Hunting Is NOT Animal Cruelty. Before Judging It, Understand It.

Hello everyone,

Are you one of the many individuals who believe that hunters are bloodthirsty killers who murder animals without mercy or completely disrespect the rights of others trying to enjoy the outdoors? Then you need to sign this petition. Many people largely misunderstand the sport. They rely on the media and do not have frequent contact with hunters to learn what they are truly like thereby receiving false information and making inaccurate judgments about them. If you are one of those people, please sign the petition pledging to research and understand the topic before you judge it.

Contrary to what some people believe, hunters are NOT the murderers that they think they are. Hunting plays a critical role in both Animal Welfare and Conservation. It helps keep animal population numbers at healthy levels and prevents them from interfering with farmer's crops or attacking humans. If hunters look like uncaring, disrespectful people to you have been most likely been relying on false information. Many individuals, especially those living in large cities or urban areas, believe hunters do not respect the rights of others and treat natural and private property as such. Nothing could farther from the truth. Hunters do respect the rights of others.

Those who oppose hunting do so mainly because hunters kill animals. They think that this makes them murderers. This issue can be answered in many ways. First of all animals have been hunted by our ancestors for thousands of years for food so it can be an instinct. Second, animals were put on this Earth to be followers of humans; part of their job is too feed us. Third, if wild predators such as wolves and coyotes hunt other animals for food what is wrong with humans doing it as well? Fourth in many places around the world hunting is a traditional family sport or way of life as source provider of food, clothing, and shelter materials and is necessary for survival especially the areas where climate or geographical issues make farming extremely difficult if not completely impossible.  Fifth, in a way animals get payback for this. When humans die their bodies decompose sending nutrients back into the soil and grass that animals eat. So in a way they eat us as well. Hunting is an opportunity to get in connection with nature. Many hunters consider the actual kill thee lowest point of the sport.

Hunting plays a key role in Animal Welfare as well by helping to keep populations at steady, sustainable numbers. Proponents of conservation say that many species are in trouble from going extinct due to low population numbers or growth. The same is true in reverse. If numbers get too high in a population problems will be created as their population rises and overwhelms available resources or accidents from coming in contact with human beings. This leads to massive die-offs as large groups starve to death from not enough food, water, or available habitat. Hunters help keep the numbers in check for all species to prevent either one from happening.

A quick look at history can verify this. Consider many areas in the United States, Europe, and Asia during the time in between the mass wolf extermination and its reintroduction. Populations of elk, deer, moose, antelope, bear, coyotes, and others increased dramatically as their normal predators will almost wiped out. This leads to more frequent contact with human beings in the forms of attacks and the raiding of crops as well as serious disruption to ecosystems as overpopulation of certain species affect others and strains available resources. Ecosystems around the country suffered as the population of one species disrupted the balance between habitat, prey or food, and water.

A key example was the heavy population growth of the elk and coyote. There were too many of them for the wild to support and were moving into human areas. They were consuming crops harming our food supplies, getting struck by traffic, and attacking humans with occasional fatalities. Places like Yellowstone National Park were especially hurt since hunting is banned in those areas. Without wolves to keep their numbers in balance, the coyote population exploded driving many animals they prey on to the brink of extinction in the park.This eventually led to their near extinction in the park as their food supply almost ran out. Elk started overeating the bark on many trees harming the food supply and habitat of other species. This led further problems for them and even more species. The same thing was going on outside the park. With no wolves hunting was the only thing left before the reintroduction. If it had not been for hunting things would have been a complete nightmare with nothing to keep animal populations in check.

People who oppose hunting state that hunters almost caused the extinction of the certain species such as the buffalo and the wolf in past centuries. That is true, but then again, at the time the need to keep populations balanced between all animals was not fully understood or observed. It is better watched today. That is what hunting seasons are for. Mistakes of the past have been learned and restrictions are in place today to keep both sides equal.

Game wardens and FWP (Fish, Wildlife, And Parks) Officers oversee and enforce hunting regulations and work with hunting seasons. They help determine what and how many of each animal can be taken in each hunting season. Each warden has a specific section of land in each state or province they work in.

