My sister has been deer hunting with our cousins a few times, and shot two that I know of. I'm not morally opposed to hunting (what kind of a meat-eater would I be if I were?), I would just rather not get up at 3 am to go sit in the cold silence until a deer wanders by.

But I'll sure cook that meat for you.

Hunting isn't for me but after living in Texas for awhile and now residing in VA I'm much more comfortable with the concept. Though I did have a hard time yesterday when an office mate mentioned that a guy in front of him on his morning commute hit a deer and my co-worker wanted to take the carcass home and process it, but unfortunately the weather’s too warm for it to keep while he’s at work. Resourceful idea? Sure. Does it sound gross to me? Absolutely.

I have been hunting since I was a child with my family. Unfortunately there is a significant red neck connotation to hunting as an activity. Hunting itself is a wonderful way to pass time and fill the freezer with meat. But I would argue it is not nearly as cheap or green as the Times article makes it out to be.

1. Equipment cost ranging from firearms to ammunition is extremely expensive and is a necessary barrier to entry.

2. Places to hunt are not only difficult to find, but likely expensive as well to lease. Few people will let you hunt anything for free and public lands are scarce few in most states. Usually areas with game are far from metropolitan areas or require significant travel time.

3. Time investment to kill game in significant enough quantities is a substantial. In certain areas it can take years to find animals that are large enough to shoot. I advocate only taking animals that are mature so as to ensure game conservation.

This is not meant to dissuade anyone from hunting, only to cast some perspective on the investment and difficulty in actually hunting to fill a freezer. If you hunt for sport and enjoy the meat on the side, then it is a worthwhile endeavor.

I trap, for scientific purposes, but just bought my first personal trapping license. What I've found with trapping is: you need to have base knowledge about an animals natural history (eg. where they like to go and at what times, what they like to eat and where it can be found, etc.) and have an pretty good knowledge of the lay of the land. In my line of work, I speak with lots of local hunters and trappers, and I am always amazed at how knowledgeable these citizens are; I've gained more knowledge from them than any course on wildlife I've ever taken. I'm excited to start trapping for food, and I'm hoping to get my hunting license for next season (cottontails, look out!).

Hell no! I'm a vegetarian so obviously I'm against hunting, but my husband who eats meat is against hunting. I understand if your poor and you can't afford to go to the store for meat and veggies but I don't believe any one needs to eat meat. It's way more green than killing local, native wildlife. It ticks me off when they say they are extending the hunting season because of an over population of deer...did anyone think there is an over population of unnessesary buildings?!?!?! Grr

A family member just had their dog shot because a deer hunter said he didn't want the dog scaring off the deer! What an A**!

I would like to see hunters even the playing field and hunt bare handed. Hunt 250 lb. chimps who are on anti-depressants. I'd like to see that.

Assuming the hunters themselves are not also already on anti-depressants.

clf28264--
Thanks for that post. Very interesting (and, NO, I am not being sarcastic). I like the perspective you added to the discussion.

But, lmrinc, (ironically) vegan is not automatically green, either...

I haven't hunted for a while. I am hoping to get back into it soon.

clf28264 makes some really great points.

It can take a long time to find good places to consistently find game (well deer anyway). In the mid-west public land is easily available. But it gets crowded and once light breaks and the shots start, it can get a bit nerve wracking!

It should also be mentioned that one should maybe have substantial time learning to shoot accurately and (more important) SAFELY. I wouldn't say it's something you should just jump into on a whim.

Also as he mentioned the unfortunate red neck connotation is off putting. As are some of the political extremes expressed in sporting goods/hunting stores. BUT if more "urbanites"/foodies/conversationalists start hunting, that could help open the door on hunting to a new group.

I am a bit leery about the field butchering. I am not sure if that varies state to state. I understand the point, it is better to do it as fast as possible. But while cleaning an animal a slip of the knife can easily contaminate the meat.

Perhaps I should look into a butchering class, since it my past years of hunting I never actually got a deer.

Absolutely! Growing up in Texas, my dad and brother regularly went hunting for deer and quail. I'm not a very good shot, so I didn't get to go along very often, but it was always a good bonding experience with the Dad and provided good family meals to follow. The only thing I don't like is when people just kill for sport and don't use any of the animal...I don't see the point in that.

If I had to hunt my own meat, I would be come vegetarian.

Also, there is no way in HELL I would eat a dear from around here. They're disease ridden, vile pests covered in fleas and ticks... *shudder* NO thanks.

