What kind of asshole would kill a bear for sport? *

[karlrschneider]

Was watching the CBS evening news, Alaska will open a "buffer zone" near the McNeil River...where
the brown bears go to catch fish...to "trophy" hunting. We hunt deer occasionally for FOOD, but the
thought of killing these bears to turn them into rugs just makes me really fucking sick.
:grr: :puke: :grr:

I would extend that to include lions, tigers, elephants, whales and others.

[bluerum]

1. Rich bored assholes who can spread the cash to poor people willing

to do just about anything to feed themselves and their families.

Welcome to republican utopia.

[Imalittleteapot]

2. Son's father-in-law.

He has a huge room with multitudes of trophies of assorted North American mammals including a bear and a moose. He's a hunting guide.

[graywarrior]

3. I know a guy who runs a lottery every year for rich guys

and the winners go to Alaska and shoot bears, or go to Africa and shoot whatever they want. He's an ASSHOLE. Has heads & skins all over his house.

[ikojo]

70. Is that guy you know a REPUBLICAN by

any chance? I wonder if trophy hunting correlates with political affiliation.

[elliswyatt]

4. bears are cute

i've only had good encounters with those beasts. killing bears is almost as bad as killing kitties.

[Retired AF Dem]

98. Yes bear cubs are cute

go pet one in the wild. Will read about you in the Darwin awards. You know like that couple from CA. And no, I don't hunt.

[Xenotime]

5. Just another example of man bringing violence to nature...

And then the dumbasses scratch their heads when bears attack to protect themselves.

[donco6]

6. My husband's brother.

It's pretty sickening. I can't take it when he starts telling stories.

[rasputin1952]

7. Cheney and friend...as long as the bear was chained to

rock...... and his friend had some serious testosterone and adrenaline roaring through his system. Judging by Cheney's being adept at shooting.

[TheCowsCameHome]

16. And as long as they drove Hummers with HP plates to the execution site.

[cali]

8. Sick, sick, sick

I loath bear hunters, and the worst thing is they hunt with dogs with radio collars.

[Nutmegger]

9. I seen this yesterday

Sad really. The animals have adapted to humans so one can get up close to a bear without fear of attack.

And now that trust will be betrayed because of some jackass "trophy hunter".

[KFC]

12. Tell that to this guy

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. Ah yes. I was wondering when people would bring him up.

Although I do believe nutmeggers was referring to bears not being afraid of humans anymore, not the other way around.

As for that Tim Treadwell, if you've seen the movie you'll remember the biggest jerks in that picture were the bear hunters.

[karlrschneider]

19. I will get yelled and cursed at for this, but dogs kill more peeps than

bears do.

An inconvenient truth.

[TheFriedPiper]

76. dogs also smell bad, have to be walked, and tear up things

I prefer cats.

[WinkyDink]

29. Brown bears aren't grizzlies. Sorry to say, but this dude was whacko.

RIP.

[paparush]

72. Treadwell had too many diagnosis to count... I feel sorry for...

his girlfriend.

The BEST part of that DVD was the bonus feature "In the Edges:The Grizzly Man Session". A very intimate look at Richard Thompson and crew doing the soundtrack/score...it gave me chills.

[Swamp Rat]

10. Cheney Fudd... as long as it's a teddy bear.

[Kajsa]

11. I'm with you, Karlschneider.

The day bears( and other animals) are equally
equipped with weapons they know how to use is the day
hunting can be called a "sport".

i.e. that day will never come.

:mad:

[karlrschneider]

13. Yep, I support the right to arm bears.

...

[Kajsa]

52. He-he,

It took me a while-

Very Good! ;-)

[maxsolomon]

14. paid contractors to the state of washington

the WSDOF&W pays professional hunters to kill "nuisance" bears in the spring. when they come out of hibernation on private & state timberlands, they're hungry. really hungry. so they'll strip some bark off doug firs to get a quick sugar fix. naughty bear, a corporation owns that tree. in the name of 'resource protection', you have to die.

this last spring, a professional hunter's dogs drove the bear right onto the hunter in a thicket & the bear mauled him pretty good, broke his arm & hand, before his partner came running & killed the nuisance. too bad hunter #2 wasn't 500 yards further away.

