Do You Agree With Deer Hunting?????

[luvofallhorses]

no, I don't or any kind of hunting and some, not all..but some treat their dogs like s***!

[CathyBogart]

I think hunting is OK as long as the animal is eaten or otherwise put to good use. (Hung on a wall is NOT good use IMO)

I agree with Twisterdog.....I feel that most animals killed by hunters had a better life, and a faster death, than animals commercially raised for food.

[PJ's Mom]

I am totally against hunting deer. I live in an area that's growing so rapidly that we don't have to hunt them. We're driving them out of their homes and killing them with our cars. I get so sad to see a dead deer on the side of the road...especially a young one.

[zoomer]

I think deer hunting, ANY hunting actually, is wrong. I would never hunt and hate how people stuff & hang deer heads in their house...

[cmayer31]

Hunting is fine, sport hunting is wrong. It's been said before in this thread: if you eat meat of any sort then an animal died for your pleasure. Hunting is a way of life for many people whether they are 'native' or not. Cow, deer, moose, fish, turkey, pig... meat doesn't just appear in a package; it came from a living creature.

**edit** I need to add that wildlife conservation is near and dear to my heart. When I say hunting is ok I am referring to game animals that are used for food and survival. I am extremely against the taking or rare, endangered, protected, or otherwise non-normal food source.

[IRescue452]

The problem with setting up conservation ares is that we can only do small amounts of land. Deer thrive on edge spaces between wooded areas and open areas. When you set up a bunch of 100 acre conservation areas you get a larger deer population. As the area gets larger, the population goes down. States that are mostly large conservation or wooded areas actually have less deer than say Wisconsin, where the wooded areas are split up. Natural predators, on the other hand, thrive more in large conservation areas. So the places where natural predators prefer are different from the deer's favorite places.

[Alysser]

Yes, if hunting is not done for sport. If it's done for food and overpopulation problems I don't really mind it. I could never kill an animal in such a way myself. My dad used to hunt but he doesn't anymore.

[Suki Wingy]

There is NO difference in hunting for a deer, and going through the McDonald's drive-through for a Big Mac or some McNuggets.

Actually, there is. Most meat from McDonalds came from animals very poor conditions because it's the cheapest possible, and hunting a deer is ananimal that lived a netural life, so in a way eating McDonalds is a whole lot worse than hunting and eating a deer.

[Twisterdog]

Actually, there is. Most meat from McDonalds came from animals very poor conditions because it's the cheapest possible, and hunting a deer is ananimal that lived a netural life, so in a way eating McDonalds is a whole lot worse than hunting and eating a deer.

Good point, and one that I agree with.

[Twisterdog]

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.

And, as a vegetarian, I believe you have the right to say that you don't approve of hunting wild game or killing livestock, etc. I think vegetarians are the ONLY people who can legitimately criticize hunting, as long as they include ALL forms of killing animals for food.

It sounds to me, though, that your big complaint with hunters is that they have guns? Now, I am the first to admit that there are a LOT of idiots who hunt who should not be anywhere near a gun. They are untrained and unskilled. However, for you to group EVERY gun owner and EVERY hunter in with the untrained and unskilled people "randomly" walking around with a gun is certainly very wrong and ignorant.

There are also a LOT of idiots who drive who should not be anywhere near a car. How many innocent people die in car accidents every year because some moron ran a red light while talking on his cell phone and drinking coffee? How many drunk drivers are on the roads? A LOT ... but does that make EVERY driver a distracted, dangerous drunk? Of course not. And if a car is not a "deadly weapon", I don't know what is!

You are making some terribly broad generalizations about a large, diverse group of people. The vast majority of hunters are careful, conscientious people, it's just the very small percentage of idiots that make the newspapers. It's not dramatic headlines to report on the 95% of good hunters ... just like it's not dramatic headlines to report on the 95% of good drivers. You will read in the papers about the drunk who ran a red light or the idiot who shot his buddy in the back ... not the thousands of skilled, trained hunters or drivers quietly following the rules in the background.

As for children hunting, define "children". I know in the state I live in, there is a definate age and hunter safety training requirement before a teenager can hunt. Just like there is a definate age requirement and driver's training requirement before a teenager can drive a car. Are you saying you think a sixteen year old is mature and skilled enough to operate a 5,000 pound vehicle moving at 75 miles per hour ... but not mature and skilled enough to operate a firearm with required adult supervision? I disagree.

[wolf_Q]

I am not against hunting IF and only IF the meat is used for food. I do not agree with trophy hunting or hunting just for the fur.

I've grown up in a family that hunts deer. My grandfathers were deer hunters, my dad hunts deer, my brother hunts deer, etc. I've eaten my fair share of deer meat. I think it is hypocritical to be against hunting (for food) but buy meat from the store/restaurant. If you are vegan/vegitarian then hey you're allowed to be totally against hunting of course.

Everyone in my family who has hunted deer only got one deer per year, if that many years no deer at all. A friend of mine's farther is really obsessed with hunting (their house is covered in taxidermy!) and betwen him and her brothers they'd kill several deer (as well as many other animals) each year and not ONCE did I ever see them eat deer meat (I was at her house all the time growing up). That really bothered me and it still does. :/

[Miss Z]

As I know I've posted before, I have extremely harsh views regarding hunting. I'll keep it simple - I voted 'Any hunting is wrong'.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

It sounds to me, though, that your big complaint with hunters is that they have guns? Now, I am the first to admit that there are a LOT of idiots who hunt who should not be anywhere near a gun. They are untrained and unskilled. However, for you to group EVERY gun owner and EVERY hunter in with the untrained and unskilled people "randomly" walking around with a gun is certainly very wrong and ignorant.

