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Started by Malcolm
Thu, 03 Jul 2003 07:40
The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: Malcolm
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 07:40
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 07:40
368 lines
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http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=70&print=y
The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Every year, hunters kill more than 130 million animals in the United
States. Except for a few aboriginal cultures that still hunt for food,
most hunters in the U.S. hunt for "recreation" -- for the apparent
pleasure of stalking and killing. Sport hunters kill animals for
trophies in the form of pelts, heads, antlers, and other body parts.
Commonly hunted species include deer, bears, mountain lions, wolves,
foxes, coyotes, raccoons, opossums, badgers, skunks, boar, moose,
pronghorn antelopes, bobcats, ducks, turkeys, woodcocks, mourning
doves, geese, grouse, swans, rabbits, hares, and squirrels. Below are
some of the myths and common arguments used to justify sport hunting.
Myth: Americans consider sport hunting to be an acceptable "use" of
wildlife.
A growing number of Americans believe sport hunting is unethical,
wasteful, and unnecessary. When the Associated Press asked in a
December 1985 poll, "Do you think there are circumstances where it is
perfectly O.K. to hunt an animal for sport?", 51% responded that it
was always wrong. In a 1994 statewide poll, 73% of Arizona voters said
they disapproved of hunting animals for recreational reasons.
The success of recent hunting-related state ballot initiatives across
the country also highlights the growing opposition to unethical
hunting practices. Since 1990, voters in six states have banned
bear-baiting; the use of hounds to hunt bears, cougars, and lynxes;
hunting wolves from airplanes; and spring bear hunts. These successes
demonstrate that Americans clearly and resoundingly oppose cruel and
unethical hunting practices.
Myth: Hunting is an increasingly popular "sport."
Despite claims made by hunting proponents that sport hunting is a
popular, widely accepted traditional American pastime, the number of
hunters in the U.S. has declined over the past 20 years. In 1996, only
5.1% of Americans purchased hunting licenses, compared to 7.4% in 1991
and 9.9% in 1975, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In response to declining hunter numbers and growing opposition to
sport hunting, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state wildlife
agencies have joined with private pro-hunting organizations to try and
boost hunter numbers. To improve the public image of hunting, wildlife
managers refer to hunting as "regulated" as opposed to "sport,"
"trophy," or "recreational." Additionally, hunters downplay their
desire for a big rack (antlers) and emphasize the "need" for meat to
feed their families, and state wildlife agencies actively recruit
women and children to increase hunter license sales.
Studies have shown that if a young person has not started hunting
before age 18, it is unlikely they will ever hunt. With that in mind,
the $21-billion-a-year hunting industry works with state wildlife
agencies to recruit young men and women before they graduate from high
school. A 1995 Fund for Animals survey revealed that three out of four
states offered "hunter education" classes in public schools. These
classes, which teach children how to kill animals in the name of
so-called "sport," are often funded by the very state agencies
mandated to conserve and protect our wildlife. Funding also comes from
hunting groups such as the National Rifle Association, the National
Shooting Sports Foundation, Safari Club International, and Ducks
Unlimited. On the federal level, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
has joined state wildlife agencies to sponsor regular Youth Hunts and
"Becoming an Outdoors Woman" programs across the nation. Moreover,
such programs work directly against efforts to decrease youth violence
by desensitizing children to animal suffering, and by extolling
killing as entertainment.
Myth: Hunting provides a primary source of food.
A popular argument made by sport hunting groups is that hunters "live
by their wits" and put food on the table through hard work, skill, and
intelligence. A very small percentage of indigenous and rural hunters
do kill animals as their main source of food. However, the vast
majority of hunters do not. Licensed hunters spend $1.8 billion on
hunting-related equipment in the U.S. and it is estimated that after
license fees, equipment, and travel expenses, it costs an average of
$20 per pound for a deer hunter to put venison on the table.
Most hunting today is done for "recreational" purposes -- for the pure
pleasure of pursuing and killing an animal. Hunters generally target
trophy animals; i.e. those with the largest racks (antlers), the
biggest horns, etc. Often the prized parts are removed, while the rest
of the body is left to rot in the field.
Myth: Hunting involves fair chase.
Hunters often claim that hunting is a sport involving fair chase.
However, a fair sport involves two individuals on equal grounds who
have a mutual agreement to engage in the activity. It is hard to argue
that an animal pursued by a hunter riding a snowmobile or off-road
vehicle and equipped with high-powered firearms and electronic calling
devices is on equal footing. Moreover, since hunting involves
deliberate death, no mutual consent, and no outside judges, hunting
can never be considered a "sport."
