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Brycen Lamb

Professor Morean

English Composition II

March 20, 2020

Should Hunting Be banned?

Throughout the research question of “Should Hunting Be Banned?”. There are various different

answers towards this highly debatable question. Some leaning to the idea that hunting should indeed be

banned and others saying it should not. Hunting has been a tradition that the United States has perfected

over four-hundred years. Many claim that hunting is a sick sport and that it should not be practiced. There

are many articles, websites, and newspapers on this topic. Both supporting each side of this argument.

Many say that hunting should be banned and others say that it needs to be a part of our world. The goal

for this paper is to show the Importance of the hunting technique and how it has been part of our society

since day one.

This paper will be broken up into four main sections. There will first be support of why hunting

should not be banned. Leading into eight or nine paragraphs, supporting this claim that many agree with.

There will be facts laid out to show support towards this particular decision. Along with work cited to

prove that this information is indeed reliable. Next there will be provided information explaining why

other say hunting should be banned, supporting both sides of this argument. Listing the sources of where

this information was taken from as well. Providing support of why hunting should be banned. Then in this

paper there will be a conclusion wrapping up the idea of this paper being “Should Hunting Be Banned”.

Finally, at the end of the paper there will be a work cited page for the audience to look up the information

that was talked about throughout the paper.

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There are many facts of why hunting should not be banned such as population control. As you

drive along the road especially country roads you will see deer crossing signs. This is to warn people that

deer crosses this area quite often and you need to be on alert. Maybe even slow down if needed and turn

on your blights. This is because deer cause around “$1.1 billion a year” from car accidents leading into

property damage. They also take the lives of around “two-hundred people “a year! Even when driving on

a secluded country road or in some cases in the city we must be on the watch for these animals. Deer,

raccoons, and other animals that eat crops can be a major issue to farmers. They become a nascence

killing all of their crops. For the farmers this is their living and when they have these animals unattended

running the fields day and night it becomes a threat to them. Farmers are very appreciating towards the

hunters who take a few animals. Not to where they are “extinct” but yet enough to limit the population.

Deer also hurt walnut farmer’s productions. Walnut trees take a very long time to grow, but when

they are forty-fifty years old they bring “up to $20,000” each. When a Walnut tree reaches the height of

around two-three feet deer have been known to bite the tops off. Killing the tree, because this is the main

trunk of the young tree it then has no chance of survival. The farmers then lose money with a common

problem that a lot of farmers face. With cattle farmers there are different issues with animals being a pain.

Pigeons, rats, European starlings, and sparrows all become a nuisance. Pigeons multiply very rapidly

being a bird. Pigeons lay “1 to 3 eggs”. Sparrows lay anywhere from “1 to 6 eggs”. European starlings lay

“4 to 6 eggs”. Rats can have up to “10-12 babies every 3 or 4 weeks” also “she could have up to 17 liters

a year, so you could have 170 to 204 rats in a year”. That’s just of one female there are always more.

These four animals repopulate fast. They eat all of the farmers feed for their cattle and also poop all over

in it. Which has been found to be toxic to other animals. Rats can have toxic waste that is not healthy to

digest, feces from mice and rats can cause bacteria to spread and harm the animal.

Another unwanted pest to cattle farmers would be the black vultures. They may seem like

innocent animals that look for dead animals, but they have been known to attack calf’s. Peaking their eyes
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out alive! Ranchers and Farmers now have to protect their livestock from another unwanted pest known

as the black vulture. Often times these vultures will peck small live stock to death or even newborn

animals that are helpless. Many farmers who raise goats and sheep have to constantly stay on the lookout

for coyotes. Coyotes are a vicious wild dog that will eat anything they can fit into their mouth. Coyotes

are found all throughout the U.S. and have an open season all year round to be hunted. Coyotes live in

packs and can have up to around five to six pups a liter. Five to six coyotes are all that it takes to take

down a goat or sheep. Some coyotes prefer to be solitary, meaning that they hunt alone. A female coyote

can have “5 to 9 pups” according to “the abundance of food” the more food that is available the more

pups that are born. Each female coyote having that many pups in a pack can and will be disastrous to a

farmer’s livestock!

