Too Thrilled for the Kill
By Michael Pearlman, 10-04-09
I didn’t grow up in family of hunters, but as an omnivore, I unequivocally support ethical hunting. It’s a way for parents to instill a love of the outdoors and conservation values to their children, to pass along a tradition while reminding them of the responsibility that accompanies a hunting license. Hunters who feed their families with harvested meat, respect state hunting regulations and do everything possible to minimize the suffering of their prey are doing nothing wrong. In fact, I believe obtaining food directly from the source is something to be proud of.
That stated, I’m also not afraid to say that I find the behavior of some who call themselves hunters abhorrent. For every law-abiding, ethical hunter in the field there are others, a generally hidden minority, who feel no shame in taking part in the wanton killing of animals for sport. This culture of destruction goes back hundreds of years, it’s not a phenomenon that began with the advent of four-wheelers, high-powered handguns and canned hunting safaris to Greenland and Africa. There’s clearly a segment of the population that uses hunting as an excuse to indulge in the power-trip that accompanies the use firearms to dominate other species. What I’ve struggled to understand is, how this behavior develops and how individuals justify it to themselves.
Bison hunting, reintroduced in Wyoming in 1998 as a population control, is a natural attraction for those with questionable hunting ethics. Obtaining a tag is a rare, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the massive animals aren’t exactly difficult to track. But when a Wyoming hunter recently paid for a guided bison hunt in the Jackson area, he decided he needed to set some kind of record by hunting with a pistol. When the client’s shots didn’t put the animal down right away (something the guide noticed) he approached the animal looking for the killing shot. Instead, a guide’s assistant wound up in the hospital after getting gored by the terminally wounded animal.
A handgun being used to hunt a 1,000-pound animal seems ridiculous to me. What kind of person derives joy and satisfaction by emptying a Smith and Wesson into a dozing bison? Should state Game and Fish agencies be encouraging or even tolerating these kind of novelty hunts? As distasteful as this appears to me, I have no doubt the hunter will be telling stories about this amazing experience for the rest of his life, despite the fact he’s complicit in the injuries suffered by another person.
In Southwest, Wyoming, a Bureau of Land Management employee was arrested and charged with shooting three wild horses in the corrals of the BLM office he once worked at. This act is the height of callousness, an assassination of animals that weren’t even able to flee. What thoughts were going through this man’s head as he pulled the trigger, and how did he feel afterwards? Did he smile with satisfaction, or was he seeking an outlet for some intense rage buried deep in his psyche?
For some segment of the hunting population, the sport is simply a power trip, an opportunity to extinguish the life of another living thing without any moral qualms. A minority of hunters don’t contemplate what constitutes an ethical hunt, or ever seek to explain why they’re doing it. It’s illegal to hunt from a paved road, but some hunters think nothing of prowling around the woods on a four-wheeler until they can take a shot at an elk without lifting their ass off the seat of their machine.The tricks and shortcuts are out there, some legal and some not. I’ve learned that what type of hunting choices someone makes says a lot about their character.
Hunting is sport for some, an art for others and a simple exercise in dominance for some tiny minority. But at the end of the day, to hold a hunting license is to hold a government-issued license to kill. The people who abuse that privilege reveal the sad and dark side of hunting and the human psyche. It’s a stain that won’t go away, one that reveals a problem that no amount of regulation or enforcement can correct.
as in every occupation or hobby there are those who are the bad apples. there are those bad hunters. that part i agree with.
but lets focus another hunting story that took place only a short distance from the unfortunate goring. a wyoming hunter took the first bison with a bow and arrow. this hunter killed his bison from only a few yards away using little more than the native americans had years ago on their hunts.
this "government issued license to kill" as you call it mr pearlman is one of the major sources of funding for the management of all big game animals. whether you approve of the management practices of our government or not the fact that many species are available for all of us to view, hunt, eat, enjoy, are the result of their management.
i for one apply for a bison tag and gladly give up the nonrefundable fee if i dont draw as part of giving back to the species and their management. i have never drawn a low enough number in the lottery but respect the hunt and the managers.
i will finish up by quoting from your second paragraph,"That stated, I’m also not afraid to say that I find the behavior of some who call themselves journalists abhorrent". okay i made a substitution there,,, dont get me started.
Yes, but...what other animal of any species kills just for the sake of killing ? Kills for recreation ? Kills for " sport" ? Kills for bragging rights and a nice mounted head, but not the meat or hide. Kills just because it can.
Answer me that , please.
Some will accuse our new neighbor the Grey Wolf of just this, but I believe the jury would likely acquit . So grade on the curve , throw out the wolf, and name the next animal that kills other animals for any reason other than 1. food 2. self protection or protection of social units , such as cubs , or 3. territorial imperative
I'm waiting for evidence or testament that " Great White Hunters" are anything other than pathological killers, in whole or in part.
Answer me that.
... and please, don't shoot the Messenger.
You'll just prove my point here.
Dewey,
Nothing is going to convince you anyway. So stop trying to stir up trouble.
