My parents still think hunting is bad?

[ano]

OK, I asked a question before, cause my parents woudn't let me hunt. But now I have managed to stop them from thinking it is evil in all but one regard. They think that deriving pleasure from the killing of animals is cruel. Finally convinced them that the enjoyable part is the stalking, the tracking etc., but then my parents came up with: Why don't you just take a photo? When I explained that it finishes the whole thing and gives you a trophy so that you remember it, but they don't get it. How to explain? BTW, they think the getting pleasure from killing is cruel, not the actual killing.

I dont get pleasure from killing, I get pleasure from meat and from the stalking etc. And once you've taken the meat, you may just as well keep the skin (which you don't eat) stuffed and on the wall to remind you. That is what I meant.

[BearCrap]

Lets pitch all the emotions out the window here and look at the REAL reason we hunt in this modern world. Its called wildlife management. Since man came into wilderness areas and changed it we cant go back. No one will be willing to return it all back to nature. So because we screwed it all up we have to manage it. This means despite all the stores, farms, ranches that sell or produce food we have to kill wild animals. This is very note worthy because before we invaded nature on such a massive scale we hunted only for subsistence. We didn’t really have to kill animals to keep a balance in nature back then. I mean back in 10,000 BC for example; it was for human survival. Nature did fine without man. There are still a few places on earth where nature is doing just fine without man. But we can’t bring back all the predators to cities and the suburbs. They would conflict with the humans, their pets and livestock. Just ask your folks if they would like many mountain lions, several wolf packs and grizzly bears running wild in the neighborhood.
I have seen city people move in near me where there are packs of wolves and LOTS of grizzly bears and they learned real fast how dangerous that is and were shocked at the savage killing of their horses, lamas, livestock and pets. They didn’t know what to do with a momma brown bear and cubs on their porch. They thought they found paradise (to me it is) and ended up moving out because they were scared to death!

So man must manage wildlife. And it much better that those animals that have to be killed are used for food, although not all are, such as coyotes, rats, gophers and other vermin.
Its also a healthy pastime. I would much rather see my child hunting than hanging out with gang members. Hunting is part of the heritage of man. It’s what left of us being predators instead of just consumers. Have you ever heard the term ‘noble hunter’? That’s because if you RESPECT nature and believe in FAIR chase and you apply great effort to get that deer it can be a very noble thing. Now have you heard of the ‘noble shopper” or the ‘noble consumer’? No? That’s because there isn’t a damn thing noble about buying a package of meat in the store. And there isn’t anything noble about eating that. And that farmed raised animal didn’t have a free life and it was slaughtered in a very non-noble way. But with hunting it CAN be a very noble thing; from you withstanding the elements, tracking a deer in horrible weather, killing the animal very carefully so it dies quickly, thanking God and the animal for its life and the food it will provide. And when you sit down to eat it all that went into getting it on the plate makes it far more respectful than buying a Big Mac at McD’s.

As far as keeping a souvenir of that kill, that goes back to the dawn of man. Where they respect the animal ‘sprits’ and kept a feather, hide, claws or teeth that they wore in memory of the animal they killed. Many believed you took that animals sprit into yourself when you ate it. This is far different than shooting a deer for just its antlers to hang on the wall.

[Seth]

Tell them that your not getting pleasure killing but that you enjoy feeding your selves with meat from the wild and if they still won't listen to bad for them you can hunt with friends who do hunt. and if they still say its cruel and wrong tell them to see what goes on at a Hog processing plant.

[RussinNOVA]

If all you want is the trophy then taking a photo is probably a great idea. It is the closest thing to catch and release for hunting. You can do everything you normally would in a hunt, but you don't need a license and there is no season.

The primary value you take away from a hunt is not the trophy, but the food. The food taken in a hunt will replace that the meat that came from the overfed, antibiotic laden, domesticated, and slaughtered animal that you buy in a supermarket.

You will never ever convince someone that hunting is OK if you admit you get "pleasure from killing". You get pleasure from the hunt and the food afterwards, but never say pleasure from killing.

