FARK.com: (5714785) News Photographer: look at this picture of the largest wild animal in Britain-a magnificent 9ft tall, 300lb deer Idiot Hunter: Boy wouldn't that rack look spiffy on my den wall

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		News Photographer: look at this picture of the largest wild animal in Britain-a magnificent 9ft tall, 300lb deer Idiot Hunter: Boy wouldn't that rack look spiffy on my den wall (news.yahoo.com)		100
		More: Sad, British Isles, South West England, terrestrial animal, Britain, mashed potatoes, emperor, photographers, walls

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Jeet		2010-10-26 01:55:45 PM

Cythraul
But what westerner is going to eat a lion?

I have eaten lion before and it was quite good.

nesler		2010-10-26 01:57:05 PM

AngryJailhouseFistfark: Unless the hunters are targeting the tick-eaten, raggedy-assed old one-antlered retard deer, they're weakening the herd.

Exactly what I was thinking. I wonder if it's possible to see if this is in fact taking place by looking at the records for a given area over the last fifty or a hundred years... maybe looking at the top 20 or 50 bucks bagged each year, and see if there's a downward trend.

It's not true population control if you're destroying the genetic diversity of the animals and favoring small, wimpy, prone-to-hiding animals. And it's believed that this is why historical records describe brown bears as being quite aggressive, whereas now they're very shy and flighty animals--the aggressive genes were whittled down as the aggressive bears were shot and the docile bears survived.

NoGods		2010-10-26 01:59:32 PM

I kept the whole hams from a doe last year and saved them for the 4th of July. We do a big cookout and fireworks show. My neighbor who is also in the hunt club usually smokes some pork butts for about 8 hours. I took those hams and wrapped them in fatback (pork fat) with a little black pepper and garlic powder then put those on to smoke with his butts. They were amazing. I hope to keep 4 hams for next year.

Click Click D'oh		2010-10-26 02:01:11 PM

Cythraul: I once saw a bumper sticker that said, "Hunters & Farmers: The World's First Environmentalists." I about died laughing when I read that.

Then you are an idiot. Sports hunters, notice: not commercial hunters, are the prime reason why we have such things as game seasons, bag limits and antler restrictions. Because, back when commercial hunting almost destroyed all the wildlife in the country, sport hunters started pushing legislation to ensure they would have something to hunt in the future.

The reason why states like Texas and Florida have more African wildlife than many parts of Africa is specifically because of hunters. Again, commercial hunting has destroyed the animals in their natural habitat, so hunters have brought the species over here and allowed them to repopulate.

Hunters have been advocating, and enacting, protections of species and environments long before it became trendy.

Farkin'round		2010-10-26 02:02:13 PM

MDGeist: Bummer. I have no issue with hunting, but the rare cool animals should at least get a free pass.

Aidan		2010-10-26 02:04:44 PM

NoGods:
11 acres? I hope they are using bows or shotguns. That's too small for a rifle unless it's surrounded by wilderness. We have 24 members on 1,800 acres so that's 75 acres/hunter. However, some of those guys only show up a few times a year. I won't hunt Thanksgiving weekend because there's too many people in the woods. Most weekends there's no more than 7 or 8 guys out there. If I take a weekday off to hunt, I might be the only one out there. I paid $700 for membership this year.

Bows for deer, guns for turkey. Not sure what kind of gun. They're across the tracks from state land, so there's some continuity of land there.

Gosh. That's a frigging lot of land, though. And a damn good price for the hunters. I wonder how that works out for the landowner. It seems like he's got more than enough land to maintain a good herd size and not worry about overhunting, but at the same time... I'm surprised he hasn't wanted to do anything a bit more lucrative with that many (holy cow) acres.

friedo		2010-10-26 02:04:57 PM

AngryJailhouseFistfark: Hunters speak of "culling" the herd but then do so by killing the biggest, strongest best looking one they can shoot. In a natural environment, ie. the one pre-trophy-hunting, the predators including man would go after the easy kill.

The biggest one is the easy kill. It's slow and easiest to hit.

We're not talking man-eating tigers, here. These are deer.

