Tag Archives: blood sports

Movies About Hunting Humans For Sport

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Friday November 22, 2013

8 (great?) hunting-humans-for-sport movies
By Dave Croy / World-Herald staff writer

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In 1924, Colliers Weekly published a short story by Richard Connell called “The Most Dangerous Game.”

It involved a big-game hunter who fell from a yacht and washed up on an island. A wealthy former Russian aristocrat named Zaroff owned the island. And Zaroff had grown bored of big-game hunting and developed a more ruthless pastime, one that involved causing shipwrecks with misleading navigation lights and hunting the surviving crew members after they swam ashore. Ultimately, of course, the hunter and the Russian had to square off mano a mano.

The story was, among other things, a commentary on the “sport” of big-game hunting, very popular at the time among the wealthy. But the notion of hunting humans for sport apparently captured the fevered imaginations of many a writer and filmmaker.

It spawned the 1932 film, “The Most Dangerous Game,” starring Joel McCrea and Fay Wray. (Filmed on many “King Kong” sets with much of the same cast and crew during a break in the making of that film.) The movie was remade in 1945 with the title “A Game of Death.” Since then, numerous films and television shows have made use of the premise, often attributing the original short story as inspiration.

With “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” opening in theaters this weekend, it seems like the perfect time to revisit some of the better examples of this sub-genre of film.

8. “Surviving the Game” (1994)

Okay, this is not really a great film, but it has some wonderful actors playing really nasty bad guys, chewing the hell out of the scenery and generally spouting plenty of awful dialogue. Homeless Ice-T gets a job as a “hunting guide” for some rich guys, including Rutger Hauer, Gary Busey and F. Murray Abraham, (all scary enough in real life!) only to discover that he is their quarry! But Ice-T, as you might guess, won’t go down without a fight.

This is generally just a foul-mouthed knock-off of the original story, entirely propped-up by the performances of Hauer and Busey.

7. “Death Race 2000” (1975)

A schlockmeister Roger Corman production, this film put the fun back in funeral. David Carradine as Frankenstein and a pre-Rocky Sylvester Stallone as Machine-Gun Joe Viterbo are among the drivers in a high-speed cross-country race. In the futuristic world of the year 2000, U.S. democracy has given way to dictatorship, with the three-day race serving as a way to keep the populace pacified. Not only do the drivers score points for speed but for running down pedestrians, as well. The older and more infirm the pedestrian, the greater the point count.

This movie is a cartoonishly ultra-violent mess, with ridiculous “revolutionary” politics oozing through the mix, but, hey, Frankenstein’s car is a Corvette made to look like a giant alligator, and almost every minute of this “cult-classic” is good for a laugh.

6. “Battle Royale” (2000)

This financially successful critical darling from Japan is often cited as having served as a “template” for “The Hunger Games.” I submit that minimal research into this topic makes it obvious that themes like people hunting people, blood sports as “opiates for the masses” and the morality of child soldiers are recurrent throughout both history and fiction.

In this case, a class of 15-year-old schoolchildren is taken to an island, fitted with explosive tracking collars, given basic provisions and various “weapons” and told they each have three days to become the last student standing.

The ensuing violence is frequent, brutal and oddly matter-of-fact. The students’ motivations range from the comic to the melodramatic. The number of students with antisocial personality disorder seems statistically improbable for a group of 40-or-so kids.

More sophisticated critics were able to discern a greater level of depth to the proceedings than I was. I found the government’s motivations for holding the annual contest murky, the characters laughable and the action filmed with all of the grace of security-camera video.

It is never made clear in the film if the “Battle Royale” has a viewing audience outside those running the game. What I’m still trying to figure out is why this film had such a large one.

5. “Hard Target” (1993)

Based on the 1932 film “The Most Dangerous Game,” this was revered Chinese action director John Woo’s first American movie.

Sporting a mullet that appears to have been used to clean up after an oil change, Belgium’s own martial-arts hero Jean-Claude Van Damme stars as Chance Bordreaux, homeless Cajun merchant seaman in New Orleans. When Yancy Butler shows up looking for her homeless, missing father, Van Damme saves her from local hoods and agrees to serve as her bodyguard and guide. Turns out that pops was a victim of a ruthless group of human-hunters, led by creepy Lance Henriksen.

