Take a Child Hunting

[roughedges]

wow...who said anythin about killing for sport?

I didn't see that mentioned anywhere in the tread..are you making an assumption, or putting words in my mouth?

It doesn't matter what you actually said, there are those who think they know you better than you know yourself. Since you hunt, you obviously salivate at the sight of blood.



I'm roughly 100 times more likely to use a camera than a gun but have zero problem with hunting, and agree that its good for a child to do for all the reasons that Shaldaq stated, so long as its done responsibly and with respect (respect for the environment, lycosa).

The belief that any single creature can survive without others giving up the ghost- and further, the belief that said idea in some way indicates a more highly evolved mind- is truly absurd.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Incidentally, the idea that "evolved" means "better" is not Darwinian. Evolution can make species simpler or more complex. Less capable individuals may be more evolved if this makes them better herd members. Fish evolve away from eyes when they live in lightless environments. And humans who fail to retain generalist skills are at a disadvantage when complex extrasomatic support mechanisms break down.

Currently, if it wasn't for my hunting and fishing skills, we would have little sustenance for my family to eat at all. I have always hunted since as long as can remember thanks to my Uncles. But it is even more vital currently in my situation and drop in earnings because of the sate of the economy.

 

[SShepherd]

yer right..I'm hungry


I think I'll go kill something, like a couple hundred million bacteria in homemade saurkraut.......Mass murderer?? :jerkit:

Plants give off pheromoanes when their cut down to be harvested for food..does that mean they are suffering? Murder?

here's an idea...cannibalism, oh, wait...thats Really murder !!

 

[shaldag]

The numbers speak for themselves and you are in a minority.

The idea that something is better or more advanced because it is popular is patently ridiculous. Perhaps Britney Spears is currently more popular than Beethoven; it does not make her "music" better or more advanced. Life is not a popularity contest.

 

[sunnyd]

 

[jdm61]

Maybe I'm off base here, but the idea of a hunter having an "epiphany" and becoming a vegan strikes me as either being like the doper who has an epiphany and becomes an overbearing holy roller OR someone who met a vegan girl and got himself whipped I always find it amusing when the tree huggers cry about something like a deer herd starving because of flooding or just because the damn herd has gotten to big due to lack of predators. Yet, they freak out when the state wants to do a herd culling even though killing 10% of the herd may prevent 40-50% from dying. And they REALLY go apoplectic when the gummint wants to let HUNTERS do the job!!!

 

[richard j]

i think its a good idea to teach kids how to hunt so if the situation ever arises where food cant be found or bought in a store, they dont starve to death. the same goes with fishing. all the treehuggers and vegans will be in trouble if something happened that made finding veggies impossible and meat or fish was the only thing available. sunnyd, is that a shirt? i like it :thumbup:

 

[555]

From a recent F&S article. The entire piece is well worth reading.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/article/Hunting/Why-Johnny-Wont-Hunt#

.

I had to Edit what I wrote, with too much, too close to home.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

Neither sport nor provisioning is a necessary rationale for hunting by itself -- speaking of how we have evolved. Humans ARE hunter/gatherers. Like caged animals, we are not happy or healthy in too rigidly provided an environment.

From the "terrible twos" onward, we need to break out, leave the pack, hit the woods and the wilds, and get it for ourselves. Many cultures include a walkabout or Wanderjahr in their rites of passage.

How do you know where you're going if you don't know where you came from?

 

[Guyon]

The most important thing is to teach our children to Respect the Earth and all who dwell thereon.
This younger generation is showing great promise for a better future and will not repeat the mistakes of past generations. We humans Are evolving.

Sounds like a spiritual argument rather than a logical one.

But as Esav points out, hunting can be spiritual. Hmmm.....

 

[Phil Elmore]

I thought this thread was going to be about hunting children.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

But as Esav points out, hunting can be spiritual. Hmmm.....

Genesis Chapter 25:27
And the boys grew; and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field;

 

[hollowdweller]

Times are changing, that's all. Killing animals for fun is on the way out.
And, no, I don't eat meat or wear leather. And I'm not an "anti."

Good for you for being consistent with your beliefs.


Back to the topic of less hunters I see it here a lot. My friend who used to always come and stay deer season at my house and hunt doesn't do it anymore. Neither of his sons go hunting. I went shooting with the one this summer and backpacking so they still appreciate nature.

My dad didn't go this year but he still does.

For me it's sort of sad to see kids not get into hunting. If they were doing like Lycosa says and still taking an interest in the outdoors and nature that would be one thing, but for too many it means no woods time.

