Ethics in hunting; What are the rules of the game? 

    Hunting has been a skill upon which human life has been dependednt on for centuries.  It was by hunting that man would catch an animal that could be used for food, clothing, shelter, and daily tools.  Hunting was not only a part of life, but the very thing that sustained our lives.  Today the views of hunting are changing as our society continues to rush head-long into a not too distant technologic world.  It estimated that only about 7% of Americans hunt today, and of those there are many different kinds of hunters.  There are those who hunt for the sport of it, for the mere challenge of tracking an animal and catching it on its own turf.  There are also those who hunt in an attempt to get meat.  Finally, there are those who hunt because it is their way of participating with nature.  There are many government regulations and public opinions concerning hunting, whether it is ethical, and how to do it safely.  Here are a few links to web pages that discuss the whole spectrum of opinions on hunting.

DON'T POINT THAT GUN AT ME:
These web sites argue that hunting is unethical and unnecessary.  Many of these parties and others like them are non profit, but take an active role in attempting to stop hunting.

 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)   PETA argues that animals have rights just as humans do and that harming them is just as bad as harming a human being.  This is their official website from which you may find all kinds of animal rights information.

 Wildlife Damage Review   This site tells about the Animal Damage Control (ADC), which is responsible for killing up to 2 million animals a year, largely to benefit western ranchers.  This organization does this while using as much as $45 million in US tax dollars to do so.  This web site discusses how they see the ADC as a problem.

 The Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting (CASH)   This site is put up by a group that is quite adament about stopping sport hunting.  They talk about ways that they have interveened on behalf of the animals in the pst, and opportunities for you to get involved.

BULL'S EYE!
These sites are put up by advocates of hunting, especially those that want to educate the public on why hunting should not be banned.

 Placing Hunting in Perspective This site is a 28 page documentary on the ethics of hunting.  I found this to be quite thorough and informative.  The discussion is broken into key questions which are well discussed.

 Extinction of The American Hunter This site discusses the rapid decline of hunters in America, and offers reasons for people to reconcider what their stance is on hunting.  This site talks about the importance of hunting, and the role it played and can still play in our society.

 PATRIOT  This is a unique site in which a chaplain discusses how hunting can be backed up by the Bible.  This man uses a lot of scripture to explain the order of authority (i.e. that man has dominion over the animals) and the role that this order plays in our rights to hunt.

BE TACTFUL:
These two sites are examples of people who think that hunting does have need of ethical standards.

 African Econo Hunter This site is put up by a man who runs hunting trips in South Africa.  The section that most intrigued me about this page was about the sportsmanship of a good hunter, such as a clean, quick kill that does not let the animal suffer.

 Canned Hunting- Fair Game?   This site suggests that hunting farms are not true hunting, and are, in fact, unethical.  It discusses the growing trend of setting animals in a certain fenced in area so that the hunter will have a decided advantage as the prey may not escape, merely elude for a while.

THE ROUND UP:
These three sites are a few random ones that discuss various aspects of hunting.

 Georgia General Hunting Regulations  This site discusses the rules put out and enforced by the state of Georgia with regards to hunting.  It is pretty interesting to see all the rules and how they are different for each animal and the various seasons.

 Hunting Association Injuries This site discusse the always possible gun shot injurie that can occur when hunting.  This site is based on a New York case study that shows a correlation of hunting injuries with the lack of bright/safe clothing.

 To Hunt or Not to Hunt  I found this to be the best site.  This person explores the world of hunting that is around them, even though they don't participate in it themselves.  A lot of it is based on a paper composed by a professor Kellert from Yale in 1978.