Trees take a long time to grow. When someone sees a tree no one really thinks much of it. They

are seen every day and they just stick up out of the ground, but to a beaver that’s a different story. When a

farmer has a pond by his field like most of them do to help with drainage. Sometimes unwanted guests

make it their home. This very quickly becomes a problem. Not only do the beaver destroy the timber that

the farmer has had on their property for years. They lower the cost of the property itself. Anyone that has

a wooded lot will sell for more because of the woods. Rather than an open area of just grass and the

beavers take this value away within time. Beavers build dams to stop the flow of water from leaving a

pond. Beavers using this tactic helps them to catch their food easier, because it is trapped behind the dam.

This becomes a problem, because after every storm and rain the pond slowly fills back up. Without this

very important drainage system of empting out the water that has come off of the fields. It just gets stuck

behind the dam making it back wash. The water then back washes into the fields killing all of the crops,

because the fields have been flooded. The crops then get pulled from their roots with the power of the

water or they drown with too much water.

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Common snapping turtles known as “snappers” will invade a pond. Many people who have bass

ponds or any pond in general that likes to fish do not want these reptiles. They will eat any fish they can

catch. When owners of ponds see them they often times want to get rid of them. These turtles can lay a

clutch of eggs up to “20 to 100” eggs a clutch! With more of these eggs hatching and entering into the

pond there would then be more hunters. All of these turtles would eventually eat all of the fish. Unless

they are controlled and kept at a good population level. A big common snapping turtle now a day that

weighs around “40 to 50” pounds could be every bit of fifty years old! Meaning that turtle was probably

born in the 1960s or 1970s. These turtles only grow “1 to 2 inches per a year”. That’s why it’s important

to manage what is taken. Only taking the ones that are regulated to be taken.

Ground hogs are another very annoying animals to farmers and home owners. Ground hogs dig

huge holes in the ground. This becomes a major issue to farmers and homeowners with their equipment!

Ground hogs dig around “2-5 entrance holes”. Ground hogs can have a liter up to “2 to 9 pups”. With

more and more ground hogs digging more and more holes it causes a problem. Which can make for a

bumpy ride when going over the entry holes. Farmers want them exterminated, because when their

equipment get stuck it is a pain to get it out. Framers are very busy and this wastes so much time. These

little rodents can ruin a farmer’s day. Many horse ranchers do not like these rodents either. When they dig

their holes in an open pasture where the rancher’s horses run there will be issues. When a horse is running

and all of a sudden gets its leg stuck in one of these holes it can break the horses leg. Which then causes

for an expensive trip to the vet. Rabbits can be another unwanted rodent. Although cute they can be a

problem to people. Rabbits repopulate fast having “1-14 babies” per a liter. Rabbits like to feast on the

greenery of gardens and fields. Nipping each plant as they go down the row. Causes farmer’s lots of

money! For a gardener it’s the same idea of a rabbit eating all of your tomato plants. Often times a

gardener will put cadges around their tomato plants. Most of the time it works and proves to be efficient,

but for farmers the plants are vulnerable. They are out in an open fields and farmers can’t watch every
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square inch of their fields. There is always an unwanted guest coming in from somewhere that cannot be

seen.

Hunters sometimes have to even hunt down feral cats! They use the method of live trapping. This

way the animal is not hurt in any way and can safely be relocated. Cats are one of the most invasive

species there is when it comes to the animal kingdom. When someone lives in a neighborhood and their

cat gets out it could then become feral. With more and more cats roaming the streets and breeding the

population would quickly get out of control. Cats can have up to “one to 12 kittens” per a liter. Making

their population rise dramatically. Many people in neighbor hoods like watching their birds at their bird

feeders. When lots of cats are introduced to an area the food sources become limited. They then turn to

what they can get. Bird feeders being a very easy attractant. They kill all the song birds that once

populated the area and swarmed at the feeders and the homeowner has nothing left to watch. Many people

will actually take kittens or adult cats and dump them along the side of the road. Preferable country roads

away from the towns. They then take their toll in the country. Eating more song birds, chipmunks etc.

Anything they can get a hold of such as bigger targets like ducks and squirrels.

Probably easily the biggest issue yet is the feral (pig) hog. Feral hogs have always been such a big

issue to farmers and ranchers, because they destroy their land. They root up and dig up everything causing

these massive ruts and holes all over their properties. Then they go to the fields and root up all the plants.