NoGods		2010-10-26 02:06:34 PM

nesler: Exactly what I was thinking. I wonder if it's possible to see if this is in fact taking place by looking at the records for a given area over the last fifty or a hundred years... maybe looking at the top 20 or 50 bucks bagged each year, and see if there's a downward trend.

It's not true population control if you're destroying the genetic diversity of the animals and favoring small, wimpy, prone-to-hiding animals. And it's believed that this is why historical records describe brown bears as being quite aggressive, whereas now they're very shy and flighty animals--the aggressive genes were whittled down as the aggressive bears were shot and the docile bears survived.

There are more deer in the U.S. today than there were in the year 1900. Those older non-ranch deer get pretty wise about hunting season. That's why we hunt the rut. It's the only time those older bucks get stupid enough to see them. Old does are pretty smart too. Some clubs practice trophy management. They won't let you shoot a buck until he gets to be a certain size. They might require a rack to have 8 points or better or they might require the rack to be wider than their ears. Those are things you can judge through a rifle scope.

nelsonal		2010-10-26 02:07:40 PM

madgonad: lustfrog: keypusher: the photographer whose images of the stag appeared in newspapers earlier this month - inevitably accompanied by the word "majestic delicious."

Or maybe stag tastes like rancid goatmeat. I have no idea. Anyone know?

It's only tolerable. There's a reason why there aren't any "deer ranches."

No, venison is very tastey.

There are very few deer ranches because a) the market is soft and well served by hunters b) deer can jump like a MF'ing kangaroo.

And actually there is a small 'deer ranch' near me. They have fewer than a hundred head and fences about 15' tall. I assume the fill a local niche market. Supermarkets in the midwest carry venison, but it is always in the glass case.

Another reason deer aren't domesticated and raised for venison is that Deer panic when they're enclosed so those tall fences have to enclose a huge area relative to other animals.

luken8r		2010-10-26 02:08:38 PM

Urinal Cake Mix: Excen: That's an ELK dammit! Quick question: what do you insufferable twits call this:

/If they weren't extinct on the European continent, they'd probably call it a MOOSE

Seriously, came here to say this. Elk is not deer!

Yes it is. Elk, moose, etc are all types of deer

powhound		2010-10-26 02:10:26 PM

A funny comment posted:

The stag story is straggering under the weight of its own ponderous cliches. Have you ever been up real close to a real life bambi? They are not cute. Snot drips from the nostrils. Bad smells come from both the front end and the back end. Fleas are jumping. The ticks can kill you. Dingleberries cling. I grew up in central North Dakota and have personally experienced these horrors in vivo.

Gulper Eel		2010-10-26 02:10:27 PM

fappomatic: In Britain, the rule is that the hunter keeps the trophy part and the landowner keeps the carcass for the meat and either consumes it or sells it.

Selling the meat is still legal in Britain? I thought that would have been nanny-stated away along with riding to hounds.

NoGods		2010-10-26 02:13:33 PM

Aidan: I'm surprised he hasn't wanted to do anything a bit more lucrative with that many (holy cow) acres.

It's pretty far out there. There's not much commercial use for it. Much of it is pines. He occasionally logs it and sells the timber. He logged a big section two years ago. You just have to hunt that differently. The deer still move through there. He probably won't log another section for 5 years or so. Along the creeks he maintains a buffer of hardwoods so there's quite a bit of old growth land there too.

Cythraul		2010-10-26 02:13:44 PM

Click Click D'oh: Cythraul: I once saw a bumper sticker that said, "Hunters & Farmers: The World's First Environmentalists." I about died laughing when I read that.

Then you are an idiot.

I know you are, but what am I? Since you want to resort to such childishness.

Sports hunters, notice: not commercial hunters, are the prime reason why we have such things as game seasons, bag limits and antler restrictions. Because, back when commercial hunting almost destroyed all the wildlife in the country, sport hunters started pushing legislation to ensure they would have something to hunt in the future.

The reason why states like Texas and Florida have more African wildlife than many parts of Africa is specifically because of hunters. Again, commercial hunting has destroyed the animals in their natural habitat, so hunters have brought the species over here and allowed them to repopulate.

Hunters have been advocating, and enacting, protections of species and environments long before it became trendy.

