I’m interested in hearing what Lemmings think about hunting. I started hunting deer years ago because I wanted to be a part of the process, like if I couldn’t handle killing and gutting an animal I shouldn’t be eating meat. IMO, it’s much more humane than what factory farmed animals endure. Less suffering overall than most natural deaths. Overpopulation causes disease and starvation and we killed off their predators, so we kind of owe it to nature to fill the ecological gap.
Also, I fucking love it. I watch the sun rise, think, record birds I’ve seen, think, watch squirrels play, think a bit more, and sometimes, I get some food.
Idk. I’m not looking for approval or trying to change your mind, just wondering what people think.
I’ve never wanted to do it myself, but am very appreciative when hunter buddies share the carcasses of their victims. :)
“If we weren’t supposed to eat animals, they wouldn’t be made of meat.” – Socrates, probably
We fucked up the wolf populations so its our moral imperative to control deer populations.
Hunting for food is OK, as long as proper technique is observed (safe, humane, environmentally responsible).
Hunting for fun is a sociopath’s pastime.
I won’t cry if anyone dies while hunting, but i do love venison
Are people shopping for hamburger at Safeway considered hunters?
I won’t shame somebody who would otherwise literally die of starvation if they hunt, buther, cook, and eat non-endangered animals for food.
That’s about as understanding as I’m gonna get. I suppose I may disrespect slightly less someone’s regular meat consumption if they went through all the time and effort themselves.
Population control is a copout. We should reintroduce the predators that were preventing overpopulation in the first place.
Except as I’m typing this out, I remember the dog who lives with us and how we feed him meat based dog food since that’s what his biology requires. So I’m rather selective and inconsistent about meat sourcing here, so I don’t quite know how to conclude this comment at this point so I’m gonna just send it
I don’t think the solution to the predators being gone is for humans to fill the gap, rather to let the predators make a return.
Here in Sweden we’re looking to shoot most of our wolves for no good reason. That is after a considerable effort to stabilise the population and bring genetic diversity back to it.
Hunting for sport and trophies is bad, but hunting for meat is a hell of a lot more ethical than industrial meat production. Interestingly I’ve known people that were Vegan due to the ethics of commercial animal handling, but were also hunting and would eat meat from animals killed in the hunting team.
I live in Sweden and hunting is pretty common here, even though I’m not personally involved. There are limits on when and how many animals you may shoot and when to make sure the population is healthy.
Instead of killing, try a trip just to photograph the animals. Then compare your experiences. The killing may not be what you enjoy about your hunting trips.
I tried that once but the photographs tasted aweful.
It is a perfectly fine thing. Humans are part of the ecosystem. We are predators and fill that niche. So long as we do so with attention paid to ensure it is done sustainably then there is nothing wrong.
It’s awful.
hunting for food is ethical, over killing, killing for profit, killing for sport are not.
I’ve worked in wildlife conservation, and I’m all for it. With a few caveats.
- Be a fucking good shot. Practice. Don’t slop and wound. Humane kills to the greatest extent possible. Know what the fuck you’re doing.
- Eat the meat. Venison is delicious. Harvest, don’t just take a trophy.
- No spears. Holy shit, please. See point 1. Why is this still a thing? Even a niche thing, but still.
- Don’t scoff at tag prices. Be proud of your contribution. Donate to the crunchy granola hippies that ensure you have game to hunt.
Also have a degree in wildlife conservation and I second all of this.
Venison IS delicious.
I’m just realizing I haven’t had any venison since I moved out of parent’s house. Dad was a poor hunter but my cousin was a good one so there was always some meat in the fall.
If you ask around, you might be surprised who has some in their freezer and would be willing to trade something else for it. One time when I was visiting my parents we wanted some and asked around and found out one of my mom’s friends had plenty. Traded them a pan of brownies and bottle of wine for a couple pounds of stew meat. Everyone was a winner.
I live in the SF Bay Area now. Not a lot deer hunting in Oakland.
edit - parents live in upstate NY where the deer population needs to be kept in chek.
I’m pretty simple.
Hunting to eat it? Great. I love me some deer sausage.
Hunting to chopoff its head and mount it on your wall like some ghoulish asshole? Go fuck yourself.
I feel like trophy hunters don’t show any respect to the animal, while hunters for eating do.
I’d add hunting because humans eliminated all natural predators and we need to control the population to prevent disease and starvation.
Yes. That’s true as well.
Shooting a deer that’s lived wild and free, making every effort to make the kill as quick and painless as possible seems like just about the most ethical way to get meat that I can think of. And especially in areas where the deer population is too high, it’s really important for managing the ecosystem. Plus, ammo and equipment sales get taxed specifically to fund conservation, which is important.
I also feel like if you can’t stomach the process of killing and cleaning an animal, maybe you shouldn’t eat meat at all?
By and large, I think hunting for food is a great way to get more in touch with where your food comes from, one of the most ethical ways to acquire meat, and a nice excuse to sit quietly in the woods without interruption. Trophy hunters can fuck off tho.
I can accept trophy hunting for population control, but I will still think less of them for wanting to do it
the impact of hunting for food is so far below the impact of industrial agriculture and other things, it’s fine
