comments on trophy hunting

[greenie]

Theres an acticle on MSN.com regarding reversing evolution due to hunting. Was wondering if anybody has any comments if they have read it.

[fireball31]

I just read it myself.  Its interesting ,but I would have to see a whole lot more references to start believing it.  Apparently she hasn't ever heard of QDMA.

[Ray Hammond]

The propensity for large horns skulls and antlers comes from three things alone- good quality feed,  genetics, and the specimen having enough time to grow them.

A ram that grows big horns has already passed his genes along to future generations prior to growing the monster rack of antlers or horns. If youreview the record books animals with larger and larger antlers and horns are being taken all the time. The world record for yellowstone elk has been broken so many times in recent years it borders on silly.

To say that hunters are reversing evolution smacks of a writer with an agenda more than any scientific conclusion.

[Blackhawk]

Ray,

 

[vermonster13]

They want to reintroduce lions and cheetahs and elephants to the midwest because of the evolutionary damage caused by man and hunting. The article speaks vloumes to the agenda of the "scientists".

[Swamp Pygmy]

I can't find the article? Can I get a link?

I wouldn't take anything too serious though. I remember NBC or some major network several years ago put forth an episode about "evolution" where they cited the supposed human foot prints next to dinosaur prints in Texas. The site had been proven false many years before the program aired and is only a couple of goofy "scientists" who quit giving their work to peer reviewed panels years ago are pushing it.

A scientist can say anything he wants. It's whether the peer review panel thinks he is a moron or not that makes a difference. Wildlife Biology and what is happening with QDMA isn't really any secret to scientists I assure you.

[jonsimoneau]

First time I ever tried trophy hunting did not work out so well for me.  I shot my dads golf trophy off of the mantle, and he was not too impressed.  The thing was really easy to stalk and it destroyed my arrow!

[jonsimoneau]

Sorry, just a little bored at work today!

[KILLER B]

I read it earlier.  I don't believe it even in  places that have incredible hunting pressure.  But in those cases the (not just deer) male female ratio is way off. Giving less food and nutrition to animals with solid genetics would keep them from reaching their true potential.  When pressure is that heavy anyway the animals don't get a chance to grow up and become mature therefore everything would appear to be smaller.  Just cidiot tree hugging tofu eating liberals trying to give the hunting comunity a bad name.  Im no trophy hunter but and will not drop the string on a young buck until the end of season and only if i havn't got a doe. I do like the big ones and love to watch even little bucks chasing during the rut.  It has been said many times before you gotta let em go so they can grow.   JMO

[greenie]

I just thought some would find it interesting. The first thing that came to my mind was how many years it took to knock the Jordon buck off the top of the list.Since then 200" whitetails seem more common (not around my stand). That in it self would shoot a gang of holes in her experts theories. There isnt another big game animal that is pursued by more hunters and poachers in the world than the Whitetail buck, but records still seem to fall. The very same group would cry Bambie Killer if it where less than record book caliber.

[Dartwick]

Its common sense really(if your into biology) that shooting only large racks would make for a selective pressure against large racks.

Although up until a few years when they made rules 4 points and less pretty much any buck dumb enough to be seen ended up dead here in PA.

[fireball31]

Although up until a few years when they made rules 4 points and less pretty much any buck dumb enough to be seen ended up dead here in PA.

Here in MI thats what we are still dealing with.  Our buck to do ratio is so FUBAR its gonna take years to fix.

[BTH]

What is sad the anti-hunters and non-hunters out there will be swayed by this article.

[George D. Stout]

Rack size can also be enhanced with feeding suplements and steroids, and that can create additional issues in time.  I don't pay attention to articles like that, but I see trophy hunting being so corrupted that it means little anymore.

[Ray Hammond]

Dartwick,

You are DEAD WRONG in your assumption.All you need do is look at states that have antler restrictions in place to know its false.

Greenie, whitetail schmitetail... look at elk...Chuck Adams doesn't think trophy hunting is making elk get smaller. He killed world record elk in successive years in Montana, only to be eclipsed by someone else.

Pure trophy hunting means less animals are taken, because you don't take the small ones..which are fathered by the world class animals...which carry the genes of the trophy animals..and because they aren't killed off early in life have the chance to become trophies in their own right. It's just a false premise to believe that trophy hunting causes evolution to reverse.

HOGWASH.