gotta ask

[drewm2]

I was always taught "don't shoot it unless you plan to eat it." I know now there's a little more to it, nuisance animals have to be gotten rid of, but when I see people shooting squirrels, gophers, woodchucks etc., just for target practice, I gottaask,Why? And then talk about humane kills while hunting, and population control, and being a responsible hunter?

[Silent Stalker456]

dude sorry but this question has been answered in forums and threads all over this site.. Sorry

[PKnTX]

People have a wide range of views on this subject.
Mine are:
Killing an animal and thenmaking use of it is a natural
part of life. Some of us just get more satisfaction
from it than others.
Killingnuisance animals issometimes necessary and is
also part of life.
Killing for targetpractice or just to kill something is
something peopleof juvenile mentality enjoy.

Respect of animals and nature go hand in
hand with huntingand fishing.

PK

[drewm2]

I'm not anti- hunting, and I don't have a problem with killing an animal when necessary, just killing without reason or for target practice seems immature in the best case scenario, pschotic in the worse. But I'm new to this, want to keep an open mind, so I asked this question to see if there are other reasons- if I'm just missing some basic point by all means let me know.

[sullivt]

Many of the animals you mentioned utilized for target practice have very high breeding rates... one animal can turn into thousands very quickly if not kept under control. Natural section and predators is not enough to keep these populations under control. Usually population control and target practice are one in the same breath. I bet if you talk to farmers they appreciate the hunter and/or target shooter whether deamed as juvenile or not.

The Anti's are total idiots... they pretty much want selectively protect the the soft and fuzzy critters... ones they have seen on television as being portrayed as almost human in nature. When one of them impacts their lives in one way or another then they quickly change their position. You would never see one of them standing up for an endagered rat that has been chewing holes in their home, coyotes that have come right up to their back porch and taken their cat and/or calf. If you think of hunting as the farmers view everytime he loses a calf he has lost income of thousands of dollars or the lose of money invested in planting his crops. I bet antis would not like the little cute an fuzzy animals withdrawaling money from their bank account.

To keep things short... one needs to keep an open mind and look at all views from all sides of a position on the subject.

[drewm2]

See, now that's a reasonable reply, Sullivt. At the moment, I live on a 2 acre wooded lot in an otherwise suburban area. Squirrels empty the birdfeeder and chipmunks are bad for the yard (and attract snakes), but I haven't deemed that important enough to start shooting them. I can sure understand how a professional, making a living off his land and feeding our fine country in the process, would take this (and worse nuisance animals)as a more serious issue and need to correct the problem.
Thanks for the input!

[kevin1]

Chipmunks undermined my driveway and ate 135 out of the 150 tulips I planted one year . Squirrels can be quite destructive too , you may need to reexamine your stance on them .

[Lanse couche couche]

Woodchucks (AKA groundhogs) love recently sprouted soybeans and can cause a lot of problems for farmers. When i was a kid,there was even a bounty on them in southern Illinois. That's the basis for contemporary sport shooting of them.

[Windwalker7]

I never see any good recipes for coyote steak or grizzly burger.

Anybody have any for bobcat jerky or mountain lion roast?

[Lanse couche couche]

I've always read that Mountain Men loved mountain lion meat. I doubt that many contemporary folks would be willing to give it a try though. Now mountain lions' aquired taste for joggers is a different story......