From: jsemrad@ems.cdc.com (Joe Semrad)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.animals
Subject: Re: Colorado Hunters under attack
Date: 7 Jan 93 00:00:32 GMT
Reply-To: jsemrad@ems.cdc.com
Organization: Empros Systems International, a division of CDC

In article <1ifgchINNngm@agate.berkeley.edu>, sherw@ocf.berkeley.edu (Gregory Sherwin) writes:

[...]

|> First - my point was NOT that hunting as a means of sustenance was unethical -
|> in fact if you took the trouble to read a few postings back you will
|> realize I specifically stated that hunting as a means of putting food on
|> the table is easily justified.  I made NO claim to man being herbivores -

So far so good...

[...]

|> (read: SOME).  Now the point I was trying to make is that I KNOW some
|> hunters, maybe not you (the respect thing I previously mentioned) who
|> hunted because, truthfully, they got off on hunting down and killing
|> animals - period.  Not to eat them - but that the means had become an
|> ends.  Do you understand the nature of such a problem - i.e where a means
|> becomes an ends?  You'll have to answer that for me, as I won't assume if
|> you do or if you don't.

Assuming a hunter eats his kills, uses legal methods, and follows all laws
and bag limits, does his/her motivation matter, except perhaps as a mental
exercise for philosophers?  Personally, I find the act of killing the part
of hunting I like the least, but what practical difference is there between
me and someone who enjoys the killing (assuming, of course, that this person
doesn't also hunt children at the local McDonalds).  If there is a difference,
how could people who hunt because they enjoy killing be differentiated from
other hunters?  Should they?

|> >
|> I have always drawn the line where killing for the sake of killing I feel
|> is wrong.  Sme hunters hunt for food - and they use what they kill in
|> a constructive way - but that does not represent all hunters (refer to
|> the respect thing once again, as everyone is different).  My objection was
|> to people who kill moose, rhinos, cats, what have you for the sake of
|> killing or sticking them on their wall for show or trophy  -- what a waste.
|> What an egotistical waste.  Never did I claim that ALL hunters do this
|> (again - you are putting words in my mouth and stereotyping anybody who
|> differs in your viewpoint towards hunting) - but SOME do.  Got it?
|> 
|> Please - read your facts before you make an incorrect premise for your
|> arguments and babble on layer upon layer over a mistaken assumption.  it
|> will save you effort and this group bandwidth.
|> 
|> greg

After reading a couple of your posts, I am confused as to what your
attitude toward various kinds of hunting is.  I assume that someone who
must hunt to survive because of remote location or economics is ok in your
eyes.  What about someone who could easily afford supermarket meat but
enjoys the taste of wild game and enjoys the process of hunting?  What
about the person who shoots a deer, mounts the head, and eats the rest of
the meat?  Cases like these fall somewhere between a survival need to hunt and
leaving a carcass to rot after killing it just for the antlers.  You seem to
have this impression that hunters are either just out for a mount or use all
parts of the animal down to the last hair, tooth, and claw.  I suspect most
hunters fall between the two extremes.  Exactly where do you draw your line
between ethical and unethical hunting?

Joe
All opinions mine...
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