Hunting!

[Sjakihata]

Hi,

This thread is meant as a place where hunters can discuss things hunters go about doing. Also, I would be interested in morality on this subject.

In feburary I begin taking lessons to be allowed a hunting certificate, which enables me to own, transporting and using a legal hunting weapon. It is hard work and tough test (especially the theoretical part). I will need to learn about and identify several birds, animals etc. However, I really look forward to get my certificate. When I have it my father will give me a hunting rifle (that belonged to my granddad who was a vigorous hunter).

I plan on bringing my weapon on the trekking trips me and two friends make each year to Norway/Sweden.

I will most likely be shooting birds and a few smaller animals, although I have decided as a rule that I shall only shoot what can be eaten. That means no fox shooting or other trophy hunting.

Any one here is a hunter?

[Big King Sanctaphrax]

Swapping hunting tips, sharing stories, etc, is fine, but this will get moved to the backroom if people start discussing the rights and wrongs of hunting.

[Sjakihata]

Can you switch it to the backroom anyway? Doesnt seem like there're any hunters around, maybe they dwell in the dark corridors of the backroom?

[Vladimir]

Well there's an excellent thread on eating meat there. I'm not contributing because it's been so long since I've killed and eaten anything .

[Kekvit Irae]

I sometimes go squirrel hunting with a .22 rifle, or deer/rabbit hunting with a composite bow (compounds are for pussies).

[Sjakihata]

Bow hunting is my dream, really. With a loaded backpack, a couple of freinds and whisky for the evenings - and then of course a solid hunting bow with sharp arrows. Silence and nature, beautiful.

[Moros]

Swapping hunting tips, sharing stories, etc, is fine, but this will get moved to the backroom if people start discussing the rights and wrongs of hunting.

Thank god you posted that, or I would have typed a whole book against it. Anyway I'll just keep it with a smily then.

[doc_bean]

There isn't much open space here to go hunting, I might consider it otherwise. Chasing rabbits through fields doesn't sound like that much fun.

I'll keep the shooting to my camera

[Sjakihata]

Thank god you posted that, or I would have typed a whole book against it. Anyway I'll just keep it with a smily then.

No, please Im interested in the moral perspective. I understand that you dont approve of it if you are a vegetarian, however, if you eat meat I see no problem. Are you a vegetarian Gert?

[Mount Suribachi]

Wow, Sjakihata, I would have had you right up there with JAG and co as the last person on these boards who would go hunting....guess it must be a Scandanavian thing.

[Sjakihata]

To me there isnt anything morally problematic with hunting. Only thing that I do not approve of (as already stated) is trophy hunting, only for the trophy. Hunting within the legal framework is fine and quite stimulating. Im a nature person and I look forward to spend more intense time in nature hunting. Hunting is not so much killing, as it is learning about sustainability of nature, how nature behaves and learning about it.

edit: I also fish. To me there isnt a difference between the two.

[Moros]

No, please Im interested in the moral perspective. I understand that you dont approve of it if you are a vegetarian, however, if you eat meat I see no problem. Are you a vegetarian Gert?

I'm a to be vegetarian once I get rid of my mother's tyranny!
And I'd be happy to try to convince you of not going hunting, tough it will only be more difficult in English, but this is not the right place. May I invite you for a discussion in the backroom. Thank you verry much. In anycase let me just say that there's also a difference in hunting on wildlife and eating animal bred (spelling?) for this. Killing animals bred for it doesn't affect wildlife, directly. Hunting does. However companies breeding the animals usually aren't that good for the enviroment either. But I still find there to be a difference between the two.

In anyway I hope I didn't went to far by posting this, if I did, my apologies and I'll edit my posts asap. But I sincerely hope I didn't.

[Sjakihata]

Of course you didnt went too far. Let's just continue the discussion here, while we wait for the lazy mods to move this thread.

When you hunt, you dont go around shooting anything at any time. There are extremely strict rules and regulations for when you are allowed to shoot what, just like fishing quota. That ensures sustainability in nature. Each year new charts are released regulating what is on priority. Hunting actually helps the environment. For example everyone in denmark is encouraged to shoot minks, since they dont have a natural habitat in denmark and actually spoils nature and eats too much, so other animals will suffer. this is mainly due to the mink-industry.

I'm a to be vegetarian once I get rid of my mother's tyranny!

Nothing prevents you from actually eat the meat served, is there? I see no difference between eating hunted game meat and livestock meat. Please expound on the difference.

[yesdachi]

I like to hunt but I don’t go very often anymore. I don’t approve at all of trophy hunting (a sweet photo on the mantle is just as nice as a stuffed head, less creepy too) but I have no issue showing off a big kill. I also have no issue hunting pests and dangerous or harmful animals and I don’t mind fishing or even trapping but I think it should be done responsibly and over doing it is definitely a bad thing.

I love the thought of eating what you have caught or shot, although I think deer processing is just about as expensive as buying the meat outright anymore, its best to do it yourself if you can.

A buddy of mine probably spends $200 - $500 (food, gas, new gear, etc) bucks over the course of a few weeks hunting and if he is lucky he will get something and then spend another $100 bucks having it processed. He has made it clear that it is not about the meat but about the “hunting”, I’d say it better be because that dear jerky is good but not at $20 a pound!
That reminds me, we have this place in town that sells exotic jerky, I think I will stop on my way home for some ostrich or maybe wild bore!


I have actually hit more deer with my car than I have shot with my gun, which actually brings up the #1 reason insurance companies love hunting season.