Ask Lemmy

If humanity subsisted off hunted food, we would eat the last wild animal before the first afternoon of the first day. Hunting is a selfish, needlessly cruel, unsustainable practice.

It's a tough one, on one hand yes we killed their predators so we have to do it instead; on the other if those predators somehow come back then most often we just kill them again so we can continue hunting. I suppose my biggest issue with hunting is the seemingly inevitable wolf cull.

If there was no farmland, if the majority of this planets surface wasn't being used exclusively for human activities then I would have no problem at all with hunting; however that's not the case. Wild populations likely seem abundant but they are a fraction of what they were before industrialization/colonization (Overton Window) and further pressure on those populations, that are essentially holding on to slivers of the only land left for them, can only do harm (with the caveat of overpopulation).

As well, most hunters use lead bullets because they're cheap, so now all areas where hunting happens regularly are contaminated with lead, especially the predators (including humans) of that area (bioaccumulation).

I guess the least impactful way to hunt is to use copper/non-lead bullets(?) in rehabilitated farmland.

I won't take any life unless it's unavoidable. If I had to kill my own food, I'd rather be vegetarian.

I made a post a month or so ago ( https://piefed.blahaj.zone/c/asklemmy@piefed.blahaj.zone/p/982397/have-you-ever-encountered-large-carnivores-in-the-wild ) in which I referenced a book I was reading. It gave me insight. It blew away my prejudice towards hunters. I'm trying to eat as little meat as possible because of how we treat industrially produced animals, but this book taught me, showed me, how much reverence and respect most hunters have towards their pray.

Do you have any epic pictures to share?

The equation is simple

Not eating meat >>> Killing for meat >>> Funding meat factories who make animals suffer.

Does population control that way actually work?

I agree on hunting, but only if it is for food (or regulation), and done with respect. I am pescarian, but if someone chased and killed a wild ram who lived an honourable life, I'd gladly eat a part.

I have deer in my yard every day and I don't think I could. I loves them. The other thing is, because of parasite risk, you have to cook the shit out of the meat, I feel like it probably wouldn't be that good. If I had to feed my kids I absolutely would, but I wouldn't enjoy it. I can see how going out in nature to hunt by yourself could be enjoyable though.

I completely agree with you on every point.

I agree that nobody should be eating anything they would not prepare - I don't hunt because I don't like camping and am a terrible shot, would be a menace with a gun. But I have gently raised chickens, and am at ease with eating meat, and DO want to know what I am eating. So hunted fowl and grass fed ranch animals are great, , I try to eat less meat humanely raised. We are animals and omnivores and we belong to this cycle of life.

People who want meat as a sanitized experience, who don't want to think about what they are eating, that does bother me. Vegans don't bother me, that makes sense. Hunters (for food) don't bother me. Fishing kinda does, because the oceans are so overfished, we need to lay off awhile.

Anyway - I do think it's ethical, a deer is going to be somebody's food and a quick death is gentler than what a different predator would do.

Harming or taking any sentient beings life is a wrong action, an evil action. It causes immense loss of wisdom, perspective, empathy and friendliness of your own mind; and it causes severe suffering to the beings that are subjected to your violent acts.

You are accumulating demerit by continuing these actions, there is truly no action worse than murder. The right time to stop is right now. I hope you stop ignoring the (now) diminished sense of wrongdoing, that made you okay with doing this.

It's really cold it's really early and I don't want to go

It's, unfortunately, essential. Our ancestors have eliminated or strongly curtailed most natural predators, and the proliferation of roads, highways, and car use here in the US makes hunting seasons important for public safety. It's also my understanding that culling herds actually leads to a stronger animal population.

Also, being someone who is fundamentally for strong gun control and who also possesses a hunting license, I have to say I was impressed with the hunter safety course I had to take to get my hunting license. It taught firearm safety, the importance of minimizing cruelty to animals, and overall just the ethics of hunting, which I wasn't anticipating.

Hunting is fine. All that thinking will get you into trouble though. /s

There are mostly two:

• hunting is good
• hunting is bad

I'm for it. Sounds relaxing. I don't have anyone to go with or who's into it. I would prefer going with someone familiar with the laws and regulations so I don't do something wrong.

I would be curious to go. I've grown up around firearms and have familiarity handling various types.

If you need to hunt to survive there is no issue whatsoever.

Hunting for sport is definitely a gray area as it is resource intensive and can be cruel and wasteful depending on the hunter and the shot.

Also, I don't buy into the management aspect. We created the problem by hunting the predators that naturally balance the population. Man, even in their infinite wisdom, cannot pretend to replace this food chain with selective hunting.

The way to fix this is to stop killing predators not play predator ourselves.