T
tsum
Guest
ok guys so my sister is writing a report for high school on how hunting is a sport and why she doesn't like it... my whole family hunts except for her.. im pretty dang sure she was dropped 1 too many times when she was a baby after reading this.. let me know what you guys think.
Hunting for Sport
Picture a quite forest. Its early in the fall season and the leaves are just beginning to turn colors. Vibrant oranges, reds, and yellows seem to make the trees come to life as the sun gently hits them. Near by, a flowing stream trickles down the mountain. This makes the mountain seem even more peaceful with it's lullaby-like sounds. The forest lullaby catches the sweet melody of birds singing and wind blowing through the leaves. In harmony, all these magical sounds join together to create the beautiful soundtrack of nature. It is hard to imagine a more wonderful day. You find yourself in almost a dream like state. It seems that nothing can shatter this perfect world. You are safe and warm in your forest home.
All of the sudden an unfamiliar sound startles you. You hear leaves crunching under what sounds like a heavy rock. Your heart stops, you know something is wrong. You feel fear start to creep within you. The sense of panic has you frozen in place. You immediately become alert, but too late. You?re on the ground. A foreign object has struck you. You helplessly lie there, still trying to figure out what just happened. All you know is that you are in severe pain with nothing to do about it but wait for death to give you relief. A few long, excruciating minutes pass and finally you're dead.
There was no warning. No way for you to know what was happening. You didn't even have a way to protect yourself at all. Really, you had absolutely no chance. At this point your probably thinking what kind of monster would do something like this. What on earth did you ever do to them? The answer is nothing, this is just for pure enjoyment, nothing against you. Actually, you are even glorified in this situation. Its almost an honor to die in this way. It brings a lot of people so much joy. In fact, this is considered a sport. Thats right, a very popular sport commonly known as hunting.
However, I completely disagree with this. Hunting is not a sport. Period. There is no real skill involved, it is completely unfair for the animals being hunting, and it is cruel. When I think of the words ?no skill, unfair, and cruel?, I don't usually associate it with a sport. According to PETA, ?sports involve competition between two consenting parties and the mediation of a referee. And no sport ends with the deliberate death of one unwilling participant? (PETA).
I agree with this statement fully. PETA also gives more details about hunting and it's cruelty. In PETA?s article entitled, ?Hunting,? they provide readers with true information about the harmful effects of hunting and how cruel it can be. While reading this article I learned that the animals that are hunting do not die instantly most of the time. In fact they suffer a lot before finally dying after being shot by a hunter. Apparently, not all hunters are as accurate and talented shooters as they think they are (PETA). PETA writes that, ?a British study of deer hunting found that 11 percent of deer killed by hunters died only after being shot two or more times and that some wounded deer suffered for more than 15 minutes before dying? (PETA). In my opinion, that is most definately considered animal cruelty.
Also, when an animal does die, it can effect the entire family unit that the animal used to belong to. Some animals that are hunted, such as wolves, mate for life. When their partner dies they are devastated. Killing just one animal doesn't effect only that animal, but the others who are associated with it (PETA).
One of my most favorite thing about hunters is how much love and respect they have for the outdoors. They love the feeling of the forest. They feel so at one with nature and all its glories. They even love the animals. They think the animals found in nature have indescribable beauty. They are so beautiful that they just have to hang them on the wall. I guess this would make perfect sense. That is, to a blood thirsty hunter who won't settle for letting nature be beautiful in, well, nature. If the animal was left in nature, they wouldn't be able to enjoy it's beauty all the time. Although they may want to deny it, a hunter is human, they will eventually get tired and need to go home. This means saying goodbye to the lovely animals until the next hunt, or nature outing. But what hunter, a person who is so in love with nature, would settle for this? Saying goodbye and see you next time to this pure happiness? No, they take it a step further and mount nature on their wall. Problem solved.
