nickbaker.tv

[climid]

There are few words in the field of naturalists that have as much controversy as hunting. On one side, there are those who see it as a inhumane mean to obtain trophies and on the other ned, we have those who do it on a daily basis for food.

I think this whole tought about hunting came from a british man we all know as jamie oliver. Jamie has done many programs about food and what we eat but more importantly, how we raise our food. He has made several mentions on the hormones, treatment and dirty conditions many farm animals face. Many of us here, know these to be true (the battery hens, the small pig enclosures, the veal calves). While on his trip to italy, he even hunted wild boar and It was gutted by the kids. They obviously seem to understand where food comes from and yet most people dont. We see meat as a something on the shelf we eat and throw the rest in the dumpster.

This really spoke to me as a nature lover. We have grown so far apart from our food, we are hardly in the food chain at all. Now i use to be against hunters but now I see they may be right about getting their food (I mean the meat hunters, not the trophy hunters).

Im considering maybe trying hunting for deer (maybe). I mean, if I cant pull the trigger, then I shouldnt be eating meat. Usrely hunting is in many was more humane than "modern farms". and finding free range meat is impossible here (we have a lack of labeling laws so products arent labeled clearly or honestly).

Because Im so underweight and have iron deficiency, going vegetarian is'nt really an option. and besides with 80% of the tofu worldwide now being Genetically modifed, its not being much greener.

So heres my question: has anyone here ever hunted? can hunting be respectful for nature? and is it better for the environment to hunt common species such as deer, rabbit and grouse than to get meat from a factory farm?

[Scott]

I havent hunted myself, and can count the times I've shot a gun on the fingers of one hand (occasions, not bullets). But I'd still go hunting. I admit the thought of doing so does make me a bit squeamish, as I have little desire to kill and even less to watch die. And I certainly wouldnt be happy taking Bambi away from his mother.

But then I remember seeing the cheetah hunting the gazelle, the hungry cheetah babies and the lonely gazelle babies. Someone needs to lose. You cant save the spider and the butterfly. So yeah, we need to hunt.

And considering its more humane for animals and would result in less farm pollution, I'd be in favor. The only problem is that the amount of game animals out there doesnt meet our insatiable desire for meat. If we could cut back on our meat consumption and only eat wild game, while converting the foodstock and grazing pastures into land for growing grain for humans, there'd likely be enough food for all of us.

[climid]

well im not against farming, just against factory farming, wold the law permit it, i think everyone should keep a couple of hens for eggs in their yard

[Helen]

I have respect for those societies who hunt and only take what they need to survive. But in general I am against hunting. I dislike hunting for a sport there is no need for it.

Recently the WHO organisation stated that there would be enough food in the world if we were vegatarian plus there would a reduction in CO2 if we did not farm animals. So my hubby and I decided to look on the internet to see if we could find anything that provided the benefits for eating meat. (My hubby is a veggie and I'm not). The interesting thing was we could not find anything that promoted the benefits for eating meat apart from lifestyle. So if I was to follow the research I found on the internet (just for argument sake) we could argue that hunting and farming of animals is old school and actually in the western world we don't need to.

I personally couldn't kill animals unless I thought I was putting it out of it misery. Yes I eat meat and I am well aware of the process. I live in the middle of the lamb farmer community, but I do not eat large quantities of meat and try to be respectful when I do i.e. if there is food left on the plate I will not be disrespectful to the animal an leave the meat. I will always eat the meat as it has die so I can eat. I will not eat animals that have not had a free life i.e not out on the land. I refuse to eat Veal.

One element to consider is many animals from hunting aren't always killed instead they are maimed and run off, left in pain and die a slow unnecessary death.

[Scott]

[Henning]

Hi climid! And the rest of you.
I've been thinking along the lines of hunting myself too, because it somehow would be more honest. But I don't think I will take the step. Fishing, in the purpose of catching something to eat, is very rewarding though.

