I just want to get peoples opinions about the killing of an animal for anything but the meat. Such as the hide, the tail, the rack etc. There was a nice question posted on the deer hunting forum about huntersenjoying to kill and i thought that a predator hunters might have a different perspective on this. I know that population reduction is key to predator and varmint hunting, but how many of you do it for sport or the joy of the kill? What reasons do you hunt predators?

i really wont kill what i wont eat. except for predators/varmits

I hunt yotes to protect the ducks and pheasants nesting localy

Johnch

The reason I hunt varnints is to help keep a strong quail populations and I also enjoy the hunt itself. Coyotes for one are very smart critters and make for a very challenging hunt. But on the basis of helping to keep strong quail populations is because I enjoy hunting and eating quail, but when quail are a main source of food for coyotes and coyotes are over populated you can see why coyotes are a problem. I also hunt other smaller critters like jack rabbits, P-dogs, gophers. etc because by lowering their high populations it helps lower the competition for food with the quail. and the carcasses of the smaller varmints creates easy meals for the coyotes to hopefully help keep them from killing more quail. I feel like im doing service to ensure my self and other quail hunters a chance at bagging their limits of quail each season also varmint hunting helps pass the time untill quail season or other seasons open.

I hunt coyote and bobcat for the fur. I only hunt them in the winter. But in the summer, I hunt prairie dogs, and have already shot between 2 and 3 thousand rounds at prairie dogsthis summer. I shoot them for a couple of reasons, #1 is that the landowners want them removed from thier property. and #2 shooting that much at small targets at ranges that test my ability keeps me sharp so when winter arrives, I don't miss many coyotes!! #3 it's fun!!

i hunt predators because i want to keep turkey and grouse populations strong. if we let the predator #'s get to high, bird and other smal game mammals get low. i hunt varmits for farmers sake. groundhogs dig holes (of course ), and when farmers go to do hay, corn, ect. they can ruin their equipment when they run over the holes. the holes are also a good way for horses to break legs and ankles.

I am going to hunt coyotes for the same reason.
I have found coyote scat with deer and turkey parts in it.

While turkey hunting this year it felt like some coyotes were following me around.
If I had seen them they would have been history.

I like all the answers so far and agree with everyone of you. Another reason i choose to hunt small game and predators is because they are the only seasons that are open during the summer months here in KS. Rabbit-year round, Squirrel-June1-Feb28th, Coyote-year round. I really enjoy getting into nature and honing my spotting and stalking skill on these small elusive little animals. Yeah squirrels are easy picking but i enjoy the practice and just being in the woods. Many times i come out without even shooting at anything and i am just as happy for the experience. I am going to be getting into furharvesting soon, so my hide handling will hopefully improve on small game as well.

If and when I get a rifle good enough to kill groundhogs and the like, I will hunt them solely for crop damage. Have you seen what just one groundhog can do to a bean field? They can wipe out a whole corner.

Yea!!!! the anti-hunters and liberals dont care..... and here is what a liberal actually said to me as an answer when I told him I hunted gophers and ground squirrel because they destroy crop fields. his answer was "so what... thats not a good enough reason, you know aswell as i do our vegitables come from the grocery store!!!" I did everything to keep from laughing then i just couldnt help it and I busted out he was like "what???" I asked him, where in the world do you think those vegitables come from before they are put out at the grocery store? then he got this look on his face, put his foot in his mouth said "uh?? well you got me there" goes to show you why these libs are the way they are......... can people really be this stupid and ignorant?? then they have the nerve to call us hunters, ignorant animal killers.[:@]