Hunting
As many of you may know, I'm an avid hunter. While I was sitting in the tree stand today watching squirrels, I started thinking. Why is it that so many people oppose hunting? This is a knowledge issue primarily split by emotion, but also logic.
I grew up outdoors, in the woods. In other words, I'm not a city slicker (that's kind of relative because my cousins, rednecks, call me a slicker). I love hunting, fishing, camping, shooting, etc. I started gun hunting when I was nine and have been hooked ever since. I broadened my horizons and took up the sport of bow hunting a few years ago. I love it dearly, but so many people oppose it.
My mother is slightly indifferent towards it but I know many people who aren't. They don't want you to go out and shoot Bambi. I find that many people who oppose it are city slickers. I'm not saying all, but many haven't even shot a gun before.
I think this could be a cultural divide. My emotion towards hunting has come from years of being outside. Non-hunters' emotion could come from years of not hunting or prior experiences.
But, the majority of pro-hunters hunt for meat and many view it as a sport. I think that they use logic here because by statistics, many deer will not survive the winter. Hunting is managed by the DNR/Game & Fish because they know that many deer will die a long painful death due to starvation/etc.
The majority of non-hunters see the activity as a form of murder, or think it's cruel to take any form of life. One example would be People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). PETA disagrees with many world issues and this is one. I believe that they use emotion because they think that all animals are equal.
Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?
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This post didn't turn out how I wanted it to. Sorry for the over-generalizations and fallacies. Hopefully you understand what I meant.
It has been a while since I have posted. Sorry!
On an ethical level, hunting is confusing. I wouldn't do it but I don't mind that some people do. The worst I can say about it is that it's a bit of exploiting dominance over other species unnecessarily and with far too much firepower than would be considered lethal; and that overhunting is unhealthy to the ecosystem (of course). I am not much of an outdoorsman but I appreciate nature and the activities one can participate in while in nature. I must admit I'd rather see bowhunters over rifle or shotgun users, but that's simply a matter of preference.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I thought about the idea of humans being the 'superior race.' I suppose that you could see it as a food chain. We're just at the top? But it's a good thing that the DNR regulates over-hunting because animals would go extinct quickly if they didn't.
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