Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

I Just Don’t Get It
Townhall.com ^ | April 21, 2022 | Derek Hunter

Posted on 04/21/2022 4:28:23 AM PDT by Kaslin

I’m ready to make a lot of you mad, and I’m ok with that….

I’m not against hunting, it helps control animal populations that otherwise would grow too large and starve a lot of them. It also feeds people. I’m not even really “against” what I’m going to talk about here, I’m just saying that I simply do not get it. I’m talking about trophy hunting.

I get that in a lot of cases trophy hunting helps support the animals and keeps populations alive – an animal that provides incomes to tribes and/or governments will be protected and less likely to go extinct. I get all of that.

What I don’t get is the desire to kill an animal so you can say you did. So you can take a picture next to its dead body. So you can mount its head on your wall.

I will never understand the mentality of watching television, seeing some majestic creature in Africa and thinking, “My God, such a beautiful creature – I must kill one.” More than that, you have to drop a huge sum of money for the privilege.

What brought this up? This story from the UK Daily Mail about a man who paid $50,000 to kill a rare big tusker elephant. The weirdo, in my opinion, said after, “You know, there's more to it than shooting a bull, taking a photograph, becoming a hero and all this other nonsense.”

(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial
KEYWORDS: banglist; hunting; huntingrights
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-102 next last
To: Does so

Not true. By the time the big fish has been removed, it has reproduced.


81 posted on 04/21/2022 5:00:43 PM PDT by gundog ( It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Pollard

I much prefer to hunt alone.


82 posted on 04/21/2022 5:13:41 PM PDT by gundog ( It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Kaslin
Well, I do not understand people who write long articles about not understanding things other people do for fun.

Seems sort of narcissistic to me.

Probably a deep seated neurosis relating to his Oedipus complex.

(See I can throw words around too!)

83 posted on 04/21/2022 5:18:33 PM PDT by Harmless Teddy Bear (It is better to light a single flame thrower then curse the darkness. A bunch of them is better yet)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: erlayman

I’ve never been to Africa but I have cousins that went. Typical missionary work. They came away with stories about corruption, bribes and mismanaged everything. Their actual words were “imagine an entire country like NYC or Chicago.”
I guess the mob has nothing on African strongmen.


84 posted on 04/21/2022 6:30:58 PM PDT by oldvirginian (Sex is like the game of Bridge......if you don't have a good partner you better have a good hand.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]

To: Openurmind

I was hoping he would be a regular guy. So many people these days are complete phonies.
Sounds like you had a very interesting childhood.
Okay, I’m jealous!
Not really, mine was pretty interesting too, just not in the same way.
What’s really sad is those types of childhoods are unknown to kids these days. How do we explain to them that we grew up when Honorable Giants strode the earth?


85 posted on 04/21/2022 6:37:07 PM PDT by oldvirginian (Sex is like the game of Bridge......if you don't have a good partner you better have a good hand.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 80 | View Replies]

To: Magnatron
If you don’t plan to eat it or eradicate a pest, don’t shoot it

Go buy a cheesy velvet painting of the animal to hang on your wall instead.

Go buy your wife an especially soft, warm, gorgeous jungle scene bedspread.

Lord of the Jungle returns!

86 posted on 04/21/2022 7:17:44 PM PDT by Fightin Whitey
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: gundog

“When there are not as many large fish to be caught, smaller ones are harvested which does not allow enough time for them to reach sexual maturity. Not only does this action affect the population’s life history traits, but it is also an unsustainable process.”

https://sevenseasmedia.org/where-are-the-fish-going-unsustainable-fishing-practices-leading-to-fishery-induced-evolution/


87 posted on 04/22/2022 2:47:42 AM PDT by Does so (https://youtu.be/3PxEWB6W8ig ......Uke's Independence Day Parade. Anthem starts at 15:00)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 81 | View Replies]

To: PLMerite

As of yesterday, it is now illegal to declaw cats in Virginia.


88 posted on 04/22/2022 2:52:06 AM PDT by Does so (https://youtu.be/3PxEWB6W8ig ......Uke's Independence Day Parade. Anthem starts at 15:00)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 49 | View Replies]

To: READINABLUESTATE; DoodleBob

I was referring to Donald Trump Jr., who bagged a giraffe on an African safari.

Probably did President Trump no favors...


89 posted on 04/22/2022 2:55:47 AM PDT by Does so (https://youtu.be/3PxEWB6W8ig ......Uke's Independence Day Parade. Anthem starts at 15:00)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: READINABLUESTATE

See above...


