Any animals you won't kill?

[Floppy_D]

They almost wiped out all the Nauga's back in the 50's due to the high demand for Naugahyde.

You silly goose.

My grandad caught me shooting sparrows when I was a kid, and grilled one and made me eat a piece. Not to knock his grilling, but that was awful... maybe just because I was mortified by the idea.

Now, unless I have a real good reason, I won't shoot what I won't eat. I shot prairie dogs wholesale when I was a kid, but my granddad was a rancher and that was my job.

 

[1/4MOA]

survival situation aside.... i shoot anything with a purpose.....

coyotes eat young turkeys and raid nest, also eat deer, quail, etc. i'll kill a predator on public land or private to preserve other wildlife whos numbers have been depressed.

only kill true "game" species during legal season unless its deer during growing season in crop fields. theres tons of deer here.

 

[john1911]

I'll shoot any legal animal in season.

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

If it's legal, it's fair game. If it's endangered in any way, I don't want to shoot it. Fortunately, it's illegal to shoot anything endandered so I don't have to worry about what'd endangered and what's not - just what is legal and what's not, and the first question subsumes the second. Probably the only animal species not endangered yet still illegal, which I think need their ranks thinned nevertheless, are homo sapiens sapiens and canis lupis.

In other words, all endangered species are illegal (that's good), but not all illegal species are endangered (bad, if they are a nuisance or taste good).

I do need a REASON to shoot anything. But that reason doesn't have to be "to eat it". It can be (a) to eat it, or (b) because it's a nuisance species.

Nuisance species (to ME) can include a wide variety of things, including animals which tear up crop fields (feral hogs), screw up the water drainage (beavers), and animals which kill game which *I* like to hunt (or their eggs). Including coyotes, bobcats, and things that eat turkey eggs and quail eggs (racoons, skunks, armadillos, possums, etc.). Yes, some humans need killin too, but for better or worse (better I suppose, to maintain an orderly society), killing the ones need killing is highly illegal.

But no, nothing is sacred, no matter how intelligent or how cute - if it tastes good or is a nuisance, its in jeopardy.

But I can't quite bring myself (thankfully) to cross the thresshold of using "because I want to stuff it / it would make a good trophy", alone, being legitimate. The culture I come from says that trophy hunting for trophy hunting's sake is wrong.

 

[ronwill]

I no longer trophy hunt, meaning I don't shoot anything I wouldn't eat. Controlled hunts help strengthen game populations and the fees help maintain hunting lands. Predators are not the problem when it comes to game reduction, it's usually poaching and over hunting. I also thought differently until I actually observed what wolfs, coyotes and cougars ate on a regular basis.

 

[MaterDei]

Unicorn?

 

[308win]

Songbirds, almost all birds though I have been known to shoot roosts of grackels and starlings at his request for the landowner who lets me shoot and hunt; all wild predators -except coyotes - which except for fox and other fur-bearers is about all we have here; don't hunt quail, pheasant, or waterfowl anymore; anything not legal. Thinking about taking turkey hunting up again if I can find someone who will eat it.

 

[john917v]

For the most part, I only kill what I will eat. The only exception is if there is a predator on a person's property that harms livestock.

 

[conw]

The Tourist wrote:

hunting is no longer my cup of tea

I sympathize, but I personally have my own motivation for hunting:

To remind me what is in the neatly wrapped pink Styrofoam packages full of yummy nutrition that I buy every Sunday.

I don't think hunting is supposed to be 100% pleasant, all the time you do it. Certainly not everyone enjoys every aspect of it. But, it is almost a "duty" for me because I want to be more involved in a hands-on way in the food chain, so as to be in touch with my primal roots.

Truly, I think hunting one's own food--even occasionally--makes one a better-rounded, more aware person.

 

[qwert65]

I'll hunt for fun but only a species I'll eat It's never been that difficult for me skill wise though I've only hunted pheasant, quail and deer. though nj has so many deer that might be part of it. I no longer hunt pheaseant or quail because it's not worth it for the tiny amount of meat.

I'd like to try goose hunting when i graduate.

The only other animals i've shot have been fox(red and grey) some diseased chickens at the neighbors, feral cats that i couldn't catch after 6 mos of trying, a doberman that was killing my cats after repeated warnings to the owner and a couple groundhogs who refused to leave the barn/stop eating the grain.

