The goal is simple–kill as many crows as possible.
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Here are the facts:
A group of crows is called a “murder.”
The mission statement of Rip Van Winkle Rod and Gun Club, located in Palenville, NY reads as follows:
The Rip Van Winkle Rod and Gun Club is an organization of men, women, and kids dedicated to the enjoyment & promotion of the shooting sports as well as the enjoyment of our Fish & Game resources.
On March 29-30, 2014, the Rip Van Winkle Rod and Gun Club sponsored its fourth annual “Crow Down.”
The goal of the “Crow Down” was to kill as many crows as possible within the two day span of the event. There was no limit to the number of crows one could kill.
All legal weapons (within the State of New York) were allowed during the “Crow Down.”
Daily kill counts can average, per individual, between 100-200, depending on conditions.
Crow breast meat can be eaten. It is not reported what “Crow Down” contestants did with their kills.
A petition aimed at banning Wildlife Killing Contests has been formulated and is directed to the New York State Legislature. It seeks 24,000 signatures.
Crow hunts similar to this exist all over the United States, typically around nesting season.
The word “murder” according to Meriam Webster’s Dictionary is defined as:
Noun: Something outrageous or blameworthy
The majority of participants in crow hunts are men.
Flawed conclusions are NOT valid here, namely:
- All hunters support mass animal killings like the “Crow Down” event (some do not)
- Men are the only participants in mass animal killings (women can and do participate as well)
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The question:
Do mass animal killings for sport have a place in our 21st century male culture? Or, is it okay to let boys be boys?
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Image credit: PartyNoParty/flickr
Hope you don’t wear leather or eat beef. Neither product is in the least necessary (many synthetic replacements) as well as extremely inefficient. Beef and leather are pure luxuries. You’re letting someone else kill for your pleasure. At least these people are honest about killing for pleasure- those high heels in your closet smell a little like hypocrisy. Perhaps you better join your whole family for a little Viagra fed thunder dome?
If they’re getting over 100 crows a piece the birds must be like a biblical plague of crows. If that’s the case pass the ammo. I doubt the numbers are anywhere near that. I also find it quaint when non hunters refer to hunters as homicidal children (wringing of hands) with limp dicks who should engage in thunder dome type contests. Some serious ugliness can be found left o center these days.
CW, Thank you for your comments. The numbers are accurate. Crows commune together in roosts. With roosts close to one another in a particular area, you can expect thousands of crows. Where I’m stuck on this issue is why it must become a family-oriented event, held at a club where men, women, and children are encouraged to gather together for the sole purpose of crow killing. If there was truly a conservation effort necessary to control population, you would think it would be handled by hunters in consultation with environmental specialists, ensuring that the pendulum does not swing one way… Read more »
There are non-lethal ways to disperse crows when they become too numerous. Google “Auburn, NY crows.” There used to be a yearly crow-killing contest until public outrage shut it down. Google “Hegins PA pigeon shoot.” The same, but worse. These mass killers aren’t hunters, they’re mass killers. They leave toxic lead shot everywhere, which poisons scavengers. No matter how you phrase it, gun extremists never respond to specific points; they just keep repeating that their guns are in danger of being taken away, then make denigrating remarks about the left (and last time I looked, there is less of a… Read more »
Frank. Because there are hugely too many of them. If there were not, this event couldn’t be put together. Nobody’s going to walk around waiting for a shot that never comes.
If anybody has any other ideas, short of moving out and leaving the territory to the crows, let’s have it.
Richard,
Thank you for your comments. Don’t you think an event like this could be put together regardless of crow population sizes? Do you feel this event is held for the purposes of population control or for a different reason?
Really…maybe I’m just dense or something but why in the hell are these crows being slaughtered? Is this the best we can do? Indiscriminate killing is not the mark of a man but rather the outburst of a fearful, homicidal child.
Frank,
Thank you for your comments. I’m in agreement that it seems odd these birds, and others, are simply slaughtered for sport. There are events like Squirrel Slams with similar intents. I think we, as men and as humans, though, must be cautious not to label the individual but rather explore the “why” behind it.
Mass animal killing has no place in any society. When it’s done for “conservation,” it’s the wrong solution to the fact that humans have taken over a species’ territory and food sources and eradicated their predators. When it’s done “for sport” – thrilling to the widespread slaughter of an animal or bird who has no chance of fighting back – it’s cowardly, bullying pathology, and it makes one wonder what the participant’s wives’ and children’s lives must be like. If you want boys to be boys, put them in a ring armed with knives and clubs and let them go… Read more »