Ethics of hunting, i would like your opinions?

Question

First, I would like to say that I'm not here to badger any of you, or start anything bad. I really just want your opinions.

ok, my question is... I know most of you feel that hunting is "evil", but for those people out there who do choose to eat meat, wouldnt you see hunting as more ethical than eating processed meat from a slaughterhouse? here a are few (of many) points i would like to bring to light

-much leaner meat,

-no hormones

-animals get to live life in wild, as opposed to the cramped horrible conditions in slaughter houses

-it is a hunters responsibility to make sure that not only the animal is put down humanely.. but that he uses all of the animal (99% of hunters do this, its the other 1% that give the rest a bad rep and is usually thought of)

-animal population control, some animals are considered pests and too many of them post a problem for local plants and other animals

would you say that if someone chose to eat meat, then this is a better alternative?

Answer 1

No, I don't think hunting FOR FOOD is evil. It is also much better to eat.

However, only hunting for meat is not sustainable with the American diet. It's very good that few people do it.

Answer 2

Hunting is ethical.

Hunters in general have far more respect for the animals and environment than those in their ivory armchairs telling them the opposite.  They (hunters) understand the simple logic:  Don't take care of the animals/land, then no animals to hunt.  No animals, no more hunting.  Simple.

Also, inside the hunting community, it is completely taboo to poach, shoot something illegally, and not use up something you've taken.  I've been to more than one elk-burger bbq to use up the last of the hamburger so it didn't go to waste.  Sure, beef would be way better than year-old frozen elk, but it simply cannot be thrown away.  How many of you say that about the lb. of hamburger you never used in the back of the refrigerator?  Problem is, no one outside the hunting community sees this.

Answer 3

Hunting purely for the sport of it is evil - fortunately, the majority of hunters aren't doing it for sport.  As long as you're actually going to consume the meat (or share it with those who will), there is absolutely nothing unethical about hunting.  I have to admit though, I do cringe when I see mounted heads - it's just eerie looking.  And I prefer to see the meat once it's been processed, I can't stand the sight of fresh blood, especially on a furry critter.  But then, I can't stand to see a fish on a hook either - yet, I'm more than happy to eat it.

Answer 4

I would see hunting as ethical if it was done the same way animals do it in nature- no guns, no buckshot, no towers, no man-made camouflage. If you're out there killing deer with your hands and teeth, that's one thing, but I sincerely doubt that's the case. Yes, it's great that the animals are able to roam free. Why can't you keep it that way?

So... no. I don't think that it's a "better alternative." I think a better alternative is not eating meat.

I thank you for being so respectful, but I really don't think it's okay to kill an animal for food, sport, fun, whatever.

Answer 5

Hunting is good. I know many people who feed their families year round with game they have hunted. If hunting was stopped the animal population would get out of control and disease would spread like wild fire, doing more damage to the population than hunting will. It also helps thin out the deer so there aren't so many on the road. Deer kill more people a year than any other animal in North America, by causing accidents.

Answer 6

I do not see hunting as "evil", I see factory farming as "evil" and only serving the corporations that have adopted it.

If everyone stopped eating Mcdonald's and picked up a rifle, it would make me VERY happy.

I would prefer that animals die by bullet than starve to death or be ravaged by predators.

It makes no sense to say it is better to eat an animal that has less to lose because in the case of over 99% of the animals that are eaten, being born is the worst thing to ever happen to them. Nearly all birds are forced to live without sunlight and nearly all animals raised for food are forced to live in their own urine and f***s. They are all products of artificial insemination as well.

Answer 7

well, i can think of the pros you show, but at the same time

Being a devils advocate, i would say, who has more to loose?  the animal that has suffered for a few short years at the most, then killed, or the animal that has had a rich lifestyle and cut down in its prime?

yeah, give me thumbs down... what did i say that was so horrible?

Answer 8

Hunting is not something I would do myself, but I do think that hunting animals is far far better, on every level, than factory farmed meats.

Hunting is more ethically sound. Animals that you hunt have had the freedom to roam outdoors, and live a good natural life. The suffering in factory farms is terrible and prolonged, but hunting involves a much quicker death. There's less suffering involved. The quality of the meat is better too because the animal has not been in cramped conditions.

So yes, I believe hunting is a better alternative.

Thank you for asking in a respectful way. :)

Answer 9

Thank you for asking so respectfully, and for not making assumptions in the way Ima L has,

I'm vegan. Hunting isn't widespread in my country the way it is in the US, and I don't pretend to understand how people can regard it as a sport.

But I don't think hunting is evil, and I don't think hunters are evil. Yes, an animal that is cleanly killed after living freely in the wild is far more fortunate than one born for the slaughter.

So yes, I think hunting where every bit of the animal is used is  a more ethical choice than buying meat that's from the slaughterhouse. I couldn't and wouldn't do it myself, but for a meat-eater yes, it's a better alternative - healthier meat and  less suffering

Answer 10

Hunting is what men with small penises do to assert their manliness.

(Just joking...kind of)

Answer 11

I see no ethical problem whatever with my diet whether I hunt or purchase my meat.

Answer 12

i am pro-hunting when limits ect are enforced and people eat what they kill. i agree it is a much better way to get meat, both for the person who gets leaner more natural hormone free meat and for the animal who gets to live a natural life up to that point.

I do have a couple qualms with hunting- such as it is against evolution to try to only kill the strongest bucks and eventually it will weaken the heards.

but for the most part i'm for it, and i have known people who would hunt and would keep a meat free diet except for what they personally killed and i really respect that and i feel like hunting doesnt have to be diametrically opposed with vegetarianism, and that hunting and vegetarianism can be veiwed as two different responses to the same societal problem of a lack of connection with the food we eat.

Answer 13

I think most hunters are to be commended for their role in environmental sustainablility and compassion. I have yet to meet a hunter that thinks it just about killing "stuff" and mounting heads over their fireplace. For many, it's a spiritual event that starts early in the morning and they wait patiently and many times (actually more often than not) they go home empty handed. The animal does get to live as it should and because we have created a lack of habitat, it's our duty to ensure the survival of their species (hunting is an effective tool for herd management). Wasting disease is a cruel way to die.......for those thinking it endangers species, no that's what poaching does.