Here are just a few of the devices and particularly unethical
practices employed by hunters today:
Predator Calling: Electronic calling devices, which emulate distress
calls of predator young, are used by many hunters to lure foxes,
coyotes, bobcats, and wolves into point-blank range. With such
devices, hunters can literally wait for their prey to appear, and
simply blast away when the distressed and confused animal comes into
view.
Hounding: Radio-collared hounds are used to track and tree black
bears, cougars, raccoons, foxes, lynx, bobcats, and other animals.
Using a portable receiver, the hunter can determine when the pursued
animal is trapped in a tree and ready to be shot at point-blank range.
Hounded animals are sometimes maimed by the hounds during the pursuit.
Baiting: The practice of bear and deer "baiting" -- where hunters bait
at specific sites and await their quarry with readied guns -- is
considered to be one of the most unethical hunting practices allowed
in the U.S. today. Although baiting is still allowed in many areas of
the country, a number of states have banned this practice through
legislation or citizen initiatives.
Bowhunting: Bowhunting (the use of bows and arrows) causes more
injuries to wildlife than any other hunting practice. Scientific
studies indicate that for every animal killed and retrieved by a
bowhunter, another is left to die a slow and painful death from
wounds.1
When educated about such unethical hunting practices, few Americans
believe the claim that hunting involves "subsistence survival skills,"
"intelligence," and a "fair chase." The facts disprove such arguments.
Myth: Hunting is a necessary management tool that controls "surplus"
animals and prevents overpopulation and starvation.
State wildlife agencies often argue that our cities and rural lands
would be overrun with wild animals if hunting were disallowed.
However, the biological truth is that animals regulate their own
populations, based upon available food and habitat. In nature,
unaltered by humans, there is no such thing as a "surplus" animal.
It is indisputable that humans have not only disrupted ecosystems
across the globe, but have also altered the natural controls that
maintain wildlife populations. Sometimes this disruption is a result
of development or human encroachment into wildlife habitat. Other
times, the alteration is more deliberate, as when state wildlife
agencies kill predators in an attempt to boost the numbers of "game"
species for hunters.
One example of mismanagement is the manipulation of white-tailed deer
populations. Hunters most often seek out the largest buck (male deer)
with the biggest rack, though many hunters shoot the first deer they
see. This practice weakens the gene pool by removing the healthiest
animals from the population and skewing the population's sex ratio,
leaving more does (female deer) to reproduce. Natural predators are
opportunistic hunters and usually take the youngest, weakest and/or
sickest animals, keeping the deer population healthy and balanced. The
practice of hunting more bucks than does increases the number of deer
available to hunters. Our state and federal wildlife agencies purport
they aim to maintain healthy deer populations and to reduce deer
overpopulation. If this were true they would direct hunters to seek
out and shoot the weakest does.
Myth: Sport hunting of predators is needed to protect the public.
Some state wildlife agencies promote trophy hunting of mountain lions
and bears on the grounds that such culling is necessary to prevent
overpopulation of these species and thereby minimize interactions with
people. Yet sport hunting does not result in an overall population
decrease, as demonstrated by an eight-year study of mountain lions in
Canada. The mountain lion population recovered from hunting and
stabilized at an optimum density for its habitat range. The
researchers argued further population growth would likely be curtailed
at a level regulated "by social interactions and/or prey densities,"
not by hunting.2 In another study, an area in Utah was closed to
mountain lion hunting for 9 years while researchers monitored the
mountain lion population. During the same period, despite heavy
hunting, the deer population increased, yet the number of resident
adult mountain lions "generally remained stable through this period."
The increases in the deer herds did not appear to affect the number of
adult mountain lions significantly.3
Myth: State wildlife agencies work to protect wildlife and their
habitats.
Though our state wildlife agencies are mandated to protect wildlife
and their habitats, their policies and regulations generally reflect a
different agenda. The active promotion of sport hunting and the
perpetuation of "game species" over the interests of non-hunters and
"non-game species" clearly indicates whose interests these agencies
serve. Most state wildlife agencies are monitored by a non-elected
commission (or council or board) whose members are usually appointed
by the state governor. These commissions, vested with ultimate
authority over wildlife management, are often comprised of hunters and
trappers eager to ensure the perpetuation of their "sports."