90 posted on 04/22/2022 2:57:09 AM PDT by Does so (https://youtu.be/3PxEWB6W8ig ......Uke's Independence Day Parade. Anthem starts at 15:00)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: oldvirginian

“What’s really sad is those types of childhoods are unknown to kids these days. How do we explain to them that we grew up when Honorable Giants strode the earth?”

Part of the problem is interest, Any and all interest in history has been brainwashed out of them. They have been brainwashed into completely dismissing the past, living day by day in the now, and never look into the future.

But it is about the same in all generations I guess. I kick myself for not documenting some of this history myself. I just took it for granted that my unique associations growing up were about the same for everyone. How unique just never occurred to me at the time, just too busy being a kid...

I look back now and realize I was fortunate to have some unique associations and should have got some interviews and documentation while they were still around so that the history could have been shared later with the few who do care. :)


91 posted on 04/22/2022 6:11:00 AM PDT by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]

To: oldvirginian; erlayman

“I’ve never been to Africa but I have cousins that went. Typical missionary work. They came away with stories about corruption, bribes and mismanaged everything. Their actual words were “imagine an entire country like NYC or Chicago.”
I guess the mob has nothing on African strongmen.”

Which proves the reality of it. You can outlaw all you want, you can post all the no hunting signs you want, you can make all the humane efforts you want and it is still going to happen... Human nature cannot be stopped.

All you can do is try to create a positive silver lining from the inevitable that will happen anyhow to try and slow it. And hope that the positive efforts will outweigh the negative urges of human nature.

All “legal” hunting goes a long way towards actually doing this.


92 posted on 04/22/2022 6:32:48 AM PDT by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 84 | View Replies]

To: Does so

Trawling is in no way analogous to “trophy hunting.” Trophy hunting and fishing are discreet in their harvest methods.


93 posted on 04/22/2022 7:04:21 AM PDT by gundog ( It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 87 | View Replies]

To: Openurmind

Poaching and poachers posing as hunters is actually what is inevitable when you introduce legal hunting. Hunting and poaching enable each other and are simply two faces of one coin: a multi-billion dollar global wildlife trafficking industry.


94 posted on 04/22/2022 7:05:01 AM PDT by erlayman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 92 | View Replies]

To: erlayman

Outlaw legal hunting and you will just have poachers posing as photographers who have a rifle hidden in a bush next to them.

It will not stop it.


95 posted on 04/22/2022 7:12:48 AM PDT by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 94 | View Replies]

To: Openurmind

They would obviously have a harder time slipping weapons and animals into and out of reserves without detection, forging papers, etc.


96 posted on 04/22/2022 7:18:57 AM PDT by erlayman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 95 | View Replies]

To: Does so

“As of yesterday, it is now illegal to declaw cats in Virginia.”

That’ll lead to an increase in back-alley nail-clipper declawings.


97 posted on 04/22/2022 7:19:00 AM PDT by PLMerite ("They say that we were Cold Warriors. Yes, and a bloody good show, too." - Robert Conquest )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 88 | View Replies]

To: Openurmind

“I look back now and realize I was fortunate to have some unique associations and should have got some interviews and documentation while they were still around so that the history could have been shared later with the few who do care. :)”

Well, hindsight is 20/20 and you were young so don’t beat yourself up over it. ;-)

And you could still write a book about it. Just write in the third person about the characters that wandered into your life.


98 posted on 04/24/2022 2:10:59 PM PDT by oldvirginian (Sex is like the game of Bridge......if you don't have a good partner you better have a good hand.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 91 | View Replies]

To: Openurmind

“Which proves the reality of it. You can outlaw all you want, you can post all the no hunting signs you want, you can make all the humane efforts you want and it is still going to happen... Human nature cannot be stopped.”

But the effort must be made.
I wish I could remember the source but it was several years ago and I didn’t save it.
An African country was having a terrible time with poachers. The government put the army in charge of ending the poacher scourge. The army went in with very liberal rules of engagement.
They started out killing anyone who resisted. Later they would ease off the killing but kept the constant random patrols and started making targeted attacks against base camps.
They spent a lot of money but put the poachers on short notice that they weren’t welcome.


99 posted on 04/24/2022 2:33:23 PM PDT by oldvirginian (Sex is like the game of Bridge......if you don't have a good partner you better have a good hand.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 92 | View Replies]

To: oldvirginian

“And you could still write a book about it. Just write in the third person about the characters that wandered into your life.”

I have considered similar. A series of “People I have met in my life” forum articles and let others also share in the thread with their own stories. :)

But not here... It would be taboo here. Original posts about one’s personal life are stoned to death here as arrogance and vanity. It is unfortunate because so much cool history could be shared.


100 posted on 04/25/2022 6:47:28 AM PDT by Openurmind (The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world it leaves to its children. ~ D. Bonhoeffer)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 98 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100101-102 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson