I do give deer hunting a pass because they’re overpopulated in places (because humans wiped out their native predators).
Feel free to try and change my mind so I can wipe that off my ever-shrinking personal “ethically ok to eat meats” list. For all I know this is one of those lies I was raised with that I’ve not examined since childhood.
Edit: context is in Kentucky, USA 20 years ago. I don’t know about deer populations elsewhere and elsewhen.
Dont stop hunting, please. Humans did a phenomenal job of ensuring a required hunting season for deer by wiping out all the natural predators, now without them we have to have culls. If you participate in said culls, PLEASE eat the meat, use the pelt, give the antlers to your dog. We’ve forced ourselves into a position where some of us MUST take up the mantle of predator. If you choose to, just be responsible with the carcass so it didn’t die for no good reason.
To add a wrinkle: there’s now “farmed deer”. It’s supposedly more environmentally friendly than farmed cow, but I don’t like it because •vague feelings I’ve not fully examined•.
So don’t assume any venison you find in the grocery store was hunted.
Only time I’ve eaten meat in the past ~30 years was when I ate some invasive fish that had been caught in a killathon to restore native habitat. Not that it’s my role to “give you a pass,” but I certainly do in this case!
Apparently there’s spear fisherfolk in Florida that kill invasive lionfish and provide them to local restaurants. I’m all for killing and eating invasive species.
I do give deer hunting a pass because they’re overpopulated in places (because humans wiped out their native predators).
Feel free to try and change my mind so I can wipe that off my ever-shrinking personal “ethically ok to eat meats” list. For all I know this is one of those lies I was raised with that I’ve not examined since childhood. Edit: context is in Kentucky, USA 20 years ago. I don’t know about deer populations elsewhere and elsewhen.
Former vegan, current vegetarian here.
Dont stop hunting, please. Humans did a phenomenal job of ensuring a required hunting season for deer by wiping out all the natural predators, now without them we have to have culls. If you participate in said culls, PLEASE eat the meat, use the pelt, give the antlers to your dog. We’ve forced ourselves into a position where some of us MUST take up the mantle of predator. If you choose to, just be responsible with the carcass so it didn’t die for no good reason.
To add a wrinkle: there’s now “farmed deer”. It’s supposedly more environmentally friendly than farmed cow, but I don’t like it because •vague feelings I’ve not fully examined•.
So don’t assume any venison you find in the grocery store was hunted.
Vague feelings? I think your feelings are pretty spot-on, farming an animal whose population is already excessive in the wild is bizarre.
Wild deer are more environmentally friendly than farmed deer.
The feelings are vague because I can’t put them confidently into words, but your explanation resonates.
Wow, thanks, I hate it!
Only time I’ve eaten meat in the past ~30 years was when I ate some invasive fish that had been caught in a killathon to restore native habitat. Not that it’s my role to “give you a pass,” but I certainly do in this case!
Apparently there’s spear fisherfolk in Florida that kill invasive lionfish and provide them to local restaurants. I’m all for killing and eating invasive species.
That’s exactly what I ate :)