These feral hogs can live in groups of up to “6 in a group”. There will be other times that there may be

every bit of thirty to forty hogs in one area! These feral hogs can have as much as “1 to a dozen piglets”

also “she can have 2 liters a year”. Many landowners try to limit this growth of population by building

huge traps. They put a deer feeder filled with corn in the middle and a strong steel fence all the way

around the feeder. They then dump a bag of corn to entice these invasive hogs into the enclosure. With a

little door for them to get through. They then can remote controllably close the door, trapping the hogs
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that fell for the bait. Not only does this help the farmers, but it makes the ecosystem stronger. It gives the

deer, turkeys and other wildlife more resources of food. Rather than the hogs just eating it all.

The silver and common carp are also becoming a major threat to the United States. Common carp

was originally from Central Europe and the Silver carp is from China/Eastern Siberia. Both of these

species have a diet of plankton, native musscles, and vegatation. Native species of fish rely on plankton

and muscules in order to survive. These carp eat it all and they reproduce rapidly. These carp can lay up

to one million eggs! Although obviously not all of them survive, thats a ton of eggs! With this many carp

feeding in a lake or river the vegatation levels will be depleted. Native fish rely on this heavy vegatation

to spawn and lay their eggs safe from predators. These carp can weigh up to one hundred and ten pounds

and have been known to accidently kill humans. There have been many fatalities from these one hundred

and ten pound fish. When a boater goes down the river with his boat the motar spokes the fish. It causes

panic and they begin to jump out of the water very rapidly. With a boat going around thirty-fifty miles an

hour with a one hundred and ten pound fish jumping at you it wont end well. With these carp quickly

taking over our rivers and lakes, killing all of our native species. Overfishing is no longer a set of term

against these beasts.

In Florida there is a predator on the rise. Typically the most invasive animal species are indeed

prey. The Burmese Python is becmoing a major problem in Florida. Causing a threat to native animal

species and invading the Everglades! The Burmese Python can lay up to one hundred eggs in a single

clutch. This Python can and will also reach the size of around twenty feet with a weight of two hundred

pounds! This is one snake you do not what to meet. Although this Python is rather slow it makes up for

that with jaw power. Once locked in the jaws of this Python the prey has no chance to escape. They are

very quickly taking over the Everglades and are demolishing our native animal species. The Burmese

Python is not poisous therefore, it is a constrictor. Meaning that the Burmese Python will squeeze its prey

to death. Each time an animal breathes the Python constrics harder concluding the animlas life. The
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Burmese Python will eat anthing it can fit into its mouth. For the smaller Pythons, they will feed on

smaller mamales and birds. As for the larger Pythons they will go for bigger targets such as pigs or goats!

These invasive snakes need to be aradicated.

Alagators are on the rise of becoming a threat to people around the sothern U.S. Alagators are

becoming invasive as they walk throughout golf courses, and show up in peoples back yard swimming

pools. Alagators most of the time do not attcack humans without a cause. The instinct of the alagtor most

of the time is flight instead of fight. With more and more Aligatirs taking over there is less food. Which

means more competiotion and as an overall idea of violence. Many homeowners who own ponds have a

problem with these large reptiles. One of the biggest Alagators ever caught was around thirteen feet and

about seven hundred and twenty seven pounds. It is well known that they can reach up to these sizes. An

alagator this big can easily clean out a howowners pond. Some people love to bass fish and have ponds

designed exculsivly for this purpose. When two-three Alagators move in they could have a feast in a pond

full of fish that cannot escape. Fish Hatcherys always have to look out for this menace. Alagators

constatly prowell the waters looking for a meal. It would take a lot of food to sustaine a seven hundred

pound reptile. This costs the Fish Hatcherys a lot of money!

The Red Fox although cute and cuddly has been making a rapid increase in its population count!

The Red Fox is a very quiet and unseen animal. They do not like humans and are rather skitish around

them. The Red Fox is not an animal that is seen often. They prefer to stay in the woods or along field

edges in the cover. Most of the time these Foxes will only come out at night. They are nocternale

predators. Many people do not believe there are many Foxes around. They are still there, just not seen.

Foxes kill a lot of animlas such as mice, rabbits, turkey, geese, ducks, chickens, chipmunks, and squrrils

etc. Foxes are not hunted or trapped much anymore, because of this their population has risen to high

amounts. Foxes can have up to seven pups a liter. Without them either being hunted or trapped they

overwhelm prey species. They also turn to farmer and homeowner livestock. Whether theres not enough
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food in the woods anmore or they are an easier target. Either way they are invading the sacred countryside

that outdoors men used to contain.