I'm a vet student and really love animals so i only shoot nusiance animals when their on my territory kinda a you don't bother me I won't bother you deal. and cause i'm soft I once noticed a fox had kits and waited a month or so till they were weaned before I shot mom(not a good idea though I lost lots of ducks I was raising for meat

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I eat what I kill -- that includes rabbits, squirrels, turkey, ducks, geese, deer, elk, and so on.

I don't shoot skunks -- no reason to. I do shoot (and don't eat) many varmit species -- around here, crows and coyotes mostly.

 

[tkendrick]

I will never kill a Jackalope, or a Nauga.

RC, trying to remember what caliber we used to use. Personally, I don't regret almost driving Nauga's to extinction, nasty animals. How many Edsel dashboards do you need to re-cover anyway?

 

[pat86323]

I can see no reason whatsoever to kill a bird or prey, they are quite interesting and really dont do anyone any harm. They just kinda fly around, look beautiful, and eat things that i dont particularly want around.

 

[Grizfire]

I usually just kill what I eat. I won't harm canines, felines, or song birds (unless its those damned illegally introduced English sparrows that kill native birds).

 

[MCgunner]

I can see no reason whatsoever to kill a bird or prey, they are quite interesting and really dont do anyone any harm. They just kinda fly around, look beautiful, and eat things that i dont particularly want around.

That would be illegal and unethical in any event and COULD land you in prison.

I do shoot cowbirds, an introduced pest that is predatory on native bird nests by kicking the eggs out and laying theirs in their place. I have nesting doves on my place AND cowbirds, so occasionally, when I'm bored and the cowbirds are around, I'll pop a few. Was doing that for grins the other day with my .410 contender. It's legal here and encouraged by Parks and Wildlife, or at least they have a trapping, eradication program for them. Waste of time, though. They'll never get rid of all the cowbirds.

 

[MCgunner]

This thread brings to mind my annual dove hunt in Waco two years ago. My buddy from college and I get together every year to hunt a couple of times, once at his place for dove (he has lots of 'em), and down here for geese and deer/hog (I have lots of 'em).

So, we were out one morning on his 70 acre farm that butts up to his dad's 500 acres on a creek. His boy saw a bobcat and let him go. They don't get to see bobcat up there too often, I don't think, and he didn't wanna shoot it. It was small anyway and he was loaded with 7 1/2.

We get though with the morning hunt, go to his dads the following afternoon to try the back tank and creek there which is usually good. We were chatting with his mom and dad, up in their 80s now, both second generation Czech immigrants and old school. Larry mentioned to him that Christopher had seen a bobcat. His dad says, "Did he shoot it?" Larry told him no. The old man about had a hemorrhage fit. Yelled at Larry, "YOU DON'T EVER NOT SHOOT A BOBCAT! I GOT THREE NEW BORN CALVES OUT THERE!......yadda, yadda." So, now, Larry just figures don't tell the old man. ROFL!

 

[winchester243]

Got no interest in eating bear so I wouldn't shoot one unless I had to.

Now gophers and coyotes I'll shoot even though I wouldn't eat them either.

 

[pbearperry]

I watched a guy shoot a giraffe on a safari,and it made me sick.I mean what the hell?

 

[Dr. Tad Hussein Winslow]

I will amend what I said to also add bear to endangered species - just because my understanding is they don't taste none particularly good, and there's none enough of them to seriously depredate deer, I don't believe. Plus they are beautiful - rather let them walk. Except I wouldn't mind killing one brown bear with a bow from the ground, as a test of manhood/stupidity, provided that I ate it, of course - or gave the meat to needy/hungry people.

 

[marksman13]

Not a whole lot I won't shoot. The raptors get a repreive because they are pretty damn awesome and illegal to kill. Endangered animals are safe too. I'm not big on shooting something that will land me in jail. Turtles, snakes, crows and coyotes are the only animals I kill that I don't eat. I know. I know. I know. Somebody is gonna take issue with the fact that turtles. Save yourself some time, don't type a ***? response. They eat fish, and ducklings. I don't like 'em. Therefore I kill them. Get over it.

 

[Cosmoline]

No cats of any kind. Too much juju in a cat to mess with it. Plus I think they hold grudges into the next world. And also they may run the next world. Best not to tempt fate.

