Since my totally innocuous comment was deemed worthy of deletion (a conservative so afraid of other ideas, he can't tolerate hearing the opinions of anyone who doesn't march lockstep with his views, but that's another rant...), I'll post my opinion here.
I have one major objection to hunting. I have no objection to the idea of hunting, just how it is implemented.
Consider: A predator, stalking prey, is going to take out the old, the weak, the sick, the young, and the unfit. In thinning the herd, the predator is going to make sure the next generation is strong. This is not some benevolent action on the part of the predator, simply that it's in its own interests to not get injured in any particular hunt, as that's a death sentence.
Contrast that to the actions of hunters. Human hunters, throughout history, have traditionally taken the best of the herd. It's a prestige thing, and it establishes dominance among the tribe. We've taken the part of the herd that should be producing the next generation.
This was never a problem when the predators were taking the majority of the kills from a herd. Our kills were a small enough portion to not significantly affect the genetic health of the herd. But then we took on the predators. There aren't enough predators to maintain the herd any more.
So we have to thin the herds. And we're doing it poorly. We're taking the majority of the kills from the strong and the fit. We're weakening the herd in our efforts to maintain the herd.
What to do? Educating the hunters seems unlikely to work. What hunter wants to pull up at a gas station with an old, sickened bull, well past its prime, crippled by an injury, missing its antlers? He'd be laughed out of the state. It's STILL a prestige thing, even after fifty thousand years.
Please, if anyone knows of wildlife management efforts to maintain the health and strength of the herds, let me know.
Note: This isn't a rant against hunting. I am entirely for hunting, at least in areas where the natural balance isn't maintained (i.e. not sufficient predators). I hope that more areas can be returned to the natural balance. It's not going to happen in all areas, but in large wildlife preserves it hopefully can. Hunting is now a necessity. I just wish it was done with more intelligence and planning, rather than randomly.
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| Response to the recent Hunting blog |
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Fender
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Oct 31 @ 11:05AM
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What I hate around here, it's illegal but people still do it. There are so many moose coming out in the fall time, they get these giant lights, blind them when they see them on the road and then shoot them.
...No hunting at all. Just random sightings then boom.
I also hate it when people have moose, deer,etc., and straddle the carcasses on their vehicles, and instead of going to tend to the animal immediately, they drive around town for a while showing it off. That's what happen's here and it sucks!
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stormbringer99
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Oct 31 @ 11:16AM
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This is an excellent blog and a very true observation!
Predators are necessary and I personally think they are amazing and beautiful.
Too bad we have unbalanced so many natural systems.
Your point on the hunters culling the prime animals is very true!
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sparechange64
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Oct 31 @ 10:25PM
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Educating the hunters seems unlikely to work yeah ... egos are too big
Let me just say SNG ... that I have been an avid hunter for years ... and though I would probably not shoot a limping bearded one-rack-sided, you get the point - deer ... I usually aim for the 4-8 pointers IF I do not get a doe license ... IF I get a doe license ... I bypass the buck all together ... doe's taste better anyways ... and there's more of them
AND ... if I am say ... large-mouth fishing and catch a 3-4 pounder, he's mine ... but if I catch that 6 pound 10 ounce monster (like I did in ohio) ... then ya let him go
Much of hunting is showing off instead of the intent - to provide for
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KAOS2007
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Oct 31 @ 10:30PM
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Me no like hunting. 
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