Questions for school paper on Trophy hunting

[spro]

My son is writing a paper in school about trophy hunting. Can some of you please answer these questions for him? He tried to get an interview with Wildlife and Fisheries but they told him they were to busy. He even went to their office and they would not help him. Figured I would post the questions hear to help him out. Thanks a bunch guys!

1. What do you consider trophy hunting?

2. How would you compare trophy hunting in Africa for Lions and trophy hunting bobcats or bear in your area?

3. What animals do you consider to be trophys in your area?

4. Do you think trophy hunting is negative to the animals being hunted or does it positively affect them? Why?

5. Why do you think trophy hunters are viewed in a negative way?

6. How are people able to hunt for trophy animals? What are the requirements?

7. Have you ever been trophy hunting? How would you describe your experience and motives?

8. Can you recommend any sources that would help me learn about trophy hunting or it's effects?

[Low Fence]

1. Above the average line for that area

2. Never been on any of the following. As long as they are free to flee. Same (I’d guess)

3. Mature whitetail over 130”+ and hog over 250 pounds

4. No. It produces money... money produces more trophies

5.ignorance of facts.... and some have the personality of stud billy goat

6. A. Time money. Opportunity B time and money

7 yes. Seldom but sometimes successful, and challenging. Motivation is the challenge of beating their senses on their own turf, and I enjoy the meat

8. Dallas safari club. Rocky mountain elk foundation. National wild turkey federation

[SmTx]

He needs to frame the argument around the conservation that is required to get the trophies there in the first place.

You don't get trophies shooting every animal you see.

In developed countries we're not truly hunting because we have to. Manage the resources correctly(cover, food, water) and trophies start to grow. I wouldn't bring up any kick and shoot type places in the trophy hunting argument because that's not really hunting

[spro]

Great answers. Sure these will help him. Thanks!

[firehunt fish]

Hi Spro,

I agree that the best theme for the paper would be the value of trophy hunting from the conservation and habitat preservation perspective. I have included links to several current relevant articles and 1 really informative video that should be excellent resources for your son. I can send more links if he needs more, but he should be able to write a novel based on what is provided below... Good luck..

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/the-response-a-must-watch-conservation-through-hunting-video.53063/

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/value-of-trophy-hunting.53356/

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/banning-trophy-hunting-won%E2%80%99t-protect-animals-scientists-warn.53286/

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/in-defence-of-trophy-hunting.53287/

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/southern-african-countries-warn-trevor-noah-against-misinformed-anti-hunting-lobby.53268/

https://www.africahunting.com/threads/the-namibian-leopard-national-census-sustainable-hunting-practices.53257/

[firehunt fish]

Another good article:

https://www.perc.org/2019/07/18/the-role-of-hunting-in-conserving-african-wildlife/

[GarGuy]

Maybe contact land rover on here. Would be the perfect interview for the paper. He is Houston chapter sci pres I believe.

[spro]

Very cool. Thanks for all the help guys!

[Landrover]

You guys got the bases covered. Great info and wonderful idea on how to organize is thoughts/argument.

Maybe contact land rover on here. Would be the perfect interview for the paper. He is Houston chapter sci pres I believe.

Yes, i am the current President of the Houston Chapter of Safari Club International. If the young man needs more data points i am more than available. Matter of fact if he needs info from our education staff in Tucson I can help in that arena also.

[Texas Tracker]

If he has a Lib teacher he might be shooting himself in the foot.

[spro]

Awesome. Lots of good advice here. I will pass all this on to him. Landrover, hopefully he will take you up on this if needed. Thanks again

[Landrover]

If he has a Lib teacher he might be shooting himself in the foot.

A lot of truth there but pushing back the walls of ignorance are difficult and this young man could be the chosen one!

[bklem]

Spro,
I believe you found your man to help with the original questions. On another note, I’d be willing to help your son with his essay in any way possible if needed. My emphasis would be on his hook and thesis statement and he could take it from there. What grade level we talking here? Btw, I can’t help with his math but I’ve graded a high school paper or two.��

[El General]

My son is writing a paper in school about trophy hunting. Can some of you please answer these questions for him? He tried to get an interview with Wildlife and Fisheries but they told him they were to busy. He even went to their office and they would not help him. Figured I would post the questions hear to help him out. Thanks a bunch guys!

1. What do you consider trophy hunting?

2. How would you compare trophy hunting in Africa for Lions and trophy hunting bobcats or bear in your area?

3. What animals do you consider to be trophys in your area?

4. Do you think trophy hunting is negative to the animals being hunted or does it positively affect them? Why?

5. Why do you think trophy hunters are viewed in a negative way?

6. How are people able to hunt for trophy animals? What are the requirements?

7. Have you ever been trophy hunting? How would you describe your experience and motives?

8. Can you recommend any sources that would help me learn about trophy hunting or it's effects?

1. Trophy hunting is where the meat and/or hide is not utilized from an otherwise legal recreational hunting activity.

2. I have never hunted lions in Africa, but to my knowledge, all the meat and hides from lion kills is utilized by the hunter and/or people that live in the local area of the hunt.

