Posted

So Holstein is an elk?

Hunter06FlKy

no you were right before, it's a milk cow.

wyotimberghost

A local racher who I am friends with wanted to know if I wanted to go shoot some of his buffalo last year. He said he'd take me out there and I'd just shoot a couple of them in the head then he was going to sell the meat. I seriously considered doing it, since some guys pay a lot of money to go sneaking around a ranchers field then shoot a practically domesticated buffalo, but I opted not to go after I thought about it for a while and realized that it would be about the equivilant of sneaking around a rancher's pasture then bustin a cap on a couple of head of cattle. I like to shoot things, but that just doesn't sound like all that much fun or much of a challenge to me.

James B

I wouldn't call it hunting really but would have no problem with harvesting my own meat on a buffalo or elk ranch. If you love the meat, its a darn site cheaper for most who don't have local access to these animals to get it this way than to chance a hunt where you may well come home empty handed anyway. Like someone else said though, it would be laughable to mount it as a trophy.

JoeA

There's quite a few elk ranched in SK & AB, Canada. There the animals are raised for meat, but mainly for the horns. Thereis a HUGE Asian (Korean & Chinese) market for antlers in velvet. They make some kind of tea & soupwith them.

In NZ, some have said the sheep run free and the deer are fenced in....raised for meat & trophy fees.

As I understand it, in the states the farms raise "game" for boutique/high end gourmet rest &stores.

usa

Hmmmm.. lot's of thought's here, Elk meat is readily available already butchered and of course so is holstien meat so my original reply is still unanswered, help me to understand how someone would enjoy killing something when it's completely unnessesary and the meat is available easily without your participation ?It's not a "hunt" so the going home with something arguement has no merit, mounting a cow head is so absurd I can't comment on it. I've killed way more game than most people I know but the killing was just an end to the pursuit and many time's I let them walk away for various reason's. I've been asked a thousand time's "let's go hunting this weekend", but no one has ever asked me if I wanted to go execute something. you wouldn't know anymore about the cow you were going to shoot then you would a steak in the supermarket except it's notFDA inspected so you would have to take the farmer's word that the animal is healthy. The animal would have been fed all of it's life so you still have the hormone/steriod problem that commercial meat has, not to mention that by shooting the animal you spoil good meat that a commercial execution would have saved for you. The only rationale that I can come up with is someone who want's to experience taking a life to see how it feel's without any consequence's or unnessesary preparation. I started out trying to understand the motivation of this act without being judgemental but the more I think about it the more I am disturbed by what we as a society are doing to ourselve's. I'm a proud hunter and it upset's me to see people trying to label this as hunting. Many on the fence people who really have no opinion about hunting might change their mind after reading about hunting for holstien's and when the next anti-hunting vote is on the ballot they may join in to stop the bloodthirsty hunter's, just my opinion

tangozulu

I'm with you USA
We as hunters will be judged by the lowest form of the sport that we as a group endorse.
I have responded to every forum in here reguarding canned hunts etc and often, usually, get accused with not having an open mind. It seems to me that we are in a race to the bottom whene defining what hunting is.
I think firstly we must "hunt" seek our quarry. This doen't mean chase them around the corral. Second, we must seperate the actual killing as being necessary.
Personally I have no respect to SCI which seems to be a book for ego maniacs. Its like having a records book for drug supported athletes.

MA Jay

I am definitely not supporting or calling killing animals in a fenced area hunting, but...

I think charging people to "Butcher your Own" by harvesting animals, any animals, in a fenced area has to be legal. If a farmer can walk up to a cow and shoot it between the eyes with a pistol to harvest the meat and hide and then sell them;then charging forthe "chore" of shooting and butchering a domesticated animal to someone willing to pay for it seems to be an extension of this. Think about it, a farmer can butcher and sell pigs, chickens, cows and sheep. A farmer can also raise and slaughter elk, deer, ostrich even alligators. If some person wants to pay the farmer, real good money, to do the slaughtering ... why not? Because it seems wrong? Because it is not "ethical"? Because it is not hunting?

The simple truth is it is absolutely NOT hunting, and the ethics of hunting are not applied to slaughtering domestic animals for meat, hide and even antlers. It is sad that the "hunting" institution has generated the interest for this because as a group "we" fuel the desire for the antlers/trophy. Is it really much different having a person buy on eBay a large racked elk mount and buying that same mount at a farm?

I personally believe that "hunting" has been a bit hijacked by the large financial industry around it, and that hunters themselves are as much to blame for the crap we are witness to. A true "hunter" would take more satisfaction in a spike bull harvested during the legal season paid for in the sweat and strain of the "hunt" then a world record bull harvested in an enclosure, regardless fo the size, that was raised for the sole purpose of being harvested by a paying customer. Unfortunately, the "industry" does not differentiate ... it's ok to love big trophies. If you want to buy the industry's version of one, that is ok in my book. But if you want to take a trophy intrue "Hunter's" opinion, then you can't go to a farm or ranch and buy one. Real "Trophies" can't be bought.

tangozulu

Good post MA Jay,

You nailed it with your "it is not hunting." Problem is; then why are we inundated with this stuff on a hunters web site. The reality is that there is a struggle between the Industry and some hunters. Some feel that if there isn't money being made, then the sport isn't worth pursuing. All the good feelings or family bonding are meaningless. Myself, I feel the prostituting of my sport is rooted in greed, and ultimately only those with the money will be left to "hunt"
Of course the foundation of this very web site is to generate money for someone, just not sure who?
Somehow I know I can't win this fight.

MA Jay

Tangozulu-

I agree with you, somehow I know I can not win this fight either.

On the Bowhunting forum, this guy "mexhuntr" created a postcalled "Great HuntingTripPics". In the post he shows off his large whitetail deer rack he found 2 days after he shot it, a goat and a Red Stag. All shot on a farm, ranchor high fenced operation (whatever name you want it togo by) and he recieved 100 attaboys from guys congratulating him on his "hunt". A few resented him calling it hunting, but the majority thought it actually was hunting.

I believe the mindset has already been well established and many "hunters" have lost touch with what, in myhumble and personal opinion, make ourpassionsuch awonderful pursuit. Those guysdidn't care if "mexhuntr" hunted the game... they only cared about the size of theantlers he harvested. Sad.....