It seems the anti morons are at it again. I wrote and posted this awhile back but if you missed it here it is again.
This moron was harassing a site I belong to www.traps4kids.com and finally I had enough.
Sue,
After reading your letters to Dan Tanner and Donnie on the Traps4Kids website I felt compelled to write you a letter myself. I went over your letters, and can tell you truly do care about animals, but are either misinformed or do not care to listen to the truth.
I'll start with - "These poor animals need protecting from people like you. If you continue to trap and kill them for your own greed and vanity then pretty soon there will be none left to trap.)
You speak firstly of greed, what a laugh. If you have ever seen the prices for wild fur you would realize that we'd make more money working at a fast food restaurant, and have less work and shorter hours. Then you speak of vanity. What do you mean, who do we brag to? Most trappers talk of the animals they catch with a sense of self accomplishment, and even speak of some animals with a sense of admiration. I am guessing you are thinking more like we beat our chest and yell "I am man the great and mighty hunter!) What a joke most trappers are very quiet and unassuming people who you would have to know in order to hear them talk of trapping, or actually ask them before they would begin talking about trapping.
Next I will use part of the first statement and include this "I agree that certain wild animal species need to be culled to be kept in check. But the vast majorities are endangered.) and also "He(man) has either over-hunted species to extinction or destroyed their habitats so they have no place to go.) and " If the animals you trap lose their natural habitats then you won't have any left to trap...hope we agree on that one?)
OK let's start with "the vast majorities are endangered). Can you name ANY currently endangered animals that are LEGALLY trapped in the USA or Canada? I speculate you will mention C.I.T.I.E.S. and that currently otter, bobcat and lynx are on that list of exotic/endangered animals. Yes you are right, but they are on there because of other animals that are ACTUALLY endangered. In the case of otters the North American otter population is doing very well and actually expanding its range. However the South American Giant River Otters are being poached and losing habitat, so in order to protect the South American otter the North American otters that are LEGALLY taken require a US government issued CITIES tag showing that it is a LEGALLY harvested animal. Now as for the bobcats and lynx they are on the list because ALL SPOTTED wild felines are on it (Jaguars, Leopards, Ocelots, Margays, Cheetahs (not actually a cat), Snow Leopards and Clouded Leopards). Bobcats and Lynx must also be tagged with an official US government CITIES tag showing that it is a LEGALLY harvested animal.
All states have set seasons and limits for trapping. If there is not a harvestable population in the state the animal is put on a PROTECTED species list and is not legal to possess or trap and if one is accidentally caught it must be turned in to the Department of Natural Resources. If the population can sustain a limited harvest the state may issue a bag limit of how many you can trap per season or it may issue limited tags for the entire state and you must have a tag to legally harvest the said furbearer.
Point of fact trappers have been used to reintroduce species to their former habitats. Trappers were responsible for the capture and relocation of the wolves who now roam Yellowstone Park. They were caught by TRAPPERS in Canada and transported to Yellowstone and released. Another group of trappers caught river otters from the Southern US and relocated them in the Northern and Midwestern US. "These wild animals have a hard enough time as it is without dying horribly in some bloody trap set by a cretin like you. Would you like to die helplessly caught in a trap) For your information all of the otters were caught in unmodified #11 double longspring traps, with no foot damage. The only traps that actually KILL are designed to KILL instantly by breaking the animals neck, these are body gripping traps (also known as conibears, named after the inventor Frank Conibear). All other traps are designed merely to restrain the animal until the trapper arrives. Then the trapper can either harvest the animal OR decide it is too small (young) or has little value (Opossums) and LET IT GO. I have done this myself and the animals take off like a shot, no broken or chewed off feet, no broken legs, I never even noticed any limping.
I would like to move on to your statement of "I also feel very strongly that to educate children only to kill animals is totally wrong.)
