Dave wrote:


And I would also suggest that the killing of animals for the
commercial market is done in a faster, more efficient manner. I have
to wonder how many hunters kill their prey on the first shot? How much
terror and pain do many gun killed animals go through before they're
actually killed? How many animals escape, critically injured, go off
to die on their own in agony? That's part and parcel of hunting too.
Guess you approve of that, eh Mike?

Have you ever made yourself aware what the entire life of those commercially
market animals is like Dave? You know - the ones you and I enjoy eating. I
don't see you objecting to that.


And for the rest of you, this has nothing to do with culling herds,
getting rid of pests or other bothersome animals. Those are all valid
reasons in my book for killing animals. Hunting for sport or pleasure
is not. And, bragging about it is nearly as bad.

If there were no seasons regulating the taking of deer, people would simply
go out and shoot one when they needed it. It would be the same people going
afield, taking the same amount of deer. The only difference is it would not
look so much like a sport to you because it would be a regular occurrance
and not something that happens once a year during a specified season.


The truth is, that I'm not really so down on hunting. It's the
bragging and professing one's self as a great animal killer that sets
me off. I'd rather that one just did it if they chose to and then went
about their business.

People have always been proud of their accomplishments. You were once a
hunter, so you know it is not a matter of stepping out into the woods with a
high powered rifle, and shooting the deer of your chosing, three or four
times. Hunting is an objective, and fulfilling that objective is something
that makes people proud of their accomplishment. Happy that they were
successful. Greatful that they were successful. Dave in Texas made no such
profession of being a great animal killer, and your statement is unfair to
him. He simply posted a picture of a deer he took and is somewhat proud of,
amongst a group of friends. Nothing that really warrants your harsh
criticism of him and his accomplishment.

I think I'll bow out of this discussion at this point, since I really don't
even have a dog in this fight. I think we've pretty much established our
individual positions on the matter and pursuing it any further is probably
not going to be very productive.


--

-Mike-