Unlike some earlier human groups, or people who live in subsistence cultures, we do not need to hunt to live. I do put the value of animal life equal to human life, and I believe for myself that it is morally wrong to kill animals or eat them at all.
What do you say to Gloop's post earlier, that but for hunting, the deer population would balloon. Don't forget, we have largely eradicated the predators who kept the herds in check - wolves, primarily. If it were not for an annual hunt, the deer population would expand dramatically. The result is that the animals starve to death during the winter. There is simply too little food.
I grew up in Michigan, and this happened periodically. In fact, unless I am mistaken, the number of deer tags (licenses) issued each year is the result of DNR calculations as to what is needed to keep the herds in check to avoid a population explosion.
Is it better that little Bambi be killed quickly with a bullet too the heart, or to starve to death over the course of several months of sub-zero temperatures in Northern Michigan, Wisconsin or Minnesota? |