I've started to eat more "hunted meat" during the last year. I have always been aware of where meat comes from and almost tasting the forrest in the meat is an extra dimension apart from the eco-aspect. I'm a bit carnivorous that way, I like thinking of the fact that I'm eating "porpose built" muscles and don't mind reflecting on how they used to move. And really, the difference between chopping down trees (or eating bread) and eating meat is just a matter of spiecies. Although we can more easily feel for warmblooded animals.

Modern conservation, at least in Sweden, stems from organised hunters conserned about nature. But there is greedyness inbuilt in humanity I think. When swedish hunters celebrated that a certain amount of wolves were alowed to be shot this year "to stop inbreeding" it really was a case of wolves having a negative effect on the moosepopulation.

I have no intention of going vegetarian but I have become more aware of the enviormental costs of meat eating and have started to eat less meat.

That's some thought on hunting... err... well... hope it gives some sort of dimension to the discussion...

/Henning

[Scott]

[Henning]

Or you could hit the minister how took the decision on such bad grounds. Or you could lash out on the hunter lobbyists for doing their job.

It's sad either way especially since some hunters was in such a hurry to be the ones shooting wolves that they for examples killed the parent wolves and left the adolecent cubs to get on best they could :...(

[climid]

Thanks for the info there guys!

hennings is right: i should start with fishing and see how it goes from there. Iv'e fished before although i no professional. Still, i would have to wait for the ice to melt for that to happens. No a fan of ice fishing.

[Lina]

I come from a "hunters family", although I don't hunt myself. We get pretty much our years supply of meat from the hunting, although the last couple years we have had a few pigs raised in the backyard. I as the rest of you, are agains so called Sports Hunting. Hunt if you need the meat. If not, then don't.

[Paul Dunham]

I don't think there's anything wrong with hunting provided there's a genuine reason for it and it's not the hunting of an endangered species. The hunting & killing for food & pest control seems perferctly acceptable in the real world where a common sense approach has been taken.
I recently worked for an establishment which hunted deer & wild boar and found it very distateful watching the wealthy kill animals just for the fun of it. For the most part I find this kind of bloodlust sickening and the justification pretty questionable. This business about they have to take out excess stags & bull elephants is just an excuse to shoot them.
Oh god how did they manage to evolve out in the wild without us there to shoot them. They were doing perfectly well before we decided they needed managing.
There are suppose to be excess males out there competing for the alfa position. Who's to say the young stag or bull they've just shot would not of been the one which made it. There messing with evolution just for the sport of the kill.

[climid]

[Paul Dunham]

Yes Climid,
It's most evident amongst African Elephants. Gone are the days when we had bull elephants with enormous tusks as thick as a mans body. They have become very rare, leaving us adult bulls with relatively small tusks compared with hundreds of years ago. The hunters have destroyed the best and most impressive animals which we'll probably never see again.

With managed stag hunting they now feed growth hormones when their anlers are ready to re-grow to produce better trophies for the hunters.

[Wolf777]

Hi

I know this is an older post but would just like to add that hunting can be used for conservation in a sense. By paying gamefarm owners money to shoot antelope you ensure they have a future. The farmers do the best they can to ensure their source of income flourishes. I've only shot an impala before and for a South-African that is pathetic. Most kids here under the age of ten have shot an animal before. I didn't particularly like it, but everything of the animal was used. Will I do it again? I don't know, you don't know until you look through the gun's sights wheter you will pull the trigger. I know of one farmer who reintroduced the sable antelope to SA for hunting, and by doing so has produced animals with record horn sizes and increased their numbers substantially. There are rules when you go hunting. If an animal is not killed the first shot you have someone with you to track it, or to ensure it is killed quickly. As weird as it may sound I don't have a problem with controlled hun ting, and it proves to be a good way in preserving these animals in most cases. I enjoy firearms but don't know wether I will hunt again. One thing is for sure, you truly experience the wilderness and nature at it's finest when you go hunting. I saw a bigger variety of animals on my first hunt than all my visits to the Kruger National Park.