Is it moral to hunt?

[Robert_in_SD]

And I’m speaking of hunting legally - i.e. legal game animals, taken in season, in a proper place, by a person who is properly licensed and skilled enough to use a bow or rifle? I’ve seen many people who oppose hunting on the internet, claiming it is animal cruelty. But in many ways it seems more humane to eat meat that is hunted in the wild than to eat a factory raised animal? I’m curious to know what other Catholics think about the morality of hunting.

Peace,
Robert

 

[Debora123]

And I’m speaking of hunting legally - i.e. legal game animals, taken in season, in a proper place, by a person who is properly licensed and skilled enough to use a bow or rifle? I’ve seen many people who oppose hunting on the internet, claiming it is animal cruelty. But in many ways it seems more humane to eat meat that is hunted in the wild than to eat a factory raised animal? I’m curious to know what other Catholics think about the morality of hunting.

Peace,
Robert

There is no problem at all in hunting so that you can eat the meat. I DO think it’s wrong though to hunt just for the “fun” of it and then discard the body completely.

 

[sw85]

And I’m speaking of hunting legally - i.e. legal game animals, taken in season, in a proper place, by a person who is properly licensed and skilled enough to use a bow or rifle? I’ve seen many people who oppose hunting on the internet, claiming it is animal cruelty. But in many ways it seems more humane to eat meat that is hunted in the wild than to eat a factory raised animal? I’m curious to know what other Catholics think about the morality of hunting.

Peace,
Robert

Man is given dominion over the creatures of the earth, so I don’t see anything wrong with hunting in and of itself. This should, however, be balanced by the competing obligation of man to cultivate compassion in himself, which cannot be reconciled to actual animal cruelty or wastefulness.

Hunting for fun is permissible, I think, so long as the animal’s death is somehow turned toward a good end, such as feeding oneself or one’s family.

 

[Allegra]

I think it’s moral to hunt, provided safety precautions are taken and the animal is killed in a reasonable humane way.

 

[Spencerian]

Man is given dominion over the creatures of the earth, so I don’t see anything wrong with hunting in and of itself. This should, however, be balanced by the competing obligation of man to cultivate compassion in himself, which cannot be reconciled to actual animal cruelty or wastefulness.

Hunting for fun is permissible, I think, so long as the animal’s death is somehow turned toward a good end, such as feeding oneself or one’s family.

To add, hunting is also justifiable for population control, where an excess of animals could result in starvation, car accidents (as with deer), serious danger to humans (as with bears) or other calamities to the larger animal population.

 

[sw85]

To add, hunting is also justifiable for population control, where an excess of animals could result in starvation, car accidents (as with deer), serious danger to humans (as with bears) or other calamities to the larger animal population.

Agreed!

 

[Warrenton]

If hunting were immoral, why would hunters have St. Hubert as their patron saint?

 

[karow]

And I’m speaking of hunting legally - i.e. legal game animals, taken in season, in a proper place, by a person who is properly licensed and skilled enough to use a bow or rifle? I’ve seen many people who oppose hunting on the internet, claiming it is animal cruelty. But in many ways it seems more humane to eat meat that is hunted in the wild than to eat a factory raised animal? I’m curious to know what other Catholics think about the morality of hunting.

Peace,
Robert

As long as, as you’ve stated, you’re not violating your community’s or state’s fish and game laws, then it is indeed moral to hunt.

 

[Rascalking]

I’m a vegatarian, so it’s clearly not my thing (though I own several guns, and radically support gun rights and the rights of hunters) but it’s not immoral.

Everyone here has been dead on accurate (pun intended). Clean shots, swift killing, and don’t let the animal suffer.

 

[meltzerboy]

And I’m speaking of hunting legally - i.e. legal game animals, taken in season, in a proper place, by a person who is properly licensed and skilled enough to use a bow or rifle? I’ve seen many people who oppose hunting on the internet, claiming it is animal cruelty. But in many ways it seems more humane to eat meat that is hunted in the wild than to eat a factory raised animal? I’m curious to know what other Catholics think about the morality of hunting.