Now why do you feel that way? Is there anything wrong with taking the excess animals out of a population? Studies have shown in order to actually reduce a population you must remove 70% of said population for 5 consecutive years. That would be an almost impossible task, and even if possible, were the trapping to stop the population could rebound to its original numbers in less than 3 years.
Now for these two statements - "I agree that certain wild animal species need to be culled to be kept in check) and "A humane way would be to shoot them as necessary as with rabbits and deer. I am against "unnecessary) suffering and cruelty to animals.)
These statements surely seem to contradict you previous statement of "I also feel very strongly that to educate children only to kill animals is totally wrong.) Sorry dear culling an animal usually means just flat out KILLING it and disposing of the carcass and not using much of the rest of it. So in your opinion it is ok to kill certain animals but not others? Is there a reason for this? Does it have to do with cuteness and cuddlablity? Or is it just the animals we prefer to trap? Trappers go to great lengths to make sure the traps they use will hold the animal with little harm or discomfort.
Moving on "You're not educating your children, your teaching them that wild animals are there to be killed, not even to be used as food, just as trophies. Why?)
We educate our children more than most other "sports) could ever possibly. Trapping is one of the few sports that the whole family can do together. No matter how you or old you can do some part of trapping. My daughter who is now 9 has trapped with since she was 4 and now is my best partner on the trapline. She also knows we cannot eat everything we catch but we do use as much of it as possible. We eat happily, all rabbits, squirrels, and beaver we either hunt or shoot. From the other animals we save the glands for lure, the meat for bait and clean the skulls to sell as added income as well.
"Shouldn't you also be showing them to children in their natural habitat to educate them about their natural beauty and strength and to respect them? Teach them how they manage to survive in the wild? Surely that is more empowering?)
My daughter can identify tracks, fur, and dropping and tell you what animal left them. Her teacher and class use her as a resident expert when they go on field trips to point out tracks, identify bird songs and what different plants are, all of which she learned by trapping. She understands that some animals must be removed each year in order to leave space for all to survive in a healthy manner.
"I have no interest in seeing them stuffed on a wall thank you. Sure they might be nice to look at but I prefer to look out the window at the beauty of nature, which is free and has been given to you!)
I have a few animals mounted but very few. These animals are special to me and my family. One is my youngest son's 1st mink that he ever caught, and another is my oldest son's biggest coon; both of which are on display in their bedrooms. Trappers spend more time out and about in the great outdoors than you can imagine. During the 3-4 months season they are out in the woods, fields, and on the streams and rivers EVERY DAY. We know every trail, swale, ridge, outstanding feature, and general soil type of every area we trap. We also know every ripple, rapid, pool, undercut back, log and large rock in the streams and creeks we trap. We suffer through biting cold, snow, rain, sleet and what have you to make sure the trap are checked daily. We have seen sunrise and sunsets so beautiful it would make a poet weep. We are more in tune with nature than people would believe. We probably go out to our trapping areas before and after season to pick berries, or mushroom, or possibly shed antlers, all while still scouting for a new or better spot to trap.
Your statements of "I'm saying that to over-hunt a species to near extinction is wrong, purely for Profit and greed.) and "It's a sad fact that if you continue to over-hunt species, eventually they will die out completely! That isn't fiction I'm afraid...it's a sad FACT!)
Finally you have said something to which I agree, yes to hunt, trap or poach and animal to near extinction is horribly wrong. As I said before NO LEGALLY trappable animal is on the ENDAGERED list let alone the near EXTINCTION list. You will probably bring up the beaver being almost wiped out in North America by the mountain men and the early fur traders. Yes over trapping and no seasons did almost wipe out the beaver in North America, but now almost every state has a trappable supply of beaver and in most states they are a nuisance. They dam up creeks and streams, which flood roadways, drown crops and or valuable timber. The owners of the crops or timber lose money. The only way to stop the flooding is to remove the beavers and the dam they built no other way to do it. We could go into how whitetail deer were almost wiped out (now about 3 time more plentiful than when the Pilgrims arrived), or the wild turkey (now numbering in the millions). One of the greatest known hunters and outdoorsmen of the 20th century was responsible for turning the state of wildlife around. Theodore Roosevelt set up rules for the fair chase of game, helped states to set season and bag limits and restrict the hunting of certain animals whose populations were low. He also established the 1st wildlife sanctuary at Pelican Island in Florida.
