What's your opinion of people who hunt and kill non-endangered animals for fun, as opposed to for food?

[Eleanors38]

9. I kill for food, and I enjoy hunting. So I can't vote in this.

I have no particular interest in killing the animal, but if you hunt, that is part of it. And if you hunt successfully, it is quite enjoyable. You get to see up front what the web of life is about and your role in it. We all kill to eat. Hunting allows you to experience how it is done and what you feel like during the whole process. There is skill in stalkimg, still-hunting, or merely posting up in the right spot. There is skill in shot placement to minimize agony for the animal, and to assure the deer goes down quickly. There is skill in watching a deer run, noting landmarks, and tracking if necessary.

And there is work. To field dressdress (taking out the insides), toting the animal to your camp/lodge, hoisting, skinning, cleaning, quartering and icing down. To say nothing of your own countertop butchering.

We shouldn't confuse the pleasure of hunting with some typically American puritanical sin. Are there people who enjoy cruelty or sadism? Yes, and you will find them in other walks of life. Few people labor under this peculiar emotion, yet enjoy the hunt. I recommend others give it a try and see what you learn about that most fundamental element of human consciousness: You have to kill in order to survive.