When Good Kitties Go Bad!

[Elkhunter]

Associated Press — Jan. 7, 2004

CHARITON, Iowa — State wildlife officials say they don't want Iowa hunters to indiscriminately kill mountain lions.

The state Department of Natural Resources said a hunter shot and killed a mountain lion over the weekend in Wayne County in southern Iowa. The big cat was seen feeding on a deer carcass.

That makes three mountain lions killed in Iowa within the last three years. The DNR said the cats are becoming more common as they follow a primary food source, which is Iowa's large population of whitetail deer.

Killing mountain lions is currently not illegal, but some Iowa lawmakers say the animals should be protected.

State wildlife officials say mountain lions will most likely avoid contact with people.

http://espn.go.com/outdoors/conservation/news/2004/0107/1702734.html

 

[Nemont]

Beardown,
I think alot of comes from the fact that many of these people believe Mother Nature is nice. They want beautiful vistas and uncramped quarters to view all the beauty around them. They never realize that wildlife, predator and prey alike, struggle every day to survive in "natural" world that is often brutal and violent.
Part of it is the myth they have learned over time.
Nemont

 

[Whiskers]

Walt Disney did a lot to promote the fact that critters were really friendly, nice people in fur coats. Remember all those shows where the fox, cat, bear all talked, played, and looked for something to eat. They could never catch the rabbit or mouse (on camera). When they got by the chicken coop, the farmer always some scruffy, alcholic looking guy came out and would shoot at the cute little animal trying to get a free chicken dinner. But they never hit them.

 

[beardown]

Hey Nemont!!! Lately there has been all these reports about cat attacks. I have to wonder why the majority dont want us hunting them(ie; California) are they really idiots or just misinformed? You see what really chaps my ass is all these yuppie scumbags that build these mansions to get away from society, yet they cant handle being out of society! They build these places then complain about all the bad kitties and terrible coyotes that eat their cats and poodles. Yet they are the first at the polls to outlaw hunting and trapping! Then they turn around and look for help from what they generaly consider the enemy. They get on the game and fish about what they are going to do about the problem, then turn around and do everything they can to inhibit them from taking care of the problem. I guess its all a part of the lunatic fringe that the great Uncle Ted Nuggent is talking about. What will it take to convince these idiots that what we do as sportsman not only helps them but protects nature? Do I feel sorry for them when a bad kitty attacks? Hell no!! But by saying that I just give them more reasons to hate me as a hunter. Where does it all end? I think this is a problem that can never be resolved.

 

[Calif. Hunter]

Most people simply prefer not to think about real "Nature" and it's harsh realities. Here is an article that I wrote, printed as a "guest" columnist for the Orange County Register.

Hunting is a Tool for Wildlife Management

In watching many of the programs on the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and other nature shows, I have noticed a tendency to malign hunting. This is disturbing, since it is hunters who fund most of the conservation programs through excise taxes on equipment and through the fees they pay for licenses, as well as through various groups such as the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Ducks Unlimited and other such groups of hunters and sportsmen. Some of these groups actually purchase land that is set aside for the various species of wildlife. This benefits all species in the area, not just game animals. Teddy Roosevelt, an avid hunter, established the National Park system.
Hunting has, for decades, been a tool of wildlife management in this country. With the elimination of large numbers of predators, hunting has been the major factor in population control, preventing overpopulation of game animals. It is an unfortunate fact of life that it is very rare for an animal to die of old age in the wild. Animals die of disease, hunger or are killed by a predator. When the population of deer, for example, exceeds the capacity of the land to support that population, the animals are left to die of starvation or disease caused by weakened resistance due to malnutrition. If you have ever seen an animal starving to death, it is a heartrending sight.
All creatures ultimately die. That is a fact of life. Do not, though, confuse the life of your pet with the life of an animal in the wild. There is no comparison. There are no veterinarians in the wild, putting animals gently to sleep. In my opinion, the comparatively rapid death of an animal from a hunter is preferable to that of a slow death by starvation or the terror and pain of being torn apart by a pack of coyotes.
Those who think hunting is the easy killing of defenseless animals do not understand hunting. They do not get up before dawn in the cold darkness to climb a couple of thousand feet or walk miles over rough country in hopes of even seeing a game animal. They do not understand the concept of testing yourself and limiting your equipment in order to keep it “fair chase.” They do not understand that the animal has the advantages of knowing its territory; of far better sense of smell, vision and hearing; and of far better physical abilities. There are perhaps a million deer hunters in California. Only a few thousand get a deer every year. It must not be as easy as you may think.
Finally, it is the height of hypocrisy to characterize hunters as cruel buffoons who kill animals “for no reason” while you sit in front of the television eating a ham sandwich. Responsible hunters usually eat what they hunt. When they eat meat, they know and accept that it came from an animal. They take responsibility for the death of something else so that they may live. They do everything possible to ensure a quick, humane death and agonize when they fail to do so. Even if you are a vegetarian, something must die so that you can eat. That, too, is part of life. Hunters do not fool themselves into thinking that the meat which comes on a Styrofoam tray and wrapped in plastic did not come from an animal. They do not think that the hamburger they order from a fast food restaurant is some kind of synthetic substance.
It is your choice to hunt or not, of course. All I ask is that you not fool yourself about your own diet or the “kindness” of your own choices.

 

[Ten Bears]

 

[beardown]

Great article california, I think you made some excellent points! I do have to wonder, did you find a bomb under your car after publication?

I assume in California anytime a hunters oppinion is published it probably goes over like a turd in a punch bowl.

 

[Ten Bears]

I think it's a great letter, but did it generate many replies????

 

[Calif. Hunter]

Actually, it did generate a lot of replies. Some of them were the obvious, tree-hugger who didn't even read the article or people who were not going to change their opinion no matter anyone says. There were a suprisingly large number of people who wrote in to say, "I never thought about how the animals die in the wild" or "I've changed my mind about hunting" or to say "I guess if I eat beef, I can't complain about hunting." There were actually more positive letters than negative letters - but Orange County was also home to the John Birch Society, John Wayne International Airport and is more conservative than the rest of So Cal.

 

[Washington Hunter]

Just on the news last night..on the Olmypic Peninsula here in Washington, near Sequim, a cougar was stalking two high school girls..they both jumped into the Dungeness River to get away from it. Apparently this same cougar has been seen by at least one other neighbor, right in her front yard recently.

 

[Ten Bears]

Good to hear CH. Good write.

WH, I saw that on the news.

Good thing the kids made it back outta the river.