Captive hunting in Vermont lures amid criticism

[SecularMotion]

Source: Boston Globe

FAIRLEE, Vt. — The fenced-in hunting ground covers 129 rocky acres of hilly forest near the Connecticut River, a rugged place where 200 “exotic” animals, from American buffalo to wild boar, roamed — with a price on their heads.

Stalked and shot as trophies — often at close range, according to law enforcement officials — the animals allegedly fetched from $750 for a boar to about $6,000 for an elk in a captive-hunting camp that state wildlife officials said operated illegally but advertised openly on the Internet.

The two operators of the camp, called Hunt the Ridge, are scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court after a sting in which two game wardens, posing as hunters from Pennsylvania, paid to shoot and kill a wild boar and a Spanish goat, authorities said. They face fines up to $7,000 and the loss of their hunting and fishing licenses.

“One of the more important aspects of hunting is the notion of fair chase,” said Patrick Berry, the state fish and wildlife commissioner. “If you have an animal trapped behind a fence, it loses that sense.”

Read more: http://bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/02/21/captive-hunting-still-lures-amid-criticism/UNaw5ZcOVj9C2FOdXdSYZO/story.html

[Kolesar]

1. Gun owners embarrass themselves again

Can't they just spend the afternoon playing video games?

[another_liberal]

2. The authorities . . .

The local authorities should be empowered to take away the firearms of anyone who even applies to "hunt" at such an establishment. They have to be the worst kind of unbalanced psycho to find that kind of butchery appealing.

[Loup Garou]

3. That loser Ted Nugent runs canned hunts, too.

In 1970, Ted Nugent began accumulating wild Michigan hunting ground. That land is now known as SUNRIZE ACRES! This sportsman’s dream now contains 340 acres of perfect big game habitat, rich with wildlife and the Spirit of the Wild. Managed for optimum health and indigenous bio-diversity, Sunrize Acres is home to world-class trophy whitetail deer, American buffalo and various exotics.

Book an adventure on the Nugent Tribe's traditional HuntGrounds for the thrill of your life. A rustic cabin is available and hunts are booked year round. You must be a member in good standing of the NRA in order to hunt Sunrize Acres and the SpiritWild Ranch.

http://www.tednugent.com/sunrize/

[Kolesar]

6. Welcome to the forum! eom

means "end of message", btw

[no_hypocrisy]

4. I knew a guy who wanted to open a business like that.

His plan was to buy hundred of wooded acreage in upstate New York and host hunting tours for German Jaegers (hunters).

Fortunately it never happened. I thought this was horrific.

[Berlum]

5. Death Camp. Blood Sport.

The Dark Path.

[Jennicut]

7. Totally unneeded, pointless and sad.

That is a a beautiful area. Right along the NH border, been that way many times driving from Connecticut to my father in law's home in NH. Had no idea something like that was being run there.

[Peter cotton]

8. Yawn. I'm having trouble getting worked up about this.

There are more than 1,000 canned hunt facilities across the country that operate legally. While it doesn't sound particularly sporting, neither is having someone butcher a cow at a factory farm. Given that it's not not a big deal when Bessie is turned into McWhoppers, why is this a problem?

[cntrfthrs]

19. True

Whether its sporting is another argument.

[Kingofalldems]

9. Guns are just tools for target shooting and self defense

So say the courageous gun worshipers.

[deurbano]

10. Isn't that similar to the type of "hunting" Cheney was doing when he shot the guy in the face?

[Crepuscular]

11. Not hunting.

The activities that occur in high fence operations are not hunting and should not be portrayed as such. Having said that, as long as the operations are licensed, employ adequate biosecurity measures and are in compliance with the law, they should be allowed to exist, nothing to get upset about any more than your local supermarket is.

Is there a substantive difference between somebody buying a pig at the local 4H auction, having it killed and butchered and turned into boxes of bacon and pork chops vs. somebody going to a high fence operation, buying the right to kill a pig, shooting one and having it butchered and turned into boxes of bacon and pork chops? The end result is a full freezer. The pig behind the fence probably had a more enjoyable life prior to it's demise than the one raised in a small pen. The only issue I see with the concept is calling it hunting or implying that there is any sport involved.

