Abstract
The purported justifications for recreational hunting, and specifically deer hunting (such as carrying capacity, spread of disease, and road accidents), are analyzed, and are found to be morally incoherent and/or scientifically invalid.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
G. Campisi, “City Has Its Sights Set on Deer Kill,” Philadelphia Daily News, February 18, 1999, http://articles.philly.com/1999-02-18/news/25502788_1_tyler-state-park-deer-contraceptives-protesters.
- 2.
J. Parks, “Deer Continue to Beset Lower Merion Twp.,” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 25, 2013, http://articles.philly.com/2013-07-25/news/40773980_1_lower-merion-twp-deer-population-58-deer.
- 3.
A. Bartlett, “Reflections on Sustainability, Population Growth, and the Environment, Part 2: Carrying Capacity,” January 1998, http://www.albartlett.org/articles/art_reflections_part_2.html#cc.
- 4.
G. Hardin, “Cultural Carrying Capacity,” award acceptance speech given at the AIBS Annual Meeting at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, August 10, 1986, http://www.garretthardinsociety.org/articles/art_cultural_carrying_capacity.html.
- 5.
D. R. Klein, “The Introduction, Increase, and Crash of Reindeer on St. Matthew Island,” Journal of Wildlife Management 32 (1968): 350–67, http://dieoff.org/page80.htm.
- 6.
Ibid.
- 7.
Hardin, “Cultural Carrying Capacity.”
- 8.
R. Putman, The Natural History of Deer (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1988), 108–111.
- 9.
Ibid., 110.
- 10.
Ibid., 111.
- 11.
Ibid., 111.
- 12.
D. R. McCullough, “The Theory and Management of Odocoileus Populations,” in Biology and Management of the Cervidae, ed. C. M. Wemmer (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1987), 547.
- 13.
Ibid., 547.
- 14.
Natural Resource Consultants, Development of Deer Management Recommendations for the Wissahickon Valley, Philadelphia, PA (1996), 67, emphasis added.
- 15.
Ibid.
- 16.
Ibid.
- 17.
J. Kirkpatrick and P. Fazio, “Wild Horses as Native North American Wildlife,” Animal Welfare Institute, last revised January 2010, https://awionline.org/content/wild-horses-native-north-american-wildlife.
- 18.
D. R. McCullough, “Lessons from the George Reserve, Michigan,” in White-Tailed Deer, Ecology and Management, ed. Lowell K. Halls (Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1984).
- 19.
H. B. Underwood and W. F. Porter, “Values and Science: White-Tailed Deer Management in Eastern National Parks,” Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference 56 (1991): 67–73.
- 20.
Ibid.
- 21.
Ibid.
- 22.
F. L. Bunnell, “Reproductive Tactics of Cervidae and Their Relationship to Habitat,” in Biology and Management of the Cervidae, ed. C. M. Wemmer (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1987), 158.
- 23.
New York Times, “Are Deer the Culprit in Lyme Disease?” Room for Debate (blog), July 29, 2009, http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/are-deer-the-culprit-in-lyme-disease/.
- 24.
Quoted in PETA, “Deer–Car Collisions Increase during Hunting Season,” PETA Prime, November 17, 2011, http://prime.peta.org2011/11/deer.
- 25.
Cited in PETA, “Deer–Car Collisions Increase.”
- 26.
D. Rice, “Deer–Car Collisions Increase This Time of Year,” USA Today, last updated November 1, 2011, http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-10-31/deer-car-accidents-rise/51019604/1.
- 27.
H. J. L. Orford, “Why the Cullers Got It Wrong,” in Ethics and Wildlife, ed. P. Cohn (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 1999), 163.
- 28.
P. Cohn, “Exploding the Hunting Myths,” in Ethics and Wildlife, ed. P. Cohn (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 1999), 118.
Bibliography
Bartlett, A. “Reflections on Sustainability, Population Growth, and the Environment, Part 2: Carrying Capacity.” January 1998. http://www.albartlett.org/articles/art_reflections_part_2.html#cc.
Bunnell, F. L. “Reproductive Tactics of Cervidae and Their Relationship to Habitat.” In Biology and Management of the Cervidae, edited by C. M. Wemmer, 145–158. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1987.
Campisi, G. “City Has Its Sights Set on Deer Kill.” Philadelphia Daily News, February 18, 1999. http://articles.philly.com/1999-02-18/news/25502788_1_tyler-state-park-deer-contraceptives-protesters.
Cohn, P. “Exploding the Hunting Myths.” In Ethics and Wildlife, edited by P. Cohn, 101–141. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 1999.
Hardin, G. “Cultural Carrying Capacity.” Award acceptance speech given at the AIBS Annual Meeting at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, August 10, 1986. http://www.garretthardinsociety.org/articles/art_cultural_carrying_capacity.html.
Kirkpatrick, J., and P. Fazio. “Wild Horses as Native North American Wildlife.” Animal Welfare Institute, last revised January 2010. https://awionline.org/content/wild-horses-native-north-american-wildlife.
Klein, D. R. “The Introduction, Increase, and Crash of Reindeer on St. Matthew Island.” Journal of Wildlife Management 32 (1968): 350–67. http://dieoff.org/page80.htm.
McCullough, D. R. “Lessons from the George Reserve, Michigan.” In White-Tailed Deer, Ecology and Management, edited by Lowell K. Halls, 211–243. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1984.
———. “The Theory and Management of Odocoileus Populations.” In Biology and Management of the Cervidae, edited by C. M. Wemmer, 535–549. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1987.
Natural Resource Consultants. Development of Deer Management Recommendations for the Wissahickon Valley, Philadelphia, PA. 1996.
New York Times. “Are Deer the Culprit in Lyme Disease?” Room for Debate (blog), July 29, 2009. http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/29/are-deer-the-culprit-in-lyme-disease/.
Orford, H. J. L. “Why the Cullers Got It Wrong.” In Ethics and Wildlife, edited by P. Cohn, 159–167. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 1999.
Parks, J. “Deer Continue to Beset Lower Merion Twp.” Philadelphia Inquirer, July 25, 2013. http://articles.philly.com/2013-07-25/news/40773980_1_lower-merion-twp-deer-population-58-deer.
PETA. “Deer–Car Collisions Increase during Hunting Season.” PETA Prime. November 17, 2011. http://prime.peta.org2011/11/deer.
Putman, R. The Natural History of Deer. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1988.
Rice, D. “Deer–Car Collisions Increase This Time of Year.” USA Today, last updated November 1, 2011. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-10-31/deer-car-accidents-rise/51019604/1.
Underwood, H. B., and W. F. Porter. “Values and Science: White-Tailed Deer Management in Eastern National Parks.” Transactions of the North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference 56 (1991): 67–73.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Cohn, P.N. (2018). Smoke and Mirrors: An Analysis of Some Important Conceptions Used to Justify Hunting. In: Linzey, A., Linzey, C. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Practical Animal Ethics. The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-36671-9_20
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-36671-9_20
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-36670-2
Online ISBN: 978-1-137-36671-9
eBook Packages: Religion and PhilosophyPhilosophy and Religion (R0)