I found an article form a hunter called DuckBuckGoose who illustrates this idea wonderfully. DuckBuckGoose is all about the outdoors. In fact, they are his fondest childhood memory. He even goes as far to admit that he has an obsession with hunting. Perfectly normal. DuckBuckGoose wishes that he could live somewhere that he could hunt all the time. This is a problem, because he currently lives in the city. He states that, ?My preference would be to have a small farm in the country with a freestanding workshop, a pond full of bass, a clear running creek and plenty of food and cover to hold a healthy deer herd? (DuckBuckGoose). Of course, you want a healthy herd. Killing an unhealthy herd would just be plain ridiculous and boring.
DuckBuckGoose goes on to tell the reader of his many, and I mean many, reasons why he adores hunting so much. One of my favorite reasons for his obsession is, ? I love the way hunting gives me time to pray, a real sense of connection to the outdoors, and how it strengthens my faith in God? (DuckBuckGoose). As much as I am happy that his faith is strengthened, its hard to believe that taking a life, even that of animals, for the fun of it could bring anyone closer to God.
A popular argument among hunters is that God put animals on this earth for us to live, and to enjoy them. I agree with this. Animals are for us as humans to enjoy. However, I doubt that God put animals on this earth to be unfairly hunted and to suffer the way that most hunters make them suffer. I understand that it is necessary to hunt in order to obtain food in some cases. I believe that if some likes to hunt on occasion, and what he kills he actually eats, its alright. The problem is, most hunters I know are just happy with the occasional hunt. Hunting is on their minds 24/7. They will hunt anything and everything that has a heartbeat. And for what? The intense joy of stopping that heartbeat? Of knowing that they had power over something? To know that they are the dominate species and can kill anything they wish just to kill it? This sounds a little power hungry to me.
Avid hunters everywhere would of course disagree and argue that they killed those deer, or whatever animal that's on their hunting agenda that day, fair and square. That they are the all powerful hunter, who took down their unsuspecting pray. Congratulations hunters! You have just killed a helpless, defenseless animal in their own home environment. Most likely in front of their offspring. But the glory can't possibly all go to you. No, you did not accomplish this victory alone. You had help. Lots and lots of help. From you animal calls, to your spotting scope, to your trees stands which give you the luxury of being high above the animal without making a sound you have managed to kill your prey. Of course, none of this extra help deteriorates your mighty hunter skills.
Actually, it does. Anyone, even if they never even heard of hunting before could probably have a very successful hunt with all the equipment that is provided for them. Too bad there is not as much equipment provided for the animals involved. If there were, this ?sport? might actually be considered a little more fair. However, there isn't anyway for the animals being hunted to have any chance of escaping with their lives.
The best chance for these animals is to just pray that whoever is hunting them that day is absolutely terrible at shooting. But even then, it is almost impossible for a hunter to miss if he has the right gear. Gear for hunters includes a wide range of objects promising to ensure a hunter?s success. After all, if your not actually killing anything when you go hunting, then whats the point? Oh, but the hunters really do just enjoy the nature too, really.
One of the most commonly used objects for a hunter is called a decoy. A decoy is a fake version of animal that is being hunted. So, if a hunter is really wanting to shoot a duck, but there is no ducks in the pond he is at, all he has to do is float his decoy out to the middle of the pond. This sends a message to all surrounding ducks that the cost is clear. They feel a sense of security seeing that one of their own is out peacefully floating on the pond. Slowly ducks start to flitter in to accompany their friend. This sense of security is short lived when the shot is finally fired and one of the ducks is dead floating in the water. This would be an incredible traumatic thing for the other ducks to witness as they fly out of the pond as fast as they can in a shocked state, not to mention the duck that was hit, who is most likely still having a long and painful death from the bullet that didn't quite kill it right away.
But never mind that, glorious hunter. Feel free to let your victory give you that sense of complete joy and overwhelming power over a helpless thing. That, after all is the way of nature. I mean, didn't the hunters of old do the same thing? Well, I honestly doubt the hunters of old used decoys to trick their prey. And even if they did, I doubt they were doing it for the thrill of the kill. They were hunting for survival. Sadly, that is not the case with most hunters today. They hunt for the fun of it. Most of them don't even like the meat they are hunting. They will kill their deer, celebrate their well deserved victory with their buddies, then go for a hamburger after. Oh, but don't worry, the dear isn't completely waisted. As long as it has big antlers, the deer will be mounted proudly above the hunters fire place.
