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Originally Posted by Poppinjay
I believe that was me. Honestly, if I had any attraction to vension, I would find ways to elasticize my ethics on deer and elk hunting. But I don't like venison, despite every hunter who swears they have "the" recipe to make it taste good. All my family has hunted and swears they love venison. and they all have packages of venison that have been in their freezer for more than a year, while they throw some sausages or steak on the grill.
I don't support expanding deer season or increasing limits to control population.
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I apologize for the misquote.
However, your stance on the issue is interesting to me. The deer overpopulation issues in most of North America are caused by the relative scarcity of it's natural predators, cougars and wolves being ones that spring immediately to mind. There are those who would blame the lack of these animals on humanity, yet decry humanity assuming the role that they've vacted; ie, culling the herd, eliminating those who fail to compete and keeping the population in check. A wolf pack on the hunt or a cougar waiting to pounce cares not a whit for the intelligence of it's prey, or even whether it has a fair chance. The idea of a humane kill is (as the name implies) a human trait. I have previously seen coyotes eating an animal that was still living. That could hardly be considered humane treatment.
Population control is ultimately for the benefit of the animal in question as much as it is for us, or such is my belief. Extending deer season or raising quotas means I'm less likely to trash my car on a deer. It also means that some hunter has more meat and an extra trophy for his wall. But aside from all that, it means the surviving animals have less competition for food and shelter. It means that the deer left standing have more food in the forest and are therefore less likely to wander into someone's back yard, where they might mistake antifreeze for a sweet and tasty treat, or onto the road where they'll have a fatal disagreement with an 18 wheeler.
That's my take on the issue. Care to elaborate on yours?
In any case, I stand by my belief that death is a part of life. Personally, I can think of no more noble reason to die than to extend the life of another. Sure as hell beats getting shot in an alley for the fifty bucks in my wallet, anyway.