Why do so many people hunt, when so many people die during the hunting season?

Question

It is so sad when family members accidentally kill a family member. In this mornings paper a Grandfather shot his 18 year old grandson. Two will die from this accident since the Grandfather has to be 65 to 75 and will probably die from grief within the year.

I just cannot comprehend Hunting when we do not have to.

Wow how wrong you are about being a liberal , I am extremely conservative. I just hate the pain that guns bring.

For whoever mentione the Grandfathers age, it is a simple calculation and with age trauma is more traumatic if you are the source of the trauma.

I can easily see being outside and enjoying the woods, weather, camping just not the shooting part.

And yes I actually do understand that some animals have to be culled. It is the careless shooting that is a huge problem.

My head is not in the sand I am just a realist who hates guns.

I suppose in the big scheme of things, I really just HATE guns.

My daughters best friend died at 13 after accidentally being shot in the head because the neighborhood boys were playing around with a Fathers gun that was not locked up.

My Nephew (Michigan hunters) at 13 died when he dropped his pellet gun and it shot him in the temple and he also died.

So many people with guns do not keep them in a safe locked situation. Any parent who doesn't think their child knows where their guns are would not be looking and the real world.

So I really would have to say it is the guns not the sport.

For the person who thought your meat is cheap. Less Hormones yes, cheap no.
Add up your gas, your bullets, your license, your cost of camping, It is not a bargain.

For everyone who thinks I am a Young Girl, Thank you so much. But I am actually considerably older than most of you, so I look at life with a lot more experience.

Thanks to all of you that gave informative answers

Answer 1

I'm not going into this topic deep, only cause I don't have much time. Man build houses and towns on land inhabited by animals. Man kills predators that pose a danger to his family and/or livestock. Coyotes, wolfs, mountain lions... Population of deer and animals as such explode, causing more road accidents and not to mention an unhealthy deer population due to the shortage of food. Hunters help balance out an ecosystem that they/we screwed up.

Answer 2

I just saw this last week on a hunting show, the #1 reason for death and injury among hunters is falling from a tree stand, 41 last year and 17 from shootings almost all were from private land or leases. When you consider that 19 million hunt, it's pretty small really. Probably 3 times that many died in car wreaks heading to hunt.

Answer 3

Why do poeple like watching football when it is just a bunch of over grown boys hopped up on drugs playing a game?

Hunting is really one of the safest sports out there. It is when people are not implamenting the 4 rules of gun safety that people get hurt or killed.

You may not have to hunt but I know a lot of people that save a lot of money over the course of a year by hunting and taking deer and other game types. it is cheaper to get a deer tag and take a deer that it is to go to the store and pay high prices on meat where you have no idea what some human has pumped into it. Beef in the USA is so full for growth hormone it is not funny. along with other stuff. they will even grind up the unused portions of feed animals and feed them back to the beed cattle. Deer Elk, Pronghorn and most game meat is so much more health for you than our corn feed hopped up on drugs beef pork chicken and turkey we eat out of the store.

It is sad when anyone dies esp a young person. But I think Grandpa could not see that well and no one wanted to tell him that maybe he should not be hunting. That is tragic should we ban guns because of that not no but hell no.

That is the same as banning cars to stop drunk drivers. Sure it will work but you are punishing millions of people who have done nothing wrong. Should we ban cell phones just because some people refuse to spend $30 on a headset?

With your logic you would rather they cut off you arm if you broke it and not put a cast on it.

How many criminals go to a gun store and buy a gun to use in crimes? NONE these guns are all stolen or bought off of a illegal dealer who has stolen them.

Answer 4

The real problem isn't that people hunt it's that through urban living many have lost the skills and focus that the original requirement to hunt to survive brought. There is a general level of awareness that's lacking. That lack of awareness is what causes these accidents.

As a hunter I understand this need for awareness. I also understand what's really involved with putting food on the table. Anti-hunters have lost sight of a basic truth. Unless you are have chlorophyll you survive by eating things that are/were alive. Something dies in the process. I choose to be involved in the process and go in eyes open than close my eyes and hope someone else is doing the right thing with the foods I eat and serve my family.

Answer 5

Maryann very few die in hunting related accidents. More people die in the country every year simply playing sports than dies from hunting. It's tragic that a Grandfather accidentally shot his grandson but accidents happen everywhere and at all times. Every year a parent ACCIDENTALLY backs over their own child while pulling a car out of a drive way, every year a child is accidentally killed playing football or baseball etc... (we don't have to play games either do we?)

There is some amount of risk in virtually everything we do in a given day. From crossing a street to driving to work, it's a part of living that you need to learn to accept.

Answer 6

The ratio of hunters to fatalities is VERY VERY low. I read that story too, and the grandson was cold, so he covered up his safety blaze orange with a brown blanket, and his grandfather mistook him for a deer.

A little safety and a second though can go a long way. I'm a little on alert in the woods, but if I know my hunting neighbors and party, they know here I am hunting, and we have used the appropriate safety measures, I feel pretty safe. The number one rule of hunters' safety is to be sure of your target before you fire.

Besides, hunting is a rush. Hearing a giant buck crunching through the frost-covered grass in the morning is a rush no rollercoaster can equal.

Answer 7

Hunting is a sport and tradition and a way to harvest a resource. In the US and Canada, it is a way of life that goes back hundreds of years. Yes, some people do die in hunting accidents. But many, many, many people enjoy the time out in the woods, the chance to get together with friends and family, and the chance to put food on the table that didn't come wrapped in plastic. And the vast number of hunters that I know are conscientious, careful, and thoughtful hunters. They know the power they carry, and exercise that power responsibly.

Another thing to consider - if hunters didn't thin the herds of deer, literally hundreds of thousands of deer would be starving to death in the fields and forests each winter. And the number of car-deer accidents would skyrocket. It's hard to say if more people would die in those accidents than do die now in hunting accidents, but I would bet that a case could be made to support that claim.

One last thing - how do you know that grandfather's age and mental condition so well that you can predict his death?

Answer 8

Well if people will pay more attention to what they are shooting instead of shooting everything that moves, things will be alot better. Hunting is a great sport! And the meat is the best. I mean hunters are soposed to wear Orange when they go hunting so people will not mistake them for a deer. Some people do have to hunt for a living. People now days still live very poor.

Answer 9

A tragic news item is one thing. "So many people" is another. Hunting is actually one of the safer sports, with very few shooting fatalities, and in fact most hunting fatalities come from deer hunters falling out of trees, not from being shot. Riding a bicycle is more likely to result in death. Your heart's in the right place, but you've made an error in logic and need to look at statistics before leaping to a conclusion that isn't warranted.

Answer 10

Why do so many people drive, when so many people die all year around? "It's necessary to drive" you might say. Not all these people are going anywhere particular. Should we outlaw all cars? The number of people killed in hunting accidents are so few compared to auto accidents, smoking, diabetes, etc. You should spend your energies worrying about far more dangerous things than hunting. Hunting also controls the wildlife population, thus preventing disease, over-grazing of land, and mass starvation among certain species. It's not as black-and-white as you are making it out to be. You obviously have NO GRASP of the importance of the sport. Instead of opening yourself up to the reality of the benefits of hunting, you take a few VERY ISOLATED incidents and spout some knee-jerk, irrational nonsense about banning hunting. If not for our ability to hunt, society and humankind would not exist today. Thank you for your "thoughts" on the matter, and I hope my response sheds some light on the topic for you. However, I seriously doubt you have learned anything from this. Your type seldom does.