[Solly Mack]

17. "Bear kills hunter at McNeil River" coming to a headline near you

[The_Casual_Observer]

18. I have often wished that bears didn't exist while I am camping

in the wilderness. However, I realize that am only a short time visitor to those places, I don't even
belong there at all, the bears do.

[LiberalEsto]

20. Read Norman Mailer's novel

"Why Are We in Vietnam?"

It's an oldie, but it will answer your question as well as the question posed in the book's title.

[flvegan]

21. NO animal is ever killed for "sport" considering that they don't

know that they're playing. Besides, shouldn't "sport" be an even side v. side event? We blast Landis for alleged doping in his sport, yet shoot-and-killers (a/k/a sportsmen) have a gun (or bow), a treestand and some animal piss concoction to hide their scent. That's not "sport" at all, it's slaughter.

I find it outlandish that killing anything would be a "sport" anyway.

[Bjornsdotter]

48. Don't forget

...that many times the bears are baited with rancid meat. It's like shooting fish in a barrel.

Cheers

[Beausoir]

50. Recreational killing. Only very VERY mentally ill people can find fun

in splashing blood around the forest or field.

If your first thought, upon seeing an animal in the woods, is "how fast can I kill that?", there is something VERY wrong with you.

[bluestateguy]

22. I am adamantly pro-gun, but I don't care for hunting

I'm OK with hunting for food, and with fishing, but I find hunting for sport to be sick.

By the way, sometimes those bears exact a little revenge on their would be hunters.

[NNN0LHI]

39. I tried the hunting stuff. Found out I didn't have the stomach for it

But I sure like my hamburgers and Italian sausage.

Don

[karlrschneider]

41. I admit I'm somewhat of a hypocrite, got T-bone steaks ready to go

on the grill...so I guess I can't complain too much about somebody who's willing to eat the bear,
but I just can't quite make the case for equivalency even if the hunter ends up eating the
bear like I do the cow. My brain tells me I should be a vegetarian, but my stomach luvs it's
carnivorous fare. Sometimes I don't like me very much.

[benEzra]

86. Humans are carnivorous primates...

our digestive tract is optimized for a mixed meat/veggies diet. That of a chimpanzee (and IIRC most primates) isn't.

I personally don't hunt (wouldn't enjoy it, I think), but I don't have any personal moral qualms about being an omnivore. It's a reflection of our physiology, IMHO.

I respect those who see it differently, though.

[Mr_Spock]

101. You prefer to be a keyboard attacker here on DU instead!

:P

[rubberducky]

23. Back in the 70`s, my husbands boss went to Alaska.....

to hunt for a bear. He shot it from a helicopter, locals skinned it, and he had the "rug" in his office. His wife refused to have it in her home , mostly because of the way his trophy was obtained. My husband and I fought until the day we were divorced about how he could condone somthing so far over the top.

[Catchawave]

24. "Trophy" hunting is the lowest of the low....

Do you have a link to this "buffer zone" you speak of? Doesn't sound like the Alaska I know of....

Thanks :hi:

[whistle]

25. Theodore Roosevelt for one....

<snip>
The story of the Teddy Bear . . .

Many of us have loved a teddy bear.

Maybe we've even had more than one very special "teddy" in our lives. Here is the real story of how the teddy bear sprang into our hearts.

Nearly 100 years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt, went on a bear hunt. He enjoyed nature and being out in the woods where animals lived. Because he was the President of the United States, the people organizing the hunt wanted to make sure the hunt was successful.

But after 3 days of walking and climbing and riding, no bears were found. Now what? The President's bear hunt would be a failure!

The next day the hunt guide and his hunting dogs finally found an old bear. The dogs and guide followed the bear for quite a distance until the bear was very, very tired. The dogs attacked and injured the old bear. The guides tied the bear to a tree and called for the President. Here was a bear for him to shoot! <more>

http://www.theodoreroosevelt.org/kidscorner/tr_teddy.htm

[Kajsa]

30. Teddy Roosevelt was

one of the first well known environmentalist
in the White House.

