The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Do you feel that Rattlesnake hunting is legitimate hunting?

buck460XVR · December 7, 2012, 08:12 PM

Snakes, since the Garden of Eden, have had a negative image to man. Most folks either run scared like a little girl from them or kill them on sight. Regardless of species. While I can see the monetary motivation for hunting them, anytime money is involved, common sense, ethics and concern for the whole ecosystem is often replaced with greed. I have no problem with hunting them, as any other predator species, as long as it is done with the idea of safety of humans and their domestic animals in the habitat and population control. Snakes generally do more good than harm by controlling rodent and other small nuisance animals, especially when other predators like coyotes/foxes have been eliminated. Surplus populations of snakes generally means these nuisance/undesirable animals are over-abundant also. In Wisconsin, both native species of Rattlesnakes are protected by law.

December 7, 2012, 08:12 PM	#12
buck460XVR Senior Member Join Date: December 28, 2006 Posts: 4,342	Snakes, since the Garden of Eden, have had a negative image to man. Most folks either run scared like a little girl from them or kill them on sight. Regardless of species. While I can see the monetary motivation for hunting them, anytime money is involved, common sense, ethics and concern for the whole ecosystem is often replaced with greed. I have no problem with hunting them, as any other predator species, as long as it is done with the idea of safety of humans and their domestic animals in the habitat and population control. Snakes generally do more good than harm by controlling rodent and other small nuisance animals, especially when other predators like coyotes/foxes have been eliminated. Surplus populations of snakes generally means these nuisance/undesirable animals are over-abundant also. In Wisconsin, both native species of Rattlesnakes are protected by law.