That's a bit amusing, given the bumper sticker that I quoted. SO many farmer's I've met are also 'sport' hunters. These are farmers, mind you. Who also have the notion that they are the world's first environmentalists. Do a bit of research in what chemical pesticides, clearing of natural habitat for crops, god knows how many other techniques farmers and ranchers (both corporate, and small business owners) have used that have done massive damage to the environment.

And as far as bringing species to the United States, I have no idea what you're talking about. As far as I know, there are two kinds of groups that are 'conserving' species in the U.S., conservationist groups usually attached with Zoos, and private owners who want to own exotic species as pets. The first is only slightly better than the latter, in my opinion, since the latter have introduced a number of now invasive species into this continent.

And bring African wildlife over here to repopulate? Hah! Repopulate where, exactly? Are they going to release them in the Sates to run free and breed, while their natural habitat in Africa is being destroyed?

Give me a break.

MasterPython		2010-10-26 02:14:56 PM

madgonad:

There are very few deer ranches because a) the market is soft and well served by hunters b) deer can jump like a MF'ing kangaroo.

That and trying to keep deer the same way you keep cows leads tons of diseases that spread to the wild herd.

darklight2000		2010-10-26 02:19:06 PM

Click Click D'oh: Cythraul: I once saw a bumper sticker that said, "Hunters & Farmers: The World's First Environmentalists." I about died laughing when I read that.

Then you are an idiot. Sports hunters, notice: not commercial hunters, are the prime reason why we have such things as game seasons, bag limits and antler restrictions. Because, back when commercial hunting almost destroyed all the wildlife in the country, sport hunters started pushing legislation to ensure they would have something to hunt in the future.

The reason why states like Texas and Florida have more African wildlife than many parts of Africa is specifically because of hunters. Again, commercial hunting has destroyed the animals in their natural habitat, so hunters have brought the species over here and allowed them to repopulate.

Hunters have been advocating, and enacting, protections of species and environments long before it became trendy.

THIS

April R		2010-10-26 02:19:38 PM

Link (new window: the article in question)
here ya go

ExperianScaresCthulhu		2010-10-26 02:25:10 PM

NoGods: madgonad: Sounds like a great deal for the landowners (if they are actually around).

Hell, it is too bad we don't have that here. That would be a nice dividend for land ownership. I assume the hunter is required to clean and hang the carcass. If not, that is a huge waste a delicious venison. Got to get the blood out!

lustfrog: It's only tolerable. There's a reason why there aren't any "deer ranches."

Hunt much? There are ranches all over North America that let you pay on a per hunt basis. Some of them will even guarantee you a shot at a large mature buck or you get to come back free the next year. If you miss that's your tough luck. They advertise in hunting magazines and websites.

- That's not hunting, and people who pull that crap are the reason why hunters have a bad name.

----------------------------------

Gulper Eel: On the other hand, if deer breed in the UK the way they do here in the states there are bound to be tons more where that one came from.

On the other other hand, you want to preserve the king-hell alpha-male stags to keep the gene pool strong.

He is reported to have been shot two weeks ago near a main road

Which means it's better the deer is somebody's trophy as opposed to some lorry-driver's gigantic farking headache.

Michael Yardley of the Shooting Sports Trust said killing older deer like the 12-year-old Emperor made sense.

"A deer past this age may properly be shot, and, indeed, should be shot, to allow younger fitter beasts into the harem, and also because it may well die of starvation as its incisors deteriorate," he said.

Donnelly, no opponent of hunting, said it was wrong to shoot the Emperor during the rutting season, when the strongest stags compete to mate with the choicest female deer.

"He was still in his prime. He did not need to be culled," Donnelly said. "There's plenty of rubbish stags out there that could be shot and would do nothing but improve the quality of the herd."

So naturally, we here in the States have been doing it wrong, where with few exceptions we only hunt during (or close to) the rut.

- Speaking of................. why is that, here in the States?

-------------------------
nesler: AngryJailhouseFistfark: Unless the hunters are targeting the tick-eaten, raggedy-assed old one-antlered retard deer, they're weakening the herd.

Exactly what I was thinking. I wonder if it's possible to see if this is in fact taking place by looking at the records for a given area over the last fifty or a hundred years... maybe looking at the top 20 or 50 bucks bagged each year, and see if there's a downward trend.