One of my favorite pictures is where he is standing next
to John Muir. I wish I had a copy of that photo.

[whistle]

34. Ohooo....

Theodore Roosevelt & John Muir Photo 8 x 10 Item number: 190017960075

[Kajsa]

51. Eureka!

[whistle]

54. How did you post the photo from the eBay site?

[Kajsa]

60. Copy to desktop, upload in photobucket

and post here.

But it's not the same as the actual photo.

This site has it, also.

http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/11707/mcms.html

along with many others.

[rasputin1952]

42. I hate to think of a nation w/o National Parks...TR gve us a legacy

in the Ntional Parks System.

TR was far more progressive that many realize, he had his faults, but no one can call him a corporate stooge!

And to think, bush once said he wanted to emulate TR...he is the anti-TR...:(

[knitter4democracy]

26. Colbert

Someone had to say it. ;)

[rocktivity]

44. Colbert wouldn't kill for sport, but for love of country and truth.

:eyes:
rocknation

[knitter4democracy]

46. Oh, you're right. He'd also do it as a duty.

To rid the nation of the evil bears.

[tularetom]

27. Wouldn't shoot anything I didn't intend to eat

I was with a guy when he shot a bear about 30 years ago. He won't admit it to this day but I think he got scared the bear was gonna attack him and fired out of panic. He had the bear made into a rug and his wife made him get rid of it because she was pissed about him shooting it (she shoots with us sometimes too).

[Kali]

28. I am not into it, but I have had bear and it is good meat.

There ARE a lot of them in Alaska, so while it may seem repulsive it's not like hunting some rare or endangered critter.

[kpete]

31. I love bears

I spend a lot of time in the mountains (E. Sierra).
Lots of bears, beautiful animals.
I once saw a gorgeous and gigantic auburn colored black bear in a field of wild flowers.
I will never forget it.

I love bears...

[evox]

32. a very bad heartless one ... n/t

[RebelOne]

33. All trophy hunters are assholes. n/t

[Cleita]

35. Not only that in parts of the northwest, they are cruelly hunted

torn at and eventually treed by hunting dogs. Then when they are cornered, they are shot out of the tree. The weird part is that none of the locals hunt bear but outfit the tourists who do. My worst and most inconsiderate campers were hunters when I was a campground host.

[tammywammy]

36. I met a couple from Alaska last week

And the husband was telling us about the first time he shot a bear. It was interesting. They eat the meat that they catch/kill.

The trophy hunting I just don't understand. I'm not a hunter myself, but I respect those that go out and use it as a source for food.

[mr_hat]

37. A Browning?

[zeemike]

38. The real truth about hunting bears and big cats

Is that most of the hunters use dogs. They turn a pack of dogs louse in the woods and if there is a bear or cat anywhere around the dogs will find it. And the first thing the bear or cat will do is climb up a tree (black bears anyway) and then the hunter just shoots them out of the tree. This is common practice in most hunting states.
Sport my ass.

[Sal Minella]

40. If the rich guy donates the trophy head to a museum and claims it's

worth a gazillion dollars, he can deduct the cost of the trip on his taxes too. I just read this (someplace) last week.

So it's even scummier than we thought.

[lonestarnot]

43. And aren't those heads on the wall just magnificent?

:sarcasm::puke:

[TommyO]

96. How about these?

http://www.stuffedanimalhouse.com/walltoys.htm

I won the Black Bear at an auction supporting a food bank and AIDS charity, it hangs proudly on my bedroom wall.

[H2O Man]

45. In 1982

in northeastern Delaware County, NYS, a guy shot a bear near my home. He was from the city, up hunting deer. He told the game warden that the bear was coming after him, which was clearly not true, as the bear had been shot from behind. Bears in our area rarely attack people by running at them backwards. The hunter was charged for a couple reasons, including the weapon he was toting.