Instead of protecting wildlife and their habitats, these
hunter-dominated commissions manage and manipulate wildlife
populations to provide ample targets for hunters and trappers.
Predators such as foxes, coyotes, and wolves are frequently killed so
that more game animals, such as moose, deer, caribou, and birds, are
available for hunters. The results of such mismanagement of wildlife
can be disastrous, causing irreparable damage to the balance of local
ecosystems.
As more and more people see through the "we have to shoot them or
they'll overpopulate and starve to death" smokescreen perpetuated by
many wildlife agencies, an increasingly vocal and informed public will
challenge these policies at the ballot box, in the courtroom, and in
the legislature.
Myth: Hunters pay for wildlife conservation through fees and taxes on
guns, so it's their right to control wildlife management policies.
There is no refuting that wildlife management in our country is
controlled primarily by "consumptive wildlife interests" -- those who
view wildlife as a resource to be "stocked," "harvested," and
"managed." "Non-consumptive wildlife users" -- those who enjoy
viewing, photographing, and observing wildlife in nature -- have had
very little say in policies and regulations concerning our nation's
wildlife and their habitats.
One reason for this disparity is the source of funding for state
wildlife agency budgets. In 1937, Congress passed the Federal Aid in
Wildlife Restoration Act (formally called the Pittman-Robertson Act)
to help finance state wildlife agencies by establishing an excise tax
on guns, ammunition, and fishing gear. These funds are then
distributed to state wildlife agencies based upon the state's land
area and the number of hunters in the state. The more hunting licenses
sold, the more funds a state receives from this act. States therefore
have an incentive to cater to hunters over non-consumptive wildlife
users because they will receive a larger slice of the federal funding
pie.
The "we pay for wildlife conservation" argument made by hunters is
refuted by the fact that the majority of gun purchasers do not hunt.
Of the 60 million gun owners in the U.S., only a quarter of these are
hunters, and yet every gun owner must pay the congressionally mandated
excise tax when they purchase a gun that then goes to help fund state
hunting education programs. Consequently, gun owners who do not hunt
are unknowingly supporting and perpetuating hunting and the
mismanagement of our nation's wildlife.
Hunters are not the only source of funding for state wildlife agency
budgets. Many states receive funding from the Endangered Species Act,
from state general funds, penalties paid by poachers, the sale of
environmental license plates, and from voluntary contributions made by
individuals through income tax check-offs and similar voluntary
contribution programs. Moreover, while the funds generated from gun
and ammunition taxes have purchased ~10 million acres of land, over
600 million acres have been funded by general tax dollars. Many of
these taxpayer-funded lands, including our National Wildlife Refuges,
are open to hunters, thereby subsidizing their activities.
Non-consumptive wildlife users do contribute to wildlife conservation,
but have been given little opportunity to increase funding of non-game
programs and have been essentially excluded from state wildlife
management decision-making.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What to Do
Wildlife advocates must work to change the focus of our wildlife
management agencies and their funding sources. Only then will the
interests of non-game wildlife and non-consumptive users be equitably
represented within state wildlife agencies.
Some inroads have been made, as evidenced by the recent passage of
legislation and state initiatives banning unethical wildlife
management practices. In November 1996, five states banned or
maintained bans on bear baiting, bear and cougar hounding, hunting
wolves from airplanes, and/or trapping of wildlife. Increased public
participation and public outcry against the mismanagement of wildlife
and misuse of public funds will lead to changes in the system and
force wildlife agencies to carry out their mandate of humane
stewardship and true wildlife protection.
For more information about hunting and wildlife management in the
United States, please visit the Wildlife Page or contact API.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
For additional reading on hunting, API recommends the following books:
Baker, Ron. The American Hunting Myth. New York: Vantage Press, 1985.
Cartmill, Matt. A View to a Death in the Morning: Hunting and Nature
Through History. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1993.
Livingston, John A. The Fallacy of Wildlife Conservation. Toronto:
McClelland & Steward, 1981.
Mighetto, Lisa. Wild Animals and American Environmental Ethics.
Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1991.
Petersen, David. A Hunter's Heart: Honest Essays on Blood Sports. New
York: Henry Holt and Company, 1996.
Reisner, Marc P. Game Wars: The Undercover Pursuit of Wildlife
Poachers. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.
Body Count: The Death Toll in America's War on Wildlife. New York: The
Fund for Animals, January 2000.
