Is it ok to kill squirrels, birds, etc for fun?

[nice shot]

A joke about how to win the war on drugs--- Instead of paying billions to guard the border, build an ineffective boarder wall and house drug offenders in prison, the Fed could pay off the deficit by selling Illegal Alien tags in border states.

I love it, although I fear I would loose quite a bit of pay becoming a guide for "AlienHunts.com".

Dont worry about them, this place will be so bad come November they will be going back on their own. . . maybe with some Americans following!

[zreed042]

When I was a teenager, spending the summers working in Wyoming, I was free to roam the forests toting a weapon of my choice. Combined, I probably killed hundreds of birds and squirrels. When I put away my pellet rifle in favor of my newly purchased bolt 22 LR, it only seemed to get worse.

I'm not proud of it at all, especially the songbirds, in fact, I feel extremely shameful. But, I will say this; all that time spent shooting thousands of rounds has made me an excellent, excellent marksman. I qualified as a rifleman on my first try at an Appleseed a couple of days ago. This, among other things, was probably the biggest reason why my first elk was such a clean, quick kill. I still drive out to BLM land and shoot sage rats for fun (ground squirrels) with friends and family, but with the thought in mind that it will make me a better marksman and allow me to make cleaner, more ethical kills when it comes to big game. Ground squirrels are abundant, carriers of disease, and cannibals. Every ground squirrel we kill is recycled back in to the ecosystem by its own kin.

I am not at all shameful to admit that there is something exhilarating about hunting—even in the act of sending a round downrange, possibly even more so then. It is the culmination of all the hard work, sweat, and determination put into a single split-second. Maybe some will consider it base and carnal, but I enjoy it, every minute of it.

[epicdoom]

Well I'm gonna Piss some folks off now, but I feel strongly about this so sorry if I offend anyone but I'm intitled to my opinion. Targets are for fun Animals are for food I dont shoot anything I'm not gonna eat shooting animals just for kicks is giving the anti hunters more fuel why would anyone want to do that. It also happens to be ilegal atleast in my state. I would probably strongly consider breaking my foot off in anyones ass I saw shooting animals for Kicks, because your threatening my hunting privilege. I get it that nothing goes to waste other animals will eat it but you as a hunter have a responsibility to use what you shoot. If your not a hunter and your shooting Game your doing it Ilegaly. And I call that Poaching yep that dirty, nasty word Poachers are low life people, but in all honesty they will eat or use what they shoot in most cases. Anyone who doesn't IMO is lower then a poacher and I personaly would not piss on those people if they were on fire. Sorry if I offended anyone


Joe

[ds762]

Well I'm gonna Piss some folks off now, but I feel strongly about this so sorry if I offend anyone but I'm intitled to my opinion. Targets are for fun Animals are for food I dont shoot anything I'm not gonna eat shooting animals just for kicks is giving the anti hunters more fuel why would anyone want to do that. It also happens to be ilegal atleast in my state. I would probably strongly consider breaking my foot off in anyones ass I saw shooting animals for Kicks, because your threatening my hunting privilege. I get it that nothing goes to waste other animals will eat it but you as a hunter have a responsibility to use what you shoot. If your not a hunter and your shooting Game your doing it Ilegaly. And I call that Poaching yep that dirty, nasty word Poachers are low life people, but in all honesty they will eat or use what they shoot in most cases. Anyone who doesn't IMO is lower then a poacher and I personaly would not piss on those people if they were on fire. Sorry if I offended anyone


Joe

its ok .. I forgive you!