Ya know, after reading the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan as well as a number of other books, I feel that the only responsible way to eat meat is to kill the animal yourself. Because of that you can raise it yourself, hunt for it, and keep it local. I have grown up absolutely against hunting but can now see the argument and understand the issues within food. Even though I have not gone hunting yet, I was able to learn a fair amount from my family that does as well as them learning about me raising chickens in my backyard for meat and egg production (in an urban environment in Minneapolis). I am also thankful that I live in an area of town with many like-minded people who understand the issues of food and the politics around it. In fact, we are going as so far as looking at better and more sustainable ways of raising meat withing the city and have really considered raising guinea pigs. I ate them when I was in Peru, since it is native there, and they are absolutely delicious. They are really easy to grown, super healthy, and tastes like a mix between rabbit and lamb. The only issues people have here, in the States, is that it is viewed as a pet. But honestly, if we want to look at meat sustainability....there are many options and this is one to really consider.

Hunting in and of itself, (not for sport, only for nourishment) has historically been the way that humans have lived for many generations before any of us were here. The key to success in hunting is balance. If you hunt and kill an animal, use as much of that animal as you can and waste as little as possible. I believe the hunter must respect the animal and not see the killing of that animal as sport. It makes hunting so much more noble to understand the work that goes into hunting as well as seeing the hunt as a means for survival.

My dad and brothers have hunted all their lives. We grew up in the wooded mountains of Virginia without too much money and my dad has been living on his own since age 13. In his case, hunting was necessary and because of this he has taught us kids the importance of keeping a respect for nature. Many winters have left our family snowed-in for sometimes a month at a time, and without that deer, our food options would have been slim.

I absolutely agree that hunting wild game is more environmentally friendly and I would eat deer over cow any day. I feel as though the conditions in which the deer lived far exceed any commercial meat production, not to mention that trekking into the woods and waiting for the deer to appear is much more in tune with natural processes than a cow being led to a butcher.

I am grateful that I grew up exposed to this way of living. I find myself closer to the earth even as I sit in an office in New Jersey today. I do not agree with the people who go out and hunt for sport, hanging their kill's head on the wall as a trophy. There is nothing glamorous about honest survival hunting, but there can be a sense of satisfaction in hunting if the hunter's intentions focus on surviving and having a respect for the life of the animal.

I grew up in Alaska going duck, deer, and ptarmigan hunting with my dad. I haven't been in years, but to this day I will only eat game meat (moose and deer), or meat that has been locally and sustainably raised. I would love to learn how to hunt on my own.

lmrinc's argument is a bit mis-guided. Factory farming is significantly more cruel, unnatural, and environmentally damaging than game hunting could ever begin to touch on. Game animals live in their natural environment, happily and healthily, until they are (hopefully) quickly and painlessly killed. A skilled hunter knows that the quality of meat from a scared animal is far less than that of an animal who is calm/relaxed when killed. Compare that to the treatment of factory raised animals and the idea that hunting is cruel in comparison is absurd!

Okay, I'm done :)

i wish lmrinc were a little more educated on the matter of hunting.

lmrinc, please read this next sentence very carefully: beef production is FAR more environmentally deadly than hunting...at least hunting helps cull the herd before they starve or die from disease...or kill people on the road.

i intend to start hunting next year. i'm waiting for my boyfriend to get his long gun before we go.

I was just having this conversation with my boyfriend. I have been researching what the proper way to eat. I don't eat alot of meat and but was raised to eat it everyday. I have sampled eating vegetarian, vegan even raw. While I am an animal lover I can't help but think about us biologically. Look at your teeth, we are designed to eat meat. What about up north, the inuits only have meat to eat, it would be impossible have a diet of vegetables and fruit. I am talking before grocery stores. Hunting and Fishing are the best way to ensure that you are eating quality meat because god knows what they are selling you in the grocery store besides unnatural hormones and antibiotics. Plus, at least the animals that you hunt had a decent life

Mr. Landers, who tries to take Virginia’s full limit of six deer a year, agreed. For the cost of the necessary licenses, $36.50, he said he can stock his freezer with nearly free protein. He also argued that for the environmentally conscious, hunting is fairly carbon neutral.“If you can shoot a deer in your own backyard, butcher it there, that’s zero food miles,” he said.

In theory, yes. But most people are not able to hunt in their own back yards. I live in rural Idaho and even here people have to drive at least 30 min. for good hunting spots. At least! Then factor in the gas, the food and drinks you take, the hunting clothes (not cheap!), the guns and ammo, the ATV that many people use to haul out the kill, whatever other equipment (GPS, etc.) that so many hunters use these days... you're talking about a considerable investment on average. Sure it's probably more "carbon neutral" than beef production, but it's not anywhere near free.