Numbers of Birds and Other Animals Killed by Hunters Each Season
Each year hunters kill more than 100 million animals. The following
statistics are selected species from state wildlife agency reports
from the 1996/97 hunting season (courtesy of the Fund for Animals).
These figures do not include the hundreds of thousands animals killed
by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Wildlife Services" agency
each year.
Bear 24,465
Cranes 12,628
Deer 6,084,531
Doves 35,000,000
Ducks 16,569,100
Geese 3,134,100
Grouse/Quail/Partridges 12,209,159
Pheasants 6,861,987
Rabbits 12,873,454
Raccoons 3,518,888
Squirrels 26,655,926
Swans 1,463
Turkeys 615,548
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes:
1. Benke, Adrian. The Bowhunting Alternative. San Antonio: B. Todd
Press, 1989.
2. P. Ian Ross & Martin G. Jalkotzy. "Characteristics of a Hunted
Population of Mountain Lions in Southwestern Alberta." Journal of
Wildlife Management, Volume 56 (1992), No. 3.
3. Frederick G. Lindzey, et al. "Mountain Lion Population Dynamics in
Southern Utah." Journal of Wildlife Management, Volume 58 (1994), No.
4.
--
So, you dont like reasoned,
well thought out, civil debate?
I understand.
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Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: Simon Atkinson
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 07:55
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 07:55
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yep deleted this as unread
Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: Lou W
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 15:22
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 15:22
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"Malcolm" <Malcolm@eatmorebeef.com> wrote in message
news:9084dc55b604373861f420d99cd904c6@free.teranews.com...
> http://www.api4animalstastegood/doc.asp?ID=70&print=y
>
> The Fallacy of fluff bunnies
>
> Fact: Americans consider sport hunting to be an acceptable "use" of
> wildlife.
>
> Fact: A growing number of Americans believe sport hunting is unethical,
> wasteful, and unnecessary. These people refer to themselves as "the fluff
bunnies".
> When the Associated Press asked in a December 1985 poll, "Do you think
there
> are circumstances where it is perfectly O.K. to hunt an animal for
sport?", 51%
>responded that it was always wrong. In a 1994 statewide poll, 73% of
Arizona
>voters said they disapproved of hunting animals for recreational reasons.
>
These are people who are more than willing to have someone else do the
killing for then.
That way they keep their hands clean yet they are more than willing to go
the market to buy
meat to fill a freezer. Two faced fluff bunnies they are.
Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: animalaura
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 15:41
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 15:41
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So? Change the name "Sport Hunting" to "Fun Killing". ...but if you are care to talk about killing for food -and you eat or use all parts of the killed animal, that is not "fun". That is survival. And many peoples rely on killing for their survival. Conversely, many animals rely on killing for survival. And I see both as natural. But Fun-Killing is dead wrong. "Malcolm" <Malcolm@malcsplace.com> wrote in message news:9084dc55b604373861f420d99cd904c6@free.teranews.com... > http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=70&print=y > > The Fallacy of Sport Hunting > > Every year, hunters kill more than 130 million animals in the United > States. Except for a few aboriginal cultures that still hunt for food, > most hunters in the U.S. hunt for "recreation" -- for the apparent > pleasure of stalking and killing. Sport hunters kill animals for > trophies in the form of pelts, heads, antlers, and other body parts.
Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: Phil.L
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 15:56
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 15:56
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Malcolm wrote: : http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=70&print=y : : The Fallacy of Sport Hunting REPOSTED DRIVEL SNIPPED. as this post is about hunting Deer and the like, why have you crossposted it to 3 UK groups? We don't hunt Deer in this part of the world (there's none left!) next time you feel the urge of regurgitating crossposting drivel to groups that have no concern with the subject matter, might I suggest you post to the many test groups.
Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: Handy Andy
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 16:43
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 16:43
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The Fallacy of Sport Hunting - e.i. trolling newsgroups !! no one cares a xhit -- feel free to speak somewhere else !!
Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: Zakhar
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 17:24
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 17:24
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"Simon Atkinson" <s.atkinson@ntlworld.com> wrote in message news:mlRMa.8894$i84.9872@newsfep2-gui.server.ntli.net... > yep deleted this as unread The saying with the words head and sand spring to mind. Or that's way too difficult for me to debate. > >
Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: John
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 21:19
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 21:19
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What's this trash doing in a fishing news group anyways?
"Malcolm" <Malcolm@malcsplace.com> wrote in message
news:9084dc55b604373861f420d99cd904c6@free.teranews.com...
