Shooting animals for the sake of shooting them?

[edward5759]

I did not want to add to the thread Shooting animals for the sake of shooting them? But I had to.
Where I live is in the southwest. We have had many people move to the area over the last 50 years. Some are living right out in the desert. These people for the most part were from back East where a person with a gun is never seen. Some of these people saw hunters and shooters out and about and then they tried to ban open carry in their town. It failed because of State Law. Well the people got together and incorporated their town and said no Hunting. Needles to say coyote population went nuts. So the people got the Game and Fish to put out poison for the coyotes, they ate it.
Then the birds ate the poison, ground squirrels ate the poison. Then the plants absorbed the poison ETC… Soon everything living in the area was dead. Even an Elk herd that was the only desert dwelling heard of Elk in the world. The area still has not recovered and its been 40 years plus since it was done.
So… when someone starts complaining about Coyotes, bob cats, Fox, etc… in the area we start to over hunt the area and it like preparation H it cools the area down for a few years.
Ed

[zukiphile]

These people for the most part were from back East where a person with a gun is never seen.

Let me re-enforce the cultural difference.

When it comes up that I shoot, while three out of ten people in the room may express mild and polite interest, a lot of the rest will look at me as if I've just passed gas audibly.

This is especially burdensome on those occassions when I haven't just passed gas.

[dahermit]

I do not like to kill anything. I have given up hunting but had so much fun for so many years doing it that I support hunting 100% so that others may have the enjoyment I have experienced.
Nevertheless, inasmuch as I have 10 or so outdoor cats, and 9 adult geese, I will kill on sight any coyote that I see near my property. It may be notable that I have lost three or so geese to domestic dogs and have shot one domestic dog and will attempt to kill any dogs that approach my geese. I have given up raising chickens (pets) as there are too many 'coons, fox, and possums that have killed them. I will continue to shoot 'coons, fox, and 'possums on sight as a service to my Amish neighbors who still attempt to raise chickens.
It is not about blazing away at those animals for the fun of it. It is about reducing the population of predators that have exploded due to the anti-fur movement's efforts that have resulted in trapping no longer being profitable.

[edward5759]

It is the cultural difference. I’ve received calls for a man with a GUN.
As a Deputy Sheriff I had to explain to the person who called
"This is an open carry state."
There reply is quite often
"I moved from back east to an insane asylum"
Ed

[Patriot78]

I'm with you Ed. That's a real shame to hear of the exstinction of those Elk. Which makes a point. Carelessness leads to the extinction of certain critters. Thats what I don't like to see. Don't get me wrong, I've done in countless coons, possums, snakes, wild cats and even a couple of stray-wild dogs that were getting to my flocks of guineas, chickens, peafowl, geese and get this, those wild dogs trying to get at me and my own dogs.

By no means am I trying to pass judgement on others. I simply don't care for the senseless, careless, uneccesary killing of critters. Once again, given they aren't being harmful.

The rest of you, I'm still reporting to PETA. just kidding

[NJgunowner]

I don't know. I go way out of my way to avoid contact with snakes or anything really when i go to the midwest to visit. But I have to say after a recent Discovery channel special on feral pigs, I'd happily shoot those things. They don't belong on this continent in the first place, and they destroy EVERYTHING and breed like crazy.

So I guess there is some justification for some of it. I don't think I'd take much pleasure in it, but I'd do cause they shouldn't be here anyway. Coyotes may belong here, but they're population is exploding out of control in a lot of places and they adapt to suburban areas easily.

[Nickanto]

I shoot yotes because it's fun and it's legal. There are plenty of them. Any questions?

[markj]

Coyotes are varmints, we kill them off here. Used to get 50.00 for a set of ears back in the bounty days.

Used to trap for fur too, no money in it these days so we have a lot of varmints running around. Rabies can be spread by varmints. Some folks just dont understand what happens when the natural balance isnt there, the varmints get out of hand.

Deer are soon to be varmints. Sorry bambi lovers we kill and eat them.

[L_Killkenny]

I have no use for anyone who kills for the fun of killing. If they are adults they are sick. If they are children they need straightening out and if they cannot be straightened out then something is very wrong with them or their environment.

So when I high five a buddy after a heck of a shot or laugh when a deer does a complete back flip after being hit I'm a bad guy get real and man up for lords sake. Talk about the wussification of America.

So far Nickanto is about the most honest post in the thread and I'll go with his reason. 99% of the hunters out there hunt and kill for the sake of doing just that. Sure they/we/I eat what meat is usuable and take fur that is good and generally do a favor to the enviroment when we kill varmints. We get the added enjoyment of spending time in nature, testing our skills and spending time with friends and family but all of that is just gravy and generally BS that sounds good when it comes explaining why we hunt to bunny huggers. You can lie to them and to yourself but I've never seen a hunter yet that didn't get a grin as the fur ot feathers hit the dirt.

