Anti-hunting always twisting, manipulating and spreading outright lies!

So Steven Rinella wrote a great article in support of increasing bear hunting opportunities in California given the new statistics that the bear population is actually 3x greater than originally estimated. Of course the internet trolls of anti-hunting orgs lashed out and sent lies driven by false information that they are fed by their echo cambers. I took a moment to read through them because unlike the sheep of anti-hunting I like to look at both sides and see if there is an logical/intellectual rebuttals. Well I decided to pick apart some of their lies and misguided “opinions”

For ease of navigating this post everything I wrote is in bold and the original comments are in Italics

To the editor #1: Rinella closes his article by writing: “It’s understandable that most Californians will never choose to be hunters. What’s less clear is why more don’t support those who do.”

Why?

Apparently, the author is unaware that the largest wildlife crossing in the United States is being built right here in Southern California to protect our mountain lion populations. The over pass was built for all wildlife to use to avoid collisions with vehicles. Not anywhere in the documentation does it state saving lions as the motivation for spending 92 million dollars of taxpayers money. I can guarantee you it was sold to the public as a way to protect human lives  and a positive side effect is protecting wildlife not a mtn lion highway.  He also seems unaware that most Californians do not condone the taking of innocent lives for the specious reasons he outlined. Apparently this guy likes to come up with statistics out of the sky. California falls right inline with national statistics of public sentiment on hunting 76% support it.

Killing sentient beings for existing is cruel and inhumane. I love when someone uses this phrase “sentient beings” they obviously don’t know what the term means. So we are talking specifically about bears here – bears will kill their own young to force sows back into heat, and bears have the largest death rate via cannibalism than any other species. Does that sound sentient to you? I didn’t think so.  — that’s why most Californians don’t support what he does. Hunters don’t kill just because animals exist, if people took two minutes out of their lives to step in the shoes of a hunter they would understand and have profound respect for wild things and wild places the way we do. A great way to get a glimpse into the soul of a hunter this is to read this article.

Kelli J. Nicholas, Simi Valley

To the editor #2: The assertion that black bear population growth justifies expanded hunting of the animals overlooks the ethical and ecological implications of such a proposal. There are more ecological implications if bears are over populated or go unchecked. As it stands bears steal 70% of lion kills are bears more important than lions, than deer? Plus what is unethical about procuring your own meat? Unless the whole world is ready to become vegan you are arguing that buying meat at the store is more ethical than going out in the field a procuring it yourself.  California’s black bear population recovery is a conservation success story, not a justification for increased hunting pressure. Black bears are a conservation success story, the key word being “conservation” not preservation. Eliminating hunting is preservation, conservation requires an active role and being a participant in nature and natural cycles not observing from a distance like hunting.  

Claims ( its not claims its facts) that hunting fees fund conservation efforts fail to acknowledge broader environmental impacts and the welfare of individual animals and their families. We are not aliens to this planet we are part of the ecosystem. Developing and converting of habit for farm lands and housing is the number one factor interfering and diminishing ecosystems and is the number one threat to wildlife not hunting.  Conservation should prioritize coexistence and non-lethal management strategies rather than perpetuating outdated practices that disrupt natural ecosystems. I bet the writer didn’t know that more lions have been killed by government sharp shooters and conflict removal since the hunting ban in 1972 than hunters ever killed. The killing didn’t stop, taxpayers are just paying for it now instead of letting a hunter pay for it and feed his family with the meat. Plus again the wrong use of the word conservation which means to conserve for later use or prevention of wasteful use of a resource not eliminating the use of.

Furthermore, the argument that hunters benefit wildlife management contradicts the broader community’s responsibility to safeguard biodiversity for future generations. It is crucial that wildlife policies uphold ethical standards and prioritize sustainable practices that protect all species’ interests. This is precisely what hunting and wildlife agencies do. Hunting is used as both a management and funding tool to protect biodiversity and the over all health of wildlife. The habitat restoration efforts, propagation of wild places and the funding generated from hunting not only protects the handful of game species in CA but the other 800 species as well.

Kayla Capper, Ojai

The writer is California state director of the group Animal Wellness Action. ( paid goon to spread lies)

To the editor #3: Steven Rinella’s plea to be allowed to shoot dead more black bears fell flat on the ears of this “extremist” animal rights activist, no matter how many of his cruel and thoughtless friends prefer black bear meat at the unconventional (read: creepy) tasting parties he hosts.

First of all, any and all research funded by people who love nothing more than to kill wild animals for fun and amusement is suspect. Research done by the fish and wildlife agencies and countless habitat restoration organizations are rooted firmly in science , real science not the social sciences where data is twisted to sway the hearts and minds of those too busy to look for the truth.  

Secondly, he neglects to mention these facts: For every animal shot dead by a hunter, one is left wounded to die a slow and agonizing death, and hunters frequently kill new moms, leaving their cubs to the same sad and tragic fate. This is an outright lie ! 1) JJ is saying that for every single bear that is shot one is mortally wounded I spend 100 days a year afield and guide novice hunters regularly the wound rate is less than 3% 2) Shooting sows with cubs is illegal, and most hunters avoid sows all together and target large mature males

Third, why oh why can’t we humans greet the good news that the black bear population is thriving with celebration and joy instead of seeing it as a new hunting opportunity? Why oh why can’t close minded people who have been brained washed and who want to control everything you do look at things holistically? Everything needs balance you cannot effect change at one level and expect things to stay static on the other side. Just like you can’t build a farm to grow soybean to make fake meat without removing habitat for wildlife, you cannot have more bears and expect them not to kill more deer. Wildlife management seeks to find a happy medium for all to exist, so that there is wildlife in perpetuity and hunting is a large part of the mechanism that does that physically, financially and spiritually.     

(This is my favorite)Finally, it is the thinnest of lines that separates the killing of an animal from the killing of a human being. So now if we kill animals it’s akin to killing humans?  

JJ Flowers, Dana Point

It is sad to me that a group of people want so badly to control the narrative and dictate what you are to believe, that they would lie, manipulate and deceive to be right. They have swallowed the kool-aid and they want you to do so as well so they are not alone in their own stupidity. How far down the road of denial to you need to be to ignore facts, science and billions of years of human culture? They pray on the fact that people who are not close to the issues will not research and find the truth so they say whatever they want to say to get you on their team. I pity them, but the fact is their strategies are very effective especially in this day and age where we operate off headlines and click bait. It is up to those who want to seek the truth to help others find it and dismantle their BS attempts at garnering support of their way of life. Go to howl.org to truly support wildlife….