Peace,
Robert

In Judaism, hunting for sport is forbidden by Law from the time of Nimrod and Esau. However, hunting for food is permitted, provided the animal is killed in a humane fashion. Besides the suffering and death of the animal for no physiological need, hunting for sport is also forbidden by Torah because it may serve as a means of intensifying a sense of cruelty in the hunter.

There is also a smaller group of Jews who argue that vegetarianism is supported by Torah Law.

 

[BORCHAPEMT]

Since everyone seems to agree. Let me try to stir the pot a little.

In fishing, how about catch and release. I love fishing and know as a fact that most fish that are returned back have been bruised up pretty bad, such as when they swallow a hook or when the fish is stabbed so it releases excess air so it will sink back in the water.

Not that people do this with malicious intent, but these are common and acceptable practices. I’m no scientist, but it seems the fish go through a lot of stress and pain. At what point, if any, is this wrong?

 

[Robert_in_SD]

If hunting were immoral, why would hunters have St. Hubert as their patron saint?

I did not know hunters had a patron saint. That is AWESOME!

Peace,
Robert

 

[Robert_in_SD]

Since everyone seems to agree. Let me try to stir the pot a little.

In fishing, how about catch and release. I love fishing and know as a fact that most fish that are returned back have been bruised up pretty bad, such as when they swallow a hook or when the fish is stabbed so it releases excess air so it will sink back in the water.

Not that people do this with malicious intent, but these are common and acceptable practices. I’m no scientist, but it seems the fish go through a lot of stress and pain. At what point, if any, is this wrong?

I’ve pondered the same question. It is more grey than in a hunting scenario, which always ends in the death of the animal that is being harvested.

No real hunter likes to see the game animal suffer. But with fishing under catch and release conditions, how are you not inflicting unnecessary suffering, if in the end it is your intention to release the fish back into the wild.

Peace,
Robert

 

[severus68]

In Judaism, hunting for sport is forbidden by Law from the time of Nimrod and Esau. However, hunting for food is permitted, provided the animal is killed in a humane fashion. Besides the suffering and death of the animal for no physiological need, hunting for sport is also forbidden by Torah because it may serve as a means of intensifying a sense of cruelty in the hunter.

There is also a smaller group of Jews who argue that vegetarianism is supported by Torah Law.

I am vegetarian, trying to be vegan and would prefer a world where there was no hunting. Saying that, while I can understand hunting for food humanely, to me hunting for sport is not justified, is unnecessary and diminishes the person who does so.

 

[Debora123]

I am vegetarian, trying to be vegan and would prefer a world where there was no hunting. Saying that, while I can understand hunting for food humanely, to me hunting for sport is not justified, is unnecessary and diminishes the person who does so.

Good post.

I am not a vegetarian and have no problem with killing animals humanely for food. I DO have a problem with people unnecessarily killing animals for the fun of it. Honestly, I don’t understand how anyone with a heart can actually ENJOY killing. How do you look at a pretty little deer or a cute duck and actually enjoy pulling the trigger to end its life? (And for no reason??) Maybe she’s a mother and is looking for food to take back to her little ones.
Killing “for the fun of it” should never be something to be celebrated and enjoyed, IMHO. It just boggles my mind when people see it that way.

I love animals. I have two cats and I can tell you right now, while they don’t have souls, they do have feelings. They feel happy, they feel sad, they feel fear, they feel pain and they feel love.

We need to have respect for God’s little creatures. This does not include going out and killing little animals for the fun of it. We should only kill when we need to kill.

 

[Bookcat]

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Respect for the integrity of creation

2415 The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity.195 Use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives. Man’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.196

2416 Animals are God’s creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory.197 Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals.

2417 God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image.198 Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives.