Sportsmen and women contribute more sweat equity and money, directly and indirectly, to wildlife preservation, restoration and maintenance than any other single U.S. group. All other user groups, birdwatchers, hikers, campers, photographers, environmentalists, trail riders benefit from hunter's contributions without paying a dime. The Pittman-Robertson Act is an often over looked and ignored portion of how sportsmen contribute to the general welfare of wildlife and their habitat is known as
The Pittman-Robertson act is an excise tax, every time a bow hunter buys a new piece of gear or a gunner buys a rifle sight, a new gun or a box of shells, he pays the Pittman-Robertson federal excise tax as well as a state's sales tax. This tax ranges between 10-11% of the sale.
Through the end of 1999, outdoorsmen have paid over $5.0 billion into the P-R program. This figure represents direct excise taxes paid as well as the outdoorsmen share of the required 33% state matching cost-share the program requires. This is a HUGE amount of money, even tax money. As big this number is, its value is larger yet since a lot of this money was spent years ago to purchase WMA area acreage whose cost today would be out of sight and unobtainable.
USFWS's own press releases acknowledge that "Through license fees alone, outdoorsmen contribute nearly $1 billion a year to wildlife conservation."
The last area where hunters contribute to U.S. wildlife is the one they get the least credit for, indirect contributions and sweat equity. Outdoorsmen support conservation groups like Ducks Unlimited, Quail Unlimited, Furbearers Unlimited, Pheasants Forever, Ruffed Grouse Society, Wild Turkey Federation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation with their dollars, time and labor. How many habitat improvement projects have you worked on?
"American Indians trapped and hunted animals but only took what they needed for food and home and clothing. They lived in total harmony with nature. That way everyone profits.)
Nice idea, not totally accurate though. Indians had wars over areas that contained better hunting and trapping. Indians also took extra meat and skins when they could for trading with other tribes (just like money). The finest furs they sewed into ceremonial garments, to be worn only in the most special of circumstances (much like a fine fur coat today).
"Isn't that how the original white pioneers to America survived in the wilderness by hunting only what they needed?)
They hunted what they needed for sure, but as they had few other skills for the most part, the hides, fur and even the meat were sold to others in exchange for things like salt, flour, bacon etc. So all it they did was go to work essentially. They killed the animals they needs for their own use and whatever they felt they need to procure the niceties of life.
)As to your last argument, Mother Earth or planet earth has survived for millions of years....she's been around a little longer than you or I and I'm pretty certain she will be around a little longer than both of us!)
Another point I agree on. People always say the earth is in trouble we need to save the earth. Sorry the Earth is just fine, the people are screwed! As you say the Earth has been around for millions of years, and will continue to be long after we are gone. The Earth will shake us off like a bad case of fleas, a close end biological experiment that just didn't work out.
"I don't quite see how I owe my existence solely to your kind? We're only here coz she wants us to be....end of story.)
Well here I must digress. What is the oldest profession? Most like to say prostitute, well how was she paid? Hunters and trappers were the first profession; the skins they harvested were more valuable in trade than anything else, both for warmth and for durability. Eating meat provides essential vitamins that CANNOT be found in veggies. So in order to survive and procreate the early humans needed meat for strength or they would to have been unable gather vegetables, firewood, or water. That would have lead to starvation or being to weak to fend off attacks by predators.
So in that light perhaps you do not owe your existence to me personally, but you certainly owe it to people of my kind in some way shape or form.
Mike DiSalvo
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well said, maybe the anti will sleep better knowing they just got crushed like a bug.