Thoughts for Thursday: Hunting

Today my thoughts are about hunting.  I hope this isn't too controversial of a topic to post about, but isn't that sometimes the point of TFT?

I am not a big fan of hunting, but I do have some mixed feelings about it.  I DO think it is okay to hunt for animals that are over-populated in an area, such as the white-tailed deer in MN (as long as you secure the appropriate hunting license, of course!).  They are everywhere!  Truth is that many of these animals will die in the winter from lack of food lack or disease.  I would rather that the population be controlled by hunters than to have the animals die of starvation or disease (or God Forbid commit suicide by jumping in front of some unsuspecting driver....that happens a lot around here too.)

I also think hunting is okay as long as the hunter plans to eat the meat or make use of other parts of the animal.  For thousands of years humans had to hunt in order to survive.  Many of these Native tribes also paid tribute and prayed for the animal's spirit, even having ceremonies to honor them. Did they hunt because they enjoyed it? Not really sure the answer to that.....

I have tried a variety of wild game in the last several years. (You may recall that I posted about the delicious venison steak a friend made for E and I the other night. )  Some wild game meat tastes okay, but I usually prefer meat you can typically buy from a butcher. Growing up, I was not never much of a meat-eater.  Basically I didn't eat anything other than turkey, chicken or ground beef.  If I ate steak I had to eat it well-done....any pink and forget it!!  All of that changed after E and I started dating.  He is a true carnivore and prefers his meat more on the rare side.  I have learned through experience that the less cooked the meat is, the more tender and tasty it is.  If someone had told me 10 years ago that I would enjoy my steak cooked medium, I would've thought they were crazy!    I still will not anything rare, though.  That is too much for me!  As much of an animal lover as I am, I do understand the food chain.  I personally just try not to think about the animal in its living being while I am eating meat. 

What I do not understand is the SPORT of hunting.  I can not imagine for the life of me getting a thrill out of killing an animal, just for the sake of killing it.  To put the animals head up on the wall? That totally grosses me out. Some people pay big $$$ to be brought to an area where they can shoot big-game at close-range.   What is it that drives those devout hunters to killing so many animals? What does it say about their personalities? Would they be serial-killers if they weren't allowed the release through hunting? Scary, scary thought.

Obviously I also think it is wrong to kill animals that are endangered.  Thank goodness for Global Wildlife Conservation efforts.  Prior to the 60's and 70's, just about anyone could kill polar bears, lions, zebra, etc.

Does anyone have thoughts either in opposition or advocation of hunting they would like to share?  Any hunters or hunter's wives reading this? How do my vegetarians feel about hunting?

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Other people participating in TFT this week:

My previous post about gender-based education

Nicole M on life accomplishments

Nicole B on holiday traditions

Michelle on kids and TV

Greta on accepting how things are

Amy on getting inspiration

Mary on Typepad

Jenny on what you see when you look in the mirror

Robyn on being scared in a scary society

Comments

[Leslie A. Collins]

Hi Kristi, I am the wife of an avid hunter. Jade loves to hunt. But, he is not one of those, "I will shoot something just to say I shot something" kind of guys. He does not like to gun hunt. He thinks there is no challenge in it. He has the meat processed. I used to be totally against eating venision, but I like it now. We have certain ways of eating it. I look at it this way, I could go buy beef from the store that is pumped with chemicals or I could eat venison off of their property that they feed carrots and corn to. He did go bear hunting in Alberta and shot one. He donated the meat to a tribe. I don't see the point in hunting, but I am not against it either. Sometimes, I don'understand how Jade can kill an animal because he is a huge animal lover. He has shot something before and it didn't die and ran away. I have seen him shed a few tears over situations like that because he was so sad he wounded an animal.

I think that this was a great topic. :)

[michelle]

Well Kristi, I am with you on this. If someone is going to hunt in a fair manner (no baiting) and will keep and eat the meat, then fine. But there are many, many people out there that bait animals, shoot them, take a picture then take off. What's the sense in that? I am an animal lover and I empathize way too much so I find it hard to accept. But, that being said, I know it's a fact of life that I can't control, I guess I just wish there were more "moral" hunters out there. Enough said on my part...

[greta adams]

i don't get the whole hunting thing but it is big down here with these rednecks...but they eat the meat so it's not hunting just to kill something...i personally won't eat any of it...i think it is nasty ...i have tried it and it is just GRODY to me

[RobynD]

My husband hunts, I don't have a problem with it. We eat the meat. I don't enjoy cooking it, due to the smell, but I don't mind eating it. It seems like more of a guys week away to me. I think unless one is a vegan you can't really complain about how the animal is hunted. Do you really think livestock is treated well? I do have friend that go to South Dakota to hunt, but they actually hunt not get driven up to some "game farm" to shoot something. And they all eat what they take. I think the hanging of the heads is crazy.