2418 It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons.

---

Hunting can be a legit way for example to obtain such food and clothing…

*though I do not hunt (though I did when I was a kid once or so…)

I am more the kind who finds wounded animals and takes them to those who nurse them back to health…

 

[Debora123]

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

Respect for the integrity of creation

2415 The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity.195 Use of the mineral, vegetable, and animal resources of the universe cannot be divorced from respect for moral imperatives. Man’s dominion over inanimate and other living beings granted by the Creator is not absolute; it is limited by concern for the quality of life of his neighbor, including generations to come; it requires a religious respect for the integrity of creation.196

2416 Animals are God’s creatures. He surrounds them with his providential care. By their mere existence they bless him and give him glory.197 Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals.

2417 God entrusted animals to the stewardship of those whom he created in his own image.198 Hence it is legitimate to use animals for food and clothing. They may be domesticated to help man in his work and leisure. Medical and scientific experimentation on animals is a morally acceptable practice if it remains within reasonable limits and contributes to caring for or saving human lives.

2418 It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly. It is likewise unworthy to spend money on them that should as a priority go to the relief of human misery. One can love animals; one should not direct to them the affection due only to persons.

---

Hunting can be a legit way for example to obtain such food and clothing…

*though I do not hunt (though I did when I was a kid once or so…)

I am more the kind who finds wounded animals and takes them to those who nurse them back to health…

 

[Ben_F]

Sitting in a deer stand, waiting for the deer to come to you, so you can shoot it, may be moral, but it´s not a sport. God bless:thumbsup:

 

[Robert_in_SD]

I am vegetarian, trying to be vegan and would prefer a world where there was no hunting. Saying that, while I can understand hunting for food humanely, to me hunting for sport is not justified, is unnecessary and diminishes the person who does so.

Thanks. I appreciate your response, and I respect your point of view. As someone who grew up hunting upland birds, I agree that you should eat what you take, and I believe that one comes to harbor a deep and abiding respect for God’s creation by doing so. You see humanity’s place in the envirnonment much more clearly than when you buy a chicken wrapped in cellophane.

Just look at all of the groups that work to preserve wetlands and other natural terrains and many, if not most, of the really effective groups are made up of outdoor enthusiasts who also hunt and/or fish. Plus, having spent time with hunters and fishers of both gender, I think it is the rare person in that crowd that hunts because they like to kill animals. From my own experience, I can’t think of a hunter I know that doesn’t have a great deal of respect for nature - and in particular the animal that they hunt.

That being said, my follow-up to the above is… given the abundance of commercially prepared meat available in our modern Western civilization, is it still moral to hunt, or should we be buying pheasant, duck, venison, elk and other game animal meats at specialty butcher shops?

Peace,
Robert

 

[Robert_in_SD]

Sitting in a deer stand, waiting for the deer to come to you, so you can shoot it, may be moral, but it´s not a sport. God bless:thumbsup:

If that’s all it took to take a deer, I’d agree with you. But you have to know how to enter the hunting ground without scaring away the game. You have to know where to put your blind (ground), or stand (tree). You have to know and how to mask your scent. You have to be nearly invisible to the deer. Plus, you have to be incredibly patient and silent, usually for looooong periods of time without seeing a deer that is big enough and mature enough to take. Plus, you must be able to evaluate the animal, and draw and shoot your bow (or rifle) without startling the buck, and you have to do so while incredible amounts of adrenaline are being released into your body.

You also have to factor in that the North American Whitetail buck is one of the most crafty game animals that God ever created. You will never even see him at all if you just tromp into the forrest and throw up a tree stand. You have to be very very clever yourself, in all of these things, to take a mature buck. I’m not a deer hunter myself, but those who have hunted deer often say that if they could only hunt one type of animal for the rest of their life, the Whitetail would be their animal of choice, because there will always be a challenge.

It really can be a challenge, and it is an ancient challenge at that. And I think that it speaks to a better part of our humanity to nobly engage in the hunt… provided that we approach nature humbly, and with great respect for all of God’s creation.

Peace,
Robert