Q&A: Hunters & Killing > Page 1, 2, 3
From (another)
James:
"Maybe it's just as well you do prey on defenseless animals, other wise
you would have to kill people for sport. But then again what's the difference,
a life is a life."
My response:
Here we come to the meat of the difference between those who believe in so-called
"animal rights" and the rest of us. That main difference is that you
equate animal and human life, whereas the vast majority of folks realize that
human life is much, much more precious than animal life, though no animal's
life should be taken lightly.
From (another)
James:
"Isn't that what happened at Columbine H.S. Where is the difference?
A life snuffed out is a life snuffed out."
My response:
No, it's not. Human life is so much more valuable than animal life; I don't
know how you can stand to make such a statement.
From (another)
James:
"Killing is final."
My response:
That's very true. I believe if more people took their kids hunting to teach
them that, we wouldn't ever see a Columbine situation. Once someone sees death
up close for what it is, and sees what a gun can do if it's misused, they have
an entirely new perspective.
From Phillip:
To respond to your point that "folks grow vegetables in their back
yards... for the same reason amateur musicians play music rather than buying
it ... for the same reason folks paint or draw pictures, rather than buying
someone else's art ... for the same reason many enjoy photography rather than
just buying a picture book of photos ... because of the pride that lies in doing
it ourselves."
There's a difference between those people you align yourself with and hunters. Hunters kill and take life. Those others don't. No blood is spilled, no life is ended and no terror caused by them.
My response:
So those folks do not eat vegetables raised on farms where the machinery kills
many small animals in reaping the harvest? They do not eat meat from animals
that have been born and raised to be killed? Those folks don't use leather,
or benefit from medical animal research? Get real, Phillip. The only difference
between them and me is that I do my killing myself, rather than contract it
out.
Anonymous:
"What's the challenge in shooting a dove with a 12gauge shotgun?"
My response:
I'd sure love to show you sometime... not on actual doves, because you'd hate
that. If there were a way to imitate the erratic, speedy flight of a dove using
a "clay pigeon" (a small frisbee-like target thrown into the air,
hopefully to be hit by the shooter), I'd love to introduce you to shooting a
shotgun at moving targets.
Dove hunting is one of the greatest challenges I've had... or perhaps I should say that hitting the doves is the biggest challenge.
The first and only dove hunt I've ever been on was this past September. It took me almost 2 boxes of shells (25 shells per box) to bag 7 birds. No, I didn't wound and lose any. They're just tough to hit! It's a fantastic challenge.
Author's warning: Dove hunting is both challenging and addictive.
From Bonnie:
"As a longtime bird watcher, I have spent lots of time in the outdoors.
I know what it's like. I have gotten up before dawn and sat through very cold
rain in order to see the cranes dance."
My response:
Great! Then you know something of what we hunters love. We spend hours upon
hours in the woods without ever killing anything other than time (and mosquitoes!).
I love to sit and watch animals. This past Saturday, while sitting in a stand
waiting for a buck (which never showed up, you'll be glad to know), a couple
of "buttonheads" showed up. You probably know that a buttonhead is
a 6-month-old male deer with only bumps on his head instead of antlers. These
2 deer fed around me and wandered back and forth for about 45 minutes. It was
the best time I had all season, not counting the bear that
wanted to climb my stand a few days before that.
I hope you have enjoyed this little peek into my mailbox, and I hope this helps answer some questions which those of you who don't hunt may have had. In any case, I answer all Email as time permits, so feel free to contact me.
- Russ Chastain
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