For you people that don't like hunters...

[Desert Arabian]

Originally posted by petlover
Well, I have never met a hunter around here that was nice. Never. I have talked to many hunters and introduced myself, and all that they said was " Good for you." I am not saying that all hunters are rude at all. Just these. I have nothing against what they do. Just how they party all night, get drunk, and go do stupid stuff. I am not saying that all hunters do that. The hunters around here do it every night.

Well, that is because they are unethical hunters. Ethical hunters do not get drunk and party, then go into the woods and handle a firearm. That is one of the 1000 rules we pound into the students heads at hunter safety classes. If they were ethical hunters they would not be drinking so they can insure they are safe in the woods (unless a totally unrelated accident happens).

As to hunters? I have major problems with 'them'. The difference between the meat packing industry and 'hunting'? The meat packers aren't getting off on the 'sport' of it.

So, are you are basically saying that all hunters are like that!? If you are (and you may not be), I am greatly offended...I do not hunt for the sport, neither do the other (125+)people I have hunted with/currently hunt with.

There are three groups of hunters: ethical, unethical, and sport. Ethical hunters are the safe hunters who do not drink, do not shoot out of season, do not shoot over the limit, follow all laws and regulations, hunt for the meat, etc. Ethical hunters also practice for hours at a shooting range, insuring that the animal they harvest will be shot so it won't suffer and endure pain. Unethical hunters, are basically poachers in some ways, who drink before handling a firearm, are not safe out in the woods, do not follow laws, hunt over the limit, etc. Unethical hunters do not care where they hit their animal, and could care less about the slow death and pain the animal is going through. Sport hunters are the ones who go for the big trophy game- WHICH I DO NOT SUPPORT OR BELIEVE IN...may I add. There is a small percentage of sport hunters, and they really aren't true hunters in my eyes. The idea of killing animals confined in a pen, waiting for the supplement fed 30 point buck is not truly hunting. 95% of the hunters kill for the meat, not for the sport. If game farms could be outlawed, I am all for it- AND I AM A HUNTER!

I do not get off on the "sport' of hunting. I get off on hanging out with my hunting buddies, who many of which I do not see other times during the year- due to work, school, etc. I also get off on the fact that I am HELPING the animal population by removing problem animals such as raccoons- which are killing off duck, goose, and other wild bird populations. Also by killing the sick animals (mainly deer), so ensure that the ones that survive are not sick and diseased. I also get off on being out in the woods, I could care less if I do or do not get an animal, it is a joy to just walk around listening to the birds and watching the squirrels.

Also, who do you suppose are the biggest and main supporters of wildlife conservation groups such as Ducks Unlimited, White Tails Unlimited, National Wild Turkey Federation, etc!?! HUNTERS! It is because of hunters that these groups are here, in a good way. Theses groups are here to insure the survival of the species and protect their habitats from development and other factors that kill off their habitat.

Hunters also generate BILLIONS of dollars each year for the economy. Hunting equipment is not cheap!! $20-40,000 for a pick-up truck, $200-2,000 for guns, $30-60/ case of ammunition, $100-900 grocery bills, heck one pair of camo pants can run you $90, a jacket can run you $700, and there is much much more that hunters spend their money on.

(As for the meat packing industry, I rather see the animal running wild before it is killed, rather than cramped in a slaughter house getting a rod shot into its head (many times not dying on the first hit) and processed while it is still conscious- after all, that IS what happens in a meat house. At least with (ethnical) hunting the animal has more chances of getting away, they are wild and free, and they are killed correctly 99% of the time, and are not cut open and processed while they are still alive.)

Here are some links to the conservation groups I mentioned above. I thought I should post them, in case any one wanted to learn more about them and how hunters greatly impact the animal world:

Ducks Unlimited My dad and I are members of this group. DU deals with all types of wildlife, not just waterfowl/ducks.
Whitetails Unlimited
National Wild Turkey Federation
Rocky Mountain Elf Foundation