Long ago and far away I was a young 2nd
Lieutenant taking a U.S. Army course for new officers. The senior
officer/instructor emphatically insisted, “Don’t kill girl babies”, presumably because doing so would prompt the enemy to fight more intensely. At the same time
by implication he was conveying that it was OK to kill boys.
I’ve never forgotten his statement and it
frequently comes to mind in a different context. Now when I think about it,
it’s in the context of hunting.
In Pennsylvania the seven species getting
the most attention from hunters are cottontail rabbit, gray squirrel, ring-necked
pheasant, ruffed grouse, wild turkey, white-tailed deer and black bear. Of
those seven, three have restrictions of one kind or another on killing females so they can breed and increase the respective population:
Ring-necked pheasants are an exotic
species native to northeast Asia and extensively introduced to North America
where they have become a popular game bird. Intensive farming and the resultant
habitat changes combined with more efficient harvesting of crops have led to
put-and-take hunting of farm-raised birds. In some parts of Pennsylvania
hunters may take only male birds –
Wild Turkeys are another bird where the
sexes can be told apart, although not as readily as those of ring-necked
pheasants. Male turkeys have a tuft of modified feathers called a “beard”
dangling from their breast and the females do not.
In Pennsylvania, as in most other states,
only male turkeys can be legally hunted during the spring. This is accomplished by
restricting hunting to the morning when the males are actively seeking
females and challenge other males – and many females are on their nests
incubating eggs.
And then there are white-tailed deer, the
most sought after quarry in the state and one over which there has been an
on-going, noisy and frequently acrimonious dispute regarding hunting of females for decades. Here too
it’s easy to tell the girls and boys apart, at least when they’re adults –
In the other four species that are
popular with hunters it’s not so easy to tell male from female.
In the case of ruffed grouse, gray
squirrels and cottontail rabbits the animal usually has to be in hand before
the genders can be distinguished. Not many folks would want to grab a black
bear and hold it up to check – and the bear might object a
bit.
Any argument
against killing of female pheasants, turkeys or deer so they can produce more offspring falls apart when it becomes obvious that it isn't important with the other four species. If a
white-tail doe is necessary to perpetuate a huntable population of the species, why not a female bear?
Is that because it’s inconvenient to protect female bears?
What ever happened to “Don’t kill girl
babies”? – looks like it depends on the situation. Ahh, situational ethics.
The Bruce Trail that I volunteer for runs from the very urban area around Hamilton up to our very rural are near Georgian Bay. The official policy for properties they own is No Hunting, but up here in rural Ontario, that makes little sense and would annoy many people. I argue that we should allow it, given the situation in our communities. Many of the hunters are our neighbours. More situational ethics.
ReplyDeleteHello, I am against hunting unless it is for food. I dislike hunting just for trophies. I guess I feel bad for the animals. Great collection of photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!
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