Trump Jr.'s prairie dog hunt in Montana campaign tour prompts backlash

[DesertRat]

Donald Trump Jr. will be targeting more than just Montana's Republican voters on Friday and Saturday when he helps Greg Gianforte campaign for an open U.S. House seat.

A prairie dog hunt is also on the agenda for the four-city tour for President Donald Trump's son and Gianforte, a technology entrepreneur up against Democrat Rob Quist in the May 25 election for the seat vacated by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.

"As good Montanans, we want to show good hospitality to people," Gianforte said. "What can be more fun than to spend an afternoon shooting the little rodents?"

Prairie dog hunting is a way for landowners to control the population of the rodents, classified as "agricultural pests" because of the damage they can do to crops. They are also a nongame species, meaning there are no hunting limits or hunting seasons. Killing them is a popular pastime among some hunters who looking to keep their shooting skills sharp during the offseason when they can't hunt wild animals like deer and elk.

However, prairie dogs are also listed as a species of concern by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks because their numbers have declined and because of threats like disease.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-jr-prairie-dog-hunt-montana-20170421-story.html

[pangaia]

1. Ah, humans who love killing non-humans. Do it for fun.

Of course, there are also humans who enjoy killing humans as well.
Where would we be without republicans?

[DesertRat]

6. Trump, Jr. may be an even bigger asshole than his father

[madaboutharry]

9. I think he is.

The smarminess oozes off him.

[DesertRat]

10. Smarmy is a perfect descriptor for him. nt

[smirkymonkey]

16. Ugh! Exactly!

You could grease a car with him.

[Maraya1969]

12. Why aren't we trying to get this assjack's Democratic opponent into

Congress? Rob Quist is the Democrat running against him


Greg Gianforte



https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRarbbM-9TX6ErH8KPbnOFtfvQnjn5RIF4ezKqnbX5ogq1P3Ak5

[NickB79]

2. It's that, or poison the whole colony

Until the species is declared protected, landowners can manage them as they see fit.

Personally, I'd like to see them protected, but until then shooting is the least bad option if landowners decide they want a smaller colony.

[Rorey]

13. Isn't it the time of year when pups are born?

I really have no idea, but, if so, it would seem pretty cruel to kill the adults and leave the babies to starve.

Poison is always a bad option, IMO.

[NickB79]

14. Probably. That's why they need protection.

At the very least, a "hunting" season (even though it's nowhere near real hunting).

[BlueStater]

3. I wish this douchebag would invite Dick Cheney to go hunting with him. n/t

[KingCharlemagne]

15. I wish the prairie dogs could shoot back. - nt

[tanyev]

4. Um, doesn't he have a yuuge business empire to run?

Why is he in Montana campaigning?

[DesertRat]

5. Good question

I guess he couldn't pass up a chance to kill defenseless animals.

[MontanaMama]

7. Shooting prairie dogs

Is a disgusting pastime. I'd WAY rather have a bunch of prairie dogs around than a bunch of white trash trumps. Id venture a guess that prairie dogs aren't in trouble because of disease...most likely from target shooting losers like dump Jr. And Greg Gianforte who I hope loses his ass against Rob Quist in our special election next month.

Resist! Insist On Quist!!! (Thanks Donkees)

[Beaverhausen]

8. Probably killing mothers with babies

What fucking asshole needs to do that?

[DesertRat]

11. The same one who hunts endangered big game animals for fun

[phylny]

17. What is wrong with people?

I don't get hunting, but there are hunters all around me in this area. The difference is that the majority of them are hunting deer, which are way overpopulated, they adhere to the rules of hunting does and bucks, and they donate the meat or consume it themselves. I can understand that.

Prairie dogs? What could be more fun that killing them?

Sigh.

[DesertRat]

19. I really don't get it either

[Rorey]

21. Here's an interesting (to me) site

http://gprc.org/research/prairie-dogs-the-truth/prairie-dogs-and-soil-impacts/#.WPt4a9LyvWU

Of course I would never expect a right-winger to care about ecology. Their theory is that it's just fine to rape the planet we live on.

[smirkymonkey]

18. What kind of sick fuck kills animals for fun?

I really can't even get my mind around how sick this is. God, I HATE this family so very, very much!

[Rorey]

24. I can't either

One of my sons used to hunt when he was a kid. I've been a vegetarian for decades, but I still took him to hunter safety classes because I didn't think I should force my own beliefs on him. I was a young widow and I guess I thought that it's something my husband would have done for him, though he didn't hunt himself. Somewhere along the line something changed in my son. First he became a vegetarian, and now he's a strict vegan.

Now I can understand that many humans are meat eaters. What I don't understand is when there is cruelty inflicted in obtaining it. I have never understood killing any creature strictly for fun. People who do that are definitely "sick f*cks".

[Achilleaze]

20. republican draft dodging spawn kills small animals for fun

deplorable

[DesertRat]

23. And we know he likes to kill large endangered animals for fun too

[Coventina]

22. Anyone who kills things "for fun" is mentally ill, at best.

for the poor little guys....