Hunters Are Awesome

[jms62]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

Whether it is 10% or 70%, there are tens of thousands (at the very least), who do it for fun.

You specifically stated that a large percentage of hunters do it for fun. Please show me your evidence supporting your position that a large percentage of hunters do it for fun. Don't simply pull more numbers out your ass.

[Danzig]

'for fun'.

not sure how one would decide if it's purely for 'fun'. can people buy food instead of hunt? sure. but they choose to do it on their own. and i'm sure there are many reasons for deciding. i know the last few years i haven't bothered to go. it's a lot of work, and i guess i just decided it was more work than enjoyment.
and i have to say, it's the act of being outside, seeing things you never see if you're not out there that's fun. the act of shooting isn't fun. and for most it's the same way. people like their venison, or whatever they're hunting. and it's not easy to get the stuff from the grocer.
besides, much like other hobbies, it's not incredibly enjoyable. people like to work on their cars, but they could certainly pay a mechanic. it may not be fun to do some of the work, but it's nice to have that sense of satisfaction, that you can do it all yourself.
when we take a deer, it never leaves us. we take care of it from start to finish. lots and lots of work. it'd be a lot easier to just buy a side of beef.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Danzig

'for fun'.

not sure how one would decide if it's purely for 'fun'. can people buy food instead of hunt? sure. but they choose to do it on their own. and i'm sure there are many reasons for deciding. i know the last few years i haven't bothered to go. it's a lot of work, and i guess i just decided it was more work than enjoyment.
and i have to say, it's the act of being outside, seeing things you never see if you're not out there that's fun. the act of shooting isn't fun. and for most it's the same way. people like their venison, or whatever they're hunting. and it's not easy to get the stuff from the grocer.
besides, much like other hobbies, it's not incredibly enjoyable. people like to work on their cars, but they could certainly pay a mechanic. it may not be fun to do some of the work, but it's nice to have that sense of satisfaction, that you can do it all yourself.
when we take a deer, it never leaves us. we take care of it from start to finish. lots and lots of work. it'd be a lot easier to just buy a side of beef.

You make a good point. There could certainly be some crossover in terms of doing it for necessity but also enjoying the satisfaction, etc.

If a person told me that instead of going to the store to buy his meat, he prefers to hunt because the meat is much healthier, and he also gets some satisfaction out of it, I wouldn't have a problem with that. In reality, that is probably a much better death for the animal than an animal in a slaughterhouse would have.

I just don't like the people that think it is fun to shoot an animal and take its life. Could I tell you the percentage of hunters who fall into that category? No, I couldn't but I know there are a lot of them. I haven't talked to hundreds of hunters but I've talked to enough of them to know that there are plenty of them out there. They usually won't admit that they enjoy killing the animal but it isn't too hard to figure out. Practically none of these people have told me that they hunt because the meat is healthier and they use this meat in place of buying meat.

Now it is possible that hunters from big cities hunt for a different reason than hunters who live in rural areas. I don't deny that.

[3kings]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

You make a good point. There could certainly be some crossover in terms of doing it for necessity but also enjoying the satisfaction, etc.

If a person told me that instead of going to the store to buy his meat, he prefers to hunt because the meat is much healthier, and he also gets some satisfaction out of it, I wouldn't have a problem with that. In reality, that is probably a much better death for the animal than an animal in a slaughterhouse would have.

I just don't like the people that think it is fun to shoot an animal and take its life. Could I tell you the percentage of hunters who fall into that category? No, I couldn't but I know there are a lot of them. I haven't talked to hundreds of hunters but I've talked to enough of them to know that there are plenty of them out there. They usually won't admit that they enjoy killing the animal but when it isn't too hard to figure out. Practically none of these people have told me that they hunt because the meat is healthier and they use this meat in place of buying meat.

Now it is possible that hunters from big cities hunt for a different reason than hunters who live in rural areas. I don't deny that.

I don't think it matters what the reason the hunter kills the animal or if he enjoys killing it. As long as he is hunting legally and the animal is not wasted what does it matter?

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by 3kings

I don't think it matters what the reason the hunter kills the animal or if he enjoys killing it. As long as he is hunting legally and the animal is not wasted what does it matter?

I love animals. I am appalled that anyone would want to kill one. If it's a necessity to kill one, I can understand that. As I said before, if I lived in the wilderness and I had to fend for myself, I would probably go fishing. I wouldn't enjoy killing the fish. I would actually feel bad about it but I would do it out of necessity.

