Wife Clubs Mtn. Lion, Saves Husband

[azbackpackr]

Ever since Calif. banned mtn. lion hunting they've had more attacks.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16817149/?GT1=8921

[IGO]

I hate people being cruel to animals and I fully understand the animal is only trying to survive and I still don't think we should go out and shoot dozens of them because of an attach but if that cat had it's jaws on somebody I loved and I was able to get in some clean licks; that cat would be Purina by now.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

[Davis2001R6]

Yeah sad story, the man looked pretty tore up from it. Don't really know much about mountain lions here or in CA to side with or against hunting them. Should of had some trecking poles.

[threedogz]

If we move into their territory and take their habitat away or minimize it, attacks like this will only increase. Yes, part of it is our fault, but we also have a right to defend ourselves from a vicious attack by either human or animal.

Media goes crazy over vicious animal attacks, but the most dangerous attacks lies within the human race itself.

I personally don't feel we should be hunting them down because we moved into or near their territory. But, if I was the wife, I would have done the same thing, it is our instict to protect each other from either animal or psychopath.
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You can never eat too much candy...

[Davis2001R6]

To me it depends on the numbers. Are they populated they dear in Illinois? Then heck, hunt away. or Are they the California Condor with limited #s left and just trying to survive as a species?

[azhiker96]

More lions certainly means more attacks but that's California's choice. It's a balance between supporting the wild feline population and the safety of humans who travel into the woods. I would not want to see the lions exterminated but I also would be very unhappy if my daughter or son were killed. I think this is one of those cases with no easy or perfect answer.
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It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. -- Carl Sagan

[IGO]

Humans did live in "the lion's woods" before we lived in the city houses.
_________________
"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

[azbackpackr]

Cougars are hunted in AZ in small numbers, legally, every year. People seem to think there's a shortage of them, but that's only because they hide themselves pretty well. The population in Arizona is pretty healthy. If legal hunting is outlawed then the mtn. lions not only overpopulate the area available to them, they also lose their fear of humans. I think instead of having them attack people, then having to deploy the "authorities" to kill the cougars after the fact, (and having the resulting media circus) it would be better to have legal hunting. Legal hunting doesn't make much of a dent in the population. One thing about mtn. lions, though is that the young males must leave after they're grown and find a new territory--and they need a huge territory. There isn't much new territory to be found due to human encroachment. The facts in Calif. have been discussed in all the hunting magazines ever since they passed the ban. They have been having more attacks since the ban, which has been in effect probably close to ten years now.

I am totally against marginalizing hunters and making them out to be some sort of evil beings. A lot of them care a great deal about the outdoors. There are some slob hunters, of course, but most are not. The money they pay in taxes on their equipment and for their hunting licenses is in the billions over the whole US and a lot of this money goes for conservation of habitats. Also, private organizations such as Ducks Unlimited have been responsible for the remarkable recovery of the populations of migrating wildfowl. Other organizations have helped elk, bighorn sheep, etc.

The "Bambi" mentality is knee-jerk emotionalism. Conservation is a complex thing, and to accomplish it we need all the help we can get. Demonization of certain groups is not helpful--it has a polarizing effect. It is better that everyone with an interest in conservation be able to sit at the same table and find solutions to problems.

Screamers and haters need to get some education. (Or go to a shrink!)

[azhiker96]

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It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. -- Carl Sagan

[IGO]

I will never understand hunting as a recreation......but I'm going out for burgers at lunch....
_________________
"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

[azhiker96]

I grew up hunting and fishing and enjoyed eating everything I harvested. Now I find it's easier and less messy to buy a burrito on the way to the trailhead and shoot with my camera. I don't object to hunting any more than I object to home gardeners.
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It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. -- Carl Sagan

[threedogz]

I'm not sure why hunting is called a "sport" as well. It's a very unfair sport.

I think hunting if fine if the person eats his kill. But if we are killing animals because there are great numbers, what is the ethics behind this? Who are we to say there are too many mtn lions? Perhaps there are too many in small area because we are moving into their space.

Perhaps there are too many people? And thats what the mtn lions think.... they must of seen our latest population statistics...
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You can never eat too much candy...

[azhiker96]

I've heard hunting described as being "unfair". I'm not sure why it's unfair.

Is it because we've invented tools to improve our ability to be successful? If so, we're not alone in that. Finches and apes also create tools to improve their hunting ability.

Is it because our prey generally lacks the ability kill us back? Bunnies could make the same complaint about coyotees.

Is hunting still unfair if someone is lost in the wilderness? Should they refrain from trapping squirrels or digging out bunnies in that case? Or, does a survival situation somehow make it more fair to use our tools to obtain food?

I've rarely heard people complain about hunting done by other carnivores and omnivores. Perhaps humans are the only species which doesn't get a pass on hunting.

Sorry if we've hijacked the thread here.
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It is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. -- Carl Sagan

[azbackpackr]

As a species we've been hunters for millions of years.

As a management plan, I submit that having a legal mtn. lion hunt not only keeps their numbers to where they will fit into their habitat, but also gives them a very healthy fear of humans. If you don't have a legal hunt you will soon have to have the "authorities" cull them when there are too many for the limited habitat. Why do that when there are people who want to hunt them?

I have eaten mountain lion meat. It tastes very good. Better than venison, that's for sure!

I have not hunted one, but if I did I would eat the meat and use the fur for something. I don't want to hunt one, but that's what I'd do with it if I did. I like hunting elk, deer and other prey animals, however. It is a totally different experience than hiking. Your senses become so fine tuned, it is a pretty primal experience. I haven't hunted for a few years now, but see no problem with it if it's regulated well by Game and Fish.

The other topic is that the amount of money spent on habitat conservation by what is generated by hunting and fishing tags, licenses and also taxes on sporting goods far surpasses that which is generated by other sources.

Another topic is that it's a great family activity, or as some prefer, a father and son/daughter activity. We did this as a family. It provided a huge opportunity to teach the kids all sorts of things: ethics, history, woodsmanship, map reading, weather forecasting, cooking, leather crafts, etc. We also fished, canoed, backpacked, 4WD camped, rock climbed, did target shooting, archery practice, clay bird shooting, etc. etc. Two of my kids went to the Jr. Olympics in shooting sports, one got two silver medals. (They also played soccer, Little League, did Boy and Girl Scouts, etc. Anything to get the kids out of doors, away from the TV and computer, and getting some exercise in the sunshine!)

We did all this while never earning more than $25,000 a year, and often less than that. We did this because it's what we cared about.

[threedogz]

its just unfair to call hunting a "sport". I'm just speaking for the animals here.
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You can never eat too much candy...