Uhhhh...are there any hunters in this group? Sorry if I'm offending anyone...
But the other thing that actually made me feel ill is the length (and expense!) that these people will go to to hunt deer. All these high-tech tree stands and clothing covered with a leaf-life material and a garnish that you could wrap around yourself to look even MORE like a tree, an evil, gun-wielding tree that is, plus the bags of deer chow and other attractants you can use to lure the deer into a false sense of security (or maybe even a garter belt!) and well, it seemed like the deer don't stand a chance! It was very depressing.
In (some) defense of hunters:
If we are to eat meat, then killing animals is the price.
If venison is to be reasonably edible, the deer must be killed swiftly - a wounded animal runs through the forest with its glands spewing out all sorts of nasty enzymes which taint the meat - thus a "good shot" and a quick kill is best for hunter and hunted alike.
Whether we hunt the deer wearing homespun clothes armed with a bow and arrow, or use a high powered sniper scope from a low flying plane, from the deer's point of view, it's all the same. The bow-and-arrow hunters who claim they are giving their prey a fair chance present a most fatuous argument. If you want to give them a "fair chance" then stay at home and watch football on TV.
Many hunters will tell you the part they enjoy most about their hunting trips is the whole "getting down with nature" business (me, I'd "get down" with a camera, not a gun.)
If I were to pass an ethical judgment on a hunter, I would ask her to rank the following in order of appreciation: the treks through the woods, the kill, the "dressing", and the dining. Those who place "the killing" high on the list have a problem.
From an ecological point of view, in many areas of the country (including here in Southern Delaware) the white tail deer have become an endemic pest - destroying both natural habitat and agriculture. The herds have become much larger than the land can sustain, and lots of deaths from starvation over the winter are to be expected. For the good of both man and beast, the herds must be thinned out - we either encourage the hunters or let contracts for private enterprise to harvest set quantities. Those who espouse "nature's way" would need to restock the woodlands with the deer's natural enemies: wild cats, wolves, and bears, to restore nature's balance.
And surely, little Betty Sue in camouflage is no more distressing than JonBenet Ramsey in her
Slutty Sue Fetching Franny Little Miss Molest Me outfits.
I wonder what would happen if you required all kids who wanted hunting licences to first show thay could kill and butcher a hog?
On a personal note, I am much less concerned with my son-in-law taking the lads out deer/goose hunting than I am with my daughter who thought having the guests (ages 5-11) shoot BB guns at a target as a birthday party activity was a good idea!
Hunting for game was a regular (and necessary) activity for our rural ancestors, so I guess for our sons to hunt and our girls to knit is in the finest of tradition.
Like so much in life, the issue around "hunting" (and guns in general) should be "responsibilty". The Columbine kids were not Ted Nugents in training!
End of counter-rant.
der Brucer