Well, I realize that my view of hunters came off as rather harsh- I'm not saying that hunters are "stupid" or that they are unskilled, I just think the risk of allowing people to carry guns and shoot at things where other people may be is a risk that greatly outweighs any potential benefit of having animals hunted.

There are also a LOT of idiots who drive who should not be anywhere near a car. How many innocent people die in car accidents every year because some moron ran a red light while talking on his cell phone and drinking coffee? How many drunk drivers are on the roads? A LOT ... but does that make EVERY driver a distracted, dangerous drunk? Of course not. And if a car is not a "deadly weapon", I don't know what is!

Of course, anything can be used as a potential weapon. But that is not my point, and I personally think it is an irrelevant one. Guns were DESIGNED to kill other living things. Cars were not. Period. Guns frankly serve no other purpose. Maybe my argument is more anti-gun than anti-hunting, but I feel that hunting is just one more excuse we have to keep allowing guns, making the argument that it's a sport; it's a fun pastime.

As for children hunting, define "children". I know in the state I live in, there is a definate age and hunter safety training requirement before a teenager can hunt. Just like there is a definate age requirement and driver's training requirement before a teenager can drive a car. Are you saying you think a sixteen year old is mature and skilled enough to operate a 5,000 pound vehicle moving at 75 miles per hour ... but not mature and skilled enough to operate a firearm with required adult supervision? I disagree.

I know for a fact that many such laws are openly disregarded. I grew up in Iowa! Many of my classmates were hunting with their fathers by the age of 12, which in my opinion is dangerous! They wouldn't let their 12 year olds drive a car or have sex, so why on earth would they give them a weapon? It honestly shocks me that some parents who are conservative in every other way would give their children a device to potentially kill themselves, easily. Until a few weeks ago my dad still lived out in the country. Occasionally on my way to his house (which required driving on several gravel roads) I would see bands of hunters. One time, I saw a father with 2 children, the youngest could not have been more than 9 years old, and he was holding a rifle. It really made me feel sad.

[lizbud]

I don't agree with any hunting of animals, unless you are starving and
need them for food for yourself & family.

[Twisterdog]

Of course, anything can be used as a potential weapon. But that is not my point, and I personally think it is an irrelevant one. Guns were DESIGNED to kill other living things. Cars were not. Period. Guns frankly serve no other purpose. Maybe my argument is more anti-gun than anti-hunting, but I feel that hunting is just one more excuse we have to keep allowing guns, making the argument that it's a sport; it's a fun pastime.

A gun is just a tool. Albeit, a potentially very dangerous one, but simply a tool, nonetheless. A bow, an arrow, a sword, a spear, a knife, a flyswatter, a mousetrap ... all simply tools, and tools designed to kill living things. One could use a car, a hammer, a boot, a table lamp, a brick, a rock ... ANYthing to kill another living thing, if one were so inclined. It is the person using the tool that makes it dangerous or productive, not the tool itself.

I grew up in a household of gun owners. I learned from a very young age that a gun was an adult's tool, to be handled with respect, care and knowledge. A gun held no aura of mystery for me, no more than a hammer or a frying pan did. I never once thought of touching one of my dad's guns or playing with them. I was simply taught that a gun is a useful but potentially dangerous adult tool, just like the power saw or the lawnmower.

I own a gun now. My gun is locked up in a safe. I have never killed a living thing with it. My grandmother willed it to me, it's a cool old antique with fond memories attached. And, yes, I DO think it's a fun passtime to go target or skeet shooting. I and my gun are in NO WAY dangerous to anyone.

I know for a fact that many such laws are openly disregarded. I grew up in Iowa! Many of my classmates were hunting with their fathers by the age of 12, which in my opinion is dangerous! They wouldn't let their 12 year olds drive a car or have sex, so why on earth would they give them a weapon? It honestly shocks me that some parents who are conservative in every other way would give their children a device to potentially kill themselves, easily. Until a few weeks ago my dad still lived out in the country. Occasionally on my way to his house (which required driving on several gravel roads) I would see bands of hunters. One time, I saw a father with 2 children, the youngest could not have been more than 9 years old, and he was holding a rifle. It really made me feel sad.

There have always been and always will be people who disregard laws. But not ALL hunters disregard this law. My son is fifteen and has never been hunting. He will not go, if he chooses to go, until he is sixteen and has passed hunter and gun safety classes with flying colors. Almost everyone I know with a teenager feels the same way I do. I have no doubt whatsoever that there are people who let nine year olds hunt. There are also people who let thirteen year old have sex in their home, who let twelve year olds smoke cigarettes, who let fourteen year olds do drugs in their bedroom or drive the family car around town. My son goes to school with kids who live like this. It's all wrong, any time a law like this is broken. But the fact that a few idiots disregard the law does not make it a useless or invalid law, and should not be used to slam the 95% of people who choose to abide by it.

I'm certainly not trying to convince anyone to be "pro" hunting or "pro" gun. Not at all. Everyone is entited to their own opinion. I do not, however, like to see someone criticize an entire group of people for the actions of a few. Prejudice is prejudice, no matter if it is directed at race, sex, political view or hobby. It is always wrong to make judgements about every member a certain group of people, based on nothing more than their membership in that group or a very limited experience. What is the difference in saying, "I don't like hunters because when I was a kid I saw some hunters doing stupid things." and saying "I don't like African-Americans because when I was a kid one called me a bad name at school."? What's the difference in saying, "All gun owners are irresponsible and dangerous because I heard on the news about a few of them." and saying "All Columbian-Americans are dangerous drug dealers because I haeard on the news about a few of them."? I HATE prejudice of any kind, and I would just as vehemently defend vegetarians, pacifists, women, teenagers, Moslems, etc. if there was a thread condeming the entire group for the actions of a few.