Plenty of Reasons Why Teaching Kids to Hunt Is a Bad Idea

by Contributor | January 27, 2017 10:49 am

Dear Editor,
There are many reasons why it’s a bad idea to encourage kids to hurt and kill animals for fun (“Hunting, Fishing Education Has Place in Our Schools,” January 23).

Hunting has driven numerous species to extinction or endangered status.

The money generated by hunters’ license fees and other expenditures often benefits only the hunters themselves.

Wildlife departments spend money killing predators such as wolves, bears, and coyotes to ensure that they don’t eat the deer, elk, moose, and other animals that hunters want for targets and trophies.

According to the Outdoor Industry Foundation, in 2015, nearly 63 million Americans ages 6 to 24 participated in non-hunting outdoor activities such as running, bicycling, camping, and hiking.

People spending money on these hobbies contribute much more to the economy than the tiny fraction of people who gun down animals.

And the vast majority of Americans who don’t kill animals for entertainment would prefer not to be endangered by the few who do.

Since the number of people who hunt declines significantly with each generation, this deadly hobby is thankfully a dying one.

Sincerely,

Michelle Kretzer
The PETA Foundation
501 Front St.
Norfolk, VA 23510
859-539-2394

Source URL: https://oswegocountytoday.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/plenty-of-reasons-why-teaching-kids-to-hunt-is-a-bad-idea/

---