Just because one would condone hunting for meat, doesn't mean they condone hunting endangered animals, killing predators out of anger/fear or trophy hunting.

I live in Maine. My family hunts, but I never have. My dad thought it would be a good idea for me to take a hunting safety course. I did, and learned a lot. Then I applied for a Moose Permit, which is done by lottery here. While some of my family members have been waiting more than 20 years for a chance at a moose, I got a permit in the first year!

Fortunately, permittees are able to select subpermittees who can also shoot the animal. I don't hunt, so my dad was my subpermittee.

If we did it again we could do it cheaper, but a week off of work, $1600 for a guide, and $400 to process the moose was not the cheapest...we could have bought an entire cow freezer packaged for that. Thankfully, we had free accommodations, access to a trailer and an SUV, and plenty of guns and ammo. If we do it again we won't need the guide.

It was a great experience, and we now have 286 pounds of moose tenderloin, loin, roast, london broil, jerky, stew meat, burger, and hot and sweet sausage to eat all winter...and probably next winter.

Also, I know exactly where the meat in my freezer came from. I know where it lived, how it lived, how it was killed, and how it was butchered.

Much safer and "greener" than eating meat from the grocery store.

To whomever was talking about ticks being on "disease-ridden" deer, I'd much rather eat a deer out of the woods than a cow with a significant chance of e.coli contamination. Plus, I find that it's better to thin out herds that already exist than to create new herds in factory farms.

Yeah, the hunting as cruel argument is pretty ironic. My husband has hunted all his life, and although I'm not ready to participate myself, I am not opposed to people doing it. Aside from the Bambi visions I have, hunting is really helpful to animal populations and conservation. The animals are out living in their natural habitats, eating what they are meant to eat. Cows are separated from their young at birth at CAFO's...hunting laws and seasons prevent those kinds of things from happening. The hunter isn't necessarily always having the upper hand...it's not always easy to find the animals, and not every person hunts with a rifle. My husband has begun bow hunting (bc of my opposition to having guns around), and he missed 2 bucks bc the deer were just out of reach, or behind a tree not giving him a good shot. Hunters use a lot of tools to try and outsmart the animals (it's amazing how hard they try without success!), and after opening day of the season, the chances of bagging one significantly decrease. It's really not as easy as it sounds.

Regarding something else Imrinc said, anyone who lives in a suburb in the mid-atlantic to north east knows there's an overpopulation of deer. They're on the side of the road every evening, some eating, some about to jump in front of a car, some already roadkill. And it's not just an "overpopulation of unnecessary buildings" that caused that. Suburban sprawl and housing has something to do with it, but so does eradicating the animals that hunt deer in the wild. So, until there's a larger population of wolves and mountain lions, people are going to have to step in and cull the population of deer. I'd much rather people going out and hunting for sport and food than see the carcasses pile up on the side of the road.

I fish. I've never hunted, but I'm not opposed to others doing so. I don't think I'll ever hunt myself, or at least I'd have to get much more comfortable with guns before I could.

I had a college professor who raised rabbits in his backyard for meat. I admired his commitment to sustainability, but I don't think I'd be able to do it myself.

I tend to envision Deery Lou or Bambi when I see deer in the wild. But I understand hunting has a purpose. Most animals need predators to keep their own species thriving and others as well (all those deer are eating so much other little animals have nothing to eat) - there are a LOT of deer, I think I heard there are more now than there were before settlers came to America.

I've never hunted but I don't think I'd have a problem killing and eating game. I've had the same thought about raising chickens. Of course, I think this is one of those situations where you don't know what you're capable of until you're confronted by the situation.

That being said, my beloved fiancee won't eat any animal that's "cute," so venison, rabbit, goat, lamb and duck are off limits in our kitchen.

Sorry to be unclear! I am well educated in the matter. I have probably done more research than most!

I guess I should state what I DO believe in. Humans do not NEED to eat meat. Nature has provided many more nourishing food options than meat (and I don't mean soy!). Historically, meat was a rare (no pun intended) option. It's hard on our bodies and wasn't intended to be eaten all the time.

I believe if you truly want to eat meat you should be raising it in your backyard, feeding it organically from start to finish. Knowing your animal, or food.

I think if people butchered their own meat, there would be a lot of vegetarians.