Each warden determines the populations of the animal species in their assigned section both in the spring after winter and then again in the fall before hunting season starts. They do this to determine how many animals of each species in their section can be safely taken by hunting while at the same time allowing the species to survive winter and have strong breeding stock the following year. They then provide the number for drawing hunting permits. They repeat the process every season. If their area has a particular bad winter or a low birth and growth of offspring in a certain year they will lower the number available for hunting permits. On the opposite side, if their area has an easy winter or heavy growth rate one year they will increase the number to keep the population at manageable levels that the environment can support. Animals are therefore available future generations to enjoy.

Hunting season takes place at different times of the year depending on the area but it happens after the animals have had time to recover from any hardships of winter and when any offspring of that year have gotten strong enough to survive without their parents in case hunters claim them in the next upcoming season. With hunting only allowed at certain times of year, in certain areas, and with only set animals allowed to be taken the wildlife and outdoors are still available for others such as backpackers and photographers to enjoy in safety.

To keep numbers balanced the game wardens determine what number of both genders of each species can be taken in their area. Potential hunters apply for the permits they desire, online or by mailing in applications for which gender of which animal they wish to hunt. Some permits allow for one or the other gender while others allow both and some allow one of that animal while others more than one. For example a hunter who prefers specific animals may apply only for Bull Elk permits while more negotiable hunters will apply for permits of both genders.

Names are drawn for each permit in a raffle-like method. When a hunter's name is drawn they have a set amount of time, usually about two to three weeks, to get their animal. When the time expires they must cease hunting that animal even if they have not filled their permit. After drawing a certain permit, whether it was filled or not, hunters must wait a set amount of time, which can be up to 10-15 years, before they may put their name in for that permit again. This way all hunters get a chance at each permit. Some of the money used in permits goes right back into the processes of widlife conservation, habitat restortation and retention, and designating wilderness areas to be left undeveloped those the outdoors can be enjoyed by future generations.

Using this method works for all sides. Animal populations are kept at healthy numbers to avoid overstretching available resources and harming the environment, themselves, and human beings while leaving healthy numbers for future breeding and future generations to enjoy.

Anti-hunters protest the as well due to the year round of hunting of certain animals such as the coyote, poaching, beliefs that hunters do not respect the rights of others who wish to enjoy the outdoors, and use technology such as camouflage, guns and bows, and cover scents to give themselves the ultimate advantage over the animals when hunting, and use animal attractants to bring the animals right to them in the hunt. These can be explained easily.

The coyote and certain other animals are considered "none-game" animals. They can be hunted freely without any permits or limits on allowed takings. This is because they have such a high reproductive rate, can adapt to human environments and expand their range, are already extremely plentiful, and can pose a possible threat to humans.

The coyote is a prime example of this. Unlike many animals, it has adapted and expanded its range despite human encroachment. It is found from the bottom of Panama to all but thee northernmost areas of Canada and stretches east to west across the entire continent in every U.S. state except Hawaii. Coyotes can survive on an entirely non-meat diet, reproduce heavily and quickly, and can adapt to any new environment in a short period of time. They have been found habituating dens in New York City's Central Park living by scavenging human waste. Coyotes living in areas like that come in frequent contact with humans and lose their fear of while grow dependant on them. This leads to increased numbers of encounters and attacks.

Two fatalities have already occurred in North America. If left unchecked coyotes would continue to multiply, contacts with them and attacks on humans would become more frequent, and deaths would increase. Roughly 90,000 coyotes are killed by the U.S. Government every through poisoning, bounty hunting, and trapping without including private hunting. This is a very small fraction and does not harm their overall population at all. For everyone one that is killed, three or four will be born. It does very little to hold keep their population in check. Private hunting of "non-game" animals can be considered a form of pest-control like exterminating rats as well as hunting itself. Their meat is also safe for consumption and some people especially the poor in need of food will do so.

Many people who believe that coyotes do not pose much of a problem live in the low populated areas of the United States or Canada such as Montana or they do not take the time to truly research the problems that these canines pose to people living in wilderness areas, hikers, backpackers, and those wishing to enjoy the outdoors in general. Now consider the more heavily populated states like California but especially Texas. Like places such as Montana, ranching and farming is common in this state and people in those professions lose livlihood as their livestock and crops are attacked and eaten by coyotes.
 
Additionally Texas has a very heavy population and year round warm wheather. This means coyotes can breed more frequently and increase their numbers even further. Higher numbers for both species means more frequent contacts with and attacks on human beings. These problems are not as bad in places like Montana due lower population and cold wheather but they are real and will only increase with rising worlwide popuation. Coyote hunting needs to be in place to help keep their numbers in check and serve as line of defense for human beings and their livlihoods.

