"Outdoors" Convention
 

Today I was persuaded to take a look at an outdoors convention being held in the area, but I think Killing Convention would be a more appropriate name. The car park was a spectacle in itself, with cars sporting bumper stickers with slogans such as I Hunt, I Vote and Guns Don't Kill People, People Kill People.

The "admit one" stamp was pressed on my arm, I entered the event complex and soon enough could smell the foul odour of a taxidermist's chemicals. Staring at me from every corner were empty plastic eyes that had been slapped into the sockets of once-beautiful animals. Large television sets played grainy footage of slack jawed rubes aiming their rifles at buffalo, deer, bears and even cheetahs. Guns of all sorts lined the presentation desks. I quietly commented to my companion on the posters that depicted a smiling, unshaven man standing triumphantly with his rifle over bloody carcasses. The woman behind the desk, not quite catching my comments, said: "Aren't they fabulous? They're only five dollars. Or would you like this bumper sticker?" she continued, holding up a sticker that said Hunting = Conservation. "Erm, no." I quickly answered.

Every few minutes a woman with an American accent would make an announcement: "Just a reminder that this afternoon there will be fly fishing demonstrations at the lakes." No thanks. The country music station had even planted their van outside, alongside a fenced area containing this giant Pig Dog with her pups, strings of drool oozed from her lips. We felt out of place amongst the crowds of rednecks excitedly moving from one stall to the next, grasping the guns, carressing the knives and stroking the dead animals.

Soon enough we left.

man, thats sick. hunting for sport is one of the grossest and stupidest things ever thought of. man, i pity you syd....

When I first read "outdoors convention" ... I instantly thought of nature and getting away from it all. Perhaps some information on different camping gear, walks one could take, etc.

I felt a feeling of shock once I read what you wrote Sydney. I hate hunting... it is cruel recreation... people who do it must not care at all for animals, if they just want to shoot them for 'sport'. How anyone can do that is beyond me. I know, each to their own, but it's still sick.

I think I would have felt ill if I had been there... I have seen some photos of animals killed for hunting purposes, and they are revolting.

Abe Babe...

Oh, yuck!

If it was me I'd have gone straight to the exit after seeing the dead things. Yuck, yuck, yuck!

Ditto to Kristen, I thought this would be a topic about outdoor activities, not slaughtering.

Re: "Outdoors" Convention
 

Who is this individual that persuaded you to go? I'd like to see a man kill a tiger with his bear hands, man get ripped apart, that's why they use guns to afaird to take the animal one on one.

Re: Re: "Outdoors" Convention
 

1. Well you're just sick.
*reads Mr.Donut's infamous topic*
So I was right then.

2. Who wants them to take the animal on one-to-one?

Re: Re: "Outdoors" Convention
 

It certainly was a sickening affair. I've spoken to hunters before, they claim I don't know what it's like to hunt. They make it seem like some wonderful experience, running off into the enchanted woods with a group of other men. Bonding. To them it's a magical adventure, but I think it's just bloodlust.It was just a friend. We didn't really know what to expect, I guess we saw it as more of a freakshow (the hunters being the circus freaks).

being a minnesotan there are many people around here that hunt thus I argue with people. one person tried to convinse me that a deer actually stands a chance against against ballistics.

Re: Re: Re: "Outdoors" Convention
 

Why i'm i sick? I said those hunters are to scared to take on wild beasts one on one, that's why they use guns, that's why i despise hunters, and please call me Robin i'm no longer Mr.Donut there is a reason i changed my name.

gluk, dont start getting mad at robin, or donut, whatever we call him. but y cant you people just forgive anything... i looked up the old otpics, and i really hoep they were a hacker, but just let him talk... without snapping back...

well originally being from texas, i'll say this-
The deer there run SO rampant, that if they aren't hunted for the majority of they year, they'll over populate, and there won't be enough vegetation to sustian them all anyway.
I'm not saying i'm a fan of killing animals, but sometimes, it is called for. (hunting expos are a bit 'redneckish', syd, i agree.)

Ugh.....

"Outdoor Convention" doesn't let me think of slaughtering.....

I thought this topic was about nature and the outdoors but....slaughtering?????? MC NASTY NAST!!!!!!!!!