> http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=70&print=y
>
> The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
>
> Every year, hunters kill more than 130 million animals in the United
> States. Except for a few aboriginal cultures that still hunt for food,
> most hunters in the U.S. hunt for "recreation" -- for the apparent
> pleasure of stalking and killing. Sport hunters kill animals for
> trophies in the form of pelts, heads, antlers, and other body parts.
> Commonly hunted species include deer, bears, mountain lions, wolves,
> foxes, coyotes, raccoons, opossums, badgers, skunks, boar, moose,
> pronghorn antelopes, bobcats, ducks, turkeys, woodcocks, mourning
> doves, geese, grouse, swans, rabbits, hares, and squirrels. Below are
> some of the myths and common arguments used to justify sport hunting.
>
> Myth: Americans consider sport hunting to be an acceptable "use" of
> wildlife.
>
> A growing number of Americans believe sport hunting is unethical,
> wasteful, and unnecessary. When the Associated Press asked in a
> December 1985 poll, "Do you think there are circumstances where it is
> perfectly O.K. to hunt an animal for sport?", 51% responded that it
> was always wrong. In a 1994 statewide poll, 73% of Arizona voters said
> they disapproved of hunting animals for recreational reasons.
>
> The success of recent hunting-related state ballot initiatives across
> the country also highlights the growing opposition to unethical
> hunting practices. Since 1990, voters in six states have banned
> bear-baiting; the use of hounds to hunt bears, cougars, and lynxes;
> hunting wolves from airplanes; and spring bear hunts. These successes
> demonstrate that Americans clearly and resoundingly oppose cruel and
> unethical hunting practices.
>
> Myth: Hunting is an increasingly popular "sport."
>
> Despite claims made by hunting proponents that sport hunting is a
> popular, widely accepted traditional American pastime, the number of
> hunters in the U.S. has declined over the past 20 years. In 1996, only
> 5.1% of Americans purchased hunting licenses, compared to 7.4% in 1991
> and 9.9% in 1975, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
>
> In response to declining hunter numbers and growing opposition to
> sport hunting, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and state wildlife
> agencies have joined with private pro-hunting organizations to try and
> boost hunter numbers. To improve the public image of hunting, wildlife
> managers refer to hunting as "regulated" as opposed to "sport,"
> "trophy," or "recreational." Additionally, hunters downplay their
> desire for a big rack (antlers) and emphasize the "need" for meat to
> feed their families, and state wildlife agencies actively recruit
> women and children to increase hunter license sales.
>
> Studies have shown that if a young person has not started hunting
> before age 18, it is unlikely they will ever hunt. With that in mind,
> the $21-billion-a-year hunting industry works with state wildlife
> agencies to recruit young men and women before they graduate from high
> school. A 1995 Fund for Animals survey revealed that three out of four
> states offered "hunter education" classes in public schools. These
> classes, which teach children how to kill animals in the name of
> so-called "sport," are often funded by the very state agencies
> mandated to conserve and protect our wildlife. Funding also comes from
> hunting groups such as the National Rifle Association, the National
> Shooting Sports Foundation, Safari Club International, and Ducks
> Unlimited. On the federal level, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
> has joined state wildlife agencies to sponsor regular Youth Hunts and
> "Becoming an Outdoors Woman" programs across the nation. Moreover,
> such programs work directly against efforts to decrease youth violence
> by desensitizing children to animal suffering, and by extolling
> killing as entertainment.
>
> Myth: Hunting provides a primary source of food.
>
> A popular argument made by sport hunting groups is that hunters "live
> by their wits" and put food on the table through hard work, skill, and
> intelligence. A very small percentage of indigenous and rural hunters
> do kill animals as their main source of food. However, the vast
> majority of hunters do not. Licensed hunters spend $1.8 billion on
> hunting-related equipment in the U.S. and it is estimated that after
> license fees, equipment, and travel expenses, it costs an average of
> $20 per pound for a deer hunter to put venison on the table.
>
> Most hunting today is done for "recreational" purposes -- for the pure
> pleasure of pursuing and killing an animal. Hunters generally target
> trophy animals; i.e. those with the largest racks (antlers), the
> biggest horns, etc. Often the prized parts are removed, while the rest
> of the body is left to rot in the field.
>
> Myth: Hunting involves fair chase.
>
> Hunters often claim that hunting is a sport involving fair chase.