[Sunlei]

13. a huge difference if you consider the cost per pound to kill worm cyst, gamie, stringie, pork.

Wildlife trailered around to be released in unfamilar area is not very happy behind that fence.

[Crepuscular]

14. really?

Is your observation based on experience? I've never gone to a high fence operation but I have read a fair amount about them. The ones I'm aware of treat their stock in the same manner that farmers do, with treatment for parasitic infestations, vaccinations and anti-biotics, so I'm not sure where the "worm cyst" aspect is coming from. As far as "gamie, stringie" pork, again, do you have personal experience in that regard? There are farmers that are raising the same breeds as are shot behind a fence, for consumption in high-end restaurants. Many chefs prefer meat from some of those types of hybrids due to the lean nature of the meat and the rich flavor. The "gamie" nature tends to be the result of how the meat in handled, not the intrinsic nature of the meat.

As far as being trailered around, while some of that happens, the same thing happens to domestic hogs and cattle, so what's your point? Most of the high fence operations that I've read about raise the animals on site.

[Sunlei]

18. The canned hunt place busted in the article was not legal.

One can't properly raise/breed wildlife on such a small acreage. It was just a canned hunt place where they had to trailer in what animals they used. 130 acres is small.

Ever see wild animals shoved into a trailer or even fenced? They act totally different than domestic livestock. They panic big time and bash around. Yes, I have experience managing livestock and wild animals.

read the packaging on animal wormers and the many medications one has to use if they don't want their animals to rot from dirty manure mud or become infested with worms. A lot of those medications are banned for use in food animals.

On top of that many wildlife eaten by 'hunters' are species effected by chronic wasting disease. That's a prion disease similar to mad-cow. They aren't sure where chronic wasting comes from, perhaps the rendered 'protein' in wildlife feeds? No research has been done on that. The USA is very behind other first world countries in our food safety, our regulations, and even the basic humane treatment of our farm animals and our wildlife.

I think anyone who would pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to shoot their own wild 50$ a pound gamie sausage or some stupid bear rug or stuffed head, just does it to kill an animal.

Real hunters, real ranchers and gun enthusiasts should be outraged and not support canned hunt places at all. Gives all of them a bad name. The fines are way to low for the law breakers.

[Crepuscular]

20. please.

Yeah, lot's of chronic wasting disease in Vermont, isn't there.

Btw, I'm sure the Europeans are currently enjoying a veritable buffet of horsemeat that has been found in more and more products there lately, certainly a testament to their food safety regulations.

Lots of things worthy of getting outraged about in this world, the fact that someone shoots an animal behind a fence instead of buying it pre-packaged at the grocery store is not something to lose any sleep over.

[LanternWaste]

15. What is the objective and relevant difference between canned hunts and wild hunts?...

"The only issue I see with the concept is calling it hunting or implying that there is any sport involved.,,:


What then is the precise, objective and relevant difference between canned hunts and wild hunts that allows us to label (or imply) one as a sport, but not the other?

[Crepuscular]

16. not "a" sport

The difference being when someone is hunting a free ranging animal, it has the opportunity to evade the hunter, mirroring the natural predator/prey relationship found in nature. The concept of fair chase is based on the premise that the prey has a "sporting chance" of surviving, which is usually the case in recreational sport hunting scenario's. Behind the fence, evading the hunter is usually not an option and the ultimate fate of the animal is a foregone conclusion, as it is when a similar animal is raised on the farm. Hunting is a recreational endeavor, raising animals to be shot behind a fence is a commercial endeavor, akin to animal husbandry.

[hamsterjill]

17. And people who participate in these types of hunt are not "macho" either.

There is no possible danger to them when they set up their humongous guns with their high-powered scopes and the guide is right beside them and has has found the desired target. It's more the same concept as picking out a shirt at the mall than a real "hunt".

It is not "hunting" because someone else finds the animal to be shot. Someone else deals with the carcass after the animal is shot, and someone else ships the trophied head back home to the home or office where the big idiot who thinks he's all macho for having shot something sits on his ass and tells tall tails about his "hunt" to make himself look big.

[Sunlei]

12. if they were growing marijuana they would have confiscated the land and money.

slap on the wrist won't stop them from killing animals for easy money.