Hunters Are Awesome

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

I have a mainly vegetarian diet but I am not a vegan. If you are a vegan, you need to take Vitamin B12 supplements. That fact alone makes me think that we are not meant to be total vegans. If you eat a ton of meat, you will end up with blocked arteries. That tells me that we are not meant to eat a lot of meat.

I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. I have fish a few times a week. I eat chicken a few times a month. I eat red meat once every month or two.

In another thread a couple of months back, we were talking about how much healthier grass-fed beef is. I finally tried grass-fed beef for the first time last week. I thought it was great. I think it is worth the extra money, both in terms of taste and health benefits.

So you are all for depriving animals of their right to life if it means you can eat tasty beef.

Rupert, I'm actually on your side when it comes to population control of predators- I don't think that's the sort of thing that should be offered via hunting licenses because I don't think the populations are large enough to sustain recreational hunters who are itching to display their own wolf skin. It's not like people eat wolf meat. When it comes to big predators, I really think population control should be performed by Parks Departments, and not by the private citizen.

But it's very true, as others have pointed out, that hunters are an economic force for wildlife conservation because in order to have good hunting, you must have good HABITAT, and habitat loss is the greatest threat to most species of animals, not hunting. And in the case of herbivores like deer, that have thrived to excess in the absence of large predators, hunters help control the population, and their zeal for their sport will, I hope, help conserve wild habitat which benefits us all, including the species they hunt. And most of the hunters I've known have eaten at least some of what they kill.

Your proposal to move animals is sweet, but in the absence of enough habitat, not possible. There have been a fair number of coyotes showing up in Central Park over the years. Because they have are getting pushed out of habitats further north. Freaking coyotes. In Manhattan, which is as non-rural as you can get.

The other option for population control is involuntary birth control (because of course, with animals, it must be involuntary), which has been tried in some areas, but I don't know to what success.

That said, I hope PA doesn't follow through on the occasional threats to opening hunting up seven days a week (currently, I think, it's not permitted on Sundays). While I support hunters in their sport, I do think hikers, trail walkers, horseback riders, etc. should get one day a week during the season when they don't have to fear getting accidentally shot.