“If some animals are good at hunting and others are suitable for hunting, then the Gods must clearly smile on hunting.” - Aristotle
Last week the animal right activists went into full doofus mode when the happy huntress, Melissa Bachman, posted pics on Facebook and Twitter of a lion she shot on her recent safari to South Africa.
Being the most unhinged bipeds sucking air right now on God’s green earth, the anti-hunting lunatics, in a full-on hissy fit, demanded that Bachman be banned from South Africa for legally hunting a lion and stimulating their needy economy. In addition, they called her the vilest of names that sailors on leave in Borneo don’t even use and, ironically, some called for her to be hunted and killed.
Progressives are so cute. They’re so totally cool with you doing whatever you want to do as long as it is something they’ve mandated.
Typical was the caterwauling. They called Miss Melissa an evil trophy hunter. Queried why was she smiling in the hunting photos. Declared, contrary to reality, that “lions are endangered.” Announced to the planet “hunting is cruel” and complained about the hunt being “a canned hunt.” And then, I think, they launched into a chorus of “Hakuna Matata” from the Lion King movie.
First off, trophy hunting, in the truest sense of the word, takes off the field the toothless old codgers of the animal kingdom that have been kicked out of the pride, pack or herd and are past their breeding prime, and are a few weeks or months away from being shredded to death by other predators when they go for an afternoon drink at the local watering hole.
Which brings me to the “hunting is cruel” blather the anti-hunters spew with more predictably than a Nancy Pelosi bowel movement. If you want to see “cruel” turn on Nat Geo and watch the animal kingdom take care of business. Holy crap, that’s as raw as it gets. Nothing quite like watching an assemblage of sweet little Simba’s eat the butt off a buffalo while it’s still alive. If I were an animal, I’d take a 300-grain Swift A-frame screaming out of the pipe of a .375H&H at 2400-feet-per-second any old day versus being on the receiving end of “the delicate balance of nature. “
As far as lions being “endangered” read this from the National Geographic and get back to me. Man, I almost forgot this ditty. If one really wishes to secure the future of the lion then the best way to do that is to shoot the surplus males because they eat the pride’s cubs in order to get to the pride’s ladies.
And lastly, regarding the “canned aspect” of her lion hunt, if you consider the several thousand hectaresBachman pursued her cat as a “can” then that’s a big ass can. Oh, and by the way, the cats let loose in these “cans” are formidable foes and would as soon kill you as look at you. To them, you’re lunch and they’re definitely not pets.
With all the aforementioned, I know that facts don’t matter to the “rat is a pig is a dog is a boy” crowd. They’re emoters not based in reason and they’re laced liberally with hypocrisy. For instance, a lot of these anti-hunting clowns eat meat and use leather products. Hello. How the heck do you think you got that steak or fish fillet or the leather seats in your car?
For those who pride themselves on eating veggies only, let me ask you a question: aren’t they too a living organism? Doesn’t someone hunt and kill them for you to have your edamame salad? Oh, and this one’s going to hurt, I’ll have you know that for you to have your precious greens a farmer has to shoot deer, boar, rabbits and other vermin who dine on your sacrosanct salad. It’s true. Ask a farmer.
My intent with this column is not to try to covert the implacable but to encourage hunters and hunter friendly folks to stop taking the crap from this infantile infinitesimal group. Don’t hide your Genesis 9:1-3God-blessed love of hunting. Put your pics up on Facebook and Twitter and join the various pro-hunting pages, and while you’re doing that get briefed to the amazing truth to what hunting does to preserve both land and species. To assist you in the latter, take a stroll from this smattering of irrefutable, inconvenient truths about conservation through hunting.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation provides the following slam-dunk:
· In 1907, only 41,000 elk remained in North America. Thanks to the money and hard work invested by hunters to restore and conserve habitat, today there are more than 1 million.
· In 1900, only 500,000 whitetails remained. Thanks to conservation work spearheaded by hunters, today there are more than 32 million.
· In 1900, only 100,000 wild turkeys remained. Thanks to hunters, today there are over 7 million.
· In 1901, few ducks remained. Thanks to hunters’ efforts to restore and conserve wetlands, today there are more than 44 million.
· In 1950, only 12,000 pronghorn remained. Thanks to hunters, today there are more than 1.1 million.
· Habitat, research and wildlife law enforcement work, all paid for by hunters, help countless non-hunted species.
· Through state licenses and fees, hunters pay around $800 million a year for conservation programs.*
· Through donations to groups like Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, hunters add $440 million a year to conservation efforts.*
· In 1937, hunters actually requested an 11% tax on guns, ammo, bows and arrows to help fund conservation. That tax, so far, raised more than $7.2 billion for wildlife conservation.*
· An 11% tax on guns, ammo, bows and arrows generates $371 million a year for conservation.*
· All together, hunters pay more than $1.6 billion a year for conservation programs. No one gives more!*
· Three out of four Americans approve of hunting, partly because hunters are America’s greatest positive force for conservation.
· As taxpayers, hunters also fund the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, etc.
· Hunting funds conservation AND the economy, generating $38 billion a year in retail spending.*
· Hunting supports 680,000 jobs, from game wardens to waitresses, biologists to motel clerks.*
· A wildlife management tool, hunting helps balance wildlife populations with what the land can support, limits crop damage and curtails disease outbreaks.
· Hunters help manage growing numbers of predators such as cougars, bears, coyotes and wolves. Our government spends millions to control predators and varmints, while hunters have proven more than willing to pay for that opportunity.
· Hunting has major value for highway safety. For every deer hit by a motorist, hunters take six.
· Deer collisions kill 200 motorists and cost $10 billion a year. Imagine costs without hunting!
· Hunters provide for conservation — and for their families. Hunting is a healthy way to connect with nature and eat the world’s most organic, lean, free-range meat.
· Hunter numbers are down, while hunter spending for conservation is up. Unequaled devotion!
· Avid hunter Theodore Roosevelt created our national forests and grasslands and forever protected 230 million acres for wildlife and the public to use and enjoy.
· With funding from hunters, RMEF helped restore wild elk herds in six states and provinces.
· As society loses its ties to wildlife and conservation, the bonds with nature formed by hunting are the greatest hope for creating the next generation of true conservationists.
*financial info via America’s Sporting Heritage: Fueling the American Economy (January 2013) and Hunting in America: An Economic Force for Conservation (January 2013)