Soon, one of Jean-Claude’s homeless pals falls prey to the hunters, too. As Van Damme and Butler begin to gather evidence that the homeless men are being murdered, Henriksen and his goons decide to eliminate any threats to their operation. Will the hunters become the hunted? Will Henriksen get his due? Does the phrase “grenade in pants” ring any bells?

Solid Woo action scenes, but the cheesy script and Van Damme’s spectacular lack of acting talent keep this from being a truly awesome film.

4. “The Running Man” (1987)

With “The Running Man,” director Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky of TVs “Starsky and Hutch”) took a stab at the “over-the-top, thinly-veiled R-rated science-fiction satire,” as mastered by fellow director Paul Verhoven, and he acquitted himself pretty well, considering that he was brought in a week into the production to replace fired director Andrew Davis.

Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Ben Richards, a former police helicopter pilot in the future wrongly convicted of killing civilians and forced to participate in a reality TV game show, “The Running Man,” where convicts are hunted by superstar “stalkers.” Richards begins killing off the hunters, one-by-one, and ultimately helps an anti-network resistance movement expose the fact that supposed “winning” contestants in the past have all been murdered.

While Ahnuld approaches the material with his usual gusto, the real standout is “Running Man” host and show-runner Richard Dawson (former “Family Feud” emcee) as the glad-handing, lady-kissing and utterly ruthless Damon Killian. Subtlety was the last thing on the minds of anyone involved in this very loose adaptation of the Stephen King novel.

More: http://www.omaha.com/article/20131122/GO/131129638/1181

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POLL: Should the Slaughter of Grouse be allowed to continue?

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Please vote (No) here and circulate widely:

http://focusingonwildlife.com/news/poll-should-the-slaughter-of-grouse-be-allowed-to-continue/

Aug12, 2013

Today is the “Glorious Twelth”, a day when according to tradition hunting enthusiasts gather on moors in Scotland and the north of England to shoot Grouse. Proponents will tell you that that this is an important British tradition. They will also argue that it is good for Britain’s economy by attracting tourists, providing jobs for thousands of people and generating several £100 millions annually .

Eight Reasons to Oppose Grouse Shooting:
1.Killing birds for sport is cruel and uncivilised. [Say no more!]
2.A large number of native birds and mammals who interfere with grouse shooting are trapped, poisoned or snared. Victims include stoats, weasels, and even iconic raptors such as hen harriers, red kites and golden eagles.
3.An unnatural, heather-rich environment is created because the grouse thrive on young heather shoots. To create fresh young shoots, the heather is burned, which can harm wildlife and damage the environment.
4.The burning of heather, reports an expert, ‘threatens to release millions of tonnes of carbon locked into the peat bogs underpinning the moors. Where burning occurs, the hydrology changes and the peat is open to decomposition and erosion. This strips the moor of carbon as surely as setting fire to the Amazon Forest.’ (Adrian Yallop,New Scientist magazine, 12 August 2006)
5.The harsh ‘management’ of moorlands causes grouse numbers to boom. But as they overburden the landscape, they become weakened and fall prey to a lethal parasite – Strongylosis. This attacks the gut and leads to a collapse in the population.
6.A cycle of population boom and bust is the norm on Britain’s grouse moors.
7.Large quantities of lead shot are discharged, which is toxic to wildlife.
8.Grouse shooting estates use the Countryside and Rights of Way Act to restrict public access to mountain and moorland.

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Speak Out Against Coyote and Fox Penning in VA

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Coyote photo copyright Jim Robertson

Coyote photo copyright Jim Robertson

From Project Coyote:

Penning, the practice of confining coyotes and foxes in fenced enclosures and allowing packs of dogs to chase and often maul them for “sport” and “entertainment”— with little opportunity for protection or escape— is a cruel and vicious practice that is prevalent in Virginia and several other states. Every year, thousands of wild canids are traded and sold to penning operations, both legally and illegally— after being trapped in the wild.

Aside from the suffering and inhumane treatment, penning also leads to the spread of diseases within and between domestic and wild canids. Tests reveal evidence of canine distemper and a variety of viral diseases, including canine parvovirus, canine coronavirus, canine herpesvirus, and canine parainfluenza virus, as well as over 20 species of parasites.

In 2012, the Virginia state legislature considered bills from the Senate and House of Delegates proposing to ban penning, but unfortunately the bills died in committee. Now the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) is proposing to amend state regulations on penning.

