Do NOT Stereotype hunters that we all enjoy just the thrill or act of killing. In fact, we are all MOST respectful of it.. and giving thanks for the bounty that the “harvest” does indeed produce. Some however, are not so respectful.

Now.. to showcase to you how respectful.. my “Padajuan” is of hunting.. I refer you to his published article this month in Alberta Outdoorsmen Magazine on this very subject.

I also respectfully submit to you… the Facebook Group “Get The Poacher”… and how Greg has conducted himself.. as a hunter in the public eye. Respecting both the opinions of hunters… and non-hunters.. without stereotyping.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=145886442984&ref=mf

Haha – I’m picturing a group of adults in camouflage, trying to sneak up on wildlife and start a massive game of hide-and-seek!
Another option – shoot the animals with a camera!

So – speaking to a few points…

1. Ranger-Bob’s comment. I would agree – there are likely few ‘true’ rednecks who don’t hunt or drink beer. Casting wide aspersions is one of the great truisms of the internets. As for priests? I can’t say – I didn’t grow up catholic like him.

2. Life and Soul (from Jacob). I have no doubt that any animal has life. Soul is a spiritual matter – not a physiological one. Thinking and planning are by far different things. Even in the case Jake pointed out regarding the fly: “High speed, high resolution video recordings revealed the insects quickly work out where a threat is coming from and prepare an escape route. ” this is VERY different from planning. It indicates ‘reaction’. Reaction to stimuli can indeed pattern behaviour – even in ‘lower’ life forms. Not the same as planning. My comment regarding this meant that outside instinctive behaviour – few animals below primates are capable of identifying a situation and planning for consequences. I would surmise that most research would indicate effective reasoning and patterning based on initial stimulus, rather than ‘planning’.

3. Non-hunter cluelessness (from Jacob). I certainly didn’t say ‘all non-hunters are clueless about their environment’ and I didn’t say that you would have to be a hunter to do so. My intent was to show that by and large licensed hunters can do so in much higher percentages than the non-hunting population.

4. Natural population balancing (from Jacob). Agreed. Nature WILL and DOES manage itself without human intervention. Since there is NO possibility of man going away – there is no way to ‘autobalance’ anymore. Hence the role of hunter training as a contributing factor to wildlife management.

5. Understanding of Nature (from Jacob). Also agreed. Hunters don’t ‘need’ to understand the balance of nature – but amongst hunters it is an integral and fundamental component to the pastime. The depth of that understanding plays in terms of selecting areas to hunt, recognizing habitat, and calling in game. Recognition of bag limits inherently transfers knowledge above and beyond the likely understanding of the average citizen.

6. Sport hunting (from Jacob). You want sport hunting? I still stand by my desire to see someone practice catch and release bear hunting. (Paintball counts too – but it’s classified as “Harrassment” of wildlife.

I love it when smart people comment on blogs. Thanks everyone!

“One might suggest that the non-hunter, in many cases (not all of course) is routinely clueless about the environment they so strongly fight to protect. Are you familiar with Spruce fens? What is required to sustain a Lodgepole and lichen hillock? Have you ever walked or tried to survive off of an ancient erg complex? Found, made or drank Labrador tea? Could you find and use groundwater? Treat a broken bone, 10 miles from a road or vehicle? Stave off hypothermia or starvation?”

Not just hunters, many non-hunters can also do this. these are survival skills and don’t require any kind of hunting. Foraging, yes, hunting no.

“Historically – these balances have been maintained by periodic culls, first by the natives, later by settlers, and in more recent times, by those charged with evaluating and maintaining the balance of wild ecosystems (ie: CWD Culls in Saskatchewan and Alberta to prevent Chronic Wasting). Hunting is a direct contributing factor to maintaining the balance of wildlife to habitat.”

True but very foolish to think nature would not control itself without human intervention. Human “intervention” in nature generally breaks the cycles. HISTORICALLY population booms in prey (deer, rabbits, elk, …) were controlled by food shortages and/or predator population booms. Humans messed this up when we started killing the predator’s. i.e. culling of wolf/coyote packs. massive highways messing up bear territory.

Also, to say a hunter needs a deep understanding of the balance of nature isn’t quite right either. Most hunters (not all) don’t require it because the government heavily regulates what you can kill, how many and when.

Not to say I disagree with hunting, I don’t so long as you eat what you kill or you were genuinely in danger and had no other choice before you shot (yes, deer can be dangerous).

Also, you can hardly call wild animals organic no-a-days, in the same aspect that free-range and organic chicken are virtually mutually exclusive.

Also, if you want to make it a “sport”. Don’t take a gun, try and touch the deer.

Good call on the edit for Ranger Bob’s retort as well. I’m not sure what his motivation was there:
1) Trying elevate the social status of rednecks; or
2) Bring the social status of hunters down by associating them with redneck mentality.
Either way, you lose!