09-22-2011, 04:22 AM
Carey:
That is a reasonable point of view and helps to explain why an otherwise reasonable guy like Oink would hold what I consider to be an unreasonable and shortsighted view. Perhaps I am being too harsh though. It is true that if the deer are here then those who like to hunt will benefit from the hunting opportunity. Looking at the big picture though that potential benefit to a few would be hugely outweighed by the tremendous cost to the majority of Big Island residents.
So as far as that goes it is true that there are benefits to having deer to hunt. No one should be denounced for stating the obvious. By the same token it is in my opinion equally true that those benefits don't hold a candle to the costs associated with having the deer here.
Now it seems to me that what we lack is an effective predator. Hawaii had no native land mammals to speak of, only birds. We are troubled now by goats, pigs, donkeys, and now deer who range through an environment that ranges from sea level to the mountains and from wet tropical forests to dry open deserts. What predator would thrive in both the forest and the desert, eat all these animals, and consider a Nene goose as too small to bother with?
Jaguars!
That is a reasonable point of view and helps to explain why an otherwise reasonable guy like Oink would hold what I consider to be an unreasonable and shortsighted view. Perhaps I am being too harsh though. It is true that if the deer are here then those who like to hunt will benefit from the hunting opportunity. Looking at the big picture though that potential benefit to a few would be hugely outweighed by the tremendous cost to the majority of Big Island residents.
So as far as that goes it is true that there are benefits to having deer to hunt. No one should be denounced for stating the obvious. By the same token it is in my opinion equally true that those benefits don't hold a candle to the costs associated with having the deer here.
Now it seems to me that what we lack is an effective predator. Hawaii had no native land mammals to speak of, only birds. We are troubled now by goats, pigs, donkeys, and now deer who range through an environment that ranges from sea level to the mountains and from wet tropical forests to dry open deserts. What predator would thrive in both the forest and the desert, eat all these animals, and consider a Nene goose as too small to bother with?
Jaguars!