                Many diseases can be transmitted throughout animals. When populations become too dense

diseases can form. They will spread and can certainly wipe out a community of animals. Some of these

diseases are zoonotic disease, rabies disease, salmonella disease etc. Many animals can carry different

diseases especially invasive animals. There are more of them and if one is to become ill it will most likely

pass that illness down to the other animals of that specie.

                All hunters and trappers are required to take safety courses! Hunting isn’t just a “go kill an

animals sport”. Hunters have to go through training to understand what they are doing. They have to

study the laws and regulations to understand what they can and cannot do. Not all hunters fall in this

category and this is why they have a bad reputation. Hunters that are not law abiding citizens and do not

follow the rules are called “poachers”. These guys are different than hunters! Hunters are those who

respect the law and do so by following it. Sadly, they get put in this category too. Hunters care about

nature more than anybody. They help conserve the animal’s populations and overall help nourish the

ecosystem. 

Although not everyone agrees that hunting is a necessary sport. Some say hunting is bad for the

environment they say that hunters hunt larger populations of animals and that it can cause them to die

with lack of food to eat. Also they state that it affects the wildlife directly. Some say that there are other

reasons of why hunting is bad such as making the claim of “hunting causing suffering and pain to the

animal”. Most non-hunters that despise this hobby saying that it has nothing to do with “population

control and conservation”. Hunting is not okay to be practiced as a “sport” and “there are not many

regulations” concerning the animals being hunted. Hunting also causes “negative impacts on the animal

of violence” and on “people as to being violent” towards them. One person says that “kids get bored of
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hunting and go for harder targets, humans”. Also saying hunting is a “sick sport” that “killing innocent

animals” is not okay. Saying “there are these places called supermarkets where you get your food”.

With being a hunter there comes a great load of responsibility. Any hunter could look at this

statement and just stand in amazement that “killing an animal in a large population will cause them to

have a lack of food”. They clearly do not understand this topic. Instead of just bashing it down they

should study the topic and see the other side. If animals have large populations that would not cause them

to “die out”. Instead it would support the population and give it more balance. Predation helps balance out

the environment, without it every species on earth would die. They would graze the grass until it was

gone and there would be no food left. They all would come to the conclusion of starving to death. Hunters

are a part of this chain that gives the ecosystem balance.

Another argument that was presented here was that “hunting causes pain and suffering”. This is

not true to all hunters. Hunters are trained on how to kill an animal ethically. Meaning to take the animals

life quick and painlessly. Not all hunters do this and its sad to see animals suffer, but when someone

throws that statement at hunters in general it’s really not fair. A hunter is one who cares about the

environment and respects it. Animal torture and cruelty is not okay, but what most don’t realize is that

hunters take animals ethically. It’s what they were trained and taught to do.

Another argument is that hunting is not about “population control or conservation control on the

animal species”. The question to this statement would then be, what in the world is it for then? Hunting is

for conservation and population control, but it is also for that adventure and food. Hunting makes

memories that will last a life time! When a hunter takes a few hogs that have been rooting up his property

and yet there is still more. He is balancing the population as well as protecting his property. If people

were put into these situations to where their investment was at stake they would understand. They do not

have to deal with these common problems and in fact they just want to fight the issue. When the pilgrims

came to this content searching for freedom they had nothing to eat, so they hunted. If you were hungry
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enough you would absolutely go out and hunt to satisfy your needs! That then brings in this argument

statement of “there are these places called supermarkets where you get your food”. In the super markets

there is meat. Pork is the butchering of a pig and steak is from the butchering of a cow. These animals had

to die to support the customers. With that being said killing a deer or rabbit is the same thing as killing a

pig or cow.

Finally, they say “kids get bored of hunting and go for harder targets, humans”. This is an

extremely offensive statement to all hunters and trappers. It’s a slap in the face to the parents who have

taught their children right from wrong. Most kids are taught at a young age of how to be a responsible

hunter. This statement is not true.

There are many different opinions of why hunting should be banned by many different people.

Hunting has been a tradition that America has practiced for four-hundred years! Hunting has kept us alive

and going as American citizens. Hunting has supported our early colonies and because of them you are

here today. Hunters have continued this incredible tradition and help balance our ecosystem. There has

been evidence provided throughout the paper to show the importance of hunting. Keep this wonderful

tradition going and enjoy the great outdoors. You never know what adventure awaits you over the next

hill.

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