by Jim Robertson
DEAR UNCLE JIM,
Don’t you abolitionists at C.A.S.H. know that the sport of hunting teaches respect for wildlife and an appreciation for nature?
Ben G. Mattson,
Phoenix, Arizona
Dear Ben,
First of all, hunting isn’t really even a sport. A sport is generally recognized as an activity based on physical athleticism or physical dexterity. Sports are usually governed by a set of rules to ensure fair competition. A sport is played by two equally matched, or at least equally willing, sides. According to SportAccord, the second criteria determining if something is a sport: “It is in no way harmful to any living creature.”
And as for hunting teaching “respect for wildlife and appreciation of nature,” that’s a joke, right? That’s like a serial killer claiming his crimes foster a respect for the victims he murders. Tracking down and shooting something or someone does not equal respect. Try using a camera or binoculars if you really want to respect animals in their natural habitats.
Uncle Jim
DEAR UNCLE JIM
I grew up believing that humans were part of nature and we should model our lives after the wild animals. That didn’t mean we should turn our backs on technology and go live in a cave, but since predatory animals hunt and kill other animals for food, we shouldn’t hesitate to do it either, as long as it’s sustainable.
Sincerely, Ned Paxton
Memphis, Tennessee
Dear Ned,
What you’re talking about sounds like an example of what’s known as the naturalistic fallacy—the notion that any behavior that can be found in nature is morally justifiable. But wolves, cougars and other natural predators need to hunt to survive, humans don’t. For people in today’s well-fed modern world, it’s really nothing more than a thrill kill. Human beings have finally moved beyond countless other dubious behaviors such as cannibalism or infanticide, so why can’t some people tear themselves away from hunting?
Do we really want to encourage 8.8billion humans to go out and kill wildlife for food as if wild animal flesh is an unlimited resource? The only way hunting could be sustainable for humans these days is if we drastically reduced our population…and killed off all the natural predators. Overhunting has proven time and again to be the direct cause of extinctions, from passenger pigeons to the Eastern and Miriam’s species of Elk. How can hunting ever be sustainable when the world’s human population keeps doubling every 10 or 20 years?
Uncle Jim
DEAR UNCLE JIM,
Hunting makes the world safer for people. If we don’t hunt to keep deer numbers in check, they’ll become a traffic hazard.
Niles Svenson,
Portland, Maine
Dear Niles,
Two words: Slow the heck Down. (Sorry, that was four words.)
More animals are hit by cars during hunting season than any other time of year, usually when fleeing bloodthirsty sportsmen with guns.
It’s not the deer’s fault that humans are so wound up and in such an allfired hurry to get anywhere that they plow into anything or anyone who might need to get across the roads we’ve built everywhere.
Studies have proven time and again that a reduction of just 10 miles per hour decreases the number of road killed animals dramatically. Nice try, but there’s no true selfless reason for sport hunting.
Uncle Jim