March 18,2013
What is it with predators that gets everyone panties in a knot?!
Everywhere you go there is someone that has an issue with a picture of somebody with a predator kill photo. Sadly, it's not just Anti hunters that have the issues...but fellow hunters. As hunters we should all be supportive of each other and I am finding more and more that that is not the case. As long as the animal was taken legally there should not be a problem...so what is the problem??
There is no denying the beauty of predators and exotic animals. I believe that is the issue. Many people don't get to see these animals and automatically assume these animals are for trophy..or should not be part of hunting. Zebras are a good example. In North America we don't see these beautiful creatures or it reminds us of horses too much. Personally I would not shoot one, but i would never put someone down for doing it. Kyle's cougar photo is another example of having anti comments and fellow hunter comments about how its "disgusting" and wrong. Different people have different dreams, and it's not our place to tell each other that our dreams are wrong.
Around where we live there are a high number of predators. We have coyote, bobcat, lynx, cougars, wolves, black bears and grizzly bears. The main ones that get people going are the cougar, wolf, and both bears..but mainly grizzly. We have high numbers of each. To be able to hunt Grizzly bears here you have to draw a tag from a lottery system. They have it labelled as a "Trophy tag" because you are not required to take the meat out (the ONLY animal here that is allowed this). The reason people don't eat most predators is because they carry many diseases and bugs. When you eat them you take a gamble. We eat black bear and cougar, lots of people eat the bear but most won't eat cougar. The main purpose for hunting predators is to keep their numbers manageable. If the numbers get too high you can say goodbye to the deer and elk and other ungulates. Take a look at the issues in Yellowstone, their elk are disappearing.
One argument I here a lot is the Anti's saying is "leave the animals alone. They managed themselves before, let nature do its thing." The fact of this is humans have been interfering for too long now. If we were to leave it up to nature then it would turn out badly for us and the animals. The states that have little to no predators will be over run with deer and then end up with major diseases that hit and possibly wipe out the deer. Some states are already having issues with disease. The areas that are high in predators, the ungulates will disappear and then where do you think the predators will end up? In town looking for food. Predators don't have to worry because they have no real natural enemies, besides humans. It's important to help keep numbers stable and undercontrol. As hunters we should ALL understand that management is important with ALL species. Whether it's protecting low numbers or taking care of high numbers.
So the next time you are going around and see a picture of someone with an animal you don't agree with, stop and think. Keep nasty comments to yourself, you dont know the circumstances of the hunt.
Nikita
