We must watch different shows.
Trophy Hunting
- Thread starter sheephunter
- Start date
We must watch different shows.
Without the real issues being addressed I think most hunters should be vehemently opposed. IF and it's a big IF, we do have problems with mature ram populations that are more than a blip in time due to tough winters or disease, why are we suggesting more restrictive regulations without screaming for the real issues to be addressed FIRST. Let's fix the primary issue FIRST and then tinker if need be.
I agree.
Trouble is we live in Alberta where policy drives Science, not the other way around.
And I love to suggest the full curl idea to the hunting community - you quickly flush out who really gives a crap about sheep.
the 2 to 3% decrease in horn length is basically just noise in the data considering the limited scope of the experiment. And the fact that it keeps coming up and folks wanting a change is very concerning. Why does this come up again and again?
I certainly noticed the comments on how valuable the Trophy's are and the revenue from the hunts in the article.
How is that the baseline for who really gives a crap about sheep?
If someone could prove to me changes are necessary I would gladly give up harvest opportunity to retain hunting opportunity. Many aren't willing to consider it and there are various reasons for that imo.
If someone could prove to me that there were population problems and that more restrictive hunting regulations were more than a temporary stop gap to a larger issue, I would too.
I'm still confused by your baseline for determining who cares about sheep.
BrotherRockeye
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Rural Saskatchewan
I think a lot of the stigma attached to "trophy hunting" comes from poachers who just take the head and Joe Public has come to associate the two...
I guarantee we do, cause I don't have it anymore...
Definitely a few shows I make a point of watching but each to their own for sure. It's three bucks a month well invested for me.
It doesn't define me to jump and yell for joy. This year both my son and I harvested a trophy each where a hand shake and hung were exchanged with a verbal congrats, which is quite traditional between us. Attention is mostly given to the animal out of respect and not to the person who harvested it.....but that is just us. I am a trophy hunter but the harvest of one only takes a microsecond and 99.99999999999% of my hunt is sitting on an old lonely cutline/forest fringe watching for deer movement, listening to squirrels, watching ruffed grouse, etc. This year I did not fill my whitetail tags (Alberta/Saskatchewan) but I had a wonderful and successful year/time and that is what it is like as a trophy hunter, for me that is. As a trophy hunter I allowed many immature bucks and does survive. Maybe the CBC journalist should investigate a little deeper into a trophy hunter prior to negative comments about trophy hunting.
In fairness it was a CP story and there was no negative press on trophy hunters...it was the comments that followed.
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Canadian Press.
Trophy hunters?? What defines a trophy hunter? The person that harvests mature animals most of the time at their peak or past their prime? A person who passes on lots of animals daily just to harvest that mature animal. Or is that the person that spends tens of thousands of dollars annually supporting tourism, and economies around the world? Or perhaps all of the money they spend doing conservation, education and humanitarian work annually? Or maybe the guy who feeds tens of thousands of less fortunate people. I can see how the main steam public would think these people to be horrible mongers, These people usually respect the animal by preserving them in some trophy room for people to experience and share. Well then I would be proud to be called a trophy hunter!!!! And if anyone wants to see proof or challenge me I will happily give you thousands of examples of how much a "Trophy Hunter gives back" As far as this article goes I have a good friend extremely experienced Sheep hunter he paid in excess of $20000.00 to hunt Alberta Big Horn sheep, In Alberta they have a 4/5ths curl rule in 18 days of hard hunting he didn't see one legal Ram!! He was very discouraged because he saw lots of big mature Rams that were unfortunately broomed off and would never be legal Rams and unfortunately will die of old age or to a predator. Rams he would have been only to happy to harvest.
Wow this has become a long thread with all kinds of commentary. I wonder how many posters actually went to the link and read the article.
Mountain...Mole hill
The article was reasonable and I didn't see anything too offensive in the comments. I generally don't feel reading a few comments shows any kind of overview of what the public thinks on a subject anyway.
in my opinion the term "trophy hunting" paints a bad picture.
the main picture being just hunting for the horns and not using the meat.
be this true or not it is the picture the term paints.
where as being a "meat hunter" paints a picture of obtaining food and not bravado.
perhaps those in to trophy hunting need to consider how to re-brand themselves with less emphasis on "trophy" and more on the good this type of selective hunting does..
the main picture being just hunting for the horns and not using the meat.
be this true or not it is the picture the term paints.
where as being a "meat hunter" paints a picture of obtaining food and not bravado.
perhaps those in to trophy hunting need to consider how to re-brand themselves with less emphasis on "trophy" and more on the good this type of selective hunting does..
The article isn't that reasonable considering the theory behind the article has been debunked and the so called problem was that if the rams horns supposedly aren't growing as big the outfitters will have a tough time selling tags for 35K.
The author even states that the health of sheep in Alberta isn't in trouble and sheep hunting isn't affecting numbers, just that something needs to be done so outfitters can still sell tags for 35K. Not sure why Alberta should be endorsing limiting resident opportunity so private industry can make more money on a public resource.
Short of tracking down every person who thinks this way, there isn't too much more that can be done.
Hunting has been proven to be one of the best conservation tools out there and has been happening since the beginning of mankind. The problem, imo, is that most of these people are perfectly fine remaining ignorant.
