zoegirl wrote:BUt isn't the use of smells like urine or the clacking of antlers to attract them similar to food?
Yes it is similar in the way of attracting the intended game, but it isn't in any way a sure fire thing.
If a hunter is fair and uses these methods it's about the same as hunting near a popular feeding area or a known route to a natural feeding place.
I'm not against hunting, I just don't like the overblown accoutrments that seem to have grown around what should be a basic survval need, not an amusement. It does seem rather sad when the killing borders on joy.
Maybe I'm an old softy, but the death of an animal was always the down side of a successful hunt.
I do have to admit money entered into the sport and was more of a negative than it should have been, but there was an industry that was born out of a "sport" and from the resulting monies more habitat was created for the care of animals.
The down side of that is when the slob hunters do anything possible to kill largest the targeted game animal.
And if they were really interested in maintaing the herd, they wouldn't go after the buck with the best points or the most musclular. Doesn't that seem to defeat the purpose of culling the herd? After all, that was what the original predators were meant to do, grab the ones they could.
That is one of the problems with managing herds in modern times, there are far fewer and less effective predators now than a 100 yrs. ago.
I haven't hunted in several years so I don't keep up with the numbers in other states, but, in Ky. the "trophy" bucks have increased according to last years tally (over 200,000). I think that is probably due to better management and more funds on both state and federal levels to help keep a sustainable healthy herd size and, remember, a trophy deer, elk, etc. is old and won't be around long anyway even if a hunter never takes it.
Also our turkey population has been steadily on the increase since the introduction.
I am the wretch the song refers to.