“The year was 1905 and President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt was living up to his reputation as a cowboy. The renowned outdoorsman was on a Mississippi hunting trip, and most of his companions had already brought down an animal. In an effort to please their boss, some of his attendants cornered, clubbed, and then tied a black bear to a tree before bringing Teddy over to shoot it. To their surprise, the President refused, calling the act unsportsmanlike,” according to a 2016 article at http://www.goodhousekeeping.com.

Hunting for food is one thing, but hunting for recreation is barbarous. A powerful passion for being a human predator over the animal kingdom reveals a lust for blood and death. And wildlife killing contests should be banned. Find another way to have fun.

Guys, if you just want to bond around the campfire—then say so. You don’t have to kill animals as an excuse to get together for male friendship circles.

Hunting in USA

According to an article for NPR, “State wildlife agencies and the country’s wildlife conservation system are heavily dependent on sportsmen for funding. Money generated from license fees and excise taxes on guns, ammunition and angling equipment provide about 60 percent of the funding for state wildlife agencies, which manage most of the wildlife in the U.S.”

Once again, it’s about money. Let’s allow anything that generates funds. Endangered species, no problem as long as the cash flows.

Deer Hunting in Appalachia Ohio

The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is Ohio’s most popular big game animal. Is hunting and killing necessary to stop overpopulation of deer? That’s a controversial debate.

PETA says, “No. Starvation and disease are unfortunate, but they are nature’s way of ensuring that the strong survive. Natural predators help keep prey species strong by killing the only ones they can catch—the sick and weak.” http://www.peta.org.

The goal of Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife, “has been to maintain county deer populations at a level that provides maximum recreational opportunity including hunting, viewing, and photographing, while minimizing conflicts with agriculture, motor travel, and other areas of human endeavor. In short, our goal is to provide enough deer to hunt and enjoy, but not so many that they cause undue human hardship.” http://www.wildlife.ohiodnr.gov.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife issued 429,006 deer permits during the 2017-18 license year, 3.6 percent fewer than last year and the eighth consecutive year that sales have declined… Since 2011 the number of individuals purchasing at least one deer permit has dropped from 359,000 to 309,000 – a 14 percent decline in just the last six years. http://www.wildlife.ohiodnr.gov.

Ohio’s white-tailed deer hunters concluded the 2019-2020 hunting season by harvesting 184,465 deer, according to ODNR Division of Wildlife. Deer hunting in Ohio began Sept. 28, 2019, and concluded Feb. 2, 2020. The final harvest total represents all deer taken during archery, gun, muzzleloader, and youth seasons.

Do you consume the deer you hunt and kill? Venison is an alternative to beef or a way for a family to supplement another source of protein. Eating what you kill is different than killing just for recreation or population control.

Boom! The sound of a rifle goes off. “Quick, to the thicket!” Bambi’s mother yells to him. “Faster! Faster, Bambi! Don’t look back! Keep running! Keep running!”