It's not true population control if you're destroying the genetic diversity of the animals and favoring small, wimpy, prone-to-hiding animals. And it's believed that this is why historical records describe brown bears as being quite aggressive, whereas now they're very shy and flighty animals--the aggressive genes were whittled down as the aggressive bears were shot and the docile bears survived.

- That gives me a sad.

archichris		2010-10-26 02:25:46 PM

Stupid Natural History Museum, killing and preserving magnificent animal specimens for all time when they should let the best looking ones die naturally.....hit by delivery trucks on the expressway.....

ExperianScaresCthulhu		2010-10-26 02:27:17 PM

NoGods: nesler: Exactly what I was thinking. I wonder if it's possible to see if this is in fact taking place by looking at the records for a given area over the last fifty or a hundred years... maybe looking at the top 20 or 50 bucks bagged each year, and see if there's a downward trend.

It's not true population control if you're destroying the genetic diversity of the animals and favoring small, wimpy, prone-to-hiding animals. And it's believed that this is why historical records describe brown bears as being quite aggressive, whereas now they're very shy and flighty animals--the aggressive genes were whittled down as the aggressive bears were shot and the docile bears survived.

There are more deer in the U.S. today than there were in the year 1900. Those older non-ranch deer get pretty wise about hunting season. That's why we hunt the rut. It's the only time those older bucks get stupid enough to see them. Old does are pretty smart too. Some clubs practice trophy management. They won't let you shoot a buck until he gets to be a certain size. They might require a rack to have 8 points or better or they might require the rack to be wider than their ears. Those are things you can judge through a rifle scope.

Thank you for the answer. Why don't all the clubs?

Smeggy Smurf		2010-10-26 02:33:15 PM

If the Brits had a guy like Sgt. Swagger there wouldn't be a need for stories like this

/better not be obscure

pete1729		2010-10-26 02:35:40 PM

Apparently close examination of prehistoric human remains from the great plains of North America show pathology consistant with modern rodeo bull riders. These guys rode buffalo in the process of killing them. That's hunting. Chasing an animal with a boom stick, not so much...

NoGods		2010-10-26 02:38:43 PM

ExperianScaresCthulhu: Thank you for the answer. Why don't all the clubs?

Some people are more concerned about putting meat in the freezer. Our club does not do trophy management. We can shoot any little spike buck that comes along. We tend to let the little guys walk, but if someone hasn't gotten a deer by the end of the season he won't get any complaints if he shoots a spike. I shot a 185-lb buck last year that ended up scoring 121 Boone & Crockett. That's pretty good for a non-managed club in South Carolina. The members usually meet at the end of the season to set the rules for the next year. If we decide to do trophy management I'll still renew my membership because I know this land pretty well.

Another Government Employee		2010-10-26 02:38:55 PM

April R: Link (new window: the article in question)
here ya go

Yep. He will end up on a wall somewhere.

That is (was) a magnificent beast.

Molavian		2010-10-26 02:41:55 PM

Cythraul: I once saw a bumper sticker that said, "Hunters & Farmers: The World's First Environmentalists." I about died laughing when I read that.

That's only due to your own ignorance on the topic.

hugheric		2010-10-26 02:50:59 PM

"Now I ask ya, are you gonna give a fark what kind of pants the stupid bastid that shot ya is wearing?"

Oberon_fx		2010-10-26 02:51:39 PM

Aidan:

Gosh. That's a frigging lot of land, though.

Not really. Wilderness is pretty frickin huge man. I have friends who have 11 acres called their "back yard" how the hell do you hunt in something that SMALL?

Click Click D'oh		2010-10-26 03:10:41 PM

Cythraul:

And as far as bringing species to the United States, I have no idea what you're talking about. As far as I know, there are two kinds of groups that are 'conserving' species in the U.S., conservationist groups usually attached with Zoos, and private owners who want to own exotic species as pets. The first is only slightly better than the latter, in my opinion, since the latter have introduced a number of now invasive species into this continent.

And bring African wildlife over here to repopulate? Hah! Repopulate where, exactly? Are they going to release them in the Sates to run free and breed, while their natural habitat in Africa is being destroyed?