> However, a fair sport involves two individuals on equal grounds who
> have a mutual agreement to engage in the activity. It is hard to argue
> that an animal pursued by a hunter riding a snowmobile or off-road
> vehicle and equipped with high-powered firearms and electronic calling
> devices is on equal footing. Moreover, since hunting involves
> deliberate death, no mutual consent, and no outside judges, hunting
> can never be considered a "sport."
>
> Here are just a few of the devices and particularly unethical
> practices employed by hunters today:
>
> Predator Calling: Electronic calling devices, which emulate distress
> calls of predator young, are used by many hunters to lure foxes,
> coyotes, bobcats, and wolves into point-blank range. With such
> devices, hunters can literally wait for their prey to appear, and
> simply blast away when the distressed and confused animal comes into
> view.
> Hounding: Radio-collared hounds are used to track and tree black
> bears, cougars, raccoons, foxes, lynx, bobcats, and other animals.
> Using a portable receiver, the hunter can determine when the pursued
> animal is trapped in a tree and ready to be shot at point-blank range.
> Hounded animals are sometimes maimed by the hounds during the pursuit.
> Baiting: The practice of bear and deer "baiting" -- where hunters bait
> at specific sites and await their quarry with readied guns -- is
> considered to be one of the most unethical hunting practices allowed
> in the U.S. today. Although baiting is still allowed in many areas of
> the country, a number of states have banned this practice through
> legislation or citizen initiatives.
> Bowhunting: Bowhunting (the use of bows and arrows) causes more
> injuries to wildlife than any other hunting practice. Scientific
> studies indicate that for every animal killed and retrieved by a
> bowhunter, another is left to die a slow and painful death from
> wounds.1
> When educated about such unethical hunting practices, few Americans
> believe the claim that hunting involves "subsistence survival skills,"
> "intelligence," and a "fair chase." The facts disprove such arguments.
>
> Myth: Hunting is a necessary management tool that controls "surplus"
> animals and prevents overpopulation and starvation.
>
> State wildlife agencies often argue that our cities and rural lands
> would be overrun with wild animals if hunting were disallowed.
> However, the biological truth is that animals regulate their own
> populations, based upon available food and habitat. In nature,
> unaltered by humans, there is no such thing as a "surplus" animal.
>
> It is indisputable that humans have not only disrupted ecosystems
> across the globe, but have also altered the natural controls that
> maintain wildlife populations. Sometimes this disruption is a result
> of development or human encroachment into wildlife habitat. Other
> times, the alteration is more deliberate, as when state wildlife
> agencies kill predators in an attempt to boost the numbers of "game"
> species for hunters.
>
> One example of mismanagement is the manipulation of white-tailed deer
> populations. Hunters most often seek out the largest buck (male deer)
> with the biggest rack, though many hunters shoot the first deer they
> see. This practice weakens the gene pool by removing the healthiest
> animals from the population and skewing the population's sex ratio,
> leaving more does (female deer) to reproduce. Natural predators are
> opportunistic hunters and usually take the youngest, weakest and/or
> sickest animals, keeping the deer population healthy and balanced. The
> practice of hunting more bucks than does increases the number of deer
> available to hunters. Our state and federal wildlife agencies purport
> they aim to maintain healthy deer populations and to reduce deer
> overpopulation. If this were true they would direct hunters to seek
> out and shoot the weakest does.
>
> Myth: Sport hunting of predators is needed to protect the public.
>
> Some state wildlife agencies promote trophy hunting of mountain lions
> and bears on the grounds that such culling is necessary to prevent
> overpopulation of these species and thereby minimize interactions with
> people. Yet sport hunting does not result in an overall population
> decrease, as demonstrated by an eight-year study of mountain lions in
> Canada. The mountain lion population recovered from hunting and
> stabilized at an optimum density for its habitat range. The
> researchers argued further population growth would likely be curtailed
> at a level regulated "by social interactions and/or prey densities,"
> not by hunting.2 In another study, an area in Utah was closed to
> mountain lion hunting for 9 years while researchers monitored the
> mountain lion population. During the same period, despite heavy
> hunting, the deer population increased, yet the number of resident
> adult mountain lions "generally remained stable through this period."
> The increases in the deer herds did not appear to affect the number of
> adult mountain lions significantly.3
>
> Myth: State wildlife agencies work to protect wildlife and their
> habitats.
