question!? :)

[Twisterdog]

First, the deer population is VERY out of control. That is a fact proven time and time again. There are FAR more deer in this country now than there have EVER been. They are indeed starving, ruining crops, being killed by cars, etc. Not to mention causing human deaths in vehicle/deer accidents as well.

Second, IMO, if one eats meat of any sort, one has NO room whatsoever to criticize hunters. I personally don't hunt, BTW. If you had a hamburger for lunch, someone killed a cow on your behalf. Or a chicken, turkey, fish, etc. Just because you didn't personally pull the trigger, the animal died to feed you nonetheless. There is NO difference in a deer dying to feed someone than a cow dying to feed someone. And, actually, at least the deer theoretically had a good, free life for some time before it died. Domestic food animals do not.

As far as deer head mounted on the wall, I personally think it's ugly and tacky. But, if you kill the animal, why not use all of it you can? If you like that style, I see nothing really wrong with the deer head ending up on the wall as opposed to ending up in the landfill.

The caveat is, of course, that the deer is actually eaten. I do NOT condone "trophy hunting" in any way. Killing just to kill is wrong, no matter what is killed. But killing to eat is the natural way of the omnivore, carnivore, predator.

[Medusa]

But, if you kill the animal, why not use all of it you can?
The caveat is, of course, that the deer is actually eaten.

The hunters that I know eat what they kill. My meat comes neatly packaged in the supermarket and, as I previously mentioned, it would be hypocritical of me to eat meat and criticize a hunter. However, without exception, every hunter that I know also brags about his kill, his 8 point or whatever and then mounts his "harvest" on the wall. If he's doing it for the ecology and for the deer and not for the bloodlust, then he should do it and be done w/it and not need his gold star on his little kindergarten forehead.

[Pam]

The hunters that I know eat what they kill. My meat comes neatly packaged in the supermarket and, as I previously mentioned, it would be hypocritical of me to eat meat and criticize a hunter.

I know two seasoned hunters, and my nephew (age 31) last year went with his uncle and got his first deer. I have deer meat in my freezer and somehow can't bring myself to cook it although I have been given recipe suggestions. I have no trouble eating the other meat that is there.

We occasionally have deer in our yard and I guess I can't get the image of those precious animals with their big eyes and majestic beauty out of my mind.

[Chilli]

I agree that if this guy you are seeing doesn't bring it up alot, then don't bother with it too much. If it doesn't end up coming up alot, then go ahead and tell him how you feel. If he doesn't respect your opinion, then all it shows is that he isn't the kind of person you would want to be around(not saying that he is, just saying "if").
Tons of people in my family hunt. Being against hunting(I have my reasons and theories, but I don't want to be shot down on a nice day like this, so I'll save that post for some other day ), its the hardest thing in the world to be around some of them. I can think of only one aunt out of my whole family(which is huge.. as in my family is huge, not my aunt. hehe) who doesn't have a deer head or two.. or three slapped up on the living room wall.
Our freezer is stocked full of deer meat. In my opinion, it reeks. :]

I hope things continue to go well with this guy you are seeing, Genny.

[Alysser]

My dad used to go out in the woods with his guns but he never caught anything, he never tried. I don't really like hunting as a sport if you are just mounting the animals head on the wall. But for food, and curbing the population I am all for it. I agree 100% with Twisterdog.

[shepgirl]

I'm not for hunting deer either, although I do understand what Karen posted. But no one in the family hunts, and when I go somewhere and see a deer head mounted on a wall it does affect me negatively.
I also don't like to hear the stories about how they build blinds and hide till the mom appears and leads them to the babies that they then shoot. If you hunt and eat your kill that's one thing, but to kill just to brag about it, then I consider it wrong. And the one thing that burns me the most is that when a group of hunters start packing for their hunting trip, the first thing they pack are the cases of beer.
Over here, hunting with dogs is strictly forbidden because of the damage the dogs can do to a deer and then it escapes hurt. Or the dog chases the deer and maims it so the hunter can shoot it. But not all areas prohibits this horrid custom, to me that isn't hunting, no fair play for the deer, some of the dogs get pretty gruesome when they get turned loose.

[Medusa]

I feel the same way about bow hunting. Every hunter I've spoken to that bow hunts has admitted that at least once they've injured the deer but didn't kill it. So it ran off to die an agonizing death. But it's that macho thing again and the deer suffer because of it.

[Medusa]

Our freezer is stocked full of deer meat. In my opinion, it reeks. :]

Ain't that the truth. The guy I was dating liked saying that deer meat doesn't have steroids, etc., so it's healthier for consumption. This coming from a guy who smoked 3 packs a day and drank beer like it was his last chance to get any. We always justify what we really want to do, whether it's hunting or whatever, but the excuses that this guy and other hunters always came up with are laughable at best and downright stupid at worst. They enjoy portraying themselves as the great saviors of the deer population but I find it interesting that beer always enters into the equation, along w/deer camp parties, etc. And deer hunting is advertised as a "sport" and hunters refer to themselves as "sportsmen". So much for the ecology and the "poor deer".

[Taz_Zoee]

Well, I think Twisterdog said it much better than I did. And I hope you (or anyone) didn't think I was critizing hunters, after all I have some in my family.
And as I said, I do eat meat, and I think I've probably eaten deer at some point in my life too.

Anyway, back to the main topic of this thread. I just hope you and your guy friend can keep an open line of communication about this subject and just agree to respect each others views.

[carole]

Yes i agree do tell him how you feel about it, and if he is a decent guy he will respect that and not talk about it too much.

I wish i could say i am a vegetarian, because i hate that we humans seem to have to kill everything in site, for our own benefit,but it would be hypocritical of me to say it is wrong, besides Karen told me something i did not know,about the starving deers, that would not be a nice sight indeed, so maybe it is necessary culling.

We have to kill possums in NZ because they are a pest and cause damage to the environment etc, and although not eaten their skins are used,but they are the cutest little creatures ever and it still makes me sad.