to kill or not to kill

[WAPITIHUNTER]

That was a joke about the humming bird. I hope you are not that Gullable.

I disagree with the wanton disregard for life and waste of animal life for the sheer pleasure of shooting and sport. If you shoot it eat it. If it is damaging or harming your family, pets or livelyhood then let them have it if there is no other option. Coyotes have been known to attack people and kill and drag off peoples pets. Raccoons will to but not as readily. If you are killing raccoons for sport then skin them out and feed the carcases to your dogs and cats at least.(if that is legal?)

For that matter you are even allowed by law to shoot deer and elk that are depredating your crops if all other methods fail.(I don't know why you would do that though because the state will compensate you for the damages)

Funny how it's appalling to most how the Indians will drop half a herd of elk take a little meat and leave the rest to rot and it's OK for some to shoot animals for fun and make no attempt to utilise the meat.  

[Gutpile]

Are you guys for real? You actually eat them? I've never heard of that.  

[remington300mag]

I'm very serious.....If and when there is another meet put together...I will be more than glad to cook up a coon pot roast just so people can try it! It is very good....just one of those things that the thought gets in the way of the eating.....but once you try it....I guarantee you will eat it again! The meat has a very mild flavor.....and cooked right...falls right off the bone...very tender! I'm sure like bear, some are more gamier than others.....but I have never ate one that I thought tasted bad!

I think everyone should try it!!

[bobcat]

I wouldn't even think about eating a raccoon.  

As far as killing one and leaving it in the woods, well...I'm pretty sure it won't go to waste. SOMETHING will eat it. As long as killing them isn't hurting the overall population then I don't see anything wrong with it.

What really is there to keep the raccoon population in check anyway?  

[509er]

I would have a hard time eating one, hell, I dont even like to touch them after I shoot them.  But saying that, if one was cooked I would try it.

[mossback91]

My grandpa used to tell me groundhog tasted really good...........

[ICEMAN]

What really is there to keep the raccoon population in check anyway?  

Nature.

[ICEMAN]

I dont really have a problem with shooting racoons if they are troubling you or your property, or stealing your eggs....but if you are out in the county yote hunting...and just happen along one...let it go.... Theyre just so damned cute!  We dont have to shoot everything that we legally can...

[bowhuntin]

What really is there to keep the raccoon population in check anyway?  

Nature.

So nature will take care of wolves, coyotes, raccoons, cougars and other predators?

[Curly]

Remember this in the news in Olympia?
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/22/ap/tech/mainD8JLHKF00.shtml

Psycho killer raccoons terrorize Olympia, devouring cats, attacking dog, frightening residents

OLYMPIA, Washington, Aug. 22, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(AP) A fierce group of raccoons has killed 10 cats, attacked a small dog and bitten at least one pet owner who had to get rabies shots, residents of Olympia say.

The cute little *censored*s do eat a lot of bird eggs from what I hear.  If I see one out where there are grouse, pheasant, or quail, I'm going to shoot it.  (And I even have a hard time shooting a coyote because I don't like to shoot things and waste them.)  I'm still not sure about eating it though  ........probably save it for one of you guys that like to eat them.

I killed a big one in my back yard last October.  My dogs (labs) had treed it (or one of its relatives) the year before and I let it walk away.  This time, I decided I'd help out the neighbors dogs and the local grouse population.

[ICEMAN]

What really is there to keep the raccoon population in check anyway?  

Nature.

So nature will take care of wolves, coyotes, raccoons, cougars and other predators?

Yes. To be honest with you, and you know it too, yes. Nature would take care of it all if we didnt want to be considered into the equation. Nature took good care of itself before, and would do the same again.

Nature did just fine before we were involved...

Don't think for a second that I am a granola head.... I just think that nature would reach its own balance of whatever....if left alone. The problem is that I choose to hunt. Therefore, I wish to modify and impact nature to best benefit exactly what I want to hunt. I say kill the coyotes and thin the bobcats, so the deer and grouse I hunt, in the areas I hunt benefit. I dont hunt many grouse in western wa, so I say leave the Racoons alone. If I had a farm locally, and was bothered, I would say kill the racoons.....

[bowhuntin]

What really is there to keep the raccoon population in check anyway?  

Nature.

So nature will take care of wolves, coyotes, raccoons, cougars and other predators?

Yes. To be honest with you, and you know it too, yes. Nature would take care of it all if we didnt want to be considered into the equation. Nature took good care of itself before, and would do the same again.

Nature did just fine before we were involved...

Don't think for a second that I am a granola head.... I just think that nature would reach its own balance of whatever....if left alone. The problem is that I choose to hunt. Therefore, I wish to modify and impact nature to best benefit exactly what I want to hunt. I say kill the coyotes and thin the bobcats, so the deer and grouse I hunt, in the areas I hunt benefit. I dont hunt many grouse in western wa, so I say leave the Racoons alone. If I had a farm locally, and was bothered, I would say kill the racoons.....

Sure, nature did just fine when humans weren't around, but we are around and we are part of the ecosystem. Everybody talks about balance but I don't think there really is a true balance, it can be close. I think for the most part at times nature will have more than it can support until it swings more back towards the middle and for a time may be below what the ideal carrying capacity would be.

I don't think you are a granola head, nor would I think anyone on here would think that if they have been on this site for a while. I just disagree with you on killing these critters. I don't predator hunt, but some people like to do it and if you just shoot them and let them lay they will be used up by nature in some way or another. If there is enough of these critters around to hunt then I say shoot them, it isn't like they are endangered and it will benefit birds, such as grouse that are more palatable than a raccoon.

[billythekidrock]

I don't think nature would be able to take care of itself if we let it go. The human population and changes/damage we have done to the land are too immense.

In the old days if a cougar (predators) couldn't find food in the hills it came to the lowlands. If the food (deer/elk/rabbits) weren't there they would starve. Now there is always food (pets/people/garbage) in the lowlands. Predators are adaptable and very seldom starve anymore.

[mossback91]

  good way to say it btkr!

[bobcat]

Geez Iceman, you're beginning to sound just a little bit like a PETA member.