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Old August 23, 2013, 06:54 AM   #8
TimSr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: March 8, 2013
Location: Rittman, Ohio
Posts: 2,074
Loaded question that could easily be interpreted negatively.

In the US, after you consider all the associated costs of hunting, few people hunt to "put food on the table". That is a bonus for for the enjoyment of hunting. Few people enjoy "killing an animal". That is one very small part of hunting that is necessary in order to get it on the table. Most people love hunting for the pursuit, the challenge, and the opportunity to become part of nature.

Varmint hunting, is shooting species that are considered pests, populate rapidly, and over populate easily, and can easily become destructive to habitat. Most are not particularly desireable to eat. In the US, killing animals classified as "varmints" contributes to population control tends to be beneficial to the environment, and improves the quality of life for other species by decreasing competition for food and habitat. Killing non-native invasive species is the game management duty of a hunter sportsman. I don't feel guilty for killing varmints any more than I feel guilty about setting mousetraps. Every groundhog I kill helps a deer get through the winter, and every coyote I kill leaves a few extra rabbits around that I can hunt and eat.

Since the OP is in NZ, I can only assume that while the list of varmint species may vary, the principle is the same.
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