Keep living in your bubble. When a non-hunter sees an animal run up a tree by dogs then a brave hunter comes and shoots it out of the tree at point blank range I can see why they have a negative image of hunting. It is not something I like to see either. Stop hiding behind that it is legal. It is only dangerous if you can’t hit your target at 75 feet. If it makes you feel like a big man so be it.
@Docpk you seem like a pretty open minded guy
So I’m sure I am not wasting my time with this, but have you even stopped to consider the conservation and management aspect of hunting mountain lion or bear with hounds? You do understand that lion eat deer, elk and even moose? Everything from mice to moose actually. Mountain lion populations must be managed just like every other species of game. Without hound hunting there is no management. Mountain lion populations are some of the best studied and managed game species and hound hunting is THE best tool available to biologists to regulate the population to maintain a balanced ecosystem. If you look at lion harvest by method of take, you will see that lions taken by any other method than hounds is virtually single-digit. How would you suggest lion populations be managed without hound hunting?
Mountain lion populations increase quickly when hound hunting is taken from the managers tool box. Look no further than California and Oregon. The more lion there are the more ungulates get eaten. Ungulate populations experience dramatic fluctuations at times due to many factors, severe winters and disease to name a couple. Would you advocate not managing the predator/prey relationship?
One of my points here is, anyone who engages these topics of discussion such as hound hunting, baiting, trapping, etc, etc, etc will quickly discover that they are very complex, multi faceted and nuanced topics that are worth studying with an open mind. An attitude of moral superiority and condemnation, my way is right and yours is wrong may feed one’s ego, but it is detrimental to wildlife and to hunting. I encourage anyone to disagree if you believe something different, but at least engage in the conversation with respect and enough of an open mind to learn a few things as you go.
One thing I have learned is that some people are not wired this way. It has to be my way because I am superior. My morals are superior, my ethics are superior, my intelligence is superior, my abilities are superior, my courage is superior...
Thank God most of us are not condemned to go through life like that. What a living hell that must be.