Also I think the decline in hunting at the same time we sort of glorify violence and war makes for a lot of problems with guns that bring laws down we don't want.

I'm 48 and the whole gun industry has been militarized. When I was a kid most semi autos with big clips were surplus. Now there's a whole market of making military looking knock offs and the reliable accurate shooting and hunting models actually are less popular than the fairly cheaply produced "Badass" looking guns. Not saying they should be banned mind you, just that their proliferation signals a move away from practicality and more toward sort of violent fantasy as reflected in movies and video games. People are putting in less time in nature and more time:jerkit: in the mind about violence.

So now we seem to be moving toward people either being too lazy to hunt, never being exposed to it due to out of control development in rural areas limiting hunting land, or thinking hunting is "cruel" while watching movies and playing games where people are killed without batting an eye.

Sort of a disturbing trend IMO.

 

[benchmadebob]

The idea that something is better or more advanced because it is popular is patently ridiculous. Perhaps Britney Spears is currently more popular than Beethoven; it does not make her "music" better or more advanced. Life is not a popularity contest.

+1:thumbup:

 

[sunnyd]

. . . sunnyd, is that a shirt? i like it :thumbup:

Richard,

Yes sir. A gift from my favorite bother-in-law I received from last Christmas.

Anthony

 

[Pritch]

. . . hunting is probably the single most educational recreation that one can do with a child. In addition to teaching firearm safety and general responsibility, it teaches a child where his food comes from, and at what cost. The cost of an animal's life (as opposed to food wrapped at the supermarket-where the same cost is paid--but the consumer does not notice). In addition, hunting usually requires patience, the ability to suffer physical discomfort, and a number of outdoor skills. It also teaches him or her the responsibility of preparing the food for consumption. Quite an education for such a small package. Where else can you get a deal like that?

Very well said, shaldag! As Hans said, this would apply to adults as well. Whether or not you have any interest in "recreational" hunting, people interested in wilderness survival and bushcraft would be well served by adding hunting skills to their outdoors resumes.

-- FLIX

 

[barrabas74]

I rabbit hunting fri and sat and took a few rabbits and grouse. We ate them and fed the family before the opening day of buck up in PA on mon and tues which I participated in. I passed on many deer and I have a doe tag but didnt fill it. My mom took a Doe, my dad a buck thats more than enough meat. There are plenty of hunters that take what they need.

Here in MD I donate deer sometimes to Farmers and Hunters feeding the hungry. I dont see PETA donating vegetables to shelters for christmas. I was taught alot about self sacrifice, outdoorsmanship, patience, respect and many other lessons while hunting. I appal people who dont respect firearms, and many do because they havent been educated.

I just want to have the right to hunt, I dont tell people they are wrong because they dont. I dont want people telling me I am wrong because I do.

I have shot many more animals with a camera than a firearm, and I have paid more in license fee's and stamp fee's then I would care too especially since i hunt on my own land most of the time.

 

[akennedy73]

The most important thing is to teach our children to Respect the Earth and all who dwell thereon.
This younger generation is showing great promise for a better future and will not repeat the mistakes of past generations. We humans Are evolving.

Agriculture, the recent experiment we humans started 10,000 years ago, has done far more to disrupt the natural balance of the planet's ecology than hunting ever will or can. I believe the 10,000 year experiment is drawing to a close pretty soon - and we humans will be "devolving" back to hunting.

But back to the OP, the dropoff in hunting is not isolated. It's a general dropoff in outdoor recreational activities. Many studies have linked the reduced interest in family activities like camping to the prevalence of other entertainment options like movies, the internet and video games. A family only has a certain number of hours per year to devote to recreation - and when they get Xbox, Netflix and a DSL connection then they're going to have less hours to spend outdoors. It's sad... :grumpy:

So, take a kid hunting, fishing, hiking, camping - whatever! Just take 'em outdoors where they belong! :thumbup:

 

[Morrow]

The most important thing is to teach our children to Respect the Earth and all who dwell thereon.
This younger generation is showing great promise for a better future and will not repeat the mistakes of past generations. We humans Are evolving.

You are correct...all my sons and nephews are excellent shots. Maybe they won't miss as many times as I did. It's better to bring down the game with one shot as to damage as little meat as possible.

 

[SShepherd]

I also know around here, part of the decline in hunting is due to available land.
With all the city people moving out here, and the farm land being turned into subdivisions, it either doesn't exsist or they won't allow anyone to hunt "defenceless animals" (their words)