[Libertarian_Geek]

Well I'm gonna Piss some folks off now, but I feel strongly about this so sorry if I offend anyone but I'm intitled to my opinion. Targets are for fun Animals are for food I dont shoot anything I'm not gonna eat shooting animals just for kicks is giving the anti hunters more fuel why would anyone want to do that. It also happens to be ilegal atleast in my state. I would probably strongly consider breaking my foot off in anyones ass I saw shooting animals for Kicks, because your threatening my hunting privilege. I get it that nothing goes to waste other animals will eat it but you as a hunter have a responsibility to use what you shoot. If your not a hunter and your shooting Game your doing it Ilegaly. And I call that Poaching yep that dirty, nasty word Poachers are low life people, but in all honesty they will eat or use what they shoot in most cases. Anyone who doesn't IMO is lower then a poacher and I personaly would not piss on those people if they were on fire. Sorry if I offended anyone


Joe

I think it's overly narrow to only consider 2 categories (fun vs meat). I see multiple categories:

1> Shooting an animal for its meat and/or pelt
2> Shooting an animal just for fun with no other justifiable purpose
3> Shooting an animal because it's an invasive species threatening one or more native species
4> Shooting an animal for controlling the population of a native species to promote a healthier habitat
5> Shooting an animal that's a threat to local agriculture (causing damage/loss)

Fun and enjoyment of the challenge may be an element of any of the above (or not). FWIW, I don't condone category #2 by itself.

[doubloon]

...
I think it's overly narrow to only consider 2 categories (fun vs meat). I see multiple categories:
...

+1

There are plenty of things that need shooting and aren't worth eating.

[rogerme]

Well I'm gonna Piss some folks off now, but I feel strongly about this so sorry if I offend anyone but I'm intitled to my opinion. Targets are for fun Animals are for food I dont shoot anything I'm not gonna eat


Joe

I shoot allot of red squirrels as they like to get into my attic and tear things up. They also like to do the same in my barn and outbuilding. I also hunt yotes a passion of mine. I have never eaten one though.

[epicdoom]

I get what your saying and Valid a point it is. I would be refering to animals that most folks consider food. Yotes dont fit that bill. I understand squirels in the attic. Lots of ways to keep them out as apposed to complain that there in. And if they are in lots of ways to get them out. They can be a pest in that regard and whacking them for that purpose I see little harm. Its not for fun its to protect whats yours. Taking game for population control is another reason I see no harm in in most cases like deer they will be brought to the table. Shooting Game because it threatens other wildlife species I see no harm in and again they can be brought to the table or used for other hunting trapping activities. Loss of Agg for sure is a reason to take game and just about all cases can be brought to the table. These are all valid reasons to shoot an animal And none of them would be considered doing it for Kicks.

Joe

[rogerme]

Its not for fun its to protect whats yours.

Joe

O but it is wicked fun...

I understand your view but here in Maine as long as you pick it up after you shoot it you can simply chuck the critters in a pile. There is no law saying you have to keep or eat the animal you kill. I was raised killing for that sake of killing is wrong. However I was also raised on military bases all over the world and was taught Americans can do what they want as long as they do not break the law. So while I may not agree with ones choice to shoot critters for the sake of killing them alone as long as they are not breaking the law doing it on MY land then that's up to them.

[epicdoom]

LOL its allways fun. Here its not legal to just shoot critters and leave them lay if there upland or forest game or Waterfoul. I Agree what folks do within the Law is there choice. I guess being part Cherokee Indian is what makes me want to use what I shoot. I dont eat groundhog I shoot but I take them to folks who do. I use a good bit of parts that cant be eaten to make trapping lure. Most importantly I dont want to give the anti hunters any leverage.
Maine is a place I'd like to hunt Would like to take a Moose with the bow. Maybe one day I'll find time to do that.

Joe

[mbogo]

I voted yes for ground squirrels.

These rodents live in large numbers and destroy valuable croplands and pasture.

If you were referring to tree squirrels, I'm fine with it if a) they are in season (I consider hunting to be a fun activity) and/or b) they are making a nuisance of themselves by chewing on my house wiring or making nests in my attic.

mbogo

[OJB4]

Old thread revival alert!