The American black bear is a protected species in Texas, so any bear hunting here is poaching. Population estimates of black bears in North America are close to 1,000,000 bears and they are a IUCN species of least concern. I have never hunted black bears, but the many people that I am acquainted with that have hunted them all utilized the fantastic meat from this game animal.

The brown bear and grizzly bear is the same species but they have different names depending on where they live. All grizzlies are brown bears, but not all brown bears are grizzlies. There are about 55,000 brown bears in North America. They are also an IUCN species of least concern. There are currently no legal bear hunts in the lower 48 states as they enjoy the protections of the endangered species act. In Alaska, the brown bear occupies 95% of its historical range and there are legal permit hunts in many areas. The brown bear/grizzly is a game animal in Alaska. Alaska, like most states, has laws against the wanton waste of game animals with specific regulations regarding the use of brown bears. Trophy hunting for game species is illegal in any state with wanton waste laws.

The bobcat, or lynx rufus is a widely distributed North American lynx. In Texas, they are considered so numerous that they are regulated as non-game animal for hunters or furbearer for trappers. There is no closed season to bobcat hunting in Texas. The bobcat is an IUCN species of least concern. Bobcat pelts are beautiful and in high enough demand that I seriously doubt that trophy hunting is common.

3. I have never participated in a trophy hunt. I am a lifelong hunter and I am not personally acquainted with anyone that has ever taken a game animal that they did not intend to use the meat or hide. I do not think this is a common practice.

4. In Texas, trophy hunting as defined above is illegal. There are many countries where it is not illegal. In those countries the dollars generated by license and tag purchases from hunters is vital to the continued existence of many game species around the world. Nothing bolsters healthy populations of animals like hunter interest. In the United States, hunter dollars from license, tags, and stamp sales as well as Pittman-Robertson and Dingle-Johnson funds have helped recover species on the brink of extirpation like whitetail deer, wild turkeys, grizzly bears, mule deer, elk, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, grey wolf, mountain goat, and American bison. Habitat for the recovery of these species benefits thousands of other non-game species. Hunter interest is vital to wildlife conservation.

5. Trophy hunters are viewed negatively for many reasons. At the 10,000' level, by percentage, more Americans live in large urban areas than at any other time in our history. A once rural nation, our people have lost connection with our food. They believe that food comes wrapped in celophane at a grocery store. They don't understand that meat came from a living animal that existed in much worse conditions than any wild animal ever has. This gives them a perspective divorced from reality. When they see a hunter posing with a buffalo, bear, or lion they think that if that hunter hadn't killed the individual that it would have lived forever. They also think that the loss of one individual is vital for the species. People that decry trophy hunting generally speaking are making an emotion based argument, not a scientific one.

The truth is that mature males are nearly always targeted by hunters. And, in terms of the population of most species, male harvest has no effect on longterm population dynamics. There has been news stories lately about a black rhino mature male that was shot. That male was going to be removed from the population by the biologists if they had not sold a tag to a hunter. This specific very old rhino bull was strong enough to hold off male competitors but not strong enough to breed all the available females. Wildlife biologists determined that this rhino had to die for the benefit of the species.

The people of California voted to outlaw mountain lion hunting a few years ago despite the fact that lion populations are thriving. Before they outlawed the hunt, hunters purchased individual tags and killed about 300 lions per year. The money from these tags went to habitat and research for mountain lions. Now, because of an exploding population of mountain lions that have had their only predator removed by popular vote, the taxpayers of California pay trappers contracted by the state government to catch and kill about 300 mountain lions a year after they kill pets, people, or livestock.

This is one of many examples of an emotion based decision being detrimental to wildlife. The same people that voted to change the profitable hunting of mountain lions by individuals to the very expensive killing of mountain lions by the government are the people you see making outraged posts on social media regarding "trophy" hunting, writing biased and incorrect articles on hunting for major mainstream media outlets, or reporting from location about legal hunting activities in other countries.

6. All hunters in Texas must have a hunting license with the appropriate stamps and have completed a state certified hunter education course. In addition to that, they must have landowner permission to access private land. Public land access requirements are too varied to outline in the confines of this paper, but it generally requires an annual public hunting permit at the very minimum. Many public land hunts also require entering the tag lottery for access to specific public lands.

7. I have never been trophy hunting. All of my friends and most of my acquaintances hunt. None of them have ever been trophy hunting.

8. If you enter "trophy hunting" in to google.com, all you will really learn about hunting is what the radical left wants you to learn about it. Trophy hunting is so rare as to be non existent in this country. If you want to learn about hunting, there are many fantastic websites, but you should always start at your state wildlife agency site to learn about the rules and regulations regarding hunting in your area. tpwd.texas.gov is Texas Parks and Wildlife's website and is a fantastic resource on not only your legal responsibilities but the vast array of flora and fauna in our great state. Meateater.com is a fantastic website to explore modern hunting practices and ethics.

[spro]

Wow. Great points El General. Especially your point about "Trophy" hunting. Guessing my son may need to clarify what his meaning of "Trophy" hunter is. In my mind, I have always thought all of us to be "trophy" hunters at some level. Most of us don't spend all the time and effort to just kill a doe or spike. We are all hoping to get a chance at getting that "wall hanger" or "trophy", whatever that means to them. Thanks so much for your time and thoughts. Good stuff.