I am the ultimate predator and seems to be a dang shame if I were to try to wuss out on it. Feel free to do that yourself but stay the heck outta my way! I'm going hunting for whatever moves.

LK

[Uncle Buck]

did not intend to insinuate that coyotes are not at all bad, rather, what I meant was that as long as they are not CAUSING DAMAGE I don't see any reason to kill them or any other critters for that matter.

Just because they are not causing damage to your property or killing your pets, does not mean they are not causing havoc elsewhere.

I understand what you are saying now, but I still have to disagree with you. The reason they have not eaten fluffy is because they have been busy eating my chickens. When they get through with my critters, they are heading your way.

There is almost no way that we would kill all the coyotes here in Missouri (Although I would be happy to try!), we have so many of them we can only thin the pack.

We have two options to thin them out: Shoot them or run them over with a car. Cars get stuck in the fields and leave awful ruts.

[FyredUp]

Apparently some of you either have a reading comprension problem or just refuse to read what others post.

I NEVER said that you shouldn't shoot pests. I even said in my first post that I have and will continue to do it. I NEVER said that you shouldn't hunt. I even said in my first post that I have and will continue to do so.

What I am saying it that killing just to kill, and enjoying killing just for the killing, in my mind is incredibly wrong. It is not the same as celebrating an incredible shot that makes the kill. To me it is pathological and a sign of some sort of mental disorder.

[reloader28]

FyredUp
So what are you saying?
That you are all for gun control and are against hunting and pest control?


Sorry. Just kidding. I couldnt resist.

[KCabbage]

I'm with you. I used to kill animals for fun as a kid, but now have the utmost respect for them unless one is trying to kill me. However, yesterday my neighbors little bastard of a dog was in my yard looking to do his duty as I was taking out the trash. My Husky was all over him kinda knocking him around . I went to pull my dog off of the little on and that little bastard tried to bite me. I wanted to field goal him into the neighbors yard, but didn't. That little thing is so mean. He doesn't mind my dog at all but, once he sees a human he turns into a vicious little beast.

My girlfriend even told me she once saw one of his younger owners pick him up and the dog tried biting her If we have this problem again i'm making a call, I don't want one of my kids getting biten by that mangy thing.

[Hog Hunter]

Allthough killing animals is something that i love to do, i dont belive you should kill an animal just to be killing it. I shoot alot of hogs every year that i just drag to the grave yard (as I call it,) but i also keep alot of the smaller ones i shoot and if somebody ask me to bring them one back then ill do it. The reason I do what i do is because of the crop damage they cause, and planting a foodplot of corn or soybeans, forget it. Two days after you plant it their gonna have it rooted up. Im also trying to manage the population of these critters cause they multiply like you wouldnt belive.

As far as the yotes go i like to shoot them to. I use not to till i found a guy that wanted there pelts, so then i started shooting them. I no longer get joy out of shooting an animal for no reason, if i kill an animal now a days its for a darn good reason

[leadcounsel]

People who kill animals for sport and fun are twisted. I know guys that go out to shoot birds, squirrels, coyotes, rabbits, etc. just to shoot and cause something pain or take its life. I unappologetically think these people need serious mental help, and they do a dis-service to gun owners everywhere.

Now, if there is a legitimate need (hunting for food for instance) then that makes sense.

But humans have foolishly driven animals to extinction or engangered their existence because of our self-centered short sighted folly.

[Trago]

While living in Colorado some 30 years ago, there was a popular bumper sticker that read ;eat sheep-20,000 coyotes can't be wrong, and if memory serves me right there was a 'tail' bounty on them, I think 20.00. Neighboring Utah had an 'ear bounty' for a like amount, so the shooters would make out quite well. And they were quite prolific and cagey,{ the yotes} they would follow my hay baler and go for the mice and other rodents that would scurry out. But to the topic......yes, as a retired taxidemist I can assure you first hand that many yahoos kill to kill, the most repugnant issue I recall is someone pulling into my shop at 10:30 at night while I was cleaning shop, said he had a deer in his truck he wanted 'full mounted', when I went to look, much to my disgust, and maybe an impetus to my retirement decision, in the bed of his truck, he had a little 'basket six' pointer, not even field dressed! When I told him I generally get the head and hide, after the butcher, he proceeded to tell me he had no interest in deer meat, just wanted a lifesize mount for his cabin, I blew a gasket, he beat feet, a call to the Game Co. with tag number probably did little to twart his disgusting habits, but he didn't look at all tasty so that's all I could do........................

[ClayInTx]

I sense that many in this thread have either a problem with the English Language or have responded to a post in haste. (A previous poster made the same comment with added comments such as I am posting here.)

Those, including me, who have stated their distaste of killing for fun have not indicated they are against killing for necessity,

Elation over a good clean shot in a hunt does not equate of itself killing merely for the fun of killing. Hunters hunt for several reasons and almost every hunter has a valid reason. Also, almost every animal hunted is of a population large enough to support hunting and that population would probably become unsustainable by nature if not hunted.

