To me it depends. Legally I'm ok with illegally it depends. If the animal being hunted is feral, I say go ahead and kill it, but do it humanly, this goes for both illegal and legal. If the animal is in any way endangered or vulnerable, I say absolutely not.

I'll be hunting the swamps adjoining the Gulf of Mexico this weekend near Bayou La Batre with my nephews. And yes, it will be fun.

Bayou La Batre of course is the home town of the fictional character Forrest Gump. You have to go inland about a mile (1.62 kilometers) before the elevation is ten feet above sea level. But pretty quick after that you hit a line of small hills about 70 to 90 feet above sea level.

Batre is French for battery, as in an artillery unit. The French occupied this part of Alabama for a long time.

Lavite wrote:

I'll be hunting the swamps adjoining the Gulf of Mexico this weekend near Bayou La Batre with my nephews. And yes, it will be fun. Bayou La Batre of course is the home town of the fictional character Forrest Gump. You have to go inland about a mile (1.62 kilometers) before the elevation is ten feet above sea level. But pretty quick after that you hit a line of small hills about 70 to 90 feet above sea level. Batre is French for battery, as in an artillery unit. The French occupied this part of Alabama for a long time.

I hope they shoot back

Mzzls

I believe all hunting is wrong. It just seems disgusting to me that people actually go and end an animal's life just for fun. I could understand how, in places where food is limited, hunting could be acceptable. However, in other cases, I see it as sick and cruel.

There is a difference between hunting and Hunting. Hunting just for fun to kill animals, even hunting tourism (what is in Estonia really popular!) is wrong for me. Let animals live, most of US is actually living on their territorium (because few hundred years ago it was theirs, and animals memory is longer than any humans - that's what I belive). But hunting to survive, hunting for food and cloths (or okey, fur if the meat is being used) it's okay for me. Even hunting if the animal population is dangerous for humans (like wolves in Estonia, they were breeding with dogs, and belive me, that's not something you want to meet, so they killed those half wolves - half dogs) - then yes. Go for it but long as it's legal and controlled. I know that hunters, who have licenses (at least in Estonia) are really-really-really pissed of when there's illegal hunting.
And there's a saying in Estonian (Mets võtab oma) what is in English: the forest will take back ; what means that if you kill to much and take lives you shouldn't, forest will one day hurt or even kill you or someone you love.

marmelaad wrote:

I know that hunters, who have licenses (at least in Estonia) are really-really-really pissed of when there's illegal hunting. And there's a saying in Estonian (Mets võtab oma) what is in English: the forest will take back ; what means that if you kill to much and take lives you shouldn't, forest will one day hurt or even kill you or someone you love.

The same in the United States. It is hunters who mostly report poachers to the Game Wardens for prosecution. And the penalty for poaching is pretty severe. It has to be to send a warning to other poachers.

The game regulations are based on research done by biologists. They really are not done on a whim.

who are we to disturb the natural food chain on which humans are predators no 1 :p

I think hunting is acceptable so long as the animals are killed mainly for food rather than for pleasure, and it is ecologically sustainable. We should remember hunting occurs in many forms and it is not just shooting animals but also activities like fishing as well. Some people may see hunting as cruel, but arguably animals suffer in lesser degree and in smaller numbers in hunting than in our mass-industrial scale agriculture (it is horrible how animals like chickens and cattle are often treated in slaughterhouses or battery farms).

Greg3001 wrote:

I think hunting is acceptable so long as the animals are killed mainly for food rather than for pleasure, and it is ecologically sustainable. We should remember hunting occurs in many forms and it is not just shooting animals but also activities like fishing as well. Some people may see hunting as cruel, but arguably animals suffer in lesser degree and in smaller numbers in hunting than in our mass-industrial scale agriculture (it is horrible how animals like chickens and cattle are often treated in slaughterhouses or battery farms).

Totally agree with you there, Greg! I worked for Tyson's poultry processing plant for several years and it was appalling. From the chicken farms to the kill line to the finished product. If you knew what went on, you'd never eat chicken (or any processed meat) again.