Give me a break.

Yes, it's clear you have no idea about what is being discussed. For your information, there are massive ranches in the US populated almost entirely by African or foreign species. These ranches exist because of hunters who want the chance to hunt species now largely extinct in their native environments. Of course, the vast majority of these animals will never be killed by a hunter since all these ranches operate for profit, and you can't profit without a product.

To expand on territory Nogods has entered. Our ranch doesn't hunt by trophy size as the primary factor. We use age. Deer above a certain rack size don't get shot until they are at least 6 1/2 years old... at which point they are too old to reliably breed. Thus, we actually remove the weaker deer (small racks, small bodies etc) first and the best examples last and promote a healthier herd by only allowing the strongest and best to reproduce. If our ranches herd were ever to escape into the wild the local does would suddenly start having awesome fawns. Our herd has seen significant improvement in body and antler size in the last decade simply by proper selective hunting.

Pribar		2010-10-26 03:29:33 PM

Sound the horn loudly, call the hounds!
We will ride proudly through hunting grounds
Who shall win?
Blessed stag, or mortal kin?

Fast through the winding woods we push
Flash of a tail within the bush
For the stag is swift and the stag is fleet
And he hears the sound of thundering feet

Here then gone, clansmen cry,
"The hunt is on!"

It is more than sport 'tween beast and man,
For the stag is sacred to our clan
And we dare not risk the forest's ire
For if we can't kill then We'd best not fire

Here then gone, clansmen cry,
"The hunt is on!"

Sound the horn loudly, call the hounds!
We will ride proudly through hunting grounds
Who shall win?
Blessed stag, or mortal kin?

Let the death be clean as life's released
So we show our honor to the beast
For your own death you will understand,
When you hold life's blood within your hand

Here then gone, clansmen cry,
"The hunt is on!"

Though we draw a bow and we wield a blade
We respect the code that nature made
For we know not when the shadows fall
And the huntsmen comes to take us all

Here then gone, clansmen cry,
"The hunt is on!"

Sound the horn loudly, call the hounds!
We will ride proudly through hunting grounds
Who shall win?
Blessed stag, or mortal kin?

We are born, then gone
Clansmen cry, "The hunt is on!
The hunt is on!
The hunt is on!"

Aidan		2010-10-26 03:30:37 PM

Oberon_fx: Aidan:

Gosh. That's a frigging lot of land, though.

Not really. Wilderness is pretty frickin huge man. I have friends who have 11 acres called their "back yard" how the hell do you hunt in something that SMALL?

Because it IS my back yard. :) I live on the line between city and country, so I'm trying to figure out how many hunters that kind of land can support.

Barakku		2010-10-26 03:38:33 PM

You people are completely ignoring the most important issue here. How many points was it?

2KanZam		2010-10-26 03:40:10 PM

NoGods: Aidan: How big is the tract?

I've got 2 hunters on 11 acres, and the neighbors have 2 more hunters on their 12 acres. I'm curious as to how much land is required to support something as extensive as a full club of hunters.

11 acres? I hope they are using bows or shotguns. That's too small for a rifle unless it's surrounded by wilderness. We have 24 members on 1,800 acres so that's 75 acres/hunter. However, some of those guys only show up a few times a year. I won't hunt Thanksgiving weekend because there's too many people in the woods. Most weekends there's no more than 7 or 8 guys out there. If I take a weekday off to hunt, I might be the only one out there. I paid $700 for membership this year.

4 people on 23 acres? I wouldn't go walking through your woods during rifle season. I'm most comfortable with 100 acres per person if possible.

medius		2010-10-26 03:43:45 PM

2KanZam: I'm most comfortable with 100 acres per person if possible.

what 2KanZam may be hunting:

farm4.static.flickr.com

NoGods		2010-10-26 03:44:22 PM

ExperianScaresCthulhu: - That's not hunting, and people who pull that crap are the reason why hunters have a bad name.

Hunting inside high fences can still be hunting. It all depends on whether you have to work at it or if the deer are trained to come in at the sound of an electric feeder. I prefer to hunt unfenced wilderness areas. I also prefer to hunt private land. I have seen some pretty stupid and scary things hunting public land.