Except I wouldn't mind killing one brown bear with a bow from the ground, as a test of manhood/stupidity, provided that I ate it, of course - or gave the meat to needy/hungry people.

They're not endangered here, but I don't think you'd find many people wanting brown bear meat.

I probably wouldn't kill a primate, unless it was about to kill me first

I'll kill any primate that carries and M1 carbine and tries to catch me in a net! Damned dirty apes!

 

[Selfdfenz]

I'm not really a fan of hunting ducks because they mate for life.

I'm not sure that's 100% accurate. Ducks pair bond and stay that way but if something happens to one of the pair the other may/will pair up with a different member of the opposite sex.

Best,

S-

 

[308win]

Yeah, I am not convinced about the monogamous ducks either; a mallard drake that has been coming to our water garden (of all places) for about two weeks now with two hens - so polygamist I might buy. We have been watching them to make sure the hens don't start nests in the beds somewhere because the Shelties would make quick work of the nest if we didn't get them socialized to it before hand and they found it.

 

[MCgunner]

Yeah, I am not convinced about the monogamous ducks either; a mallard drake that has been coming to our water garden (of all places) for about two weeks now with two hens - so polygamist I might buy.

He ain't from El Dorado, Texas, is he?

I'm not sure that's 100% accurate. Ducks pair bond and stay that way but if something happens to one of the pair the other may/will pair up with a different member of the opposite sex.

Well, the line IS "till death do us part", ya know.

 

[H&Hhunter]

A couple of big misconceptions here.

PremiumSauces wrote,

. If it's endangered in any way, I don't want to shoot it. Fortunately, it's illegal to shoot anything endandered so I don't have to worry about what'd endangered and what's not - just what is legal and what's not, and the first question subsumes the second. Probably the only animal species not endangered yet still illegal, which I think need their ranks thinned nevertheless, are homo sapiens sapiens and canis lupis.

In other words, all endangered species are illegal (that's good), but not all illegal species are endangered (bad, if they are a nuisance or taste good)

This a very common misconception. There are plenty of species that are listed as endangered that are legal to hunt. Elephant, Leopard, cheetah, grizzly/brown bear, crocodile and certain types of zebra are just a few.

First of all simply because a species is on the "endangered" list does not mean that it is threatened in all or even part of it's habitat. In fact it may not even be close to being threatened in anyway at the currently. Or the species in question may be endangered only in a small part of it's habitat.

However once a species is listed as endangered it becomes a political issue and no matter how healthy that species is it becomes very difficult to have it de-listed. Especially if it something like an elephant that people tend to have unnatural anthropomorphic emotions about.

Right now as we speak there are 4 countries in Southern Africa which are screaming about their elephant overpopulation problems and are going to either have to start culling and killing thousands of these animals off or they are going to have a self induced elephant population crash of biblical proportions due to overpopulation. These elephants are eating themselves right out of their habitat. They are overpopulated yet while this going on right here and right now. I still have to hear on a nearly daily basis about the plight of the poor endangered elephant and how could anybody shoot one?


People need to break out of these fuzzy happy feel good misconceptions pull their heads out of the sand and look around. It us hunters who are responsible for just about each and every one of the good and healthy and in some cases unhealthy population come backs of just about every big game animal that was once or is now listed as endangered.

pbearperry wrote

I watched a guy shoot a giraffe on a safari,and it made me sick.I mean what the hell?

I've never killed a giraffe but I have seen one shot I agree that it is not on my need to do list. But I will tell you "what the hell"? Giraffe are considered a delicacy among many of the locals in Africa. The older and the stinkier the bull the better. So the biltong from that giraffe sells for a premium and once these bulls get to a certain age they become very aggressive with other bulls and need to be taken out of the herd.Many times old bull giraffe also become car and people aggressive. Yes it's true, even something that graceful and beautiful will stomp the crap out of you if it gets in a bad mood. Especially if it is on a game ranch that has limited space for a herd of giraffe. You know less than 100,000 acres of open country or so.

So for the ranch it is a triple good deal. One, they get a premium for the meat. Two, they get the trophy fees. Three, they get rid of an old non productive bull and get paid for the trouble.

It is sad to see such a graceful animal fall. But they aren't just doing it to be mean old hunters there is a very good purpose for it.