News, Do you like hunting? Number of hunters falls, worrying some. (president, sport)

[JD59]

Hunters remain a powerful force in American society, as evidenced by the presidential candidates who routinely pay them homage, but their ranks are shrinking dramatically and wildlife agencies worry increasingly about the loss of sorely needed license-fee revenue.

New figures from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service show that the number of hunters 16 and older declined by 10 percent between 1996 and 2006 — from 14 million to about 12.5 million. The drop was most acute in New England, the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific states, which lost 400,000 hunters in that span.

The primary reasons, experts say, are the loss of hunting land to urbanization plus a perception by many families that they can't afford the time or costs that hunting entails.

Number of hunters falls, worrying some - Yahoo! News (broken link)

[BrianH]

All the New Yorkers seem to be hunting here in New Mexico.

[happynoodleboycey]

I hate hunting, what could possibly be enjoyable about killing poor defenseless animals? It is no more a sport than walking down the street picking off pedestrians with a rifle.

[BrianH]

Cause they taste good ? And hunting is fun. Horns are defence

[tablemtn]

I do hunt, but I tend to be low-key about it. I either do it alone, or with a few close friends. I don't belong to any hunting or sportsmen's organizations. Not to be too blunt, but those groups are full of hicks, some of whom loudly voice nutty political views that are unrelated to hunting. I try to be a hunter while staying out of the whole hunting 'scene,' and all that entails.

I do it purely to recover edible meat. I don't care about things like antler points on deer - only about the mass of the animal. I donate a portion of each kill to a local food bank, and I participate in a local university's ecology program by submitting the brain of the dead animal to them for analysis. They are running a longitudinal survey which depends on this sort of cooperation with hunters.

But personally, hunting isn't something I'd try to get other people into. It's a personal thing. If you are interested, then learn more. If not, then no need to do so. Hunting 'evangelists' make me uneasy.

[SALteacher]

I don't hunt and I really wouldn't want to do it. But I don't frown on those who do it themselves. I knew of some people who literally cheered when a deer hunter fell out of their tree stand. Those are sick people IMO.

[BrianH]

Yeah they are. Hunting is a personal preference too, i never pressure anybody to hold a gun, nevermind shoot a live animal whethre its big or small game.

Ive even had meat eaters give out to me about hunting being cruel. I suggested they do some research on slaughter houses before they jump on my back.

[anonymous]

Originally Posted by boycew02

I hate hunting, what could possibly be enjoyable about killing poor defenseless animals?

Killing the animals is only a small part of the fun. Learning the basics of hunting, buying a gun, learning how to shoot it accurately, learning about the animals you'll hunt, finding/tracking the animals, reaching that certain spot you were looking for, staying quiet and hiding from the animals, being able to sit an enjoy the outdoors, and then killing them.. that's fun. Then you get to go track down your kill, figure out how to get him back home, clean him, work up some marinade, decide how you want to cook him, and then feed your family.

It's sort of like buying a steak, only more time consuming and fun.

It is no more a sport than walking down the street picking off pedestrians with a rifle.

I'm sure that someone, somewhere, in a confused and demented state of mind, would find some sport in that.