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ORIGINAL: quiksilver

My view from the peanut gallery:

Do you guys really care what PETA thinks? Honestly? Or do you think they actually care what we think? Newsflash:Our (and their)decisions are already made, irrespective of what Vabowmen, NEW61375, or myself dares to post on this hunting forum. Nobody in their right mind would come here to look for an intelligent, unbalanced debate on this issue. This site is about as "fair and unbalanced" as Fox News or the Humane Society's website.

And secondly, do you think anything that happens on this message board actually matters, in the grand scheme of things? Well, it doesn't.

As far as I'm concerned (and I've been around this sport long enough to know) - hunting seems to attract the lowest socioeconomic demographic of individuals - and they'llfaithfully do their part to drag the state of Hunting through the mud. Now, I'm not sure exactly why we get the dredges of humanity - but we do - and there's next to nothing we can do about it. As far as people who "make hunting look bad"are concerned, Vabowman is probably the last guy you should be pointing the finger at. If you want to complain about somebody who isn't doing us any favors, let's talk about the walking stereotypes:theingrate with the "People Eating Tasty Animals" sticker in thepickup truck window, or the idiot who invariably manages to shoot an elementary school with his deer rifle on opening day, or theReal Man of Geniuswho drives a 6 mpg jacked-up GMC with Bowtech stickers all over it - and makes fun of the"tree hugger" driving a hybrid.

I mean, if you think the Big BadHunting Ban Monster"BBHBM"is coming to disarm you because of Vabowman's position on Giraffe hunting - boy, you've fell out of the stupid tree, andsmacked every branch on the way down.


Somebody get out the smelling salts. Blackfish is down.


While you probably won't see me signing up to do any Giraffe hunts anytime soon - it should be noted that a giraffe is an expensive animal to shoot. This is an animal that would invariably have been poached for bush meat at some point - so hunting is generating $$$ in depressed areas that would otherwise be in a state of anarchy, replete with poaching. Now, local guides have a monetary incentive to police poaching activity to protect these valuable resources. So in that regard, anytime you have people paying to shoot animals, you are indirectly protecting that herd.

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ORIGINAL: Vabowman

Maybe big country, but shooting a giraffe isn't gonna help either. Let's be honest, is someone actually going to Africa to help the economy, or are they going to kill something or both? If you say both ok fine, you and I know that going to kill something is at the top of the list of reasons. Fine, just say it, say that I want to shoot a giraffe to shoot a giraffe and mount it!! Don't try to sugar coat it by giving me all the other reasons such as helping the economy or feeding the village.That couldbe resolved by sending 20,000$ to the locals, it would go much further than you paying a government and an outfitter that is also owned by a white man who doesn't share the wealth. Trust me on this, I may not know everything about African countries, but I know a lot about them,they are mostly run by corrupt governments and the money you spend ain't going to the locals or the tribes.It doesn't matter to me that you shoot a giraffe to mount it, just don't give me the BS. I shoot big bucks to mount them and eat them and for the memories, if that's why someone shoots a giraffe, then say it. I still say it's silly, am I not entitled to my opinion? Everyone else on here seems to have their opinion of me and that mine is wrong.

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ORIGINAL: Vabowman

I don't think quicksilver generalized every hunter. I know exactly what he is talking about. I run into a lot of real scuzz buckets hunting and Im ashamed that they partake in the very thing that Im so passionate about. These guys are not country, mountain people, farmers, etc.... they are white trash plain and simple. they live in a neighborhood or the city next to me and act like pure inbred southern trash. I can say that about my own people folks:DTrust me, quicksilver is right on about this, if you take offense to it, you shouldn't, hunting attracts all walks of life. There is something about it that does, it's simple as that, it won't stop me from partaking in it, it's my life long passion, I just weed through them and avoid them. Now, everyone can start calling me an elitist and a snob:D

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ORIGINAL: virginiashadow

For some reason I have no desire to hunt anything like that....I would not fly to Africa to hunt some Giraffe. I mean come on. If an American wanted to stimulate an economy, maybe they should head down Louisiana and hunt something, or maybe hunt something around the coal mines of West Virginia. I could go on and on but one thing I will not argue is....if hunting Giraffe is legal in their country, then I have no problem at all for someone paying money to hunt them.....for we have people paying tens of thousands to hunt a 200 lb whitetails in our country.

But something inside me says this is not the way to hunt, part of my soul I guess.........

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ORIGINAL: Big Country

I have no desire to hunt a giraffe either. I am going to SA to hunt because I have never been there before, nor have I had the opportunity to kill the animals I am going after in south africa anywhere else. As for hunting in Louisianna, I may someday. West Virginia, I have that one covered many times over.

I will never lose my passion for hunting whitetails, but I have killed well in excess of 100 of them with stick and string across half of the country already. I want to do something else this time.

Again, I, nor my friends, are going to Africa to stimute an economy. Our purpose for going is singular.......to introduce a pile of african critters to a razor sharp broadhead.;)

As to stimulating economies in the good `ol US of A...........I do my small part in that through hunting i at least a dozen states every year.

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