[SmokiesHiker]

There is actually only one real reason for "harvesting" wild game, and that is to control the population of wild animals. That's why certain species are "protected" from hunting...because their numbers are considered too low. I really don't agree with you on the statement that a trophy "finishes" the hunt! A trophy hanging on the wall is nothing more than a conversation piece, ( and a very expensive one at that! ), for awhile, then it's "just there gathering dust!" This is why limits on hunting certain game are often expanded or reduced, depending on the numbers of the animals in an area. Deer, for example, are getting so populated in some areas that special hunts are used to try and eliminate some of their numbers. Crop damage, damage to vehicles from accidents with deer, and sickness in the herds due to an abundance of deer and not enough food. Hunting an animal and killing it with a "clean kill" isn't cruel, it's the hunter that isn't proficient with their hunting skills that only wounds an animal and has to chase it around a woods for hours because the animal by instinct will try to survive as long as possible. You don't just decide to become a hunter one day. It takes years of learning and developing a knowledge of your quarry in order to have a good hunting experience. Get in with a group of hunters and ask a lot of questions. The first thing you must do is know all the hunting regulations for the area you'll be hunting in. You should have already participated in some type of hunter safety course, along with knowing the area where you'll be hunting. Property boundaries, dwellings where people live and livestock are kept. I know friends who have hunted for years before they harvested their first game. They will pass up taking a shot at an animal just because the conditions weren't right. Your parents are a bit wrong in believing a photo is as good as killing the animal. The photos are fine for endangered species that can't be harvested, but has no effect on populations of animals that are over populated! Just don't be hunting for the "trophy" and bragging rights! Use your hunting skills and knowledge to help states and counties control their animal populations. Be safe out there!

[ArrowMaker]

Just tell them that the camera was mounted at the end of your broadhead arrow, and you were going for a close up!

[zipper]

People that do not hunt or have never hunted refuse to understand what your talking about. Also their question about why not take pictures is a ballet one. You mite try explaining to them that the licenses fees pay the wardens salary, control population, reduces over eating of plants and other food assets, the sale of guns and ammo support the National Parks and helps protect non-game species as well. No matter what you say or do it will be an up hill battle. Lots of luck: friend!

[SovietSammich]

Just ask your mom how much it would cost to buy the equivalent cost of beef from the store that you would get off a deer.

[Johns]

Your parents know you better than we do- you should listen to them.

[judgebill]

To begin with everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion, and usually the opinions are equally valid, at least for the person holding them. It's hard for a son/daughter to convince their parents the "child" knows something that is just as valid for the child as the parents' belief is valid for the parents. In the case of hunting, if your parents are completely against eating meat, are true vegans, then they have a philosophical position which is valid for them but they would probably agree their belief system isn't one to force down the throats of others. And they probably acknowledge they are in a minority. If, however, they are meat eaters then they should agree that the meat they are eating came from animals that were slaughtered (literally by the thousands) to provide them with bacon, ham, steaks, chops and so forth. To the butcher it is a job. To the hunter who goes to the woods, spends countless hours, days or even weeks searching and only sometimes finding and then killing an animal, it obviously is more significant than just a job. It is a way of life, a personal philosophy of self-reliance, self-sufficiency and self-fulfillment that offers personal rewards to the participant that are hard to describe to one who isn't a hunter. But there is nothing "wrong" about the killing of a deer or elk or moose or caribou, it is merely a step in the process of life, the life cycle of the hunter and the animal. The cow/steer/sheep/pig that is raised specifically to be slaughtered for your table is very different from the wild animal you shoot but the end result is still the same, the product is meat on the table. You get satisfaction and a sense of completion when you hunt, find, shoot and then clean, skin and cook the meat from the animal you have hunted. There is no satisfaction from going to the supermarket, selecting a package of meat, cooking it and then eating it...other than perhaps the satisfaction of enjoying your meal. Major difference. If your parents look upon the difference as do some who consider religion a question of I'm going to be saved and you're going to hell because we believe differently, then you're fighting a losing battle and can only wait until you reach 18. If your parents are willing to be open minded and rational, it is really hard for a meat-eating person to object to hunting. Good luck.