[Trailer Trash]

This coming from the land of 'Pet Guardians'.

Hmmm.......

[M. Dodge Thomas]

"JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS"

[cripplecreek]

It's called incrementalism.

Start small with solutions then call the solutions a detriment.

There was also a time when the animal rights crowd didnt have a problem with my fishing habits.

[Socratic]

Just use paint balls to destroy the value of the hide, and it would put the PETA people in Heaven.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The administration of anesthesia is a very delicate endeavor.

It would be very easy to unintentionally kill the animal, or have it regain complete consciousness while you are standing over it getting your trophy picture taken.

Neither situation would have desirable consequences.

[aomagrat]

[Jack Armstrong]

OK I got it!
Let's elaborate a bit shall we?
John Kerry, Al Franken and a bunch of limp wristed liberals from Frisco -(in order to be politically correct!)- all load up and head over to Africa to demonstrate this new sport of blow dart therapy!

They are immediately over taken by terrorists with real rifles and guns but some how the PC "good guys" (libs) try to influence the terrorists into using the antique out moded weapons of the socialist elite left! Once in compete domination by third world terrorists, John,Al and the libs break down and blame their situation on the narrow minded conservatives for not "saving" them fast enough! DID I LEAVE ANYTHING OUT?

[Houmatt]

I think dart guns do indeed have a real purpose.

Shooting animal rights wackos who attempt to interfere with a person's right to hunt.

[Lexington Green]

Bumpersticker: I'D RATHER BE HUNTING TERRORISTS

[nightdriver]

"Yet with no big-game hunters in the country, no money is available for wildlife protection, and local poachers are destroying the animals."

Seems like Tom Stienstra should be convincing the native poachers more than the "rich" hunters that take a trophy once in a while.

'Course, that naively assumes that he's really interested in preserving wild animals more than being jealous of wealthy safari hunters.

[Centurion2000]

The world's oldest and now most controversial sport -- big-game hunting -- could be transformed into a provocative quest acceptable to most anyone if a new sport were created: catch-and-release hunting.

Imagine the thrill of tracking, spotting, stalking and hunting the world's greatest game animals at close range in Africa -- lion, Cape buffalo, leopard, elephant and rhinoceros -- without killing any of them.

Imagine being able to stalk and hunt a buffalo on the Great Plains and have the story end when the animal walks away unharmed. A grizzly bear in Alaska. A musk ox in the Arctic. A bighorn sheep in the Canadian Rockies.

Catch-and-release hunting is now possible by converting a high-powered rifle to a tranquilizer dart gun.

As far as I know, nobody has ever hunted the Big 5 of Africa with a dart gun. But I would consider joining an American hunter in this quest to tell the story of inventing a new sport that could change the world of the great outdoors and how the mainstream public regards big-game hunting.

This is incredibly stupid and likely to start getting hunters killed. We go to hunt to EAT it ... and take the trophy.

[templar]

Imagine the thrill of tracking, spotting, stalking and hunting the world's greatest game animals at close range in Africa -- lion, Cape buffalo, leopard, elephant and rhinoceros -- without killing any of them.

Personally, I don't think I would want to shoot a charging Cape buffalo (or a Rhino) at close range with a dart. A 700 Nitro wold be more to my taste.

[longtermmemmory]

What happens when the same buck gets "darted" again and again. What happens if they start to get conditioned to the drug so a larger dose is required?

What about animals adiction?

This is a folish article, written by someone who is obviously ignorant and has never had to skip a meal.

I prefer catch and eat.

[Prodigal Son]

You can do the same thing with a camera really. Getting close enough to get a really good shot of an animal with a 35mm slr would require the same sort of skills the author is mentioning when he talks about dart guns. You still get your trophy- a nice picture that you can blow up and hang on your wall.

If I weren't going to hunt I'd just go the photography route. I wouldn't bother trying to kit myself out with a dart gun.

[THX 1138]

The world's oldest and now most controversial sport -- big-game hunting...

There they go again; controversial to who (or is it whom)? Not once have I ever heard the liberal media refer to anything that, let's say, Al Sharpton has ever said as "controversial".

[philetus]

"Introducing dart hunting would also change how the mainstream public around the world views the sport."

Indeed it would.

The mainstream public would go from thinking hunters are bloodthirsty killers to morons.

[robertpaulsen]

"Shooting with dart guns would revolutionize big-game hunting."

Yep. The same way switching to flag football would revolutionize the National Football League.

Or switching to Wiffle® balls would revolutionize Major League Baseball.

[Southack]

When everything old is new again...

[Jack Armstrong]

OH!
I did leave out something...
Michael Jackson & Martha Stewart are sentenced by a social engineering judge to do community service "work-release" with Bill Moyers producing a documentary for TV on the revolutionary new hunting technique of darts in Africa!However they are inadvertently lost in the bush but stumble into the next "Survivor" episode. The terrorists capture all of them & assume they will be perfect material to ransom back to the USA! This ill fated group of American's leftovers are totally helpless & at the mercy of the evil doers (terrorist radicals). When suddenly from the back of the bamboo cage the whimpering voice of John Kerry begins to sing... "We shall over come"... The whole ensemble raise up in song as the camera crews start to film the epic event. But copyright and royalty arguments proceed to break out within the rank and file "union" (Movie producers), ... So rev Al Sharpton & Jesse Jackson are self-elected in a last ditch effort to moderate the arbitration. Does that about sum it up?

[taxed2death]

he, he, he....we should set the author of this silly article up with an all expense paid trip to Africa. Have him shoot a Cape Buffalo with a dart gun. Damn, I'd pay good money to see this idiot being chased around for like.....15 seconds before getting trampled to dust under 2500 lbs of pissed off Buffalo.


he, he, he.....too funny...

[Squantos]

so the hunt provides a benefit to wildlife science.........NOT !

Oh Boy....more good ideas from San Francisco. Surprised they ain't trying to get us to marry the animals vs hunt em with darts. Nothing I'd like more than to stand my ground with a pissed off grizzly charging me while wondering if the drug hit home and how sensitive the critter is to it.

Stay Safe !