I do not believe in buying "Kroger" meat. That was not the store I meant. I meant your local farmers market, where you know the farmer, farm and how they operate.

Industrialized farms are causing a huge problem for our environment (among many other things) and health. So. buying food from a conventional grocery store is just adding to the problem.

I think that hunting now a days is mostly just for sport which I believe is cruel. This too has a negative environmental impact. Like someone said above, the cost is not a big difference when you factor in the licensing, equiptment, butchering fees etc... You also do not know where a wild animal has been feeding and unless it's truly in an untouched wild area, (like Alaska) there are many toxins this animals has ingested due to human neglect, which can be harmful to us, which take the health benefit away.

Now, I do believe in responsible, sustainable, organic , humane farming. Find a local farmer who you share the same beliefs with if you really want to eat meat! That's what I believe in.

I just blurted stuff out because I was pissed that some ignorant hunter shot an innocent dog that was on it's own property (while the hunter was there illegally), because he might scare the deer away and left him for dead while he waited for deer to come along! ( I know that had nothing to do with the subject!)

I grew up in Maine. I am vegetarian but if I ate meat, I would hunt it. I feel it is wrong that we as humans are so distant from our food.

Factory raised cows, pigs, chickens are disgusting and and disastrous on the environment. If you are against hunting but eat meat from the grocery store, you should think again!

I am vegetarian for health reasons but I would try meat a friend hunted or raised. I personally am against eating "cute" animals and I find most animals terribly cute! :(

Gorillas have teeth bigger than humans, and they only eat plants....

I couldn't help but be a little cynical when I read the NYT piece about city dwellers signing up for hunting classes. I began to imagine an increase in wounded animals gnawing off their own mangled limbs and people getting accidentally shot. But I have a pretty vivid imagination.

I would hunt if the opportunity presented itself. I have marksmanship experience so taking down an animal with a rifle wouldn't be a problem. However, deer hunting around my area is done with a compound bow--something that I haven't had enough experience with to feel confident firing at an animal. It's kind of like golf, I know at some point I might be able to make par but without practice, I'll never reach the hole so what's the point? If I couldn't deliver a quick kill, then what's the point?

I don't feel like I'm left entirely out of the process though just because I don't harvest the animal myself. Being moderately skilled at butchery, I am able to process the kill to its full potential. As long as the deer is going to be harvested, I'll make sure it doesn't go to waste.

art, you will be useful in the zombie apocalypse. Stay close to me!

"I understand if your poor and you can't afford to go to the store for meat and veggies....did anyone think there is an over population of unnessesary buildings?!?!?!"

Such ignorant comments.

First, you can't compare animals to buildings. Second, I think we've all heard people complain about areas we live in being overpopulated. I don't even really understand the point you're trying to make there, maybe I am misinterpreting. And I'm not even going to get into the "poor" comment.

I grew up in a family that hunted, and we ate a lot of game over the winter. I've never been hunting but I am decent with a firearm and respect them. There is a lot of responsibility to get a good shot for the animal's sake, so because of that, I myself would not be inclined to actually go out hunting.

But I do eat the fish I catch and the deer my dad shoots.

I was a vegetarian for about 10 years until I realized "local" food on the 45th parallel in Michigan (6 months of snow) is meat. I just finished my second hunting season.

Cost - yeah, I got a $500 deer rifle as a very generous gift from my wife. If I didn't have that rifle I would have to borrow one from my neighbor (most lifelong hunters have a few), or shell out $150 or so for a used one. .30-30 ammo is between $1 and $1.50 a shot. I put about 10 rounds through the rifle to be sure I could hit what I was aiming at and that the scope was lined up. I found some wool pants at the army surplus for $20 and a blaze orange jacket at the goodwill for $10. Another $5 for a blaze orange hat, everything else - boots, long underwear, heavy socks - I would have for a long winter anyway.

Skill and Safety - in Michigan new hunters are required to take a hunter safety course. You can apprentice for two years before taking the course, meaning you hunt with another licensed hunter, before you take the course. I passed an online test (and learned a lot) and felt comfortable handing the rifle safely. Though I have no firearms training or experience, I learned that 1) using a rest (like in a blind) and 2) watching my breath let me hit within 2" of what I was aiming at up to 100 yds away. That's definitely accurate enough to fatally injure a deer.

Around here we have public land and farms so there is plenty of "backyard" hunting. I've seen the gut piles and smelled the innards and cut the meat. I'll happily eat meat from these animals. I'm not grossed out and I don't think it's unethical, though I avoid factory farmed meat.