Re: Re: Re: Re: "Outdoors" Convention
 

Cheetah tastes good, why waste the flesh?
 

If you shoot a huge animal like a cheatah or elepahant or bison,you should have to use everything. Donate the meat to homeless shelers, elephant ears make great truck bed tarps, economic and exotic. What could be warmer than a nice lion's mane parka, and no one can argue with the blanket making capacities of antelope-like creatures. Rhino stew, nothing warms you up like it, way better than chicken soup for a cold I hear. What I don't like is the "I shot an endangered animal" shit, take that away, go into the jungle to be hard core, not on a little reservation, pansy ass, and bag a tasty and useful animal, yah bastard. If you do that you are either brave crazy or both. As a side note, alwys remember the true hunter's motto"Use the whole animal and track the creature, don't punk it on a reserve land and say you are tough" Wimpy sport hunting bastards need to go in Wisconsin and bag a turkey with a bow. That would impress me more than a cape buffalo head on your mantle piece.

Statikk, please tell me your last post was an attempt at morbid humor...

Disgruntled Intern, knowing Statikk, he was completely serious.Remember who caused the deer to be without a niche in the habitat to begin with. Rather than picking at the scab, only to pick it again as it begins to heal, we should be fully cleaning the wound with antiseptic ointments and covering it with some kind of dressing.

I propose we let the deer run rapmant, leaving nature to deal with it. Eventually the deer will be at an equilibrium with the environment. This is too time-consuming as well as chaotic, so perhaps a sterilization program could be introduced? I can see right-wing stone-hearts shaking their fists: "How dare you spend our hard-earned tax dollars on compassionate methods of problem solving!" But they can be ignored.

in the words of the great JAR JAR BINKS!

"IKY IKY GOO"

sydney has such a poetic way of putting things. I suppose in this topics scabs are a good metaphore.

Syd, while I can see where your coming from...if the deer aren't killed, they starve to death, and then tax dollars go to a clean up crew sadly enough. From what i understand, the deer problem has existed for around 50 years...i guess what i'm saying is, that if the deer are going to starve to death anyway, why not reap the benefits? sure, it sucks that they have to be killed, but atleast SOME people can benefit from them this way..
It is sad though, when i'm in texas, and easily hear up to 5 gun shots every half hour or so. Especially because a lot of the people just leave the body to rot. :(

Tom, Robin said "I'd like to see a hunter kill a tiger with his bare hands" in the same way one might say "I'd like to see you try!"... I.E. he didn't actually want to see them do it...

Statikk, how does using the whole carcass make hunting ethically sound?

Personally, I would only kill an animal to prevent a human being harmed. Exactly the same criteria, incidentally, as my criteria for killing a human... But then you can't be black & white here, and say that "Hunting is Bad" or "Hunting is Good". In almost every situation, deliberately killing any animal (including a human) is bad, but there are exceptions to every rule...

[Sorry, I'm in a rambling mood today, so I went off at a bit of a tangent...]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: "Outdoors" Convention
 

Which topic are you talking about? When i replyed to this my name was Robin, Sydney started this one.

ah yes Dragadon, while your comment may apply elsewhere, the only predator in this certain area of texas are coyotes, and they can't bring down a full grown deer.
It's more of a case of people paving texas and slapping F'ing suburbs every mile or so, leaving the few wild areas rather far and few. :(

Re: Re: Re: "Outdoors" Convention
 

Oh, but Syd, it's a mystical experience! You don't know what it's like to have a slaughtered deer torso mounted right above your computer! It's magic!!!

Hmmm.....I hope you all don't hate me for saying this, I really love this place, and I surley don't wont to get an argument started here, but.....I hunt. There are always two sides to an argument, and I respect yours. I hope you can respect mine. I am not a big time camouflauged, sent locked (hell, my scent scares 'em away) kind of hunter. I hunt mainly because I love deer meat. Yes, I may have a deer head above my mantel. But where did the body go? Right in the freezer. I have also went on my first rabbit hunt this season, and seeing as I don't really know what to think about having people standing everywhere pointed at a little lightning bolt animal going who know's what direction, I may not go again. As I said, please do not burn me, because this is just my opinion on things.

