I went hunting this weekend...

[Killove]

There isnt a biltong shortage because their are hunters.
Biltong is just like any other meat product you find in your supermarket freezers (rows and rows of freezers).
The only difference being is that you can tick it in a backpack and it will keep a lot longer on the trail.

You are happy to eat something just as long as you don't have to get bloodon your hands.
Somehow you rationalize that you are less complicit because someone else kills the cow, not you.
weird man, and very wrong.

You're getting me all wrong Sneeky.
I can understand hunting, I can see a need for it, however there is no NEED for it in the OP's case.

If there was a food shortage and we had to hunt and kill our own animals, then sure, I would have nothing against it and would do it myself.
But seeing though that isn't the case, I can't see the reasoning in killing an animal for fun.

[DJ...]

I hope your mother is proud of you buying that meat from the supermarket. [sarcoff]

So killing animals so called 'humanely' (which is another words for mechanized mass slaughter) in their millions is ok, just not shooting a few dead with a rifle in the bush?

If you want to fight against the treatment of animals, don't eat meat.
I find it is very rich to comment negatively on hunting, which is as old as time itself, with a hearty beef fillet on your plate.

I will be the first to admit that in most cases, hunting animals are treated better than slaughterhouse animals. However, like I stated, that doesnt mean that I dont do what I can to change this. There is no need to stop eating meat altogether, instead I rather avoid as much as possible inhumanely sourced meat. Hunting and eating are two different things though, and I choose not to become a vegetarian so that a few hunters can shoot a buck.

I ask what the point is though. I dont mind hunters per say. I have a few mates who hunt, but what gets me is the urge to do it. My cousin recently went and came back stating its the 1st and last time he will ever do that. He felt like crying after he shot the animal and it didnt die and he had to listen to the cries of a dying kudu getting louder as he walked closer - he then had to put the gun to its head and pull the trigger again so that he could have a little bit of biltong in a few weeks. He also had to throw away his blood stained clothes which I can only assume was a pretty horrific scene.

He didnt want the trophy because (and lets face it) it really isnt decorative in the least little bit and he could have got his biltong from a shop down the road. So I asked him again, why go hunting then? He still doesnt know, but will ramble on for hours as to why he doesnt want to go hunting! It isnt the death of the animals that I have a problem with if they are hunted for the right reasons; it is the demand for such an activity that perplexes me. But then again, one could flame me for being a fisherman then as well!

[Sneeky]

Arzy, you shoot a buck you get lots of produce from it not just biltong.

These people live in a dream world and believe meat comes from nice shiny cellophane packages that the fairies put in the supermarket.

[Mephisto_Helix]

What, so the meat fairies aren't real

[Killove]

@ Arzy,

I'm not trying to start a fight here, but how is killing an animal (which costs R3000 if I read correctly), cheaper than going to buy it at spar or wherever?

How much meat do you eat?

[Pixie22]

Disagree completely with you killove, if anything it is morally correct!

If more people killed and slaughtered what they eat there would be a lot less excess in this world when it comes to meat consumption.
A hunter earns the right to eat meat.

Buying KFC, Steers, packaged meat from supermarkets has desensitized people to where meat really comes from.
A lot would be sick to their stomachs if they actually went to have a look.

Those that do not have the balls or the stomach for hunting their own meat, should not consume meat at all.

Well what is the difference between a kudu and a dog? No offense they are both meat. Those hunters probably wouldn't shoot and eat dogs, so I guess they have their own illogical problems.


"Those that do not have the balls or the stomach for hunting their own meat, should not consume meat at all"
thats just stupid. Its not really your decision to make. Its theirs. And if they want to enjoy a burger without "appreciating" the murder of the animal, then let them.

[Pitbull]

eeeerrrrrmmmmm wrong

Cows are cultivated to be slaughtered.
Wild animals still have a chance to survive and die of old age. I would agree with you DJ if I was to select a Buck and have it put in a 2 meter by 2 meter cage and then shot

They do have a chance to run and not be shot, they have a chance of not being found while walking on foot. They have a chance. The cow you had for dinner did not

[Sneeky]

You're getting me all wrong Sneeky.
I can understand hunting, I can see a need for it, however there is no NEED for it in the OP's case.

If there was a food shortage and we had to hunt and kill our own animals, then sure, I would have nothing against it and would do it myself.
But seeing though that isn't the case, I can't see the reasoning in killing an animal for fun.

On the contrary, if everyone that ate meat was actually forced to kill and slaughter one beast in their lives, a lot less people would eat meat I am sure you would agree.

This notion of their being, or not being, a food shortage has no bearing on the issue whatsoever.

If the man killed the animal for fun, left it there and walked away then yes. However the animal was killed, it was slaughtered (by now) and it will be used almost in it's entirety, cant see anything wrong with that at all.

[Getafix]

My personal opinion remains as follows:

I went out on a hunting trip for a weekend and had a great time, call it sport if you will.

I killed humanely as all my shots were clean and the animals didn't suffer, compared to cattle slaughter where metal spike is shot into the skull or sheep slaughter where they are electrocuted and then have their throats slit, I think this way is better.

