New man but he shoots as a hobby ...

[jumpinjax]

He seems lovely but he's told me from the outset that he shoots as a hobby.
I don't have any major feelings about shooting one way or another , because I know so little about it but now told me that he's going on a big game shoot in Autumn and I don't know what I feel ... except maybe pity for the animals.
Would you get rid straight away?

Oh gosh. That's awful.
Deer is one thing but not big game.

No need to learn further. He might have well have told you he's a nazi ffs.

Guy is a psychopath.

What country are you in?

It is a complex argument, of course. Preservation of animals often involves culling. And there is an argument for controlled trophy hunting to support catastrophically declining local economies-some of the damage being caused by the policing of poaching.

However, I could never be within a 100 yards of anyone who enjoyed killing animals, regardless of the circumstances.

For me it would depend if it’s for fun or for food.

Deer is one thing but not big game.

I don't see what difference it makes what species it is. Anyone who shoots things for fun is sick in the head.

I have really mixed feelings about this, partly depending on context.

I don't think there's any excuse for big game shooting. Rightly consigned to the past.

Though I'm a vegetarian, I would far rather eat a pheasant or grouse which has had a good,natural life and is shot out of the sky over a chicken whose life has been hellish and is cruelly transported, starved of food and water on the way and dismembered (often) alive. And then sold for a couple of quid to add the final insult.

So, while I agree, I couldn't do it myself and I would look askance at someone who actively enjoyed killing animals for fun, I think shooting creatures to eat in this country is morally superior to buying chicken from a supermarket.

Good for him, I like venison and game and rabbit. Good welfare standards.
ExH used to shoot but clays only he was not a good enough shot.

Most shoots do not want birds full of pellets.

Deer are a real problem in much of UK, taking strips of bark from trees and eating crops and flowers from gardens.
Judge the man as a whole person not because of one hobby or one opinion. None of us are perfect.

So you also enjoy a nice Elephant carpaccio followed by a Lion casserole @Hollyisblue?

How many people do you know who eat elephants and lions?

I haven’t read the whole of this thread so this could have been said.
Much of the meat “industry” and it is an industry is pretty horrific and my belief is that if people really knew the truth of how (many)animals live as part of that industry, many more people would become vegetarian or vegan. Went out with lovely chap years ago, had his own business supplying fire alarm systems. He loved nothing better than a plateful of meat. He had to visit an abattoir and what he saw and heard stopped him eating meat.

so yes perhaps being shot, if expertly carried out, might be a lesser of two evils, however the point here really is this man does it for fun. Culling is one thing if it is really necessary and again expertly carried out but there is no way in this world that I could feel anything but disgust with anyone who enjoys killing. As with fox hunting how in heavens name is that ok? Enjoying cruelty. But then there are people who enjoy torturing other people.

He kills for pleasure then. How can you need to ask?

if someone's coming to kill you, you're endangered

@AdoraBell Why does that matter when the result to the animal is the same?

Unquestionable I’d get rid. His hobby would seriously give me the ick and I’d be repulsed.

In UK deer and rabbit and pigeons need to be culled by shooting they eat crops and damage trees. In many countries other larger animals have to be shot because of growth in numbers and dangers to life of local villagers.

Deer population often needs to be thinned in order to protect environments.

If he was raised by folk who are part of that then it wouldn't bother me. Eg: on an estate.

Bug cats and rhinos however...rare...endangered. So - obviously only hunting for the fun of it.

I don't know. My neighbour was given a bunch of pheasants as the shoot had killed so many it was a nuisance to get rid of them. She tried to feed them to the dogs, but they just ripped the heads off and didn't eat the carcass. Seemed a waste of life to me. I get that shooting, (it isn't hunting with a gun, since the animal stands no chance), when it's a wild animal and it's for food, seems better than buying farmed meat. But I am not convinced the amount of pheasants shot is really necessary to a healthy diet. Morally anyway, if the animal was enjoying its life in the wild how was it right to end it?

Elephants are killed for meat as well as ivory, @deydododatdodontdeydo. It's illegal so elephant meat reaches a high price on the black market.

As vile as big game hunting is, one of the possible conservation advantages is that it reduces poaching because it brings in more money and alternative employment for poachers.

My grandfather was a local hunter - he owned the forest, was taking care about wild animals in the winter (preparing feeding places, preparing the hay and other food since summer) - and shooting some, to balance the numbers.

It was a natural way of living in his family for generations and I don't see a moral issue there. I wouldn't go and shoot myself, as I am not part of that, I don't put the work in, so targets for me.

If he decided to sell the right to shoot, but it would had followed his rules still (timing, selection of pieces) I would had to accept it.

If everything is legal and the allowing authority seems reasonable, it isn't automatically a bad thing. I would listen carefully to why does he do it, how he talks about it.

@Hollyisblue said In UK deer and rabbit and pigeons need to be culled by shooting they eat crops and damage trees. In many countries other larger animals have to be shot because of growth in numbers and dangers to life of local villagers.

So why are they breeding them for the Trophy Hunter Business then????

If he's doing it all legally and isn't obsessed with it, I wouldn't personally have a problem with it. However, I wouldn't want to be with someone who talked about his hobby all the time if I found it boring, distressing, etc., nor would I want a partner who expected me to join in any of his hobbies if I didn't share his enthusiasm. Same thing for football, for instance. I'd find it annoying if he frequently spoke at length about it or kept suggesting I should watch or attend games, despite my lack of interest.

You might need to read the op’s updates so you can see what the guy is shooting

Big Game shooting wouldn’t be for me - and we are a shooting family.
However, it is a complex issue.
The big cats, elephants etc are “owned” by the local community’s and well run big game hunting has its place in preventing random poaching. They wont just be shooting the first Lion they come across, they’ll be targeting and taking a particular individual.

A Lion at the end of his dominance will die a long painful death after loosing a fight with the next strongest male and injuries meaning he can no longer hunt. I can see there maybe a case for letting a rich American/European paying many thousands of pounds to efficiently manage a population, particularly when it brings much needed money into poor rural areas and guards against random poaching.

It says something about his character imo. Cognitive disassociation with eating meat also does, but this is something else. He KNOWS he's hurting animals and is right there doing it..I couldn't date someone with this level or arrogance.