That said, "real" hunting (not shooting from a blind) is HARD - hard enough that you have to make it more than a 1 weekend/year hobby to do it well. I plan to.

I had the pleasure of being raised by a hunter and a professional butcher, so I frequently end up skinning and butchering my own deer. Incidentally, ours are killed with a bow, not a gun, which requires much more skill, both to kill the animal and to track it. Plus, it's virtually silent so you don't scare off every deer for miles and ruin everyone else's morning. I've never been hunting because I don't have the patience (I did target shoot with a bow when I was growing up), and it would take me a while to get used to the gutting, but I much prefer eating an animal that I know lived its life in the open and was never injected with hormones or antibiotics. I also have a better appreciation for what I'm eating and I'm inclined to be much less wasteful of meat than my friends who have never butchered their own. For people who are worried about butchering in the field: that's not how it works. You gut it in the field (leaving the innards for the scavengers to eat) and you take it elsewhere to skin and butcher it. You really can't butcher it in the field. Plus, there are regulations in most places regarding what to do with the inedible parts. You can't just leave the legs and skin of a deer chillin' in the woods. As far as eating a deer that was hit by a car--eewww. It's probably not illegal, but every hunter I've ever encountered would be completely grossed out by the idea. If you hit a deer hard enough to kill it, you've probably ruptured the internal organs, which means the meat is not edible (because it's soaked in stomach acid & poop). Please do yourself a favor and let it rest in peace.

The problem is that so many hunters are doing it for the thrill, instead of for food. I also don't want to get shot by one of those idiots out drinking in the woods at dawn or dusk! (Yes this happens. Bullet went right through the walls of a family's house recently. Scary...) I don't have a problem with hunting, just some of the people doing it.

I've been a vegetarian for 4 years and I think anyone who eats meets should be willing to kill their meal. Putting the distance between a factory farm and your dinner plate is cognitive dissonance at its best. I take no issue with hunting for food. Hunting just to mount antlers in your living room, well, that's another story.

graciela--

I'll butcher my own meat if you harvest your home-grown vegetables.

Does a show called 'River Cottage' air in the U.S? It's a U.K series about a chef who is passionate about eating local food. He encourages people to grow their own food as well as hunt.

I understand people who do not want to hunt, but don't tear down people that do. Humans have been hunting food for thousands upon thousands of years, and I would rather kill the animal here and now, knowing it lived free and natural then have it live in a overcrowded shed (like chickens and pigs suffer) and treated to who knows what conditions, both in life and death.

I don't hunt, but I'm from Texas and am at least familiar with shooting and have several hunters in the family. I don't know that I would enjoy the experience of hunting - the whole waiting in the cold (I live in the Midwest now), getting up early, etc., thing. But in theory I would be willing to hunt and kill my own meat, because, as graciela said, I think we should be connected to our food and understand where it comes from, instead of hiding our heads in the sand and trying not to think about what happens in a CAFO. And like others have said, an animal killed in the wild has endured much less suffering than an animal raised for slaughter in a CAFO. I understand if you don't want to hunt because of the logistics of it (cold/waiting/cost/redneck sterotype/whatever) but I cannot sympathize with anyone who wouldn't hunt because they would be grossed out or unable to face actually killing the animals they eat.

"The problem is that so many hunters are doing it for the thrill, instead of for food."

Honestly, I've never encountered a hunter who hunts just to kill. All the hunters I know process their kills and either eat it themselves, or give the meat away to friends and family.

"I think anyone who eats meets should be willing to kill their meal."

Another piece of so-called logic that just doesn't make any sense in our society.

Ok, this is over a day old and no one may notice, but I have to make a third comment.

Hunting with a bow is no better or nobler than a gun. Both are difficult to aim and take skill to use.

A bad shot is a bad shot with a bow or a gun.

We have friends who hunt and who are generous sharing their game with us. Recently, we were given moose steaks, and an open invitation to help ourselves to the bear meat in another friend's freezer. We'd like to learn to hunt, though; if anything were to happen that resulted in grocery stores being useless, we'd be hard-pressed to attain our own meat, no matter how plentiful it is around here. (When I came home today, we had three deer in our back yard.)

I live in Texas, and in a part of the state where hunting and game is ingrained in the culture. I have never hunted and probably never will -- I am squeamish about killing animals. However, I have absolutely no problem eating any kind of wild game and enjoy it very much! It's nice to mix up meals as opposed to alternating between beef, pork, chicken and beans.