According to vegetarians and meat eaters alike about six to ten percent of Americans are vegetarians or exclude most meet from their diet. “In 2011, 38% of the U.S. population 16 years old and older, enjoyed some form of fishing, hunting or wildlife-associated recreation” according to a U.S. fish and wildlife service survey. Why are there so few vegetarians when compared to people who hunt or fish? Most people who say they are for the ethical treatment of animals, do not fully understand what they are saying or implying.

Vegetarians and the like seem to be under the impression that PETA is telling the truth. PETA says “the vast majority of hunters do not kill for subsistence”, when in reality, most states have laws in place to ensure no useable part of the animal can be left in the field, this includes all edible meat and in most cases you also have to have evidence of sex. All game animals that are killed legally are eaten by the hunter themselves, their friends, or in many cases a charity receives the meet of the animal. The killing of just one animal is justified many times over by the dozens of people it feeds. Even if people do not hunt for subsistence (survival) they still hunt for the food the animal provides.
Ted Nugent, a hunting and gun rights activist, tells the public in many accounts and articles that hunting is more humane and better for animals than not hunting. Hunting keeps the populations of animals that would otherwise overpopulate and die of starvation from growing too large. According to the Department of Natural Resources, in many cases “man — an integral part of nature and the food chain — is the only remaining effective deer predator”. All over the US habitat for wildlife is being encroached upon by human development. This causes some animals to leave. In the past humans also killed predators to protect themselves leaving some apex predators extinct in some areas. In those areas, humans are the only predators that keep the population under control. As said before if a species becomes over populated in an area the animals will die of starvation and those who don’t die will be very unhealthy due to pour diet.
Another issue posed by PETA is “Hunting also disrupts migration and hibernation patterns and destroys families.” According to the department of natural resources, “deer will not leave their home ranges in response to hunting” and “they have adapted to predation by man, wolves and mountain lions over thousands of years.” In other words people do not change animal’s habits except with deforestation and the like. As for bird’s migration, the only ones affected are the ones that get shot and when they are shot they are then eaten and rarely die a slow death.
“This unnecessary, violent form of "entertainment" rips animal families apart and leaves countless animals orphaned”, claimed PETA. In reality hunting seasons are placed at specific times of the year so as to affect offspring the least. Most hunting seasons are after the offspring are old enough to live by themselves or have already left the safety of their mother’s side and may not even live in the vicinity of their parents.
PETA is completely right when, according to them, “If left unaltered by humans, the delicate balance of nature's ecosystems ensures the survival of most species.” Since humans have already altered the “delicate balance” by way of urbanization and removal of predators, humans are also responsible for returning that balance. The only way to do this is to manage populations, which is best accomplished through hunting. While doing this management the people are also benefiting through the meat provided by hunters. If PETA is worried about natures delicate balance they should be more worried about deforestation in rainforests because in those places species are becoming extinct, this is certainly unethical. Deforestation is also a major disruptor for migration and moves animals from their previous homes.
PETA also insists that animals suffer when they are killed by a hunter. “Bowhunters often spend hours tracking the blood trails of animals before finding them.” And “Many animals suffer prolonged, painful deaths”, according to PETA. Fred Bear was the most famous archer and bow hunter of all time. He said, “The death I bestow upon an animal is far kinder than what nature had intended for it.” He is right; most animals that die of natural causes take days or even weeks to die of: starvation, disease, or exposure. Yet other animals that die of predation have very painful deaths, and many start to get eaten while still alive. Rifle and archery hunters alike strive to make a clean kill with just one shot. A vast majority of animals killed by hunters run 200 yards or less which takes only seconds for them, and in those cases where they go further they still die quickly for the most part. Even if it takes hours for a hunter to find their prize, it only took the animal minutes to get to their final resting place.
PETA is also planning on encroaching on people’s privacy with drones. These drones will be used to watch hunters in action and according to PETA “to watch for illegal activity among hunters.” There have already been cases of hunters shooting down drones that are obviously interrupting their hunt. This is a case of PETA going too far in the attempt to stop hunting and fishing. “PETA’s 2010 donations totaled $33 million ($35 million if you add on merchandise sales and other revenue).” according to an organization called speaking of research. If you wonder what they possibly do with this money other than euthanizing dogs and cats, your donations go towards buying expensive flying machines that can only ruin peoples hunts until they are shot down.
I conducted a survey at woodland park high school and found that only one person in the survey believed that PETA positively affected their life. In fact many people did not even know how PETA affected their lives. In this same survey of students I also found that only one in fifteen students does not eat meat. This survey also told me that all but three students believe hinting is ethical and two of the three students who said it wasn’t believed that hunting for the sole purpose of food was ethical. As one student said, “as long as you have a cause it’s ok.” Clearly many people believe that PETA is full of hot air. One student, when asked what he thought of hunting responded, “Hunting is frign’ awesome, you get tasty meat.” During this survey most students commented somewhere that “hunting is good for the environment” as one student proudly phrased it. If all these students can’t even agree with PETA then why are there so many adults supporting a cause they don’t understand.
Many pro hunting and fishing groups already exist but PETA and similar groups still have the power to pick on the majority. Since PETA has shown behavior indicative of terrorism and few people find it improves their lives it should be eliminated, but the only way to do that is to swing all of the anti hunting groups into believing in American heritage. If Americans stand together people will realize that PETA is unhealthy for the American community. When will you go hunting?

















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