>
> Though our state wildlife agencies are mandated to protect wildlife
> and their habitats, their policies and regulations generally reflect a
> different agenda. The active promotion of sport hunting and the
> perpetuation of "game species" over the interests of non-hunters and
> "non-game species" clearly indicates whose interests these agencies
> serve. Most state wildlife agencies are monitored by a non-elected
> commission (or council or board) whose members are usually appointed
> by the state governor. These commissions, vested with ultimate
> authority over wildlife management, are often comprised of hunters and
> trappers eager to ensure the perpetuation of their "sports."
>
> Instead of protecting wildlife and their habitats, these
> hunter-dominated commissions manage and manipulate wildlife
> populations to provide ample targets for hunters and trappers.
> Predators such as foxes, coyotes, and wolves are frequently killed so
> that more game animals, such as moose, deer, caribou, and birds, are
> available for hunters. The results of such mismanagement of wildlife
> can be disastrous, causing irreparable damage to the balance of local
> ecosystems.
>
> As more and more people see through the "we have to shoot them or
> they'll overpopulate and starve to death" smokescreen perpetuated by
> many wildlife agencies, an increasingly vocal and informed public will
> challenge these policies at the ballot box, in the courtroom, and in
> the legislature.
>
> Myth: Hunters pay for wildlife conservation through fees and taxes on
> guns, so it's their right to control wildlife management policies.
>
> There is no refuting that wildlife management in our country is
> controlled primarily by "consumptive wildlife interests" -- those who
> view wildlife as a resource to be "stocked," "harvested," and
> "managed." "Non-consumptive wildlife users" -- those who enjoy
> viewing, photographing, and observing wildlife in nature -- have had
> very little say in policies and regulations concerning our nation's
> wildlife and their habitats.
>
> One reason for this disparity is the source of funding for state
> wildlife agency budgets. In 1937, Congress passed the Federal Aid in
> Wildlife Restoration Act (formally called the Pittman-Robertson Act)
> to help finance state wildlife agencies by establishing an excise tax
> on guns, ammunition, and fishing gear. These funds are then
> distributed to state wildlife agencies based upon the state's land
> area and the number of hunters in the state. The more hunting licenses
> sold, the more funds a state receives from this act. States therefore
> have an incentive to cater to hunters over non-consumptive wildlife
> users because they will receive a larger slice of the federal funding
> pie.
>
> The "we pay for wildlife conservation" argument made by hunters is
> refuted by the fact that the majority of gun purchasers do not hunt.
> Of the 60 million gun owners in the U.S., only a quarter of these are
> hunters, and yet every gun owner must pay the congressionally mandated
> excise tax when they purchase a gun that then goes to help fund state
> hunting education programs. Consequently, gun owners who do not hunt
> are unknowingly supporting and perpetuating hunting and the
> mismanagement of our nation's wildlife.
>
> Hunters are not the only source of funding for state wildlife agency
> budgets. Many states receive funding from the Endangered Species Act,
> from state general funds, penalties paid by poachers, the sale of
> environmental license plates, and from voluntary contributions made by
> individuals through income tax check-offs and similar voluntary
> contribution programs. Moreover, while the funds generated from gun
> and ammunition taxes have purchased ~10 million acres of land, over
> 600 million acres have been funded by general tax dollars. Many of
> these taxpayer-funded lands, including our National Wildlife Refuges,
> are open to hunters, thereby subsidizing their activities.
>
> Non-consumptive wildlife users do contribute to wildlife conservation,
> but have been given little opportunity to increase funding of non-game
> programs and have been essentially excluded from state wildlife
> management decision-making.
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
>
> What to Do
>
> Wildlife advocates must work to change the focus of our wildlife
> management agencies and their funding sources. Only then will the
> interests of non-game wildlife and non-consumptive users be equitably
> represented within state wildlife agencies.
>
> Some inroads have been made, as evidenced by the recent passage of
> legislation and state initiatives banning unethical wildlife
> management practices. In November 1996, five states banned or
> maintained bans on bear baiting, bear and cougar hounding, hunting
> wolves from airplanes, and/or trapping of wildlife. Increased public
> participation and public outcry against the mismanagement of wildlife
> and misuse of public funds will lead to changes in the system and
> force wildlife agencies to carry out their mandate of humane
> stewardship and true wildlife protection.
>
> For more information about hunting and wildlife management in the
> United States, please visit the Wildlife Page or contact API.
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
>
> For additional reading on hunting, API recommends the following books:
>
> Baker, Ron. The American Hunting Myth. New York: Vantage Press, 1985.
> Cartmill, Matt. A View to a Death in the Morning: Hunting and Nature
> Through History. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1993.
