# How Do Big Game Hunters Justify Their 'Sport'? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 10, 2008, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968 "2008-07-10T13:17:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/61 "2008-07-10T15:53:21Z")
[QUOTE=Koxinga] You keep rebutting arguments that nobody here is making. [/QUOTE] Is Slaphead not arguing that ALL domesticated dogs are primarily geared towards hunting, even when their pack leader is a human? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/62 "2008-07-10T15:56:49Z")
[QUOTE=ivan astikov] Which ones in particular, Paul? My main point is that hunting any animal for sport or pleasure, is not the activity of a normal person, and I think the percentage of people who do so, compared to those who don’t, fully bears out what I am saying. [/QUOTE] Let’s get back to the very basics here. Are you a vegan? Are you a PETA member? Do you where leather. I would guess that you directly contribute to animal death yourself yet make some arbitrary distinction about others. What is big game hunting anyway? Are deer big game? If so then, yes, they do need to be hunted and killed because they are vermin and easily overpopulate to cause great harm to people. They literally kill many people every year when they jump in front of cars. They also do great crop damage and they will overpopulate to the point of causing mass starvation for themselves during the winter. They are a species that thrives around humans and there are more around than there ever have been in the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/63 "2008-07-10T15:56:56Z")
p.s. I can say “STAY!” to my dog, to prevent it following it’s ‘hunting instincts’. What would happen if I said that to a guy with a high velocity rifle? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/64 "2008-07-10T15:58:53Z")
[QUOTE=ivan astikov] Is Slaphead not arguing that ALL domesticated dogs are primarily geared towards hunting, even when their pack leader is a human? [/QUOTE] No, he’s saying that MOST dogs WILL hunt, even when they’re not hungry, if given the chance to do so, not that ALL dogs are PRIMARILY GEARED towards hunting. Nobody has said anything about all dogs being EFFICIENT hunters, either. You’re scattering your rhetorical seed all over the place, and none of it is getting anywhere near the rhetorical ovum. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/65 "2008-07-10T15:59:16Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Let’s get back to the very basics here. Are you a vegan? Are you a PETA member? Do you where leather. I would guess that you directly contribute to animal death yourself yet make some arbitrary distinction about others. What is big game hunting anyway? Are deer big game? If so then, yes, they do need to be hunted and killed because they are vermin and easily overpopulate to cause great harm to people. They literally kill many people every year when they jump in front of cars. They also do great crop damage and they will overpopulate to the point of causing mass starvation for themselves during the winter. They are a species that thrives around humans and there are more around than there ever have been in the U.S. [/QUOTE] The basics are real simple; I don’t kill ANY animals for my own amusement. I object to people that do. How difficult is that to comprehend? ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/66 "2008-07-10T16:00:01Z")
[QUOTE=Shagnasty] Let’s get back to the very basics here. Are you a vegan? Are you a PETA member? Do you where leather. I would guess that you directly contribute to animal death yourself yet make some arbitrary distinction about others. [/QUOTE] Thank you. I asked those questions first page and they were completely ignored by _ivan_. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/67 "2008-07-10T16:00:52Z")
[QUOTE=ivan astikov] Which ones in particular, Paul? My main point is that hunting any animal for sport or pleasure, is not the activity of a normal person, and I think the percentage of people who do so, compared to those who don’t, fully bears out what I am saying. [/QUOTE] Well, since several billion humans before us over all the continents and all the millennia have hunted, the idea that normal people do not hunt is absurd on the face of it. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/68 "2008-07-10T16:02:43Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] No, he’s saying that MOST dogs WILL hunt, even when they’re not hungry, if given the chance to do so, not that ALL dogs are PRIMARILY GEARED towards hunting. Nobody has said anything about all dogs being EFFICIENT hunters, either. You’re scattering your rhetorical seed all over the place, and none of it is getting anywhere near the rhetorical ovum. [/QUOTE] So, Slaphead is allowed to suggest a vague amount like “most”, and I can’t use descriptive language? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/69 "2008-07-10T16:08:52Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay] Thank you. I asked those questions first page and they were completely ignored by _ivan_. [/QUOTE] Because whether or not I am a vegan, or wear leather, has no relation on the subject at hand. For emphasis, I am talking ONLY about people who get ENJOYMENT, PLEASURE, or SATISFACTION from the killing of another creature, specifically with high powered rifles. If you can equate any of my personal activities to what these kind of people do, I’ll happily recant my position of accusing them of being abnormal. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/70 "2008-07-10T16:10:55Z")
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi] Well, since several billion humans before us over all the continents and all the millennia have hunted, the idea that normal people do not hunt is absurd on the face of it. [/QUOTE] Of the several billion that are on it NOW, what percentage do you think are out hunting, PURELY FOR FUN? ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/71 "2008-07-10T16:15:42Z")