[amy]

i don't have a problem with hunting, providing it's done legally (with permit, during correct season, etc.) my husband hunts (though hasn't been too successful in the last few years!!!) i don't particuliarly care for venison.

my husband has the utmost respect for nature and the environment, and he loves animals. as for hunting as a sport.... well for him, i don't think it's any different than someone who enjoys golf. he loves the peace and serenity that the outdoors has to offer.

you are right, about dear hunting. it's a necessary or the deer will die of starvation.

[keith beck]

whats up:) i am a hunter my wife will soon be a hunter, people need to understand that if it wasnt for hunting there would not be parks, natural areas, conservation areas, lakes, and many other things that are paid for by hunting permits, and the main thing there would be no animals in the wild at all if it wasnt for us...historical fact look it up. also if more parents took thier kids hunting instead of running the streets or sitting on the couch gettin fat and stupid the world would be a much better place, people who think all hunting is 100% wrong, are fools caught up in todays yuppie bullshit! god put animals here for us just ask a indian, nobody would even be were they are today if there ancestors didnt hunt.. there are 3 types of hunters.. meat hunters, hunt for food and food only..2nd trophy hunters, they have been hunting a long time and have developed thier skills to this level or people who have more money than they now what to do with and they hunt to say they are hunters "fucking posers". and 3rd are true hunters they are a combination of the meat hunter and trophy hunter because thier skill has developed or years of practice, and hunt for all the right reasons, cause it is a part of life that nature reqiures for survival. 4th and what i am... i am a killer i was born from a killer and my son is a killer i have no choice in this its who i am and what most hunters dont talk about and or are ashamed of it because of todays society standards, "killing anything is wrong" killing is life "LIFE AND DEATH" you cant have one with out the other, i hunt for meat, for trophys, the family that hunts together stays together, hunting saved my life, hunting will save my sons life, i love killing things and i am not ashamed of it i am a predator i have k-9 teeth for a reason, killng animals for any reasons other than positive ones is wrong and fucks it up for us hunters, ie: "fur coats" and other stupid shit like that... thrill of the KILL the best HIGH in the world. god knew what he was doing when he gave us andrenaline, no drug on the planet can match it bar none. to answer your question yes man would hunt man,if there were no animals, or we were not allowed to hunt anymore lets hope it dont come down to that.........i kill because im damn good at it ie: my email address, check out my facebook picture and see what i killed with my wife when i took her hunting for the first time this year...happy holdays....deadly......

[Noel]

Yeah...the "thrill of the kill" does not equate in my mind. I have always been a meat eater. I grew up in a rural farming town and at the age of about 6 I think witnessed my first and only "butchering" of a cow. It made me phyically ill and I had to go in the house and throw up. Just recalling that is drawing anger in me at my dad for taking my brother and I to see that. Anyway.... to hunt for food is cool with me. To hunt to kill and get off on it is weirdo/strange-o to me. Serial killers do usually start by killing small animals and what not...yikes!

Happy holidays...deadly... dude is freaking me out! especially this part "i love killing things and i am not ashamed of it i am a predator i have k-9 teeth for a reason". Eeek!

[zoe]

wow. keith scared me a bit there. i am a veggie. i don't hunt and i personally can not understand the thrill of it. my husband hunts and 2 of my boys want to. i guess i can live with it for the reasons you mentioned such as food, over population ect. it's when its simply as sport or for things like fur that really makes me ill. my hubby and i have an agreement: if you kill it don't bring it home to clean it-do it elsewhere. i won't cook it.

[lesfitz]

I agree with you Kristi...to do it just for sport isn't something I think is great, but for food on the table then yes. I have eaten a few meats that I liked more than I thought I would (moose, caribou, reindeer); I never have cared for deer though (maybe it was the way it was cooked).

[jenny]

so i'm a little late on my response this week.

i used to hunt. my husband still hunts small game and white-tailed deer. he bow hunts and rifle hunts. we eat the meat - it saves us money! this year my husband didn't find rifle hunting really 'fun' so he might try just bow hunting all season next year. it's the 'game' of it all i think that they like. that and the meat is nice to have in the freezer. so i have no gripe with hunting other than it consumes them for the entire season. what i don't like is when people hunt and get the rack of the deer and then go dump the whole carcass in the pit or ditch. what a waste of meat that some family could use. i hate that.

there are my thoughts. :) good post.