Putting food on the table is necessity.
Killing pests is a necessity.
Killing dangerous animals is a necessity.
Controlling population is a necessity.
Trophy hunting when part of needed culling or control is a necessity.

Killing for no other reason than killing for fun is sick.

[Scrapperz]

Man will always take precedence over animals that's just the way it is and always has been. You can make law but someone will always break it.

Hard to control the nature of man.

[fisherman66]

I've been lucky enough to be a long term guest of a lease. I don't get quail or turkey hunting privileges, but if a member is willing to give me a deer tag I can deer hunt and I'm always welcome to pig hunt. My FIL has been giving me a doe tag for over 10 years and we have taken several pigs too. I have been asked to shoot every coyote and skunk I see if I'm not actively hunting deer since they eat quail eggs. I've also been asked to kill every hog too regardless if I'm hunting deer due to the property damage they can inflict. I'm welcome to take it home or let it lie where it dies. I've left a couple stinky old bores. I've taken a few sows or juveniles home to eat. It's not unusual to have a nest of snakes under the hunting 5th wheel. We gas them out and kill them almost every year. As a non-paying guest I abide by the rules. The old timers are about ready to give up hunting and I won't have a free ride there anymore. My FIL has property to the east we will use, but they only offer two or three days a year to take a doe.

On the killing for pleasure line? I've got no beef with anyone who want to pop a 'yote/whistle pig/snake/crow ect as long as they are not breaking any game laws. I haven't always thought this way, but I have learned to be a little less judgmental about what others do. I still think killing something from many, many hundreds of yards runs counter to my way of thinking, but if it can be done without undue suffering on the part of the animal I will keep my opinion to myself.

[Pittbull]

around here yotes are killed on farms to clear enough of them off of specific land tracts. They cause losses in farm profits. No natural predators in lots of places. If you're in a really isolated area, rabbit hunting is pretty effective at keeping the yote numbers down. Take away their food.

[45Gunner]

I wasn't going to add anything further to this post, but after reading all the posts, I've decided to throw in two additional cents worth:

This is, for the most part, a very enjoyable Forum to read and participate in. I have found it to be very educational as I never stop learning. I respect each and everyone's right to their opinion and viewpoint. And therein lies my problem; this is a firearms forum and not a hunting Forum.

I'm not a tree hugger or an animal rights activist but as a current dog owner and former horse rancher, I am totally turned off by the way this post has gone. Yeah, I know I didn't have to read it but that is not the point. As a horse rancher, I had other animals (livestock) on my ranch and did lose a share of them to predators such as coyotes, racoons, fox, etc. I took whatever measures I had to take to protect my livestock. And...that is the point, I used my rifle/handgun to protect. I did not go on the hunt for the sport. If this thread had gone in the vein such as, for example, I use my AR-15 against coyotes and my ACOG scope has really paid for itself, I would say..Cool.
I hate to sound like a stick in the mud but think discussions such as this should be moved to a different Forum and future posts of this nature (no pun intended) be barred.

What say you Moderators?

[Bud Helms]

A different forum like The Hunt? I was about to move it there. I almost moved it there yesterday, but let it slide.

You may be using the term forum as some of us use bulletin board. TFL is a bulletin board and the topic divisions are forums (or fora ... ). But the usage gets mixed up a lot and it's no problem unless people don't know what you mean. I, for example, think you may mean it should be off TFL, to which I respond, I don't agree. But if you mean it should be in the hunting forum, then I do.

To which we now go ...

[Uncle Buck]

After re-reading some of the post and the OP's statements, I have to agree with what I think he is saying.

Like I have said, I still hunt and kill different types of predators. But I do not kill something just to say I killed it.

Like the kid with a new B-B gun, who shoots every song bird he sees, just to shoot it. The guy who shoots rabbits and leaves them in the field, or the guy who shoots ducks and then throws them away. To me, that is wrong.

If you are not going to eat what you shoot, if you are not shooting something to stop it from being a predator or doing damage, then I definitely agree with the OP.

[Daryl]

Just reading through a thread in another part of the forum made me wonder: Are people really afraid of coyotes, or are they just looking for quick justification to have something alive to shoot at?

Neither, actually.

I don't need justification to shoot a furbearer, and I hunt them for the challenge and the furs.

I do not fear them, nor do I hate them. In truth, I have a lot of respect for them as the cunning predators that they are, but they pose little or no threat to me. If one WERE to pose a threat to me, mine, or my animals, I have the knowledge and abilities to remove it from it's position in the food chain in a quick and humane manner, but those occurances aren't all that common.

No need in my mind to justify a legal and challenging hobby, sport, or occupation.

Daryl

[wingman]

Interesting thread as a older person raised on a farm in a rural area "many" years ago hunted for food and sport however I no longer do so since I do not find waiting in a deer stand to shoot a feeding deer "sporting" but I do not desire to stop those who do. All my shooting now is at paper however if I had the place to do so I would enjoy a grouse or pheasant hunt, still find that a challenge.