Personally, knowing that the hunter doesn't let those antlers, a sign of true dominance, go to waste, doesn't really make me feel any better.
Hunting for Sport
Picture a quite forest. Its early in the fall season and the leaves are just beginning to turn colors. Vibrant oranges, reds, and yellows seem to make the trees come to life as the sun gently hits them. Near by, a flowing stream trickles down the mountain. This makes the mountain seem even more peaceful with it's lullaby-like sounds. The forest lullaby catches the sweet melody of birds singing and wind blowing through the leaves. In harmony, all these magical sounds join together to create the beautiful soundtrack of nature. It is hard to imagine a more wonderful day. You find yourself in almost a dream like state. It seems that nothing can shatter this perfect world. You are safe and warm in your forest home.
All of the sudden an unfamiliar sound startles you. You hear leaves crunching under what sounds like a heavy rock. Your heart stops, you know something is wrong. You feel fear start to creep within you. The sense of panic has you frozen in place. You immediately become alert, but too late. You?re on the ground. A foreign object has struck you. You helplessly lie there, still trying to figure out what just happened. All you know is that you are in severe pain with nothing to do about it but wait for death to give you relief. A few long, excruciating minutes pass and finally you're dead.
There was no warning. No way for you to know what was happening. You didn't even have a way to protect yourself at all. Really, you had absolutely no chance. At this point your probably thinking what kind of monster would do something like this. What on earth did you ever do to them? The answer is nothing, this is just for pure enjoyment, nothing against you. Actually, you are even glorified in this situation. Its almost an honor to die in this way. It brings a lot of people so much joy. In fact, this is considered a sport. Thats right, a very popular sport commonly known as hunting.
However, I completely disagree with this. Hunting is not a sport. Period. There is no real skill involved, it is completely unfair for the animals being hunting, and it is cruel. When I think of the words ?no skill, unfair, and cruel?, I don't usually associate it with a sport. According to PETA, ?sports involve competition between two consenting parties and the mediation of a referee. And no sport ends with the deliberate death of one unwilling participant? (PETA).
I agree with this statement fully. PETA also gives more details about hunting and it's cruelty. In PETA?s article entitled, ?Hunting,? they provide readers with true information about the harmful effects of hunting and how cruel it can be. While reading this article I learned that the animals that are hunting do not die instantly most of the time. In fact they suffer a lot before finally dying after being shot by a hunter. Apparently, not all hunters are as accurate and talented shooters as they think they are (PETA). PETA writes that, ?a British study of deer hunting found that 11 percent of deer killed by hunters died only after being shot two or more times and that some wounded deer suffered for more than 15 minutes before dying? (PETA). In my opinion, that is most definately considered animal cruelty.
Also, when an animal does die, it can effect the entire family unit that the animal used to belong to. Some animals that are hunted, such as wolves, mate for life. When their partner dies they are devastated. Killing just one animal doesn't effect only that animal, but the others who are associated with it (PETA).
One of my most favorite thing about hunters is how much love and respect they have for the outdoors. They love the feeling of the forest. They feel so at one with nature and all its glories. They even love the animals. They think the animals found in nature have indescribable beauty. They are so beautiful that they just have to hang them on the wall. I guess this would make perfect sense. That is, to a blood thirsty hunter who won't settle for letting nature be beautiful in, well, nature. If the animal was left in nature, they wouldn't be able to enjoy it's beauty all the time. Although they may want to deny it, a hunter is human, they will eventually get tired and need to go home. This means saying goodbye to the lovely animals until the next hunt, or nature outing. But what hunter, a person who is so in love with nature, would settle for this? Saying goodbye and see you next time to this pure happiness? No, they take it a step further and mount nature on their wall. Problem solved.
I found an article form a hunter called DuckBuckGoose who illustrates this idea wonderfully. DuckBuckGoose is all about the outdoors. In fact, they are his fondest childhood memory. He even goes as far to admit that he has an obsession with hunting. Perfectly normal. DuckBuckGoose wishes that he could live somewhere that he could hunt all the time. This is a problem, because he currently lives in the city. He states that, ?My preference would be to have a small farm in the country with a freestanding workshop, a pond full of bass, a clear running creek and plenty of food and cover to hold a healthy deer herd? (DuckBuckGoose). Of course, you want a healthy herd. Killing an unhealthy herd would just be plain ridiculous and boring.