As for poaching remember that there are those who abuse any right or privilege. Gang members use guns for illegal purposes giving legitimate owners a negative image. Alcoholics give those who drink responsibly a negative image. The same applies to hunters. Some hunt illegally out of season or take too many of a certain animal harming the population and truly disrespect the animals by hunting for them by plane or helicopter or staking food lots.

Anti-hunters also speak out about hunters going only after animals which can be large trophies such as deer or elk with large antler racks or use food plots to grow these large animals and then hunt them directly drawing the animales straight to them. Again this can be easily explained. Although food lots are legally in at least some areas not all if any can be hunted from and the vast majority of hunters choose to hunt the openingly in their habitat. Food plots are usually used to allow animals like deer elk to get the proper nutrition in their diet in areas where proper food may be a problem or to let animals stock up for winter when food supplies will be lower. Better nutrition will increase the size of antler racks just like as in human beings having stronger bodies. But still hunters know many animals do not have large racks which adds to the challenge of the hunt trying to find one.

Those who say hunters disrespect those trying to enjoy the outdoors as well usually come from the larger urban areas or have infrequent contact with hunters. They rely on the media to bring them the news about hunters and the sport of hunting. Remember the media will often stretch or bend the truth and focuses on negative incidents. If a crime that does not happen, is prevented, or stopped before going horribly wrong it gets little attention while a disaster or extreme problem gains the focus making negative more disscused, understood, and often seem worse than they really are. The same is true for the positive image of hunters. The media will zero in on bad examples like poaching while honest hunters will almost be completely ignored. To get the truth about hunters do not rely on the media, do your own research.

Again there are a few bad hunters here and there but the number of those who DO respect the rights of others wishing to enjoy the outdoors far outweighs the number of those who do not by an extreme margin. Hunters who hunt on private hand will often sign permission slips with the landowners specifically built for that purpose. Hunters on both private and public hand will remove their trash and cartridge casings. They avoid the areas heavy with livestock and farmers or ranchers and their families are present. Some even offer to help the landowners with a project on their property afterwards as a way to say thank you. Additionally again a section of the money they spend on their permits goes into wildlife conservation, designating areas of land as wilderness to be left undeveloped and available for all those who wish to enjoy the outdoors.

Speak to the landowners who let hunters hunt on their property and the game wardens that make sure hunters are obeying the rules of the trade if you want proof of this. The vast majority will state that although they may have dealt with a few "sour hunters" before, the vast majority of hunters obey the laws and respect the rights of other people wishing to enjoy the outdoors and property rights of private landowners.

Hunters do NOT use camouflage, guns or bows, cover scents, and technology to tip the odds completely in their favor, but to equalize them. Just as natural predators such as wolves or coyotes disguise themselves by using their coats to blend in and stalk prey, perform scent rolls and stay downwind of prey to avoid detection, and use their heavy fangs to bring down prey while hunting, so do human hunters. Human beings would be completely out of place in the wilderness so hunters have to take steps to blend in. They use camouflage and cover scents to remain hidden and to block sweat. That would be a dead give-away. With no fangs or claws available hunters will use guns or bows to bring down their animal.

Just how wolves and coyotes try to stay quiet when hunting so do hunters with technology such as cough suppressors. Often technology is used though for navigation in the form of trail marking tape or GPS units to just move around and avoid getting lost or mark key areas to search for animals like how wolves monitor high traffic areas for their prey. Even with all this technology though the odds are still equal. Quite often the animal still gets away. Ask the hunters themselves if you would like proof. Many of them would state that they get the trophy of a lifetime in their sights or in the area but they cannot get close enough or at the right angle to get a shot or something happens like a strange noise that randomly appears startling the animal and it gets away. They believe in giving the animal a fair chance and having an equal chance for either side to succeed and although a few do, most hunters avoid staking out food lots waiting for the animals to come to them.

Animal attractants are not always legal. It depends on your location. It also depends on your animal. Bird hunters for example have to use decoys such as duck statues to encourage the flocks to landing so they can get a shot. Birds migrate on the same path year after year and hunters have to stake out areas to get a shot. Deer and elk attractants such as drip bags to fool their prey into thinking intruders are in the area and come to fight bringing right to the hunters are legal in some areas but many hunters refrain from using them. Deer and elk do not use the same path year after year and most hunters believe the fair ethical method is to pursue them openly in their environment hoping for a shot while leaving the animal the opportunity to run or hide escaping them keeping the odds equal. Most hunters considered them unethical to use and many states and provinces have even banned them on those grounds. This is why many hunter choose to mount the antler or head of the animal as a trophy. It serves as a way to remember to challenge of matching wits of a fair and them being the winner. It could be considered the counterpart of hunting to a gold medal for a race winner.

