Is it hunting? or murder?

Question

I watched a program on pbs tonight that showed hunters killing bears. They have scopes on their rifles that can point blank a bear between the eyes. This is legal. I feel it's MURDER. The bears are minding their own business, doing what they do, and we can kill them? I'm very upset about this. Ron Couch, Mira Loma, California.

Answer 1

Ron, please allow me to propose a hypothetical situation to you:

A friend of mine becomes a total vegetarian. One day he goes for a stroll in the woods and gets eaten by a vegetarian bear. It takes me four days to track the bear down and shoot it dead (I'm resting my feet on its pelt now). Did the bear murder my firend? Did I murder the bear?

The answer is: NO one has commited murder.

The definition of Murder is: The illegal killing of one human being by another human being, period. Key words: 'ONE HUMAN BEING BY ANOTHER HUMAN BEING.'

You sound like an intelligent person. Stop attributing human characteristics to non-humans. Killing a bear is... killing a bear. It is NOT murder. When a bear kills a person, that is not murder either. When a bear eats a person, that is NOT cannibalism, it is just being at the bottom of the food chain.

Now, whether the slaughter of the bears is justified or not, THAT is another question. For my part, I report poachers. I have filed formal, criminal complaints against poachers and have seen them prosecuted in a court of law and they have received sentences as a consequence of my actions. I report unsportmanship (for lack of a better term) behavior among hunters. I report other unethical hunting practices.

I hunt for food. I shoot dangerous creatures, notice that I said 'dangerous creatures,' NOT potentially dangerous creatures. I lost count of the number of rattlers I've shot. I've shot rabid coyotes. I've shot boars which are not only destructive pests and harbingers of disease but dangerous and agressive.

I've passed up on shooting numerous coyotes because they appeared healthy. I've passed up shooting big cats because they were not menancing to me.

So, if you feel that this slaughter of bears was unethical or unnecesary, then write to your local paper and post your opinion in the letters column. You won't get too much sympathy on this format, which is for hunters.

Good luck.

H

Answer 2

I call it hunting. The rifle/scope rig you talk about is used by most hunters, it gives them an edge on an animal that has far better vision, hearing and smell than they do. It is also an animal that if given a chance would kill them, you, your kids, or pets. I do most of my hunting with a bow but if I were to go after something like a bear I would rather put more space between me and it so that I do not get hurt.
Also go someplace else if you are looking for pity for your hurt feelings. I do not agree with people killing something and leaving it in the woods but I also cant stand to have someone say hunters are murders.

Answer 3

Show me the statute from any state in the United states that defines hunting as murder. I'd love to see it. If it is murder, there should be a statute somewhere on this..........Still waiting............Stillll waiting.

I know what murder is and have arrested a few murderers. Actually very few murders are committed at 300 yards with a scoped high power rifle. Usually it is very close up and personal.

Did these hunters eat the meat? Using your reasoning, anyone that has hit a deer with their vehicle, should be charged with murder. The deer was just doing what deers do. You can check for yourself, but I think there are more deer killed in auto accidents that taken by hunting. Cost people millions of dollars and a number of deaths also.

Answer 4

I cant allow myself to totally agree with you not just because I am a hunter thus the name however I cant get my mind around the way tourist hunters kill or ambush bears and label it HUNTING.That is not, not, not, hunting in any form .Yes it would be a way to catch a nuisance bear.Outfitters are forced to appease the appetite of the Tourist hunters and laugh later at the boloney they get on with.By the way murder is when a human is killed intentionally by another. Note,Since you seem to be a serious well rounded out thinking person have a good read of what H has to say just below ,he has a good handle on it and I can see good reasons why he is a Top Contributor.

Answer 5

So uneducated in the subject that your words are not even valid.

Man is a part of the food chain, without us taking a planned number of animals then the populations would explode and so would disease and starvation. We are only allowed to take what needs to be taken to keep the animals healthy.

Without us the animals in the forrest would have long ago vanished. Hunters are the people who are restoring animal habitat and re-introducing native species.

I dont see any of the hate groups doing anything to protect and preserve the wilderness. Throwing paint on people fur coats does nothing, but us hunters actually help the animals in more ways than I really care to mention.

I bet you $1000 that you are fro a city and you would piss your pants if left in the wilderness alone. City people always at like they know what it best for the forrest but they dont have a damn clue. Leave it to us people who live in and use the forrest.

Answer 6

Not murder. Although I do not agree with 'canned' hunts, hunting is very challenging and pits your skills against the environment. Actually, you use your skills with the environment. You have to know quite a lot about the animal you are hunting, it's habits, what it eats, where it likes to hang out, where the girl animals are too. Then you have to know the environment; weather conditions, terrain, map reading, direction, food sources, vegitation, water sources, etc. THIS is hunting. What you saw was the actual pulling of the trigger. What you don't see and don't get is the skill, time, and effort it takes to get to that point. I spend an entire year preparing for my hunt to kill one animal. I research the land, populations, habitat, winter survival rates. Then I go there way ahead of time and walk, look for food sources, bedding areas, trails, escape routes, wind affects, etc. I scout for animals feeding and look for areas where they've fed. I measure tracks, size and depth. How big are the animals in the area?

You also have to think of the ecosystem and population. A lot of people here are right. Animals in good conditions and unchecked will overpopulate, spreading disease and eating your dogs and bird feeders.

Murder? I don't think so.

Answer 7

Hey Ron,

Guess what happens when a species isn't kept in check... They soon grow to exceed their "carrying capacity" for a given piece of land. They then run low on food. They get hungry and suffer from disease and look for alternate food sources. Humans are great alternate food sources! They are weak and don't run fast and many are so pathetic they don't feel they have the right to defend their own lives with the best weapons available. So hungry bears go searching for food and eat tasty campers and hikers! Especially the ones in the brightly colored tents and camping gear. Those are almost always the ones with the biggest doe eyes. Oh? You haven't heard of many bear attacks in your area? Thank goodness for those hunters!

Answer 8

Hi Ron,
It is well within your rights to be upset. I would be upset if the hunters did NOT use a scope to ensure minimal suffering for the bear as that would be cruel and inhumane.
As for it being murder, murder is actually defined as killing a homosapien so murder is no more accurate in this case than saying that a butcher murders a cow.
Human beings have to kill to eat, whether what we kill enjoys the experience or not. That killing may be something as inconsequential as a bacteria in yogurt, or more substantial as in a beef cow. My major concern is that when ever we kill we do it quickly and as humanely as possible. Therefore as I started this thread, I would be upset if the hunters did NOT use scopes.

Answer 9

Why do coyotes kill a rabbit when its minding its own business? Why does the butcher kill the beef cattle when its minding its own business? Why does the spider kill the fly when it was minding its own business? I can go on and on. Sorry but facts of life. Unless you want to out and police all the kinds of animals that kill other animals then I think you need to worry about more important issues then some hunters who like to harvest their own meat. A hard core non hunter will never understand it.

Answer 10

I guess that you folks that think it is murder didn't catch the story on the news where a bear ripped open a tent looking for food. When he got in all he found was an 11 year old boy. He drug him about 200 yards. They found the boy dead. If you missed what I said THE BEAR WAS LOOKING FOR FOOD. He found what he was looking for. I hope all of you that think that hunting is murder contact the grieving father of this boy and tell him to his tear-stained face that what they did to the bear after they caught it was murder. You people just don't understand how our ecosystem works. You guys need to read a book and grow a pair instead of sipping your lattes and thinking how enlightened you are. You guys make me SICK!