Do You Agree With Deer Hunting?????

[timlewis]

I did not post when i started this thread but i do deer hunt although i havent in 2 years i probably will rifle hunt this year. Someone said we should repopulate wolves and coyotes to take care of the problem, we have plenty of coyotes not wolves. If you think about it is it more humane for a wolve or coyote to fight and tear a deer to shreds even start eating it while its still alive, or to kill one in seconds with a gun or bow. I shot a doe 2 years ago and it didnt run 50 yards until it fell over and died that to me is a lot more humane that coyotes and wolves. Now my BIL shot a doe one year and we had to chase it down and he had to kill it with a knife(without going into detail) he had hit it in the shoulder and we tracked it until it just couldnt go anymore. But at the same time a predator can just the same lame one and it get away and be that way for the rest of its life. And as i said in another thread there is almost nothing like sitting in your tree stand and having a buck or doe walk under you and having your bow pulled back ready to shoot. It really gets your blood a pumping, and im sorry if this offends anyone but just according to where you are brought up it is a sport, I dont think its right to just throw the meat away dont get me wrong. Although when you go deer hunting you are out for the biggest rack you can find, I personally dont eat much deer meat I will however give it to someone who is less fortunate than I am and let them eat it.

[Husky15]

Deer are my favorite animals and it just kills me inside knowing it is now hunting season and that there are men out there killing them. I understand though that sometimes it needs to be done. But if it is done just for the sport, it makes me really mad. There has to be a good reason to it. Either for the overpopulation situation, or for food. If someone just does it because it's fun then makes no use of the dead deer, it makes me angry.

And you're right, Tim. Death by a bullet can definitely be less painful then death by a wild dog tearing it to pieces.

[Karen]

Deer populations do not need to be controled by guns.

I have seen on T.V where people catch the bucks that mate with the females and put them to sleep for a while, in the time these people neuter the male bucks so they produce less babies when there set free again.

Not all male bucks will mate all the time.There is a leader that will defend the females from other males, fights will occure and the winner usualy gets all the does...so then its that deer that needs to be neutered.

This is a way to keep a population down instead of shooting the poor things.

If only people would use there brains, a challenge is no good reason to shoot a living thing it hurts the animal no matter what.Wolves populations have gone down because of too many high ways being built near there homes and the pups these wolfs produce get run over by cars, no wounder deer have rised in population...because of humans.

Its up to Humans to fix the things we did wrong not kill them.

Do you have any data on how much time and effort it would take to do that, never mind the huge amout of dollars? And what would you do with the extra hundreds of thousands of deer that now exist? And how would you be sure of getting enough of the bucks, when many of the poulation exist in forests away from human habitation?

Wolves used to be shot - in huge numbers - by ranchers and farmers, and others who regarded them as nuisances. I think that has a lot more to do with the lack of wolves than highways being built, frankly.

Yes, we - the humans - created this problem, so we - the humans - need to fix it. Whatever method works should be used, and probably a combination of methods. But there are people who hunt and use the meat well and wisely. And in doing do, they help manage the deer population, but also don't need to buy as much meat from commericial farmers, so can have a positive impact on the food supply as well.

[Argranade]

I realy don't care how much money would go into an effort like that, as long as less animals are being shot it's fine with me, I swear if I had money I would throw it into all this research..if only I did.

Wolves used to be shot - in huge numbers - by ranchers and farmers, and others who regarded them as nuisances. I think that has a lot more to do with the lack of wolves than highways being built, frankly.

Yes thats what I mean, its the wolfes that need to be re-populated in the wild because there numbers are going down (I seen this on WWF) and with numbers going down deer are poping up everywhere then those deer starve from not enough food...if there where more wolfes to hunt them then maybe somthing good could come towards the deer from this, they would have more food and there numbers in population would be even.

Sounds kinda weird because the deer are going to be kept down by hungrey wolfes but at least its natural & not man made, I would not have it any other way as a matter of fact.

[Lady's Human]

The difference between a wolf eating a deer and a human doing the same is what, exactly?

[CagneyDog]

I have said before, we need people to hunt deer. This is actually becoming a huge problem uin some areas, because no one "wants to shoot Bambi," but it needs to be done. We have destroyed the balance of nature by eliminating most of the deer population's natural predators. With previous centuries "bounty" on wolves and other predators, there are none or very few left, not enough to keep the burgeoning deer population in check. The deer are wreaking ecological havok on some of our forests, destorying habitat for other species because of their overpopulation. And if we do not keep the deer population down by hunting, they will overpopulate and die of starvation.

Have you ever seen a deer dead from starvation lying on the side of the road? I have. Have you ever seen a skeletal deer licking road salt from the edge of the highway? I have.

What is kinder, a quick death by a hunter's hand, or long, slow, painful starvation of deer and other creatures whose habitat they have altered?

I am not a hunter, myself, but I respect the people who do hunt, and know it needs to be done.

Perhaps this is true Karen however, in my mind it is just a vicious circle. We've ruined enough, when will we learn that it's time to leave nature alone? That's just my two cents.