> Livingston, John A. The Fallacy of Wildlife Conservation. Toronto:
> McClelland & Steward, 1981.
> Mighetto, Lisa. Wild Animals and American Environmental Ethics.
> Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, 1991.
> Petersen, David. A Hunter's Heart: Honest Essays on Blood Sports. New
> York: Henry Holt and Company, 1996.
> Reisner, Marc P. Game Wars: The Undercover Pursuit of Wildlife
> Poachers. New York: Penguin Books, 1991.
> Body Count: The Death Toll in America's War on Wildlife. New York: The
> Fund for Animals, January 2000.
> Numbers of Birds and Other Animals Killed by Hunters Each Season
>
> Each year hunters kill more than 100 million animals. The following
> statistics are selected species from state wildlife agency reports
> from the 1996/97 hunting season (courtesy of the Fund for Animals).
> These figures do not include the hundreds of thousands animals killed
> by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's "Wildlife Services" agency
> each year.
> Bear 24,465
> Cranes 12,628
> Deer 6,084,531
> Doves 35,000,000
> Ducks 16,569,100
> Geese 3,134,100
> Grouse/Quail/Partridges 12,209,159
> Pheasants 6,861,987
> Rabbits 12,873,454
> Raccoons 3,518,888
> Squirrels 26,655,926
> Swans 1,463
> Turkeys 615,548
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
>
> Notes:
>
> 1. Benke, Adrian. The Bowhunting Alternative. San Antonio: B. Todd
> Press, 1989.
>
> 2. P. Ian Ross & Martin G. Jalkotzy. "Characteristics of a Hunted
> Population of Mountain Lions in Southwestern Alberta." Journal of
> Wildlife Management, Volume 56 (1992), No. 3.
>
> 3. Frederick G. Lindzey, et al. "Mountain Lion Population Dynamics in
> Southern Utah." Journal of Wildlife Management, Volume 58 (1994), No.
> 4.
>
>
> --
>
>
>
>
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>
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>
>
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>
>
> So, you dont like reasoned,
> well thought out, civil debate?
>
> I understand.
>
> /��/)
> /�../
> /..../
> /��/'...'/���`��
> /'/.../..../......./��\
> ('(...�...�.... �~/'...')
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Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: Zakhar
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 22:29
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 22:29
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"John" <J@ yahoo.com> wrote in message news:mg0Na.1133$NW1.181715@news20.bellglobal.com... > What's this trash doing in a fishing news group anyways? Fishing is hunting. Shock horror! snip
Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: Derek.Moody
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 22:46
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 22:46
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In article <9084dc55b604373861f420d99cd904c6@free.teranews.com>, Malcolm <URL:mailto:Malcolm@malcsplace.com> wrote: > Every year, hunters kill more than 130 million animals in the United Nearly as many as the ARA troll threads you copy and paste each week Pete, except that each of the animals is a unique individual. Cheerio, -- >> derek.moody@clara.net
Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: Derek.Moody
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 22:51
Date: Thu, 03 Jul 2003 22:51
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In article <be1ik6022om@enews2.newsguy.com>, animalaura <URL:mailto:animalaura@texoma.net> wrote: > ...but if you are care to talk about killing for food -and you eat or use > all parts of the killed animal, that is not "fun". That is survival. > And many peoples rely on killing for their survival. Conversely, > many animals rely on killing for survival. And I see both as natural. > But Fun-Killing is dead wrong. But if killing must be done is it not better that those involved enjoy their work? Cheerio, -- >> derek.moody@clara.net
Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: Handy Andy
Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2003 07:03
Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2003 07:03
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> What's this trash doing in a fishing news group anyways? Using up valuable bandwidth................... Please.............Before you type your posting.................. Control A ............... Delete................ type reply...............
Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: Zakhar
Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2003 23:59
Date: Fri, 04 Jul 2003 23:59
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"Handy Andy" <boot.DOT.legger@virgin.net> wrote in message news:gE9Na.22856$sh4.1635607@newsfep2-win.server.ntli.net... > > > > What's this trash doing in a fishing news group anyways? > > > Using up valuable bandwidth................... > > > Please.............Before you type your posting.................. > > Control A ............... Delete................ type reply............... Head / sand...wanker.
Re: The Fallacy of Sport Hunting
Author: Handy Andy
Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2003 07:47
Date: Sat, 05 Jul 2003 07:47
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Go to Google.............. type in :- weapons of mass destruction Hit the "I'm feeling lucky" button
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