I killed to sustain myself, yes I can go to spar and buy beef, but this way I provide very nice meat for myself and family at a way more affordable rate and no I don't have any trophies, I went out to get meat.

The buck we shot have no natural predators left and a purely bread to be shot, be it for local meat hunters or international trophy hunters. Very much the same as cattle, bread to be killed.. Where it differs from cattle however is that they are skittish and you actually have to make an effort to kill, we spent two days in the bush where most of the time we walked and stalked what we wanted to kill. The farmer does not allow for shooting from the bakkie or shooting at night.

However anyone may feel about the topic, I'm happy, I went out and had a great time and I get fed by doing this.

It seems that you enjoyed it.

I am so jealous I can cry.

Hunting in South Africa is a multi billion rand industry. Thousands upon thousands of people make a living from it.

It is a sport. I love it to bits. It is fun in the field. It is fun with your mates. It is challenging and fulfilling.

For those who havent tried it yet, I can strongly recommend it. Go out and enjoy it

[Sneeky]

Well what is the difference between a kudu and a dog? No offense they are both meat. Those hunters probably wouldn't shoot and eat dogs, so I guess they have their own illogical problems.

There is no difference.
In China for instance dogs are fair game and this is a direct result of the exploding human population where protein is in short supply and they have no wildlife left to speak of.

[Killove]

On the contrary, if everyone that ate meat was actually forced to kill and slaughter one beast in their lives, a lot less people would eat meat I am sure you would agree.

This notion of their being, or not being, a food shortage has no bearing on the issue whatsoever.

If the man killed the animal for fun, left it there and walked away then yes. However the animal was killed, it was slaughtered (by now) and it will be used almost in it's entirety, cant see anything wrong with that at all.

I do agree with your first point.
But read my last post, I want to see if his hunting the animal was actually financially viable.
Because I really doubt he spends close to R3000 a month on deer meat.

My point is this :

If it does 'somehow' come out that him hunting the animal is more expensive than buying it in a store, then the only reasoning points to him having killed it for fun.

But I suppose the fact that he is going to eat it makes it somewhat alright. But nevertheless, my original point stands, that if it was less financially viable and there is no shortage, there really isn't a point.
Because all you're doing is spending more money than neccessary and killing an animal for fun, 'justifying' it because you're going to eat it.

[DJ...]

Thats a bigbrush you use.
Many hunting operations directly support the conservation operations. I am under no illusions that their are unscrupulous people out there but if it were not for hunting, conservations efforts would be seriously hindered as it brings in needed revenue.

Sure not everyone can be farmers, yet you rubbish those that farm with buck, yet not beef? A beef farmer is responsible for far more dead beast than a buck farmer?
The animals are bread for dual purpose, hunting and food, not just food as in normal livestock farming.

I actually find this point of view sickening really, as it shows just how desensitized you are to what you eat. Go slaughter the next steak you eat.

I have been to a slaughterhouse and seen where the meat comes from. I am under no illusions, nor am I desensitized. I have watched the pigs being electrocuted and their throats slit and I have witnessed the nail into the brain with the cows. I would be a hypocrite not to have seen these yet continue to eat meat and complain about hunting.

My argument if you go back and re-read my posts is not with the death though, it is with the motivation in the first place. And I also never stated that I am not against the beef farmer who practices irresponsible farming. I am no more against the buck farmer that does this than I am against him.

If you could give me a few good reasons as to why someone would want to on a regular basis, go hunting then it might begin to change my mindset. My only other issue is that legal hunting creates a demand. The demand results in atrocities in the illegal trade such as the baboons and gorillas throughout Africa. Do you support this? If not, then people like me become necessary whilst hunting is still legal. If we left hunting rules to the moral decision of those who enjoy shooting animals, then who is there to protect the animals' safety and their dwindling numbers? We are necessary so long as hunters exist. Hunters are not necessary anymore - herein lies my second argument.

[DJ...]

eeeerrrrrmmmmm wrong

Cows are cultivated to be slaughtered.
Wild animals still have a chance to survive and die of old age. I would agree with you DJ if I was to select a Buck and have it put in a 2 meter by 2 meter cage and then shot

They do have a chance to run and not be shot, they have a chance of not being found while walking on foot. They have a chance. The cow you had for dinner did not

Exactly what I stated - I conceded this point earlier...

[Pitbull]

Exactly what I stated - I conceded this point earlier...

Sorry might have missed it

[Getafix]

I do agree with your first point.
But read my last post, I want to see if his hunting the animal was actually financially viable.
Because I really doubt he spends close to R3000 a month on deer meat.

My point is this :

If it does 'somehow' come out that him hunting the animal is more expensive than buying it in a store, then the only reasoning points to him having killed it for fun.

But I suppose the fact that he is going to eat it makes it somewhat alright. But nevertheless, my original point stands, that if it was less financially viable and there is no shortage, there really isn't a point.
Because all you're doing is spending more money than neccessary and killing an animal for fun, 'justifying' it because you're going to eat it.

As in all your threads here it seems you are a little slow or just plain ignorant.

Biltong in a shop: R180 - 240+/kg.
Biltong hunted: R40 - 60/kg.

Hope you understand form 1 sums