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by 3kings

I don't think it matters what the reason the hunter kills the animal or if he enjoys killing it. As long as he is hunting legally and the animal is not wasted what does it matter?

it doesn't matter. the trick is that some say 'live and let live' and others say 'i don't understand it, or want to do it, so it must be wrong'. people who hunt just want to maintain that right-why should they change?

rupert, no one is saying 'i hunt, you must hunt too'. so why should you be able to say 'i don't hunt, don't comprehend it, so no one should do it'??

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Danzig

it doesn't matter. the trick is that some say 'live and let live' and others say 'i don't understand it, or want to do it, so it must be wrong'. people who hunt just want to maintain that right-why should they change?

rupert, no one is saying 'i hunt, you must hunt too'. so why should you be able to say 'i don't hunt, don't comprehend it, so no one should do it'??

As I said before, i would never say someone shouldn't do something simply because I don't like it, if it a victimless activity. I don't care what you do in your home. But when I see someting that I think is an injustice, it's a different story.

Let's take horseracing. There are some animal rights groups that are against it. Whether I agree with them or not, I totally respect their objections to horseracing. I think they have every right to object. They think it is cruel and that is understandable. That wouldn't be the same as a group objecting to a victimless crime like smoking marijuana in your home. Can't you see why people would object to something they think is cruel?

[jms62]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

As I said before, i would never say someone shouldn't do something simply because I don't like it, if it a victimless activity. I don't care what you do in your home. But when I see someting that I think is an injustice, it's a different story.

Let's take horseracing. There are some animal rights groups that are against it. Whether I agree with them or not, I totally respect their objections to horseracing. I think they have every right to object. They think it is cruel and that is understandable. That wouldn't be the same as a group objecting to a victimless crime like smoking marijuana in your home. Can't you see why people would object to something they think is cruel?

It's cruel that in support of your "victimless" crime, thousands die every year in Mexico in horrible ways but since you partake, it's cool.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by jms62

You specifically stated that a large percentage of hunters do it for fun. Please show me your evidence supporting your position that a large percentage of hunters do it for fun. Don't simply pull more numbers out your ass.

I just clarified what I meant by a large percent in my last post. It doesn't matter whether it's 10% or 80%, there are people out there doing it for sport. Do you dispute that? There will never be a way to know anything close to a precise percentage because not everyone who simply hunts for sport will admit that it is just for sport.

There aren't a ton of hunters who live in Los Angeles, so I can't claim to knowing a lot of hunters. But I have met some. A good friend of mine (who happens to be a very successful pinhooker) is a hunter. He lives in Ocala. I talk to him about once a week on the phone. I will often give him a hard time about hunting. He usually uses a cross-bow. I think he eats a lot of what he kills but he pretty much does it for fun. Like most hunters, he likes the challenge, the outdoors, the camaraderie, and that type of thing. I tell him to go play golf instead and he will still have the challenge, camaraderie, etc., but he won't be taking a life.

[jms62]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

I just clarified what I meant by a large percent in my last post. It doesn't matter whether it's 10% or 80%, there are people out there doing it for sport. Do you dispute that? There will never be a way to know anything close to a precise percentage because not everyone who simply hunts for sport will admit it that it is just for sport.

There aren't a ton of hunters who live in Los Angeles, so I can't claim to knowing a lot of hunters. But I have met some. A good friend of mine (who happens to be a very successful pinhooker) is a hunter. He lives in Ocala. I talk to him about once a week on the phone. I will often give him a hard time about hunting. He usually uses a cross-bow. I think he eats a lot of what he kills but he pretty much does it for fun. Like most hunters, he likes the challenge, the outdoors, the camaraderie, and that type of thing. I tell him to go play golf instead and he will still have the challenge, camaraderie, etc., but he won't be taking a life.

What does that mean? Does he kill things and not eat them or give them to someone who will?

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by jms62

What does that mean? Does he kill things and not eat them or give them to someone who will?

I think he gives it to someone who will eat it. I guess you could argue that it doesn't matter who eats it, as long as someone eats it. That is a legitimate argument. But I would argue that he is still just killing for fun, which he basically admits, but not in those words. As I said before, when I ask him why he does it, he talks about the challenge, the camraderie, etc. That doesn't sound to me like any kind of necessity. If he truly believed that this was the only healthy meat, and he hunted so that he had this meat to feed his family, then I wouldn't have a problem with it.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Speaking of deer, here is a good story about a stray dog and a deer that became good friends.

http://news.yahoo.com/video/motherle...032652172.html