PS. If you think of me as an Industrialist, think of me as a Glukkon. With a cowboy hat. Dressed in green. :lol:

~Tex

Redwallers and hunting
 

Well, using the whole thing is useful and is better than just killing something and wasting it. Plus, the food tastes very good and is kinda cheap when you think about it. You can rent a gun for a $20 bill or so buy the bullets, and bag a deer. If the deer you bag is over a hundred pounds, you can gut it and get about 1/2 to 3/4 of the weight as food. Even if the prices were 2.50 a pound you'd make a nifty profit. Plus, you can use horns as rattles, keychains,and nifty seasoning dispensers. You can make an industrial strength glue from the hooves, tan the hide and use it as arug and eat the meat in a variety of nutritious and deliscious ways, like stews and steaks. It is lean and good for the heart. The same can be said of turkey, raccons, squirrels etc. tons of tasty and fun used. Has anyone ever partaken of bbq chpmunk? Delish. See, killing the animal is pretty cool for you, food and crafts. Now tally ho and put some food on the table! 100% what I think, not humor. I kill animals. It is fun. It is healthy. The animals have no clue anyway. They die and cannot be used, might as well harvest the stupid ones and use 'em. Apply this to fish too. And if an endangerred animal dies, it wasn't meant to be around for a long time anyway. Get rid of the stragglers on the food chain. Also, people should not try to save animals from going extinct and waste logging land and jobs and whatever some sanctified bundle of flesh is keeping from people, screw the environment unless it starts messing with me back. Mother nature isn't real. Animals are for people's benefit. Think of the meat as free range living produce. Precious creatures whose life I take only for a meal to make(and some righteos other things, too.

Statikk, your logic (or lack of it rather) has rendered me speechless.
I have never read a paragraph such as yours...and hopefully, no one else here thinks 'killing dumb animals is fun.'
wow. like i said..i'm speechless. :dodgy: :flames:

I know it's your own opinion Statikk but How could you say such things...

"Get rid of the stragglers" No animal is worthless every animal has a role to play in this world.

"And if an endangerred animal dies, it wasn't meant to be around for a long time anyway." BULLSHIT It's humans fault that they die anyway.

"Animals are for people's benefit."
Animals Have been around longer then humans so this proves nothing.

I do not like it when people hunt for sport it's so bull shit. I can understand a native tribe hunting for food but not for sport. Animals take only what they need from the world I wish Humans could do the same.

Natives hunt for food, but when I or my family does it is wrong?
 

Indians and other people who live off the land don't need to do that. They can get a job and work and by killed domesticated animals. I don't think domestic animals taste as gamey as the wild ones and i like that better.The best recipe for meat is meat on a grill with webber bbq. Thee best. Roasting and stews are great too. When an indian hunts it is noble, but when when anybody else does it it displays a striking lack of logic. And no, if animals get out of hand in an area, you got to take 'em out. Deers got so rampant in the freaking concrete jungle known as Two Rivers that they steal from feeders, eat all the plants and pose a serious vehicle hazard for people at night. The deers also pass diseases and grow more stunted and wakked out with each pasing day because no one can hunt them. I guess that would throw off natures "gentle equilibream". Whoever said my posts are bullshit here better check their other posts, because they were all over my ass when I said that in an evolution topic. So, If I say it it's bullshit, eh? I listened to what you say here without attacking you! Sorry, but I hate being pidgenholed as a idiotic rambo who enjoys torturing animals(I kill 'em very efficiently thak you). I might not be the smartest guy in the world, but I don't like it when people get all over me and call my views bullshit

why would hunting help get rid of the spread of diseases? not only would there be carcasses lying(sp?) around but unless I'm quite mistaken, given the choice any hunter would rather shoot a healthy deer than a sick one. people want something that looks like it could kill, not give you a nasty cold.

Re: Natives hunt for food, but when I or my family does it is wrong?
 

When someone hunts for the purpose of acquiring food it's acceptable. When someone hunts for a reason other than food it's illogical

The only excuses put forth since my last post is that if the deer are not killed, they would run rampant destroying the ecosystem and generally be a hazard. I already agreed that it would be chaotic, which is why I proposed a sterilization program. Am I to assume that all are in agreement with a compassionate sterilization program? Hunters could still have their fun, only they'll be armed with tranquilizer guns and sterilization equipment. They could hunt bucks, do their job then the animal would be free to go.

