Heres a question and Answer article writen in the BUGLE mag jan-feb issue by VAL GEIST a leading Authority in Management-Ethics and Values,about mule deer and elk.....I think you will find it interresting.
BUGLE MAG:You have said that the current trophy mania,goaded by the commercial outdoor media,is serious threat to the integrity and future of both democratic hunting and scientific management.Could you explain? VAL GEIST:Its a market gone wild and unrestrained by even a modicum of personal,social or biological ethics,nor by the true respect for the hunted animals.One problem is that the trophy craze were experiencing today generates a socially and biologically harmful spin-off by creating a lucrative market for trophy heads.And driving this market are those who,by fair means or foul-BY ANY MEANS-will acquire exceptional trophies,about which they can falsely brag.Its like a raven wearing peacock feathers.The craze, which naturally is most evident among wealthy hunters who can afford to travel and buy,totally destroys the original notion of a trophy,which stood as a tangible,artful reminder of all thats involved in a true and honorable hunt,rather than something to be entered in a competitions for bragging rights.I understand traditional trophy hunting and respect the individual who goes afield with the conviction to fullfill a challenge that to him or her has become a holygrail,the hunter who works hard repeatedly passes up oppertunitites to kill lesser animals,where extreme discipline and tenacity are exercised.This variety of trophy hunting, which involves real hunting,I have no problem with whatsoever.What I do have a problems with is the current craze for "TROPHYS AT ANY COST" Involving everything from unethical technology to fortunes being spent and ,at worst,the artificial generation of store bought trophies on game farms...........Just some food for thought,by some one who can see and understand the big picture in front of all of us,The rest of the article is worth reading,you can find it in the jan-feb issue of BUGLE MAG
BUGLE MAG:You have said that the current trophy mania,goaded by the commercial outdoor media,is serious threat to the integrity and future of both democratic hunting and scientific management.Could you explain? VAL GEIST:Its a market gone wild and unrestrained by even a modicum of personal,social or biological ethics,nor by the true respect for the hunted animals.One problem is that the trophy craze were experiencing today generates a socially and biologically harmful spin-off by creating a lucrative market for trophy heads.And driving this market are those who,by fair means or foul-BY ANY MEANS-will acquire exceptional trophies,about which they can falsely brag.Its like a raven wearing peacock feathers.The craze, which naturally is most evident among wealthy hunters who can afford to travel and buy,totally destroys the original notion of a trophy,which stood as a tangible,artful reminder of all thats involved in a true and honorable hunt,rather than something to be entered in a competitions for bragging rights.I understand traditional trophy hunting and respect the individual who goes afield with the conviction to fullfill a challenge that to him or her has become a holygrail,the hunter who works hard repeatedly passes up oppertunitites to kill lesser animals,where extreme discipline and tenacity are exercised.This variety of trophy hunting, which involves real hunting,I have no problem with whatsoever.What I do have a problems with is the current craze for "TROPHYS AT ANY COST" Involving everything from unethical technology to fortunes being spent and ,at worst,the artificial generation of store bought trophies on game farms...........Just some food for thought,by some one who can see and understand the big picture in front of all of us,The rest of the article is worth reading,you can find it in the jan-feb issue of BUGLE MAG