Originally Posted by
Gilroy
Why do you think I have lost the plot comparing the two of them?
R.Well the Maasai go out into the African bush which is hot and full of other dangerous animals and track and hunt down very dangerous lions and even alert them to their presence. This is after tracking them for up to 10 hours. You cant really compare that to this bear hunter throwing his spear at a baited bear. The Maasai have a good chance at getting killed,I,am pretty sure this guy had a back up armed hunter near by.
Have you watched this video? He states it is just him and his spear. No armed backup. It doesn't matter if the Maasai tracks them for 20 minutes. They still use a spear. People aren't mad he killed a bear or that it was over bait. They are mad because he used a spear. Hunting a lion in Africa and hunting a bear are different. However, these two hunts use the same tool to kill the animal and the world is mad that the bear was killed with a spear while nothing is said about killing a lion with a spear.
They both use spears to kill the animal and that is one of the main reasons why people are upset about this.
R.Yes they both use spears but people are upset because the bear was set up to be killed so apparently no useful reason other than the excuse for meat.Always a poor excuse for hunters to use in this day and age, but I digress , the Maasai engage in this hunt to keep down the number of lions killing their cattle.Even although they have access to the internet as is evident from their link they do not film and broadcast their hunts for the world to see,maybe they are smarter than your bear hunter or more media savy.LOL
If we aren't hunting for meat, why are we hunting then? Again, people aren't angry about it being over a bear or baiting. They are angry he used a spear. The government of Alberta isn't changing the laws of baiting over this. They are changing what tools hunters can use. This isn't about bait, it is about the spear. But no one is using the terms barbaric and archaic when the Maasai use a spear, they use the terms tradition and lifestyle. If you read the website, they engage in this hunt as rite of passage, bravery and personal achievement. Go to youtube, there are videos showing the Maasai hunting lions with a spear.
You still haven't answered the question though: why is it ok for the Maasai to use a spear and not this guy? Make sure you judge both hunts with the same criteria. The bear hunter is going to eat the bear, the Maasai don't.
R.For the above mentioned reasons and in addition the Maasai probably know that a lion is a poor choice of meat,just like coyote hunters dont eat their coyote meat.(SOME EXCEPTIONS)
Again my point is about how hypocritically this guy is being judged by the world when there are others who use the exact same tool to do the job.
The bear hunter used a bait to attract a bear (not illegal or unethical), the Maasai use bells to get the lions to attack them (harassing the animal).
R. The bells dont exclusively attract the lions they use other methods including tracking.The main difference to me is that the bear hunters methods are more cowardly than the Maasai warriors,this is without dispute.
This thread isn't about whether the bear hunter's hunting method (baiting) is cowardly. It is about him using a spear and his actions afterwards. All of my points were to show the only thing you can judge these two hunts is the fact they use a spear and if one type of spear hunting gets a pass, then the other one should as well.
The bear hunter uses a superior version of the Maasai spear and is just as effective with it as the Maasai lion hunters. So if you are going to condemn the hunting of one animal with a spear, best be ready to condemn all spear hunting (and spear fishing).
R.Again the rational for approving the Maasai is that they have less choice and have traditionally hunted this way for centuries and the GENERAL PUBLIC (voters) GET THIS.What they don,t get or approve of is what this bear hunter did and then showed it of.
We hunted like this for centuries before firearms became mainstream. In fact, our species has much more of a tradition with spears than firearms. As I said in a previous thread, all of the stuff being said about how barbaric and archaic spear hunting is was said when bowhunting was becoming mainstream.
As your causalities comment, do we stop hunters from bowhunting Grizzlys, moose, black bear, wolves, etc from the ground? All of those animals can easily kill a human being (or at least put a hurting on them). So you comment of "someone might get hurt" doesn't apply, no one lives in a bubble. You hunt that way for that species, you take your chances.
R.Absolutely agree you take your chances so lets hope the next time we see this character is on the hot African plain,with bells on,sweating it out over a 10 hour hunt,with just a spear in hand,avoiding all the other animals that might kill him.Then he throws his spear at an ALERTED big male lion,that decides its not turning tail and we get to see the results.
No problem for the antis or most of the other viewing audience as the wounded lion tears him apart on camera,everybody has a good chuckle and says in unison,serves his right.
Again you are confusing the issue here. The issue isn't the bear or the bait, it is the spear. If you think it is, you should start advocating for the removal of the bear hunt.