Hunters also believe in not wasting their animals either. With the possible exception of kills of "non-game" animals such as the coyote they believe "if you shoot it, use it". When a hunter takes an animal they consume the meat and often what they do not they send to local food banks. Hunters make it a point to consume the meat they have knowing something had to die to give it to them showing respect to the animal. This is a common practice for animals involved in automobile collisions in places such as the U.S. states of Alaska. When the animal is killed outright by a vehicle or has to be executed for the purpose of being put out of its misery game wardens or FWP officers will often remove the meat for local poor charities or food banks if they get it before the meat spols. Some hunters even choose to consume "non-game" animals like the coyote although it is relatively few. Their meat is safe for human consumption. Again this is partly why many hunters mount their animals. It further reduces and or prevents waste.

Many people who oppose hunting believe that hunting should be banned in every way, shape, and form. Consider the consequences if that became reality. The populations of all animal species would rise unchecked. They would overwhelm the resources in their environments, begin attacking and cannibalizing each other for an ever shrinking supply of food and water, disrupt ecosystems as numbers of one animal outpace anther, and start moving into human areas. Hundreds, if not thousands of deer, elk, antelope, and moose would become frequent victims of automobile collisions causing many human deaths as well. They feed on crops disrupting our food systems and supplies.

Wolves and coyotes would begin having frequent contact with humans and many lose their fear of them. Attacks would increase resulting future fatalities and raised insurance costs. With no food available the animals would suffer, suffer, and suffer for weeks and sometimes months. They would be in constant pain of empty stomachs and thirst as thier bodies start to cannibalize themeselves for fuel. Death would only come finally after their bodies no longer have anything to burn. Every winter massive die-offs would occur as thousands of deer, elk, antelope, moose, bear, and other animals die from malnourishment not having enough food and water to go around. In the spring their decaying bodies would grow disease-causing bacteria that can often spread to humans. The alternative to this is a relatively small number of animals, probably no more then a few hundred, from each species are taken by hunters leaving the populations and ecosystems healthy for future generations.

Anti-hunting supporters agree that the animals suffer heavy pain when shot by hunters such as how a deer or an elk may run after taking a bullet. This is not strictly true. Potential hunters take educational courses so when they do shoot an animal they know just where to make the shot, usually in chest cavity to pierce the heart, lungs, and other vital organs, as painless as at all possible. This way a bullet or arrow goes through the animal so fast they do not feel it. The feel of having an unknown object going through them or an unknown object sticking in them causes heavy raises in adrenaline such as a human will feel anxious about the unknown raising adrenaline. This adrenaline blocks the ability to feel pain. By the time it wears off and pain begins to set in the animal is almost dead as their heart is shutting down and their lungs are filling with blood. Their bodies cannot support themselves and they die quickly. In times where the animal is hit and runs the adrenaline keeps the pain at bay until they are almost dead. The answer is obvious. Hunting is the far better option for everyone whether it is humanity, the environment, and the animals themselves.

As you can see hunting is NOT what many anti-hunters say it is. They respect the wildlife, the environment, and the rights of others trying to enjoy the outdoors. They leave animals populations healthy for future generations and keep ecosystems balanced and intact. These same ideals can be applied to fishing resources. Game warden and FWP officers enforce fishing regulations, check each fish species to make sure population numbers are healthy for each one, limit the number allowed on each as the situations change, issue fishing licenses, and punish those breaking the law for things like over-fishing or blast fishing.

If you choose not to hunt or fish that is entirely your right to do so. It is hoped that by reading this and pledging by signing the petition to do your own research to verify the points given you will come to understand that those who hunt and fish are NOT blood thirsty killers but people legitimately using the outdoors, doing their part to protect our wildlife populations and environment, and gaining food in the process.

Please sign this petition pledging to do your own research. Speak to those who truly know about the sports of hunting and fishing, are involved in them, and/or have frequent contact with hunters and those who fish. As a suggestion do some library or Internet research or speak to your local game warden or FWP official. Get the truth instead of relying on the media alone and getting false information. Have a great day and thank you very much.