[QUOTE=ivan astikov] Of the several billion that are on it NOW, what percentage do you think are out hunting, PURELY FOR FUN? [/QUOTE] I’d say a fair percentage sate their hunting instincts thru substitute activities like gaming and sports. If you count bloody-minded sports fans, the percentage is even greater. Hunting and inflicting violence, either directly, vicariously, or virtually, is indeed fun. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/72 "2008-07-10T16:20:20Z")
[QUOTE=Koxinga] I’d say a fair percentage sate their hunting instincts thru substitute activities like gaming and sports. If you count bloody-minded sports fans, the percentage is even greater. Hunting and inflicting violence, either directly, vicariously, or virtually, is indeed fun. [/QUOTE] Civilised humans take part in “proper” sports, and gaming, the violent ones kill animals for fun. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/73 "2008-07-10T16:21:00Z")
Do you realize that you are trying to make black and white what is mostly gray? Hunting for fun and killing for fun are two completely different things. Hunting for fun means that you enjoy going on a trip in the wilderness, hanging out with like minded friends, learning what you can about stalking and your prey’s behavior, telling lies over a beer at the end of the day about the one that got away. Yes those things are fun for some people. I doubt there are very many people that go on a hunt with the sole purpose of killing. There is much more to it than that. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/74 "2008-07-10T16:22:38Z")
[QUOTE=ivan astikov] I am talking ONLY about people who get ENJOYMENT, PLEASURE, or SATISFACTION from the killing of another creature. [/QUOTE] Have you ever enjoyed a hamburger, gotten pleasure from eating a nicely done steak, or satifaction from wearing a leather coat? If so, I trust you are now ready to recant. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/75 "2008-07-10T16:25:13Z")
Does it count if I am an inefficient hunter? I have never had the time, money or inclination to do more than deer hunting, but I can say that for the past ten years any deer near me is probably safer than he would be near the highway. But I am still out there freezing my kiskes off every fall… ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/76 "2008-07-10T16:27:07Z")
I don’t know if anyone linked to it, but I started a thread on trophy hunting a while back: > **[What kind of heads would you like on your wall? - Trophy Huntig](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=453043)** > > I have always wanted to take up trophy hunting to get some cool animal heads for my wall. I am not really sure which animals are protected so that is something I will have to research before I take up trophy hunting. My top five is: African Buffalo... ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/77 "2008-07-10T16:27:29Z")
[QUOTE=ivan astikov] Of the several billion that are on it NOW, what percentage do you think are out hunting, PURELY FOR FUN? [/QUOTE] So you do not object to what they are doing but why they are doing it? Thought crime? ===added=== You know the story about the Presperterian minster who could not sleep at night because he knew someone out there was having a good time? ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/78 "2008-07-10T16:28:39Z")
[QUOTE=Koxinga] Have you ever enjoyed a hamburger, gotten pleasure from eating a nicely done steak, or satifaction from wearing a leather coat? If so, I trust you are now ready to recant. [/QUOTE] The first two, yes; I need those things to survive, albeit in much smaller quantities nowadays. The last one, not since I was old enough to know better. So, no full recantation, I’m afraid. If my parents had been “veggies”, I’d likely have avoided your first two examples also. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/79 "2008-07-10T16:31:58Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] I don’t know if anyone linked to it, but I started a thread on trophy hunting a while back: > **[What kind of heads would you like on your wall? - Trophy Huntig](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=453043)** > > I have always wanted to take up trophy hunting to get some cool animal heads for my wall. I am not really sure which animals are protected so that is something I will have to research before I take up trophy hunting. My top five is: African Buffalo... [/QUOTE] Hee hee. It hasn’t done as well as mine! But is far funnier! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968/80 "2008-07-10T16:32:47Z")
First, a clarification: In the OP, does “Big Game Hunting” refer to trophy hunting, or does it refer to hunting large animals? If the former, it bothers me, too – and it applies to fishing as well. I don’t like the idea of killing something just so that I can hang some portion of it (or a replica of some portion of it) on my wall. If the latter, I don’t see your problem. There are people living around here that couldn’t afford meat in their freezers if they couldn’t go out every autumn and shoot an elk or a few deer. It’s excellent meat, and it helps keep the populations under control. I’d much rather have a deer end up feeding a family than end up embedded in my front grille at sunset. If you eat meat, then it’s a bit disingenuous to criticize hunters who eat their kills. The person who eats cows that have made the trip through a slaughterhouse is certainly no better than the one who eats elk that have been shot by a hunter. Just for the record, I don’t hunt, but I like catching big fish and eating them. And I trade fish for venison with my hunting friends. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-big-game-hunters-justify-their-sport/455968.md?page=5)