Killing predator/nusciance animals for fun is ok. However, I'm all for finding some kind of use for the dead animal. Even if it's only for bait for a different kind of nusciance/predator animal (waste not, want not). Squirrels however are considered game animals in most states and not nusciance animals (but they sure are tasty....I just don't like cleaning them). IF they begin to become a nucianse animal (damaging homes, property, etc.) I'm sure the game and fish laws of that state stipulate that you must have the proper people remove the animals or obtain a permit to be able to trap/kill them yourselves. I know my city has an ordinance that says IF you set a nuciance animal trap in your yard you have to let the city police know about it. If anything is caught then you have to call the city police department to come and remove the animal. YEP, you can't even haul off the raccoon, opossum, squirrel, cat, etc to another area.

[Sdustin]

BUT as for Pests (Including but not only) Crow, Bever, Oposom, Coyotes, Birds that s--t on my freshly washed truck, Also Stray dogs that s--t in my yard, knock over my trash can, piss on my tires, and get in a fight with my dog. I will and have shot them and not even thought about fealing bad about it.

In MA Coyotes are protected, and you can't shoot them. I had one in my front yard, that wasn't leaving, during the day. I called the police and asked that they send the animal control officer over to deal with it. I was essentially told that they would try, that they knew who I was, what I had, and that they were protected and not to think about shooting it.

Down here in GA once you call animal control they always assume your about to shoot it. Everyones armed. From my Babys pretty female doctor to our pretty real-estate agent. There's no way I could for one) live in a state that said I couldn't have a full cap magazine and two) "knew who I was and what I've got" and assume I would break the law. So if the protected "dingo" is eating your baby" can you kill it?

[Sdustin]

Oh and to the original question yes it's ok. And no animals don't matter. As humans we have power over all the earth and shouldn't feel bad about any lowly creature you find pleasure in the kill. It's very fun to pop a tree rat at about 60 yards and watch it fall from the tree. And I'd like to eat the but I don't know how to clean them and it seems like a lot of work for two bites of meat.

[GLADIO]

Absolutely not.

Kill it to eat it? Fine.
Kill it because it gets into your trash/crops/etc.? If you have to.
Kill it for shooting practice? No way.
Kill it for fun? Hell no.

Taking pleasure in killing something makes you sick in the head. The only animals I've ever shot are a few beavers that were damming up a spillway on part of my parents property. This would've put a stretch of their driveway underwater so clearly the beavers had to go. Legally I think they should've been trapped but shooting is more humane IMO.

[davebearpig]

I took my 4-year old daughter squirrel hunting this year to see if she could handle sitting still for a little bit without talking.

Surely enough, I got a headshot on one about 85 years away with my 22lr. The worst part of this was that it fell into an area covered in oak leaves about 12" deep in the whole vicinity where it could have fallen.

By the time I found him, he was pretty stiff and he must have been the oldest squirrel in the forest because myself and my father couldn't skin this little guy. We ended up getting a cut down his backside and under the tail.... Then the squirrel became two halves and a string of guts.

Needless to say, we couldn't do much at this point, so we halved one if the halves with a hatchet and fed it to his dogs, and the second half went to his

[starlingstalker]

Well, I climbed to the top of my Hurricaine Ike ravaged pecan tree yesterday 30 feet up and permanently wired at lest 1 old favorite abandoned woodpecker hole shut with wire around the limb even though my privileged Eastern screech owl was in it last week for a hide out from the mockingbirds and blue jays. No starlings to claim it any more! Couldn't drop a big old cheez ball container over the end to cover the very top hole where above I lopped a busted 6 inch limb off with the husquvarna after Ike nearly took the pecan tree out.
So I got a bright idea .
Went shopping and climbed back up and dropped a half dozen golf ball sized rocks over into the top hole and they will be there until this BIG limb comes down but it's triple cross wired to keep it in place and the wood peckers consider it prime real estate and have 2 new fresh holes already to go for a spring house warming and babies. Trusty old Benjamin is still picking them damn starlings off but I was only winning few battles but now with those old holes off line and not allowing them to raise MORE in those wood pecker holes, they won't be around as much to upset my woodpeckers as much .
Maybe I'm not 'm going to win all the battles but I AM going to win the WAR.
starlingstalker

