Hunting

[sol]

So if I lived where you are, I could take the rats to the local butchers's, like pheasants or hares? How remarkable!

[rcdoma]

Here's what I read about why people hunt while taking the online Hunter Education course:
http://homestudy.ihea.com/abouthunting/01why.htm

To those who are interested, the complete course can be found at:
http://homestudy.ihea.com/index.htm

The firearm, hunting and outdoor safety chapters are worth a read.

Best,
Ram

[kragiesardar]

Hunting is not allowed in India, Blackbuck is nearly extinct there. Texas has more Blackbuck, neelgai etc than India why? Because hunters pay for the privilege of hunting them and that makes them a valuable, replenishable resource which is provided access to feed, water and is protected.
If India allows hunting with disbursement directly to the villagers on who’s or close to whose land the hunting happened they will, and this is well documented in Africa, conserve and protect wildlife. Problem is that it is very difficult to make changes to perceptions and laws.
Govt cannot protect their citizens so good luck in expecting them to protect wild life in some remote area.

[Yaj]

Hunting is not allowed in India, Blackbuck is nearly extinct there. Texas has more Blackbuck, neelgai etc than India why?

Black buck maybe on the "vulnerable" list but there are many areas where they are in numbers that cause great damage to crops and are considered a pest.The general opinion is that since the last census the numbers have increased greatly in some areas. The same with the Nilgai, in fact they are in such large numbers that some "babus" had come up with some hare brained scheme for building holding pens for Nilgai in the North
Regards,
Yaj.

[shikari]

Yaj you are absolutely right,Nilgai were declared vermin in Haryana ,when I was last in India.Wild boar were also on the vermin list.I actually remember seeing herds of nilgai in Uttarpradesh in the evenings going to peoples fields and Enjoying the fruits of the farmers labours.Incidently if the forest officer gave you permission to destroy vermin gameanimals you were not allowed to take the meat or anything from the carcass as according to the law the forest officer has to soak the carcas in kerosene and burn it to make it unsable by anyone.
Shikari

[timmy]

I think that kragiesardar and nagarifle have touched on some very important points: Hunting can be a very effective management tool for wildlife.

Perhaps one of the very best examples of this is the group Ducks Unlimited here in the USA & Canada. This group of avid waterfowl hunters contributes tremendous amounts of money toward waterfowl habitant preservation and has done a lot to ensure that waterfowl are plentiful in North America. When taxpayers are asked to pay taxes for such projects, they often balk. However, all citizens reap the benefits of having a beautiful and thriving wildlife population, and they do not pay the full cost of it -- the hunters pick up a large part of the tab.

Similarly, in many Western Mountain states in the USA, out of state license fees are steep and many folks with means will gladly pay those fees and even pay fees to enter into drawings for licenses to hunt game. States use these fees for scientific game management.

Above all of this, there is a large set of industries that has developed around hunting: guides, firearms, camping supplies, boating, motels, hunting lodges and retreats, etc -- all of these industries also depend on the spending of sportsmen.

All of this represents a large economic sector that employs quite a few people. And this is another benefit of a scientific game management program that the government can regulate for both environmental and social ends.

I can accept and respect that some folks may view certain aspects of hunting to involve a moral issue. I will be frank and admit that I'm not sure just how to address this. I suppose that part of the question is shaped by the fact that both of our nations are secular, but both also have values commonly accepted by large segments of the population. My chief point would be that such objections to hunting ought not to affect the overall right of individuals to own personal firearms as responsible members of society.