And for the money, lets not forget how much money hunting generates, especially in areas like the one I live in.

I do agree with you though. When people ask me why I hunt I tell them because we need to. Sure I enjoy it, but I don't feel the need to justify it. As long as it's legal I will do it. We can't control our own population and we waste our resources like using land we don't really need. I can't tell you how many new shopping centers I see going up when there are others sitting empty going to pot. Why can't they renovate those or build on that property? Makes no sense to me. Instead they expand the city limits and build big new complexes on the outskirts of town. Usually to abondon them in 10 years or so for something better. This drives me crazy when I see it.

If we take all the animals habitat what do they do? They don't know any better, they keep breeding but they don't have the land or food to support themselves and they get sick. So we need to thin them out. We hunt because we need to, it is the most effective means of controling population that they have. And were I live I don't think the numbers are going down any. I think the laws are going to get less restrictive, not more.

I catch some flack on archery forums for being lazy and taking the easy way out. Some like to make hunting as hard as it can be, they like the challenge. Others like trophy hunting, and others yet just like the meat.

I am in between, I'm not big on trophy hunting although I like to take a nice deer. And I like the meat, deer taste pretty good in southern MI. But mostly I do it because I can. And I have no desire to make it harder than it needs to be. I will use the most effective means of taking game that is legal. If that makes me lazy, I will just have to live with it. If centerfires were legal I would own a .243 by next season, even if I had to sell something to get it. I may buy one any way. I see nothing wrong with trying to be as effective as I can be. I'm not that good of a hunter really, I don't need to make it harder.

I figure for every deer I kill that is one less someone has to run over in the road at night.

Paul