However, the proposed regulations would not ban the practice outright, but merely establish standards that will allow much of the cruelty to continue. They can also be waived at the discretion of the VDGIF director, should they be deemed too “onerous” for a penning facility operator. Although the regulations would prohibit the use of coyotes in penning facilities, they do not offer the same protection to foxes, which can still be chased and torn apart by the dogs. Moreover, they do not mandate that operators obtain rabies vaccinations for dogs used in penning trials, thereby promoting the spread of disease.

What You Can Do:

Please contact VDGIF today and request that it ban penning outright. Note: Letters from outside of Virginia will be considered in the official record; however you MUST include personal contact information in your emails/letters or the VDGIF may discount your comments. Please submit your comments no later than May 31, 2013 by 5 p.m. EDT.

The channels for submitting written comments during the proposed regulation public comment period are:
• Online at http://www.dgif.virginia.gov
• Email regcomments@dgif.virginia.gov Be sure to include full personal identifying information
• Postal mail:
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
Attn: Policy Analyst and Regulatory Coordinator
4010 West Broad Street
P.O. Box 11104, Richmond, VA 23230-1104
• Comment forms available at public input meetings
If you live in Virginia please consider attending and testifying at the next public meeting on the topic (individuals will have 3 min. to testify):

When: Thursday, June 13, at 9:00 a.m.
Where: 4000 West Broad Street in Richmond, VA
More info.: http://www.dgif.virginia.gov/meetings/

Suggested talking points:
• Capturing, transporting, marketing, and penning wild animals for dog training is inherently cruel, and should be banned for this reason alone. Pitting domestic canines against their wild cousins is ethically indefensible and parallels dog fighting- a practice now banned in the U.S. At least 3,600 foxes have died in pens in Virginia in the last three years alone. In many cases, the wild canids are mauled to death by the dogs.
• Penning facilities transmit diseases between wild canids and domestic animals, including rabies and parasites. Wild animals sold into these facilities are often transported from out of state without regulation or inspection.
• Virginia lacks the resources to enforce the proposed regulations. There are too few conservation officers to properly oversee that penning facilities follow the regulations.
• By allowing penning operators to waive out of minimal requirements, such as providing food and water to the foxes, the proposed regulation (4VAC15-290-160) effectively leaves penning operations unregulated.
• The Florida Fish and Game Commission banned coyote and fox banning statewide in 2010 because of ecological, ethical, and economic concerns; Virginia should do the same.
Thank you for taking action for our canine friends. Please share this action alert far and wide!

See Also: Coyote and Fox Penning: A Blood “Sport” That Must End, by Project Coyote’s Camilla Fox.

2010-06-22-coyotes

Meet Thy Enemy

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Paul Ryan with 8 Point Buck

Safari Club International Recognizes Congressman Paul  Ryan as 2013 Federal Legislator of the Year

Safari Club International

Safari Club International

Washington, DC – -(Ammoland.com)- Safari Club International (SCI) is pleased to  recognize Representative Paul Ryan (Wisc.) as the 2013 SCI Federal Legislator of  the Year.

The award will be presented during the evening banquet on Jan. 25, 2013 at  the world’s greatest convention dedicated to North American and international  hunting, the 41st Annual Safari Club International Hunters’ Convention.

“No other legislator is more deserving of this award after the 2012 election  cycle than Congressman Paul Ryan,” said SCI President John Whipple.

“Being an avid hunter, Congressman Ryan was a champion to our cause, and put  the preservation of hunting heritage in the national spotlight during his 2012  vice-presidential campaign. Be it in a business suit or full field attire,  voters across the country saw the indelible image of him, with his bow at full  draw; showing indisputable evidence of his commitment to being the voice for  sportsmen and women both on the campaign trail and in the 112th Congress. SCI is  proud to honor Representative Ryan as the 2013 SCI Federal Legislator of the  Year.”

“It is an honor to be recognized by Safari Club International and its members  as the 2013 Federal Legislator of the Year. I’m grateful to win this award and  even more excited to be able to pass on to my children the hunting traditions  and values that SCI stands for,” Ryan said. “The values of sportsmen and women  have been a focus throughout my career and I will continue to support the  hunting traditions and rights we cherish.”

