Friday, November 10, 2006

Hunting season
















Once again it's hunting season in VT. I have very mixed feelings about hunting. Man has been hunting for food since time began and the hunters I know, including my husband, hunt for the venison. And, because we have stripped much of the Whitetail's habitat, there is validity to the fact that thinning the herd prevents many of them from dying of starvation.

But there are those who hunt just for sport, bringing these magnificent creatures down for the pleasure of bragging rights or to put a head with a rack on the wall. And our state, in its quest for cash has, too many times, made the mistake of putting out doe licenses and selling the right to kill to more hunters than the deer heard can support.

My husband has hunted all his life. He hunts with respect for the deer and the environment and we have had venison in our freezer more often than not. I like venison, it is organic (which my diet requires) is very tasty and is not loaded with cholesterol.

I have lived here long enough to know that if hunting is properly controlled, the herd flourishes. However, I feel guilty if I have to kill a bug and consequently have a conundrum.

Opinions?

10 Comments:

Blogger Tammy Brierly said...

My hubby hunts ducks and eats what he shoots and in fishing he catches and releases mostly. I have a problem with mounting dead critters of any kind. If he ever shot a deer I would not want him cleaning it here and I don't like the taste...ewww! LOL

God intended animals for food in part but I doubt he'd hang one in his den ;)

1:17 PM  
Blogger Endment said...

What a challenge you present... We are over-run here - both with deer and hunters... It would be wonderful if the hunters didn't continue to send their shots whizzing across our property and it would be good to have a few less deer eating all our plants...

2:47 PM  
Blogger the kitschen table said...

I am a vegetarian who also tries to keep organic when possible. As far as hunting goes, I commend the person who hunts, kills and then eats his prey. I think it is so much more honest than the meat eater who can't bear to think where their food comes from.But I do think that 'to each his own' applies here. I don't like to be told how to live and I try to treat others the same way.

Your profile is interesting...I look forward to viewing your art and, just for the record, I think you're pretty cool.
Julie

10:28 PM  
Blogger the kitschen table said...

I am a vegetarian who also tries to keep organic when possible. As far as hunting goes, I commend the person who hunts, kills and then eats his prey. I think it is so much more honest than the meat eater who can't bear to think where their food comes from.But I do think that 'to each his own' applies here. I don't like to be told how to live and I try to treat others the same way.

Your profile is interesting...I look forward to viewing your art and, just for the record, I think you're pretty cool.
Julie

10:28 PM  
Blogger Ginnie said...

I lived that conundrum for years. My husband was a hunter...more often with bow & arrow...and we, too, had venison a lot; but, I hated the thought of where the meat came from. Now my daughter & her husband live where the deer over-run their property and make it near impossible to keep a garden...but they don't hunt. I wish there were an easy answer. The idea of "controlling" the amount of deer in an area smacks awfully close to "ethnic cleansing" to me...who gave us the right to make that decision???

9:59 AM  
Blogger Joyce Ellen Davis said...

Great pictures, thoughtful posts!

1:09 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Mind Trips,
I ocme to you via Ginnie's blog. I'm excited to read more of your posts. You seem to write straight from the heart, and your images are stunning.

re: hunting
I feel like people need to do what they need to do. Personally, though, I rever animals. I'm not a fanatic, but I find that animals humanize us more than religion or school training. They bring out the best in most people. Sometimes, unfortunately, as PETA points out, they bring out the vicious side of people.

For me it's hard to get beyond the pointing of the gun toward another sentient being. I can't get beyond the pulling of the trigger.

I don't eat meat. Whenever I take a bite, I feel the terror and agony of the animal in my mouth.

7:50 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, I'm with you. In general, I have a hard time killing anything, including insects. In the more general sense, as long as it's done respectfully and not just for sport, I can kinda sorta understand hunting.

Not easy though. :)


Peace,

Thailand Gal
~*~*~*

5:27 PM  
Blogger Anvilcloud said...

While I don't much care for hunting and wouldn't do it, I can accept it in others when done with respect and for food (at least in part).

11:06 PM  
Blogger Andrea Frazer said...

I like the spirituality behind the hunt, but I still think it's a bit unnecessary. However, would I leave my husband for hunting? No. But I'm with you on not doing it. Nice post.

10:15 PM  

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