantage of them without much effort, a scarecrow should be enough to keep them away as well if time is spent initially to create the link between it being dangerous. The reason they are so successful as a species is because they have been able to profit from our mess as well as being highly efficient without it, they aren't really vermin just a good example of natural selection, like us.