It's a fair question. Pertinent to the theme at hand. It's not bait, nor " trouble". I just want the question out there for fuller discussion
p.s. In the interests of full disclosure, I used to hunt and have been a big game hunting guide . Haven't bothered with either for about ten years now, but not because I'm down on them. It's just not part of my life any more. I no longer go bowling , either, but understand the passion behind it for some folks.
I have seen plenty of house cats torture birds to death, playing with them like they would a ball of yarn.
Philosophically speaking, what difference does REASON behind their destruction make to those birds? What difference does the REASON behind their destruction mean to the trophy elk, or the sailfish, or the bison? I doubt any of those animals really cares about what happens to them after they are dead; all species tend to be most concerned with self-preservation. First and foremost, they just wanna stay alive.
That a person gets off on killing animals simply for the sport or trophy, to me, says something about that person. I think less of them, mainly because I feel that it's such a waste to take a life without consuming the remains.
But the prey probably doesn't give a rat's ass about any of this debate.
Something that I have not figured out yet: modern, high-tech hunting equipment vs. traditional/primitive means of killing. Bowhunting requires the hunter to truly stalk the prey, while a high-powered rifle equipped with telescopic sights can be effectively deployed while the hunter's ass is in the seat of his 4-wheeler. There's no question which form of hunting is purer.
However, a well-placed rifle shot drops the game instantly. I challenge anyone to watch a bull moose get shot with an arrow without becoming queasy. Death from an arrow is slow and painful, and that's something the prey probably DOES give a rat's ass about.
ANDY- here's your animal behavior lesson for the day : every young cat knows how to hunt. Easy enough to see when kittens play with stuff. But--- they have to be shown ( trained) to eat their prey. Or mom has to bring them fresh kill and make them eat it. The first few times, anyway. Otherwise that young cat won't complete the predator-prey regimen. A young "city" cat raised domestically that goes from being weaned of mom to eating commercial cat food provided for it may never know it's supposed to eat its prey. To them , it's just a toy...play fighting and play-killing as an educational prelude to the real law of the jungle that comes later as survival for more wild cats.
Your other point is well taken . The last few hunts I guided were bow hunters trying to take Elk. We crippled more than one before eventually killing it , and never found one at all , just a blood trail that vanished in the ensuing darkness. It's one reason I quit guiding.
Hunting bison on horseback with a .50 cal pistol does not seem too bright to me if you know anything about bison. ( Takes a darn good conditioned horse, too) The guide referrred to in the article above is now sporting two orifices in his buttocks, one for excreting, the other the exact opposite shape of a bison horn for Show and Tell. ( True story ). Talk about your teachable moment...
There are hunters. Then there are just killers. I'm really not sure where to place Buffalo Bill the Pistolero. Hence the question.
I think we're saying the same thing: cats are natural born killers, and they only eat their prey after some other cat teaches them that dead prey is tasty.
I don't really care about cats, though.
All I'm saying is that if we are going to allow hunting, the law cannot be concerned with the hunter's motivation for engaging in the legal hunt. As the cliche goes: you cannot legislate thought. You can only legislate action.
That doesn't mean I can't think less of an irresponsible hunter, though.
I'm guessing that the Pistolero had a Thompson Contender of some sort, but I don't know. That's still not the right tool for the job, but I cannot imagine ANY guide taking a client out with a revolver on a bison hunt. This would be a good place for wildlife managers to step in and make a new rule: bison must me taken with a big-bore rifle. I'd be in favor of that.
It's a shame that they guy was injured. I feel bad about that, but accidents do happen. I grew up in Michigan, where hunters every year accept the risk that they may be accidentally shot. It happens to several every Fall.
If you hang out with dangerous wild animals long enough, you will eventually get hurt by one.
Let's be clear about the bison hunt in MT: It is unethical in that none of the lottery/license dollars go toward bison conservation, yet thousands of hunters enter the lottery. Bison in MT have no designated habitat and are considered "big game" as a convenience only during hunting season. I monitored the hunt some years ago and watched as a young woman shot a bedded-down bison and called that "hunting." Then I watched a man walk up to a grazing bison, shoot it, then take the obligatory chest-thumping photo. Near Gardiner, I saw men (elk hunters) waiting at their pick-ups at the bottom of wildlife trails. A trusted acquaintance told of hunters shooting into a herd of elk then arguing over whose bullet killed the downed animal. People in my own rural neighborhood fire shots from their back doors at animals who-- used to wandering through now and again-- make the fatal mistake of wandering through during "hunting" season.
Parents need not take children out to kill animals simply to instill a love of the outdoors and respect for conservation values--this can be done from behind a camera. Tradition can be re-created. But I applaud Michael P. for his willingness to discuss the bloodlust and drive for ego enhancement that accompanies trophy hunting. And while eating meat is not a necessity for anyone, I agree that acquiring it through respectful hunting is more honest than purchasing the flesh of those who suffered in factory farming. Where we disagree, I think, is in the claim that it's just "a few" bad apples who taint the barrel.