Aside from his legislative work in Congress and with Safari Club  International, Ryan is a member of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus (CSC),  having previously served as co-chairman for CSC in the U.S. House of  Representatives from 2007 to 2011.

Becoming an SCI Member: Joining Safari Club International  is the best way to be an advocate for continuing our hunting heritage and  supporting worldwide sustainable use conservation, wildlife education and  humanitarian services. JOIN NOW: http://www.safariclub.org/Join.

Safari Club International First For Hunters is the leader  in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation  worldwide. SCI’s approximately 200 Chapters represent all 50 of the United  States as well as 106 other countries. SCI’s proactive leadership in a host of  cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs,  with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and  government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and  participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit the home page  http://www.safariclub.org

Read more at Ammoland.com: http://www.ammoland.com/2013/01/paul-ryan-as-2013-federal-legislator-of-the-year/#ixzz2ISLTVbhV

A Whole Batch of Bad Eggs

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Hunters like to blame their ill-behavior on the “one bad egg” making them all look bad. That one egg must be the busiest hunter in the forest—I see signs of him all over the place.

Like the Easter Bunny, he leaves his calling card wherever he goes: a beer can here, a candy wrapper there, McDonald’s bags, Big Gulps, a pile of shotgun shells—and toxic lead shot and bullets spread everywhere.

I’m not sure I believe there’s only one bad egg responsible—could be they’ve all got some bad egg in them. Maybe it’s just the nature of the “sport.”

That would explain why local police and sheriff’s departments across the country see a marked spike in crimes like theft and vandalism during hunting season. Then of course there are violent crimes, like assault with a deadly weapon and manslaughter. Italy has seen a rash of such crimes since their hunting season began in September. So far, 13 people have been shot dead and 33 others wounded by hunters, leading some folks there to call for an outright ban on the blood sport. According to a survey taken last year, fewer than one in five Italians consider hunting an “acceptable pastime,” while hunter numbers there have dropped from 3 million a few decades ago to about 700,000 today.

There can’t simply be “one bad egg” responsible for all the trash and carnage; more likely the whole batch is spoiled. It’s no use keeping a bunch of rotten eggs around—eventually you have to throw them out.

Text and Photography ©Jim Robertson

Occupy Wildlife!

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A new USFWS survey suggests the popularity of hunting has risen from 4% in 2006 to 6% in 2011. Many are in doubt that a growth in hunting participation is actually going on, and suspect that those numbers have been skewed to give the illusion that it’s a growing, rather than a dying sport. Even if a few more people have fallen prey to the lure of the blood-sporting way, 6% of the population is not a very high percentage of the country considering that hunters and their ilk interject themselves into every issue that involves wildlife, while the rest of us who don’t approve of wildlife butchery are barely represented.

Whether hunters make up 4% or 6% of the US population, we are still the 95% (give or take a single measly point). It’s high time we start an Occupy Wildlife movement and give the non-hunting majority—and the animals—a voice!

Text and Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson

Text and Wildlife Photography ©Jim Robertson

What’s Next, a Murderer’s Heritage Act?

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By allowing and encouraging blood sports, society puts itself at risk, for under close examination the line between species is grey and rooted in personal bias.  The serial killer, Zodiak, just one example of a hunter who turned his sights on his own species, called his victims “the most dangerous game.”

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not for a minute suggesting that since there’s scarcely any genetic difference between humans and non-humans, people should view the human animal just as they would any other prey. No, that would be Zodiak’s argument. What I’m saying is that NO animal should be reduced to the level of mere object to be “harvested” at will. It’s a blatant double-standard that killing people is “murder” while slaying an animal is “sport.” Both are murder. Perhaps society doesn’t want to admit how many murderers, or people capable of murder, are out there. 

Human society is by no means at the apex of its evolution—a fully evolved species would have made peace with their fellow animals. Living the lie that a false dichotomy is valid only encourages rationalizations that won’t hold up under scrutiny; it also encourages people like Zodiak to move laterally across the arbitrary species barrier and turn to hunting humans.

In one of his infamous letters to the press, Zodiak wrote, “School children make nice targets,” and threatened to shoot them “as they come bounding out” of the school bus. Certainly not the kind of behavior we should enshrine with an outlandish act of Congress such as the “Sportsman’s Heritage Act” now before the Senate. What’s next, a Murderer’s Heritage Act?