Thank you for showing me your rudimentary knowledge of zoology. No one is saying they equal people, I am just suggesting that perhaps it is teh people who are overpopulating Maryland, and not the bears. The exchange rate seems to be about 10,000 to 1 yet people still seem to find humans more valuable.
I think we should have a national murder day. You get to kill one person legally in an effort to cull the herd.
Erek
I guess you haven’t been to JayJay’s in Saint Louis or seen any Tom of Finland artwork…
I was touched by the fact that a father would share that sort of experience with a girl. This would have been totally unheard of in my time. I’m 54.
If we ever want to see women to have the same opportunity and experience in areas where men dominate, historically, no other human endeavour can match hunting as a male preserve.
Ergo, the rifle is a great equalizer ?
I dunno – which of them are still going to be there next weekend?
If bear huntin’ seasons get more popular, rural folks will definitely have to invest in bright orange vests for their black Labradors.
“And there’s 10 stuffed heads
In my trophy room right now…
Two game wardens,
Seven hunters,
And a pure-bred Guernsey cow.”
-Tom Lehrer
Morally, the difference between someone who will directly confront people whose conduct he dislikes* and someone who will “take it up with the legislature” consists solely of the fact that the former has the courage of his convictions and the latter is spinelessly hiding behind intermediaries.
I still think taking someone out of school for a day to go hunting is inappropriate, but I don’t consider it an appropriate subject to “take up with the legislature”.
*I gather from your phrasing that you are referring to cases where someone has an aesthetic objection to someone else’s behavior, but cannot show that it is actually dangerous.
Bricker–that sounds a great organization. I like deer sausage–and wish I could get some around here.
I find hunting for the bloodlust of it distasteful and de-humanizing. I can understand the skill and dedication needed to be a good hunter. I dislike the attitude of “let’s go kill us some bambi” etc. Good hunters respect nature and recognize her limitations and her dangers, IMO.
Thus endeth the lecture (sorry…)
“Soylent Green is Deer!”
Steve MB I totally agree with you about direct confrontation. I have always felt like protests were stupid and useless. Then reading an article about a Wal Mart employee that turned in a high school student for doing an anti-bush poster for his Civics assignment on the Bill of Rights in Kitty Hawk NC, I realized, that protestors should be protesting guys like this. They shouldn’t be protesting in front of the White House and UN. They should be going to Mal Warts where tools like this work and protesting them directly.
Erek
My hippyometer just broke.
Erek
My father was a hunter, and I have eaten many a Canadian goose, pheasant and quail, but to be honest it seems a bit … umm…“forced” to go to the time and trouble to get an 8 year old licensed, armed and set up to plunk a bear at dawn.
I’m all for father-daughter bonding, but I think this is something that it would have been better to pursue when she was a teenager. Maybe it’s just my experience with my occasionally irresponsible and careless kids, but arming an 8 year old with a powerful rifle doesn’t seem to (IMO) be an especially prudent thing to do, and speaks more to a super enthusiastic parent’s pushing, than to a child’s earnest desire.
Pure speculation on your part.
So you don’t think that the fact that she bagged herself a bear is evidence that she might not be the kind of kid you are talking about, and perhaps a one size fits all attitude might be inappropriate?
Erek
Yup. Finding pleasure in any kind of killing is ridiculous. We omnivores eat meat to survive but it’s a necessary evil. Those hunters who pose for pictures act like they accomplished something. They were just there when a particular outstanding specimen happened along. They didn’t create it. They didn’t build it. They shot it.
If you don’t feel guilty for living you’re cold and unfeeling!!!
As I said in my initial post, I think hunting from necessity is different than hunting for fun. I would include “hunting as a response against overpopulation” as a necessity. The reality of human population growth is that we have largely replaced the natural predators at the top of the food chain. It is necessary for us to exercise that postition.
Personally, I’d rather see a reintroduction of the large predators but I know that’s not at all realistic. For example, I’d like to see wolves reintroduced to the Cuyahoga Valley national park in order to help control the deer population there. And while I’m at it, I’d like a pony. And a boat. And some ice cream. But I digress.
Crafter_Man and mswas, what I said was, “I think hunting for fun is inhumane.” Since you asked directly, allow me to elaborate
In my opinion, if the only reason one hunts is because one finds killing enjoyable, than yes, I would say that one is inhumane.
If one is hunting for necessity, including food, wildlife control or protection, that, in my opinion is different and reasonable.
Persumably even the necessity hunters find it enjoyable on some level or they would have a different hobby. But there is a difference between the good hunters and the people who are just out to blow shit up. I would indeed consider the later inhumane.
Also, keep in mind that I praised that young girl for learning that it was important to kill the animal cleanly. I would say that too is a difference between humane and inhumane hunters - humane hunters see to it that the animal suffers as little as possible.
She could be the world’s best young hunter, my objection isn’t so much the bear getting bagged, hunting bears is fully and possibly necessary in some situations. Two things kinda-sorta bother me in this scenario and the objections are more aesthetic and safety related than anything to do with the necessity of hunting bears.
Firstly, the notion of getting an 8 year old licensed, outfitted, set up and positioned to bag the bear smells vaguely like a stunt by an super enthusiastic hunting parent.
Secondly, maybe it’s just me, but I’m just not comfortable with the notion of an 8 year old handling a high powered firearm. It doesnt strike me a good common sense.
In my high school, taking off the first day of hunting season was pretty normal for a fair number of kids. Between this, the 4H fair, and senior skip day, the administration finally threw up its hands and authorized for each student one, and only one, personal day.
Interestingly, the personal day policy killed senior skip day, because most of us had already taken our personal day in small groups by spring.
There are a few corners in West B-more I could drop you off on*… 
*Not directed at mswas personally, generic “you”.
Under pressure from whom? (I’m not sure I’d buy any answer but “charging animals.”)