[*iluvskipper*]

Well I put deer hunting is ok because i guess it helps control their population but idk i guess that they way some people hunt and kill animals just really bugs me and if you see the music video for Rise Against's "Ready To Fall" you would know what i mean... uhh here ya go...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tgDusbS5nmU

[Glacier]

Hunting feeds my family--human and canine. Not deer hunting though. There aren't enough deer up here to have a hunting season on them, unlike most places. However, there are more than twice as many moose as people. So far this season, hubby has been skunked so we are trying to find a place to get a side of organic beef. I just can't eat commercially raised meat anymore.

My husband is a hunter. He's a good one. Never takes an animal for it's horns. Frankly smaller ones taste better! There will never ever be a trophy head hanging in my house!! My father in law is a carver. He turns the antlers into beautiful carvings. We have a First Nations friend who turns the hides into all sorts of clothing and drums. Another native friend takes the "using everything" a step further than we do--we give him all the liver, nose, intestines ect and yes he eats them! The dogs get all the bones and other non-human edible parts.

The dogs' Uncle Randy is a wild game butcher. He keeps my canine family well fed with scrap meat and bones. I have four freezers just for the dog food meat. My dog food bill would triple without his help.

Where I live there are many people who don't live within driving distance of a supermarket. There are communities here that are fly-in only, no road access, where a pound of regular hamburger would cost well over 10 dollars. Those people depend on hunting to survive. That's a large part of why I am so opposed to any drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

I voted for any hunting is ok, but that only applies to the people who hunt and eat all of the meat and such off of the animal. I don't agree with hunting simply for skin, fur, antlers, etc. I only agree with it as long as it's used as food.

[Argranade]

The difference between a wolf eating a deer and a human doing the same is what, exactly?

Wolfs are natural in this Humans are just a pest at this.

I belive only Native's should be able to hunt.

Don't ask why, because if I explain it im sure no one shall understand it.

[Twisterdog]

What is the difference in shooting a deer and eating the meat vs. paying someone to kill a cow for you, and then eating the meat? If you eat meat, an animal died. Period. There is NO difference in hunting for a deer, and going through the McDonald's drive-through for a Big Mac or some McNuggets. Unless you are a vegetarian, you have NO room to criticize hunters. To say hunting is "wrong" while you are eating meat is so incredibly hypocritical to me.

Now, hunting just for the sport or the antlers is certainly wrong, of course. But if you eat it, there is nothing wrong with hunting, anymore than there is anything wrong with going to the grocery store and buying a steak.

[critter crazy]

What is the difference in shooting a deer and eating the meat vs. paying someone to kill a cow for you, and then eating the meat? If you eat meat, an animal died. Period. There is NO difference in hunting for a deer, and going through the McDonald's drive-through for a Big Mac or some McNuggets. Unless you are a vegetarian, you have NO room to criticize hunters. To say hunting is "wrong" while you are eating meat is so incredibly hypocritical to me.

Now, hunting just for the sport or the antlers is certainly wrong, of course. But if you eat it, there is nothing wrong with hunting, anymore than there is anything wrong with going to the grocery store and buying a steak.

I agree completely!!

[Corinna]

I live where we have reintroduced the wolves. Not a good idea . 1st the new pack killed off the excisting ones here. so that genetic strain is gone . 2.they have become lazy perferring the domestic game to actually hunting the wild overpopulated game. ( This includes cats and dogs. )
Hubby was a taxidermist for a while we would take any meat that thropy hunters didn't want . Had a long list of people that needed meat to live. he was a hunter until the cancer took the muscle in his shooting arm. Misses getting out in the woods he would ususally not shoot his until the last day just so he could watch so many animals.

[NicoleLJ]

What is the difference in shooting a deer and eating the meat vs. paying someone to kill a cow for you, and then eating the meat? If you eat meat, an animal died. Period. There is NO difference in hunting for a deer, and going through the McDonald's drive-through for a Big Mac or some McNuggets. Unless you are a vegetarian, you have NO room to criticize hunters. To say hunting is "wrong" while you are eating meat is so incredibly hypocritical to me.

Now, hunting just for the sport or the antlers is certainly wrong, of course. But if you eat it, there is nothing wrong with hunting, anymore than there is anything wrong with going to the grocery store and buying a steak.

Very well said. I agree completely.
Nicole

[Pembroke_Corgi]

What is the difference in shooting a deer and eating the meat vs. paying someone to kill a cow for you, and then eating the meat? If you eat meat, an animal died. Period. There is NO difference in hunting for a deer, and going through the McDonald's drive-through for a Big Mac or some McNuggets. Unless you are a vegetarian, you have NO room to criticize hunters. To say hunting is "wrong" while you are eating meat is so incredibly hypocritical to me.

Now, hunting just for the sport or the antlers is certainly wrong, of course. But if you eat it, there is nothing wrong with hunting, anymore than there is anything wrong with going to the grocery store and buying a steak.

Well, I'm a vegetarian, but I do feel there is a difference. I certainly don't agree with the way animals are raised or processed through the meat industry, but at least there aren't people walking around randomly with guns.

I spent most of my childhood living in the country, and even though we did not permit hunting on our land, we found traces of hunters anyway. I personally don't want any firearms near my house. Another thing that really bothers me is when I see CHILDREN with guns. It's bad enough that an adult could take a bad shot, but that parents allow their children access to deadly weapons blows me away.