I will say that seeing a bear in the woods can make a person a little nervous, especially if they are not familiar with them.

Not exactly what your post was about, but it reminded me of it.

[hedgehog]

47. In the East, bear hunters take each other out.

Bear hunters will climb trees in camo and wait for a bear to go by. Another hunter will hear something rustling up in the tree and shoot first without making certain what they are shooting at.

[im10ashus]

49. This kind of asshole.

[Subdivisions]

53. I lived in Jackson, Wy and...

hunting bear, elk, antelope, sheep and moose is a way of life. However, it is rarely done for "sport".

When someone takes an animal, even bear, they store and consume the meat. I know that sounds terrible to you vegans out there and I apologize, but I've eaten bear, elk and moose and it's actually quite good.

[mtnsnake]

55. This one guy I know who hunt bears is the most insecure human on earth

He's practically a midget, and he tells me how thrilling it is to let the bear get as close to him as possible before pulling the trigger with his elephant gun. He hires guides who take him to the bears and then look after him to make sure nothing bad happens. Fucking asshole.

Most other hunters I know of don't like killing bears.

[BlooInBloo]

56. They're animals. Not people. It's not a moral issue.

Moral issues are for people.

[lonestarnot]

58. Well animals are not insignificant. Sport killing is a fucking moral

blood issue and just a waste of a living creature.

[BlooInBloo]

61. Ok. I disagree.

There may be reasons to limit/regulate hunting and the like, but they shouldn't be construed as *moral* reasons.

To do so demeans people to the level of animals, having the effect of losing the dignity that is proper to people in the compassionate-er-than-thou effort to promiscuously pay moral value to all manner of creatures and objects that are patently unable to spend it.

[lonestarnot]

71. Ok I disagree

I have known dogs more morale than men. That was easy!

[H2O Man]

77. More,

though one need not equate human life with other animals in some "value system," it is always funny when someone talks about humanity as distinct from "animals." Also, one of the clear indicators of budding sociopathy in teens is taking pleasure in torturing/killing animals. Those who would hold that there is no moral issue involved killing animals because they are "not human" have fallen from grace.

[lonestarnot]

79. Ok I agree! H20 Man! Yes!

[BlooInBloo]

88. I didn't say "human" - I said people.

[stepnw1f]

94. Thank You... (nt)

[Goblinmonger]

85. um, just a little biology to toss in the mix

but humans ARE animals. But, hey, don't let facts get in your way. Carry on.

[BlooInBloo]

89. That doesn't disagree with anything I said.

[Goblinmonger]

91. Allow me to retort

You said:

To do so demeans people to the level of animals

My point is that people are animals which kind of cuts against your argument of lowering people to the level of animals since we already are.

[BlooInBloo]

92. Sigh. Put the word "mere" in an appropriate spot then. Sheesh.

[Goblinmonger]

93. Pardon the crap out of me

for actually reading what you said and pointing out an error.

FWIW, I don't think adding "mere" does anything for your argument. People are still "mere animals" too. We are nothing special in the big picture.

[BlooInBloo]

95. You're close to alone in that view, then....

Even Nietzche wouldn't go along with *that*.

You're welcome to your mostly-solitary opinion, without a doubt.

[LWolf]

78. I guess that depends on a couple of things.

First of all, the accuracy of your division between "people" and "animals."

People are animals. Human animals.

And "morals" seem to mean so many different things to different people.

People seem to be the only animal that actually needs some sort of moral code to be "moral." Humans, as a species, don't have much consensus on what constitutes "right" and "wrong."

For many of us, our "morals" tell us that killing for fun is "immoral." That killing, the taking of life, should be reserved for necessity, whether to eat or to protect.

For many of us, our "morals" include a respect for life. For ALL life that makes up our biosphere. Some of us would consider it arrogant foolishness to assume that human life is the only life worth valuing.

[WillyT]

57. This Kind Of Asshole !!!

Sierra Stiles,8, put two bullets into a black bear's chest cavity Monday in Western Maryland,
according to her and her father and granduncle, who were hunting with her.

Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/24/AR2005102402024.html

Or, at least, the adult idiots who encouraged this.

:wtf:

[Ninja Jordan]

59. The Republican kind (nm)

[LTR]

62. mean housecats?

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/06/060613-cat-bear.html

[Beausoir]

63. Country Music Stars do! They kill tame, caged bears with arrows.

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=132261

Jesus. How SICK can people get? Killing a tame, caged bear with a bow and arrow? And videotaping it?

This guy deserves the same fate.

[elare]

64. I would hope that it's ok

with you all when police shoot bears who've wandered into residential areas where young children are playing and the folks who are supposed to come and tranquilize said bears aren't available, or can't show up for 3-4 hours. It's a regular event here, one which I support. If the choice is between human safety and the bear living, I'll pick human safety.

[Bluebear]

65. Quite a different scenario altogether.

No worries.

[leesa]

66. Most hunting is done for sport in this country is it not? I think the

thought of food is a second thought or rationalization. I guess it's the same asshole that would kill a deer for sport...or a goose for sport, etc.

Guys get waaaaay excited about hunting....way more excited than I ever see them get to go to the grocery store for food.

[TommyO]

97. Actually, all of the hunters I know

hunt for food, not for sport.

[bananarepublican]

67. An impotent bozo who hasn't come to terms with his small weener! n/t

[Skittles]

68. the same kind of asshole who kills any animal for sport

fucking cowards

[ikojo]

69. I'll bet Dick Cheney and many of the folks he

knows would find it quite sporting to shoot an unarmed bear who was just doing bear stuff, like getting ready for winter.

When I saw that report it made me sick to the core of my being.

[MisterHowdy]

73. Northern-Ontarians

In my town, lots of people hunt for sport including bear.

Fat, over-fed, over-paid canadians who need to kill for fun.
They certainly don't need the food. Guess they just have to justify that 3/4ton pick-up truck, quads and that high-powered rifle they bought with the sniper-grade scope mounted on it.

Sorry, I just hate the concept of killing for sport.
And the blue-collar neandrothols around here who do it.

[devilgrrl]

74. Ted Nugent

:nuke:

[screembloodymurder]

75. If you hunt, this is flamebait.

I'm not complaining. I'm just pointing out that flamebait depends upon your point of view.

[Cleita]

80. I don't think the OP is talking about hunters but

people who like to kill creatures by any means possible so that they can call themselves hunters. I have enough respect for the guy who bags his deer or elk every year to put into his freezer for his family to consume. I knew families in both Idaho and Texas that relied on hunting for their meat. That's how poor they were. Those hunters have nothing but contempt for the rich, white hunters that just want to kill by any means expedient.

[warrens]

83. It's not flamebait

Real hunters wouldn't do this. As I said below, I grew up with hunters. They consider this shit total mickey mouse scumbag behavior.

[earth mom]

81. What kind? A redneck asshole that's who!

:grr:

[warrens]

82. Didja see the country singer who killed a TAME BEAR

And then rigged the video and the tag to make it look like he shot it in the wild?

I grew up with hunters in NH. They ate whatever they shot. These people are just scumbags who were born without balls or conscience.

[rhombus]

84. Here's my philosophy. You hunt only to eat, not for sport

No ifs or buts.

[benEzra]

87. If I ever take up hunting,

that would be my philosophy as well.

[mtnsnake]

90. Eating the meat doesn't justify killing a bear in this day and age

I don't know of anyone who has to hunt bear, or even deer for that matter, in order to eat.

Nowadays, if someone kills a bear, it's for sake of hunting down and killing the bear only, not for the meat, no matter what anyone says to the contrary.

[goodhue]

99. Probably readers of Bear Hunting Magazine . . .

http://www.bear-hunting.com/

[goodhue]

100. FWIW, here is info on bear hunting in MN . . .

Season is from Sept 1 to Oct 15, and limits are one or two bears per license, depending on whether it is a quota or non-quota area. There is a lottery for licenses.

http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/hunting/bear/hunt2006.html