From: jsemrad@ems.cdc.com (Joe Semrad)
Newsgroups: rec.food.veg,talk.politics.animals
Subject: Re: AR Prisoners in need of your written support
Date: 4 Nov 92 00:11:22 GMT
Reply-To: jsemrad@ems.cdc.com
Followup-To: rec.food.veg
Organization: Empros Systems International, a division of CDC

In article <1d6dpuINNbuj@agate.berkeley.edu>, spp@zabriskie.berkeley.edu (Steve Pope) writes:
|> todd@refrig.dixie.com (Todd H.) writes:
|> 
|> >spp@zabriskie.berkeley.edu (Steve Pope) writes:
|> 
|> >>Mountain lion, timber wolf, bighorn sheep and brown bear populations
|> >>in California have all been close to totally destroyed by hunters.
|> >
|> >Completely false.  The populations of the mountain lion and wolf were decimated
|> >by government programs designed to eradicate predators, and by habitat loss,
|> >NOT by hunters.  Bighorn sheep have habitat problems.  Brown bear are in thier
|> >current trouble because of poaching and habitat.  
|> 
|> This is a really inane bunch of drivel.
|> 
|> The government programs to erdicate mountain lions consisted
|> of HUNTING them for a bounty.
|> 
|> "poaching" is also a form of HUNTING.
|> 
|> The question is whether HUNTERS affected these populations;
|> the FACT is they did; now the hunters are saying "no those
|> weren't REALLY hunters shooting at those animals..."
|> 
|> Sheesh.

Is every person who uses a weapon on an animal a hunter in your eyes?  If so
there is no hope for you, you've been totally taken in by AR propaganda.

No, poaching is not a form of hunting.  Poaching is a criminal activity.
Hunting involves the taking of certain game animals by certain methods
and during regulated seasons in a sporting manner.  There are limits in
effect, licences to be bought, etc.  Poaching is the taking of any protected
species in violation of the above laws.  Hunting is legal, poaching is not.
That's why there are two different words.  I don't mean to sound condescending,
but this is a basic point that I think most of the people using t.p.a
grasped a long time ago.  Most hunters abhor poaching.

Historically animals have been killed for many reasons.  Bounties, market
hunting, and predator control are some examples.  Many of these things are
not done much anymore (bounties and market hunting especially).  None of
these things have anything to do with modern hunting as it is practiced
today.  Modern hunting seasons and limits are guided by data collected
and analysed by state DNRs and in some cases federal and international
agencies.  If populations get too low to support hunting, the season is
closed.  Rarely if ever is the major cause of low populations these days
modern legal hunting.  There is usually something else, like drought,
natural population cycles, habitat loss, disease, etc.  And if populations
do get low, hunters are usually one of the first groups to step forward
with time and money to help.

You should try to understand modern hunting more before you criticize it.  Try
reading something other than Animal's Agenda for a change.

Joe
All opinions mine, etc.
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= EMPOWER Development               =   FAX:   612-553-4018    =
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Newsgroups: rec.food.veg,talk.politics.animals