Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Different Views on Hunting
So i am going hunting this weekend, and when i told my roommates i would be gone hunting i got mixed reactions. One of my roommates thought it was cool and asked me to take a lot of pictures. My other roommate however, thought i was the meanest person in the world for "slaughtering beautiful creatures" as he put it. It surprised me because i have always known there were people against hunting, but i have never actually talked to anyone who disliked hunting about hunting. My family all hunts or fishes and so do most of my friends. So I am curious to see what your opinions on hunting are.
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5 comments:
I don't have any problem when people hunt animals for food, but when people kill animals for entertainment or trophies it is disgusting.
Taylor Phillips "the ukulele kid"
I think hunting is pretty freaking awesome, but only when its done in the right spirit with the right intent. Those that hunt without licenses and tags are very inconsiderate and stupid. I definitely think you should eat what you hunt or give the meat to others and if you happen to be hunting deer or elk or something of that nature, i think its also cool to hang the antlers or the head in your home, I don't know what else you could do with those parts of the animal, I have been hunting with my dad and other family members and there is something about being in the wilderness with them that somehow strengthens your relationship with them. Hunting is sweet!
My dad hunts, my grandpa hunts, and my uncle hunts. I've grown up around it and it totally doesn't bother me. It drives my mom nuts, even though her dad went on a safari hunt in africa. I would never want to go hunting, and my dad won't take me because he says I won't be able to be quiet, and guess what?!? He's right and i know it. I don't want to do the hunting, but when any of my family brings something home it's SO exciting!
I'm from Wisconsin, where the hunting tradition is pretty strong, comparable to Utah even, though we never got actual time off for the season. I'm a good shot with a rifle, including muzzleloaders, as well as with a bow. My father envisions himself a 'mountain man,' and I spent a great deal of time in the wilderness with him. I can track an animal with the best of them and my wife says I'm a natural sneak, so I've never had trouble getting near an animal. I spent time teaching hunters safety back in Wisconsin for all the experience my Dad imparted on me.
When it comes to the actual killing part, however, I've never been able to bring myself to do it. My father has trophies from his younger days, but I guess as he grew older, he couldn't bring himself to kill animals any longer, and I picked up on that. When we went hunting, we had our rifles or our bows, we'd track the deer or wait in our tree stand, and when a deer finally came along... we took pictures.
Concerning the ethics involving hunting and killing an animal, I believe it all goes to the intent of the individual. I believe most people who hunt, do it for the love of the outdoors, the thrill of tracking another living being, and the enjoyment of the meat that comes from a deer (Which is excellent when cooked right. I have no problem eating venison from someone else's hunt). I think there are some people out there that hunt because they enjoy harming other things. I like to think they are few and far between, and I imagine they are the ones hunting outside the laws.
As far as the argument against hunting, it seems to me like people forget that we, humans, are part of the natural food chain. I know that we have altered the natural landscape with all our towns and cities, but nature still relies upon the human species to regulate the populations 'beneath' them. That is why the government sets numbers on the amount of tags and animals that may be killed.
At any rate, I believe hunting is a great and rewarding activity, and a necessary one, as long as those hunting are following the laws and hunting for the right reasons.
I have been hunting with my family twice and I had a great time even though I was too young to have my own tag. I believe that as long as you eat what you kill, or what you kill gets eaten then it is fine to hunt. I'm not particularly fond of hanging heads in my house but it is cool at museums.
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