A lot of the unethical behavior that Mr. Pearlman sees is actually perpetuated by many of our modern outdoor programs. Although ESPN and some of the larger networks seem to censure some of that behavior on their programs, others seem to cater to a crowd that loves to scream, yell, and praise god ever time they kill an animal from a baited sodero, or guffaw at the dead critter that couldn't resit the C'mere Dere attractant etc.
A lot of Saturday and Sunday morning hunting shows should be boycotted by ethical sportsmen that cherish the experience, are more interested in hunting than killing, and who are trying to represent the heritage of hunting in the U.S. that shunned killing for trophies and market hunting.
I don't see the article as anything other than stating the obvious...there're idiots among us whose "motives" defy normal reasoning. I lost interest in hunting about 40 years ago, upon hearing of an out-of-state "criminal," who shot/killed two pre-teen boys, riding a motorcycle (90cc) through "his" area, scaring away the game.
Another sad tale but with a better ending, took place a few years ago. A friend and his two annual elk hunting pals, packing into their favorite spot, had a continual problem with one of their mules. Finally reaching the camping site, the tent was setup and they started drinking. After a couple of hours, one of the guys goes out and shoots the mule dead! Early the next morning a ranger happens by, sees the carcass and asks what happened. The ranger made them pack that dead mule out in its current condition...no dressing it out! The friendship ended.
"Defying normal reasoning" is calling hunting a "sport". A sport involves competition between 2 or more participants.
In hunting, half the participants aren't even aware that there's a "game" going on because the other participant can be nearly a half mile away.
Hunting with a long bow at least makes it a challenge. Using any other weapon is not "hunting"......it's a one-sided slaughter.
Wolves leave nice less than half eaten trophy's scattered all over the landscape, seen it before during and after. They sport kill for practice.
I've taken two Bison with a revolver. Ate them up, dried them skulls, and tanned them hides. Some folks just don't practice enough with the revolver..
My revolver is the Freedom Arms 454 Casull. Shooting the 260 JFP. 2000 FT. LBS inside 150 yards. 1000 lb Bison one shot no problem..
Huge pile of grub.
Any type of activity has less than efficient people partaking in them.. Just see Congress, or approved science, science written and documented by people, and then other people make that science their faith.. How dumb is that.
Half a mile is 880 yards.. Only stupid lazy city people try shots at that range..
Comment By Jack W., 10-05-09There are some well taken points in this article, but the crux, is that of man, the most advanced of the animals, using power and destruction to control other animals. So, it is not about hunting at all. It is just about that: man controlling animals and even killing them for his own pleasure and satisfaction. I ask you to consider the man who beats his dog, the man who beats and pummels a horse or even the sicko who smacks his pet in the house and eventually kills the animal in an "accidnet." Our newspapers and literature are filled with these stories. See Michael Vick. So, let us not throw sport hunting in with these derelicts of the animal kingdom. It is unfortunate that sport hunting is associated with this aberrant behavior at all, or that hunting, because of its inherrent, albeit necessary violence, is dovetailed with animal abuse. Almost all animals kill. The big eat the small etc. etc., but man abuses and degrades and heaps walt disney-like anthropomorphism on animals to justify anger, indignity and vulgar expression. Lets not mix hunting up with this wrongful behavior.
Comment By Benito Pablo Juarez, 10-05-09Where the Buffalo Roam
http://www.freedomadvocates.org/articles/wildlands_project/where_the_buffalo_roam...but_you_cant_20090908373/
Let's do some research before writing a rant on hunting from the relative safety of the couch and keyboard. As though handgun hunting was something revalatory! It shows your lack of credibility where both handguns and hunting are concerned; the idiot-goring-bison story notwithstanding. Get outdoors more, and study your subject. Oh yes, OHV abuse happens...but successful elk hunting while riding one is a fluke at best. And what does horse killing have to do with the rest of the article? There is an antidote to slob-hunting: call TIPMONT.
Comment By rapiless, 10-09-09Hahaha...Good thing i did'nt tried hunting eversince. But killing of animals for me is a big no-no...
Regards,
rapiless
Disque dur multimedia
Barbarians will ever be with us. No we cannot legislate thought - in a home where a man beats his wife, pets, children, in the woods where bear baiting and other unfair/do not give the wild animals a chance behavior takes place. Blood thirst, fear or hatred motivated killing shows the most debased side of human behavior.
It is true that children can be taught good conservation - care for the land all all it supports without hunting. I learned from my Dad when he was not hunting ducks and pheasants. Also it is true that some game must be killed or licenses be sold to support land management - that is unfortunate. The U.S. Government that believes it owns wild beings -- how did we get to that state of affairs. They got them for free and charge us to kill while they manage?? Paradox.
Hunt for your food. I deplore the idea of trophy hunting, bragging rights hunting, blood lust hunting and any form of hunting that teaches children that wild animals must be killed because they are predators. Man is and always will be the very worst predator who can wreak the most harm to the world.