[continuity]

Well, I climbed to the top of my Hurricaine Ike ravaged pecan tree yesterday 30 feet up and permanently wired at lest 1 old favorite abandoned woodpecker hole shut with wire around the limb even though my privileged Eastern screech owl was in it last week for a hide out from the mockingbirds and blue jays. No starlings to claim it any more! Couldn't drop a big old cheez ball container over the end to cover the very top hole where above I lopped a busted 6 inch limb off with the husquvarna after Ike nearly took the pecan tree out.
So I got a bright idea .
Went shopping and climbed back up and dropped a half dozen golf ball sized rocks over into the top hole and they will be there until this BIG limb comes down but it's triple cross wired to keep it in place and the wood peckers consider it prime real estate and have 2 new fresh holes already to go for a spring house warming and babies. Trusty old Benjamin is still picking them damn starlings off but I was only winning few battles but now with those old holes off line and not allowing them to raise MORE in those wood pecker holes, they won't be around as much to upset my woodpeckers as much .
Maybe I'm not 'm going to win all the battles but I AM going to win the WAR.
starlingstalker

not to pick nits, but sentence defination, including such things as periods, comma's, general gramatical deliniation... are your friend.

[starlingstalker]

Well, that comment wan't expected to be graded as an English composition paper as I cranked it out in less than 10 minutes pecking on my junky old notebook. I had to mention the novel idea of filling the woodpecker holes with rocks to keep those invader alien starlings out- with spring coming on, I hope someone else does that, too. Of course, there could have been several grammar corrections but at least it was posted. Point taken. And time to move on to something else.
starlingstalker

[whiterussian1974]

I think it's overly narrow to only consider 2 categories (fun vs meat). I see multiple categories:

1> Shooting an animal for its meat and/or pelt
2> Shooting an animal just for fun with no other justifiable purpose
3> Shooting an animal because it's an invasive species threatening one or more native species
4> Shooting an animal for controlling the population of a native species to promote a healthier habitat
5> Shooting an animal that's a threat to local agriculture (causing damage/loss)

Fun and enjoyment of the challenge may be an element of any of the above (or not). FWIW, I don't condone category #2 by itself.

I completely agree w L Geek's post in each particular.
Plenty inanimate objects like balloons on strings to simulate challenging shots.

[continuity]

Well, that comment wan't expected to be graded as an English composition paper

My comments weren't directed on that level. More the 3rd grade grammar disability...

Wrap ot up a little tighter...

[starlingstalker]

Well, that comment wan't expected to be graded as an English composition paper

My comments weren't directed on that level. More the 3rd grade grammar disability...

Wrap ot up a little tighter...

Well,a bit of prooof reading good ole grammarr and spelll checking helps. Ok, i'll do it nerxt time.
starlingstalker

[continuity]

Well,a bit of prooof reading good ole grammarr and spelll checking helps. Ok, i'll do it nerxt time.
starlingstalker

I deserved every bit of that.

(note to self: when drinking, don't kick gravel at peoples shins. You might be looking in a mirror.)

[continuity]

Killing things for the pure fun of killing something, suggests a loose screw perspective on things.

Doing so as a part of obtaining sustenance, eliminating pests/threats, or purposed as a challenge, would seem to fall into a reasonably healthy mental thought pattern.

Not absolutely sure of the "enjoying a challenge reasoning", but as long as it's in the context of an animal, there's an argument to be made on the superior species basis.

[whiterussian1974]

Not absolutely sure of the "enjoying a challenge reasoning", but as long as it's in the context of an animal, there's an argument to be made on the superior species basis.

I wouldn't want the Aliens making this arguement against Humanity. They may not be here yet. But the math states that they are somewhere out there.

(Message to our Benevelent Overlords, I'm agreeable to breeding w your blue skinned and 3 breasted Females. No need to Probe me.)
PS: Killers and Politicians have used the Social Darwinism Theory to excuse their crimes. I prefer the We're All Stronger Together Theory.