What is the value of ethics to a hunter?

[Art Eatman]

Going back to the title and the opening question, it's all about feeling good about oneself--and by and large it's a sport hunter's deal.

If you're hunting for basic survival, the quick kill saves money and doesn't alert some potential enemy. Easy to worry about morals and ethics when there's a grocery store available.

 

[wrs840]

I have exactly as much sympathy for another creature's pain as it has for mine.

 

[303tom]

If you do not have Ethics I don`t want to hunt & or shoot with you ever...........and

if you think that only humans have a soul, I don`t even want to know you.

Did you not ever see the movie, All Dogs Go To Heaven..............

Look into these eyes and tell me you don`t see a soul.

 

[wrs840]

Look into these eyes and tell me you don`t see a soul.

Actually, no I don't. But...

I cried as a sweet old companion German Shepherd was put to sleep in my lap as I sat on the floor of the vet's office.

I also once owned a dog I adopted and attempted to civilize, that despite all efforts, was a demon. I felt nothing as I saw the life leave it's eyes after I shot in the back of the skull.

Did either have a "soul"? I don't really think so. Do I have no ethics?

 

[Shoobee]

Those eyes could simply be the eyes of a predator trying to figure out how to get another dog bisquit out of you. No different than those of a shark.

 

[45bthompson]

This is why I hunt robots.

 

[RhinoDefense]

Bears are animals.. and very intelligent ones that behave a lot like humans at times...

Humans can cook food. Humans can have written communication. Humans created fire, electricity, and build factories. How many bears have done so when they lived thousands of years before humans? Zero. Why? Because they are stupid animals. Intelligence is relative.

So would the intelligence of a bear allow for morals?

No, morals are a human trait.

Actually how the hell would you even know what an animal is thinking? can you read minds?

I don't read minds, I read actions.

Animals obviously learn from social interaction with other creatures. They don't slap a name on a group of them, but they learn.

What is learned are not morals.

Hate to say it, but there are FAR more intelligent animals on this planet than us. Sure we can build things that allow us to defeat mother nature, or rather just hold her off because she will eventually get tired of us and educate us on TRUE power.

Name another animal that can cook food. Name another animal that has understood the art of brewing beer, fermenting wine, or distilling liquor. Name another animal that has created something more powerful than the nuclear bomb. Name an animal that mined metal ore. What animal developed a system of government? Name an animal that has real time transcontinental communication. You think animals have more intelligence than humans? Looks like you need a reality check.

So scratch science, and scratch philosophy, in the case of hunting ethics, and that only leaves religion.

Religion? You mean adults believing in fairy tales? I'll get right on that!

No one wants to see a critter flop around for 20 minutes unless Your an aspiring serial killer

I place bets on how many times a chicken will jump after I take its head off. Pretty comical seeing a corpse twitch 10 minutes after decapitation.

 

[Robert]

When we get down to calling a belief system a fairy tale we are done. Religion is not allowed on THR for a very good reason. As we have seen here. Anything can be a religion be it science, nature or guns. But anytime we start talking about Higher Power Religion things quickly come off the High Road.

I blame myslef really, this should have been closed eariler. I saw where it was going.