mrh wrote:No issue here at all. And hunting cats without dogs? Virtually impossible.
Not impossible. They use bate piles in Africa, but I don't think dogs would work well against an african lion.
twoshuzz wrote:Post rant:
For the record, I've never hunted for horns nor hide, but for food. I put down the rifle nearly 25 years ago in favor of the bow for a more "intimate" experience, one I feel helps close the gap. I even hunt grouse with the bow. I've never let a sliver fly beyond 30 yards at any animal even though I can "pop can" 3 arrows at 50 yards with little effort. Also, I'm a finger shooter, not a trigger shooter. I don't use range finders and all the little gadgetry that some favor nowadays. KISS.
I've never been one for the taxidermist, my walls hold no trophies. I simply was not raised that way. And though I've never been one for the use of dogs for big game, I've certainly seen what the sudden outlawing of said use can bring, especially after certain species become conditioned to that use.
I enjoy the hunt, but not the kill. What's on the table is both taken by me, cared for and processed by me and so on. No growth hormones, anti biotics or any of that BS. And I do know that what is in my freezer is indeed "free range" and completely "organic." My choice, my right, both of which I will fight to my dying breath.
Very good post. I agree almost entirely. I think you represent what most anti hunters will accept, bow hunting for food that has not been injected with any "BS."
I do however disagree about what you said on trophies. I personaly think that hides and antlers are beautiful. If I am going to take an animal then I will keep these. I have never hunted big game, but I do have an elk rack on my wall that a friend took. I have deer hooves that my grandpa was going to make into a gun rack before he passed, but he never got to, I use them as book ends. I hunt for food, but I am not going to let a beautiful part of the animal go to waste that will remind me of the outdoors when I am stuck inside.