Scylla, I hadn’t just ignored your thoughtful and well written post. As I stated upthread, I am still digesting some of the replies I had been given…yours most of all.
I’ll confess my thread title and OP was a little poorly expressed, to say the least ( “How do trophy hunters justify or qualify their actions?”, maybe?), but my main intention was to provoke discussion, and try and get an insight into what the hunting fraternity may think about such activities.
I asked my question about bullfighting, because I wanted to hear the opinions of people who are obviously not squeamish, to see if any of you would be sympathetic to the bull’s plight.
Yes he was and he was fully aware that waving a red flag, real or symbolic, at a woman is way more dangerous than doing the same with an aggressive bull. Bull fighting may be a cop out for a man in such a potential confrontation but it is stupid to get badly hurt by a woman when there are safer alternatives.
It is safer to be hurt by a charging bull? It is safer to be hurt by a runaway car? What sort of level of safety are we seeking that would permit the hurt but make it safer than allowing the woman to inflict it?
Oh boy, I see you don’t know these types of women and good for you. Most of the women in my life are smart, attractive, and successful but you have to handle them like a snake charmer and the results are just as bad if you get it wrong. I was raised by a mother that has red hair and freckles also known as a “Ginger”. Watch the documentary South Park to see what that is all about. I will take the bull.
In the play called the “The Mourning Bride” (1697) by William Congreve he says “Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned / Nor hell a fury like a woman scorned.” The man knew what he was talking about.
You didn’t know a lot about ‘waterboarding’ until recently, but your interest in gaining more knowledge prompted a startling and very effective post addressing the subject.I take it bullfighting doesn’t really grab your attention?
Certain big game animals will track the hunter. The Cape Buffalo, and one of the forms of wild boar are ranked as highly dangerous for the hunter themselves. Bear are also a difficult kill from what I understand - like the boar they have an extremely thick skull and even a high powered round may simply ricochet off and leave an extremely pissed off animal that is more than capable of easily killing a human.
Bull, I have shot neighborhood pet dogs attacking my sheep and my ram particularly I had to do over 250 stitches repairing damage done in a dog attack that left 2 lambs dead and not even nibbled at. The animal warden was given the license tags off the dogs and he went and fined the owners in question for not controlling their animals by leashing or fencing them in.
These were well fed and well groomed animals, and not particular hunting dogs [you don’t train 35 lb spaniels to hunt a 250 lb ram … they are water retrievers. Add a german shepherd and 2 corgis to the mix and you have a wolf pack out for fun]
aruvquan: Regarding your first post, I apologise if my previous posts make it seem like I think hunters of any sort are doing something any half-wit can do. I realise there are all sorts of skill levels involved in what they do. I also understand hunters could use those same tracking skills to find people who are lost, and for all other positive reasons. I just can’t relate to the use of an animals remains as a trophy. As people have already mentioned, if the hunter was using a camera to ‘shoot’ the animal, I’d positively admire these people.
As for your second post, I’m aware of the problems you state, and the only reason I ever mentioned dogs, was because they, like us humans, are a wild animal that has become domesticated. Am I right with that assumption? If so, am I not just a little bit right that we are less wild now, than we were 10,000 years ago?
There is a lot of well cooked meat on your plate Scylla, and I’d feel a little rude just picking at the veg…is there anything specifically you want me to address?