As for Statikk's comments, we have a genuine psycho on our hands. I can't believe you live your live according to those ideals, you have no respect for nature, seeing it only as raw material for you to exploit. I've never heard of someone encouraging the extinction of endangered animals.

Some of Stattik's quotes:

What is joe Six pack gonna say
 

Sterilization? Why do that when you can eat the animals. Sure, it is fun to hunt but it is fun to eat too. it would cast a lot of tax payer dollars to which people don't like at all in the u.s of a. Hmmm spend a few thousand dollars and a lot of time on paperwork and not be able to eat the dear, or save my grands and have some goddamn venison. what is the taxpayer likely to say: "Wow how "compassionate" to make Mr. buck's unit not work, even though it will cost money that could go to my wallet or "Keep away from my money you corporate bastards" also, how much money to find out how many to sterilize, do you sterilize males and females, a new part of the DNR to register the tags and put them in a "special" network, more research to see if it would and or did work,etc. If you want to be campassionate, don't hunt, boycott Arby's etc. Don't go screwing with people's money, though, 'cause people will be pissed.

"Money is the root of all evil." - Some one

Since when were greed and self-pleasure attributes that we strive for and encourage? I always laugh when I see grumpy morons moaning on about how their tax dollars are being taken away from them. Why not be happy and enjoy life without being a barbaric savage? Bloodlust could be exchanged for compassion.

Conclusion: Hunters are greedy, pleasure-seeking bastards.

As ever, it all seems to come down to a percieved economic issue... like the foxhunting issue over here, there's supposedly a economic reason it should be continued (if you listen to the huntspeople, anyway). I can't see it, though, and apparently neither can any of the academics...

Stattik - if you and everyone else that enjoys shooting hadn't wiped out all the predators, the deer you have to "control" wouldn't have to be controlled as there'd be a natural predator doing that job. But then, you'd have no "fun", would you?

Endangered species are not endangered through uselessness, either; they are endangered because people like you made them like it. If they die out, not only will the genetic biodiversity of their ecosystems be disturbed, there's always another species that will be affected by it - usually a pest that will subsequently go out of control. Which means humans have to spend money controlling it.

Psycho!!!
 

I am not psychotic at all Sydney what is wrong with not giving a shit about every endangered animal? The limey crab and the warty dung beetle and other such animals give me nothing. Are they good companions and protecters? Do they taste good? If they make such an impact, then why is the environment just hum hum hummin' along? If the were so adaptable and evolved and necessary to the ecosystem(I use all of these generalizations with a pound of salt) than there would be a lot more than there are now! I fish, hunt, salamander scavange, round up snakes to look at them and kepp them as pets and later let them go, feed captive caught frogs to my other pets, and have a blast doing it. but just because I say these things don't name call and ostracise me,Sydney. The same standards of chivalry you hold for others doesn't apply to me. Why! You would be soundly raking me over the coals if I slandered people in the manner you slander me. I'm a psycho?

My apologies for calling you a psycho, Stattik, I was angry that you spoke of nature with such disrespect. I'll try to be more civil.

Why don't you ask yourself what you can give to nature rather than what nature can give to you? You seem to value things on whether or not they provide you with anything. That's a pretty selfish way of living.

The predadation of predators
 

Teal, I hve yet to kill a fox wolf, coyote or other predator. I only know one person who has killed a predator, and let me tell you, that guy has some mad shooting skills! He has taken tenfold more deers and prey animals than predators. The wolf population is rapidly rising in Minnesota and Wisconsin and new canine predators are being introduced in countries and wildlife parks like Yellowstone. what you fail to realize is just how little killing a pack of canine predators does. They kill the animal and split it among a pack number a score or more. Hunters don't do that. They might share some meat, but not like the natural occuring predators in the Midwest of wisconsin. In fact, predator populations are on the rise not the decline, as are the population of deers. In fact, the dnr is asking people to shoot more animals traditionally classified as varmints, the likes of which are foxes and coyotes and wolves, which should be off the endangered species list because I've always wondered how wolf jerky would taste and aa head would look pretty spiffin' above my bed.