DuckBuckGoose goes on to tell the reader of his many, and I mean many, reasons why he adores hunting so much. One of my favorite reasons for his obsession is, ? I love the way hunting gives me time to pray, a real sense of connection to the outdoors, and how it strengthens my faith in God? (DuckBuckGoose). As much as I am happy that his faith is strengthened, its hard to believe that taking a life, even that of animals, for the fun of it could bring anyone closer to God.
A popular argument among hunters is that God put animals on this earth for us to live, and to enjoy them. I agree with this. Animals are for us as humans to enjoy. However, I doubt that God put animals on this earth to be unfairly hunted and to suffer the way that most hunters make them suffer. I understand that it is necessary to hunt in order to obtain food in some cases. I believe that if some likes to hunt on occasion, and what he kills he actually eats, its alright. The problem is, most hunters I know are just happy with the occasional hunt. Hunting is on their minds 24/7. They will hunt anything and everything that has a heartbeat. And for what? The intense joy of stopping that heartbeat? Of knowing that they had power over something? To know that they are the dominate species and can kill anything they wish just to kill it? This sounds a little power hungry to me.
Avid hunters everywhere would of course disagree and argue that they killed those deer, or whatever animal that's on their hunting agenda that day, fair and square. That they are the all powerful hunter, who took down their unsuspecting pray. Congratulations hunters! You have just killed a helpless, defenseless animal in their own home environment. Most likely in front of their offspring. But the glory can't possibly all go to you. No, you did not accomplish this victory alone. You had help. Lots and lots of help. From you animal calls, to your spotting scope, to your trees stands which give you the luxury of being high above the animal without making a sound you have managed to kill your prey. Of course, none of this extra help deteriorates your mighty hunter skills.
Actually, it does. Anyone, even if they never even heard of hunting before could probably have a very successful hunt with all the equipment that is provided for them. Too bad there is not as much equipment provided for the animals involved. If there were, this ?sport? might actually be considered a little more fair. However, there isn't anyway for the animals being hunted to have any chance of escaping with their lives.
The best chance for these animals is to just pray that whoever is hunting them that day is absolutely terrible at shooting. But even then, it is almost impossible for a hunter to miss if he has the right gear. Gear for hunters includes a wide range of objects promising to ensure a hunter?s success. After all, if your not actually killing anything when you go hunting, then whats the point? Oh, but the hunters really do just enjoy the nature too, really.
One of the most commonly used objects for a hunter is called a decoy. A decoy is a fake version of animal that is being hunted. So, if a hunter is really wanting to shoot a duck, but there is no ducks in the pond he is at, all he has to do is float his decoy out to the middle of the pond. This sends a message to all surrounding ducks that the cost is clear. They feel a sense of security seeing that one of their own is out peacefully floating on the pond. Slowly ducks start to flitter in to accompany their friend. This sense of security is short lived when the shot is finally fired and one of the ducks is dead floating in the water. This would be an incredible traumatic thing for the other ducks to witness as they fly out of the pond as fast as they can in a shocked state, not to mention the duck that was hit, who is most likely still having a long and painful death from the bullet that didn't quite kill it right away.
But never mind that, glorious hunter. Feel free to let your victory give you that sense of complete joy and overwhelming power over a helpless thing. That, after all is the way of nature. I mean, didn't the hunters of old do the same thing? Well, I honestly doubt the hunters of old used decoys to trick their prey. And even if they did, I doubt they were doing it for the thrill of the kill. They were hunting for survival. Sadly, that is not the case with most hunters today. They hunt for the fun of it. Most of them don't even like the meat they are hunting. They will kill their deer, celebrate their well deserved victory with their buddies, then go for a hamburger after. Oh, but don't worry, the dear isn't completely waisted. As long as it has big antlers, the deer will be mounted proudly above the hunters fire place.
Personally, knowing that the hunter doesn't let those antlers, a sign of true dominance, go to waste, doesn't really make me feel any better.
