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I realized something; if it weren't for hunting, our country and our world would be in a much worse state than it is already. Because of hunting, Theodore Roosevelt, an avid hunter, passed a law naming all state parks wildlife preserves and protected.

It's also because of hunting that we have hunting seasons, rather than people killing things all year round, why we have jobs available for people like game wardens, and why many of the hunted species are protected and researched very often. So hunting, in retrospect, can prove very beneficial.

I don't mind hunting as long as you don't kill that many animals, and you plan on eating what you kill, because then it's no different than going to the store and buying a hamburger.

I do mind the people like this one kid on my street that calls me a nature freak because I don't want him to shoot every thing that moves. He's a b*****d.

I don't particularly care for hunting myself, in my opinion it is wrong to take a life for pleasure.

HOWEVER.

In Maryland at least, hunting is highly necessary. We'd be in some deep s**t without it. You see, there are very few natural predators left in Maryland. VERY few. As in, we have a few bears, and a very few cougars, maybe a lynx or two, but that's about it. Because of that, deer populations are COMPLETELY out of control. This causes problems both sociologically AND ecologically. With people it causes problems for a few reasons:
1. Several people are injured or killed every year in accidents involving deer.
2. Agriculture is threatened by the overpopulation of deer eating the crops
3. Deer often invade people's yards and gardens.

Ecologically, the problems can be devastating. For one thing, when deer grow their antlers, they rub them against trees to remove the "velvet". With such an excessive overpopulation of deer, this is killing MANY trees, and leaving others open for disease (Yes, plants can get diseases too.). Also, they destroy forests before they even begin. For a forest to grow, things need to come in a specific order, and you can't have the next one down the line without the first.
1. Grass
2. Small plants and shrubs.
3. Bushes, scrub, underbrush
4. Small, hardy trees such as sassafrass and sweet gum
5. The bigger, more "tree-ish" trees.
Now, deer *obviously* can't eat the leaves on the big trees, now can they? No. So what do they eat? That's right. Ground cover. They eat the grass, small plants, and bushes. Because of this, there's not enough for the trees to grow, and hence a forest never begins. It remains a meadow. The problem there is that not all woodland creatures LIVE in meadows--many live in forests. So, with an overpopulation of deer, the deer are causing just as much habitat destruction as humans.

Think about it.

They....just left them to rot? That's illegal where I come from. eek

Awesome points made... but one thing:
Native Americans used everything on the animal because they needed it yes BUT the main reason they used everything was to show respect for the animals and they feared that if they didn't they would be punished. and the Native Americans hardly ever were on the verge of life and dealth until wars were fought against them and when they were pushed off of their land. Well about the punished thing and respect for animals.... thats at least what my family tribe back in the day thought.... and from what i think it is true to all tribes... but oh well... i just felt like putting that down.

and like i said you made awesome point on the whole thing. and i agree i don't think it is evil or that bad. i just could never take the life of an animal and then go up to it and see the eyes glazed over and no soul in the animal. its just something i can't do.

but like some people said also if people didn't kill off so much of the predators we would not have to control the population and we wouldn't have so many extinct/endangered/threatened species. no matter how much people don't want to believe it at times, and i am not talking about specific people just generalizing the people in the towns like the towns i live in, the earth took care of itself with out the help of man for many many years... and man kind of screwed the earth up for themselves...

but thats just my opinion everyone so please don't try to eat me or anything. sweatdrop biggrin

Like fur coats?