ExperianScaresCthulhu: - Speaking of................. why is that, here in the States?

I answered that already.

NoGods: There are more deer in the U.S. today than there were in the year 1900. Those older non-ranch deer get pretty wise about hunting season. That's why we hunt the rut. It's the only time those older bucks get stupid enough to see them. Old does are pretty smart too.

That's why they call it "hunting" and not "getting." I've been out 5 times already this year. I saw a couple of does once but couldn't get a good shot. I'm going back to that spot Friday evening to try again.

DoBeDoBeDo		2010-10-26 03:44:58 PM

luken8r: Urinal Cake Mix: Excen: That's an ELK dammit! Quick question: what do you insufferable twits call this:

/If they weren't extinct on the European continent, they'd probably call it a MOOSE

Seriously, came here to say this. Elk is not deer!

Yes it is. Elk, moose, etc are all types of deer

It's also not an Elk, it's a Red Deer (new window)

Elk (new window) (wapiti) are a different species that only inhabits North America and Eastern Asia.

2KanZam		2010-10-26 03:54:52 PM

medius: 2KanZam: I'm most comfortable with 100 acres per person if possible.

what 2KanZam may be hunting:

I don't get it....surely hilarious though.

Click Click D'oh: Cythraul: I once saw a bumper sticker that said, "Hunters & Farmers: The World's First Environmentalists." I about died laughing when I read that.

Then you are an idiot. Sports hunters, notice: not commercial hunters, are the prime reason why we have such things as game seasons, bag limits and antler restrictions. Because, back when commercial hunting almost destroyed all the wildlife in the country, sport hunters started pushing legislation to ensure they would have something to hunt in the future.

The reason why states like Texas and Florida have more African wildlife than many parts of Africa is specifically because of hunters. Again, commercial hunting has destroyed the animals in their natural habitat, so hunters have brought the species over here and allowed them to repopulate.

Hunters have been advocating, and enacting, protections of species and environments long before it became trendy.

What he said. Most people don't realize how overrun we would be with some animals (DEER!) if there were no hunting seasons. I personally don't hunt for trophy, I prefer better tasting meat, but there is a fine line between culling the herd for younger bucks to move up in the hierarchy and trophy hunting. Unfortunately there is no way to really manage it beyond just telling people to shoot only bucks with Antlers longer than x during these times....

/BS in Forest Resource management
//Minor in Wildlife Management
///Worked for PA DNR in population control projects

douchebag/hater		2010-10-26 04:55:49 PM

One of those things that you hear/read and remember seemingly forever...

Can't remember if it was a book or article but in speaking of the REAL nutty hunters the author wrote:

'If a pair of dinosaurs was found some hunter would claim he
had a right to kill the male'...

Arbeit Macht Freefall		2010-10-26 05:23:56 PM

This text is now purple		2010-10-26 05:28:55 PM

cryinoutloud: The hunter was going on and on about what a beautiful animal it was, how hard the dogs had to work to tree it, how excited he was to see it. Then I asked him, "So then you shot it, right?" He got it right away, and didn't appreciate it.

if it isn't sufficiently magnificent to invent weapons, it goes in the pot.

This text is now purple		2010-10-26 05:33:42 PM

nesler: And it's believed that this is why historical records describe brown bears as being quite aggressive, whereas now they're very shy and flighty animals--the aggressive genes were whittled down as the aggressive bears were shot and the docile bears survived.

Humans were shy and flighty, too, until we developed better weapons.

The herd culling issue with deer is that when left unchecked, their population booms until they run out of feed, at which point it crashes, resulting in a lot of starved deer and skinny, ill survivors.

This text is now purple		2010-10-26 05:35:49 PM

Cythraul: And bring African wildlife over here to repopulate? Hah! Repopulate where, exactly? Are they going to release them in the Sates to run free and breed, while their natural habitat in Africa is being destroyed?

Give me a break.

Worked well for the donkey.

\Imported from Morocco.

