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Message |
Freddy McGuire (Vaturkey)
Username: Vaturkey
Registered: 8-2000
| | Posted on Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 10:54 am: | |
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/11/16/life.hunting.reut/index.html
HOUSTON, Texas (Reuters) -- Hunters soon may be able to sit at their computers and blast away at animals on a Texas ranch via the Internet, a prospect that has state wildlife officials up in arms.
The Web site already offers target practice with a .22 caliber rifle and could soon let hunters shoot at deer, antelope and wild pigs, site creator John Underwood said on Tuesday.
Texas officials are not quite sure what to make of Underwood's Web site, but may tweak existing laws to make sure Internet hunting does not get out of hand.
"This is the first one I've seen," said Texas Parks and Wildlife Department wildlife director Mike Berger. "The current state statutes don't cover this sort of thing."
Underwood, an estimator for a San Antonio, Texas auto body shop, has invested $10,000 to build a platform for a rifle and camera that can be remotely aimed on his 330-acre (133-hectare) southwest Texas ranch by anyone on the Internet anywhere in the world.
The idea came last year while viewing another Web site on which cameras posted in the wild are used to snap photos of animals.
"We were looking at a beautiful white-tail buck and my friend said 'If you just had a gun for that.' A little light bulb went off in my head," he said.
Internet hunting could be popular with disabled hunters unable to get out in the woods or distant hunters who cannot afford a trip to Texas, Underwood said.
Berger said state law only covers "regulated animals" such as native deer and birds and cannot prevent Underwood from offering Internet hunts of "unregulated" animals such as non-native deer that many ranchers have imported and wild pigs.
He has proposed a rule that will come up for public discussion in January that anyone hunting animals covered by state law must be physically on site when they shoot.
Berger expressed reservations about remote control hunting, but noted that humans have always adopted new technologies to hunt.
"First it was rocks and clubs, then we sharpened it and put it on a stick. Then there was the bow and arrow, black powder, smokeless power and optics," Berger said. "Maybe this is the next technological step out there."
Underwood, 39, said he will offer animal hunting as soon as he gets a fast Internet connection to his remote ranch that will enable hunters to aim the rifle quickly at passing animals.
He said an attendant would retrieve shot animals for the shooters, who could have the heads preserved by a taxidermist. They could also have the meat processed and shipped home, or donated to animal orphanages.
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Dale
| | Posted on Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 3:18 pm: | |
Saw this yesterday. Simply incredulous. The power of the internet, squared! I think this misses the whole point of hunting. Just my humble opinion. |
NealLauderman
| | Posted on Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 4:00 pm: | |
I wanna try it and when the guy who started the site walks across the field I wanna shoot him in the leg or the butt lol. |
vabirdhunter
| | Posted on Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 4:45 pm: | |
Just one more huddle we hunter will have to jump. I saw this fellow this morning. He seems like a good guy , but this is bad for hunting and hunters. He was leaning on the "handicaped hunter" saying this would give them a chance to hunter from thier homes since they could not get out. I think he is looking at this though GREEN glasses. Money Green! I hope this fails in a big way. |
Michael
| | Posted on Thursday, November 18, 2004 - 7:50 pm: | |
I just got off the phone with my father, who hunted all his life and now thanks to injury is unable to do so. This is his opinion, not mine.
"I miss hunting. Unfortunately, I am unable to do it anymore.
I would never do this Internet hunting thing. The joy of hunting was in the chase more than the kill. Also, I am proud of the fact that I never shot something that the family did not eat. As much as I would love to hunt again, this is just not right. There is a difference between hunting and killing."
I am proud that my father was a successful, yet ethical hunter. I would give anything to go on just one more hunt with him. Someday we just might. |
Gobbler Getter
| | Posted on Friday, November 19, 2004 - 9:28 am: | |
This really is crazy. Could give all hunters and the sport a bad name and fuels the fire for the anti-hunting groups. Wonder how long it will take for somebody to get hurt. Rediculous! I just pray it fails. |
Rhino
| | Posted on Friday, November 19, 2004 - 8:14 pm: | |
Stupid. We etical hunters need to again show our values to the world and all the anti's and get things like this eliminated. It is not about "hunting", and it has already been said, it's about the money. And everyone on this board knows that's not what this sport is about. |
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