The "Sport" of Killing Things

There are many things that make me happy: visits from out-of-town friends, unsolicited hugs from my daughter, Kozy Shack Chocolate Pudding.

But one thing stands out from all those warm and fuzzies and that's when hunters are attacked by the animals they hunt. Recent headlines that have given me great pleasure include:

"Hunter attacked by black bear," "Mountain lion pounces on local hunter" and "Swedish hunter attacked by elk."

Yep—I love it.

If anything qualifies as a non-sport it is the carefree killing of the lovely wild species that peacefully roam our forests and mountains. I don't care if you eat what you kill or not. I don't care if you were the one who wrote, "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang," in my opinion there is absolutely nothing at all sport-like to this pastime.

The hunting of deer and rabbit is partially responsible for cougars and coyote having to encroach upon domesticated animals. This in turn can cause these animals to be ordered hunted themselves.

In my home state of Washington, there has been a dreadful incline in cougar slaughter. The reason lies within our state's Fish and Wildlife department's greed and lack of foresight while attempting to placate hunters. 

This passage can be found in an April '08 article on the website of High Country News:

"The spike in cougar deaths resulted in part from a radical change in the state’s game-management plan.

After the hound-hunting ban passed, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife officials quickly liberalized hunting regulations in order to control the cougar population and maintain the revenue from cougar licenses.

They extended the hunting season by six months, doubled the legal bag limit, and rolled half-price cougar tags (traditionally sold to just 1,000 hunters a year) into big-game hunting packages."

And you know how hunters are. Once they get the big green-light to over-hunt, they are eager and more than willing to do so. Hey, bring the kids! Junior's old enough for his first kill. 

Is it not enough that we recklessly enslave animals for our entertainment? 

Hunting is not a sport. It is simple-minded bloodlust that cheapens life and creates a revenue stream for a chosen few.