Nick Nostril		2010-10-26 06:22:41 PM

British "deer"

Swedish "moose"

American "Elk"

/hope this helps

Arbeit Macht Freefall		2010-10-26 06:31:37 PM

Nick Nostril: British "deer"

Swedish "moose"

American "Elk"

/hope this helps

British Deer (new window)

www.traceyfoster.com

American Elk (new window)

blog.kingsoutdoorworld.com

Gulper Eel		2010-10-26 06:59:45 PM

2KanZam: Most people don't realize how overrun we would be with some animals (DEER!) if there were no hunting seasons.

You mean it's possible for New York to be more overrun with deer than it already is? We've got populations in the 120-per-square-mile range around me. Way the hell over the line, but then New York state government isn't much interested in the health of the herd or the condition of the habitat, and more interested in hunting license revenue and keeping the local auto-body shops busy.

Mr Rusty Shackleford		2010-10-26 07:16:41 PM

This text is now purple: The herd culling issue with deer is that when left unchecked, their population booms until they run out of feed, at which point it crashes, resulting in a lot of starved deer and skinny, ill survivors.

That's what a healthy mountain lion population is for.

ilgallo		2010-10-26 07:53:25 PM

for wild game, caribou is king. de-farking-lish.

Oznog		2010-10-26 08:19:17 PM

Majestic rack there!

Strix occidentalis		2010-10-26 09:52:15 PM

Inconsolable:
www.anime-source.com

Cythraul		2010-10-27 08:39:43 AM

Click Click D'oh: Yes, it's clear you have no idea about what is being discussed. For your information, there are massive ranches in the US populated almost entirely by African or foreign species. These ranches exist because of hunters who want the chance to hunt species now largely extinct in their native environments. Of course, the vast majority of these animals will never be killed by a hunter since all these ranches operate for profit, and you can't profit without a product.

To expand on territory Nogods has entered. Our ranch doesn't hunt by trophy size as the primary factor. We use age. Deer above a certain rack size don't get shot until they are at least 6 1/2 years old... at which point they are too old to reliably breed. Thus, we actually remove the weaker deer (small racks, small bodies etc) first and the best examples last and promote a healthier herd by only allowing the strongest and best to reproduce. If our ranches herd were ever to escape into the wild the local does would suddenly start having awesome fawns. Our herd has seen significant improvement in body and antler size in the last decade simply by proper selective hunting.

Molavian: That's only due to your own ignorance on the topic.

Okay, fine. So modern day sport hunters want to paint themselves as environmentalist, as green warriors out there to protect the environment, and keep some lands safe from development and pollution.

Most hunters I know are Republicans. They almost always vote Republican as well. And the Republican party is known for wanting to regulate industries that are known to be polluters, right? Republicans are also known for wanting to keep some land in public ownership, reserved for wildlife, right?

Hayward hearing: Republican apologizes to BP CEO

Cheney's Culture of Deregulation and Corruption

Alaska GOP candidate pledges to 'take power' -- and land -- from federal government

Alaska Oil Dispute (ALASKA Case)

Privatizing Texas Public Parks - Public Land, Private Profit

A Republican berates his party for abandoning the environment

As long as you hunters out there, and those who support them vote Republican, your talk of being an environmentalist is bullshiat, and is nothing more than a pathetic attempt to justify your macho blood sport.

If you're not hunting for a regular part of your diet, if you're not hunting to keep an animal population under control, then you're just some hick who gets off on killing things. You can appreciate nature and keep it safe without going out there and shooting it at a very safe distance with a rifle, or with a bow/arrow from the top of a deer stand.

IF you are one of those FEW (I suspect) hunters out there that votes for representatives who do not want to deregulate polluting industries, or privatize publicly owned wildlife preserves, then congrats, you're not a hypocrite.

I'm not even going to TOUCH on climate change and the Repub's denial of that.

NoGods		2010-10-27 10:24:46 AM

Cythral, why can't you just admit you don't know anything about hunting? It's alright. I don't know anything about stamp collecting. It's just not something I'm interested in. If we have a thread about stamp collecting I might ask a few questions, but I wouldn't go in there pretending to be an expert on the detrimental effects of stamp collecting.

Your lack of knowledge was exposed so you try to turn it into a politics thread? That's beyond lame. That's downright pathetic. Go find a politcal arguement somewhere else. This WAS a discussion about hunting, something you clearly know nothing about.

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