Darbarian -
"I am not a fan of hunting simply for sport, but I hope some of the folks who spoke out here can see that there are times when killing a wild animal is necessary,...."
I agree completely. I guess what bothers me is this mentality of killing just to kill. Maybe this guy had what he thought was a good reason to kill this cat. Maybe he tried other methods before resorting to this final option. I'm thinking, with the look of this picture, the bravado displayed, maybe that's not the case. Why is killing this cat something to boast about?
Many people desparage our southern brothers for being crass, inbred rednecks and, while there are some who resemble that remark, I can tell you the south has no corner on that market. I live on the edge of the NY Southern Tier and will vouch that hillbillies are everywhere. These dudes just love nothing more than shooting thier guns and aren't too particualr about what they shoot at. It is something they get an incredible amount of joy trumpeting about. As if it makes the size of thier genitals swell with each telling.
In the end, as I said, I support hunting as long as ethics are applied and that includes being judicious about what we kill and why we kill it.
Life, all life, is precious. Some of it is worth taking because it helps the population of that species. Some because it causes undue hardship to hardworking humans.
I prefer to kill something that will feed my family in the most healthy and natural way.
If you want to call me soft (or worse as the case may be) or paint me with whatever brush is handy to you, feel free.