Texas Tech Students Hunting Photos Cause Uproar

[KD4Me]

Originally Posted by navane

Interesting. Here's a photo where it shows a cameraman with a high-quality camera videotaping her hunt.

(FYI- Per the caption, this rhino was not killed. She had "assisted" a veterinarian by darting it to put it to sleep so that he could take measurements and treat the animal's inured leg.)


She has herself titled as a "Public Figure" on her Facebook page. Her "About" page on Facebook is equally as interesting as she describes her hunting experience:

Am I reading this correctly? She began her hunting "career" by going to Africa for a shoot? That makes her sound less like an avid hunter and more like someone trying do something "newsworthy". I think that I read or heard that she was accompanied by a video crew on at least one shoot, which would explain the high-quality photograph someone mentioned earlier. Doesn't it take some skill to be able to shoot giant animals and kill them humanely? (I don't mean to get into whether it is humane to shoot animals; what I am trying to say is one shot vs. many shots.)

I have friends who shoot and are hunters, but I personally could never hunt. I don't understand why it is fun to kill one of God's creation. I can't look at the pictures of her with those giant animals. They just make me very sad.

[Kevin]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Isn't it funny how someone is "just a teenager" when it is time to do damage control?

You seem to assume that damage has been done. Duck Dynasty, remember, is still doing great as far as ratings go despite what their cast members have said in public and the large public outcry against them. If she has a camera crew with her, I'd be shocked if she wasn't looking to pitch a reality show. Some network would pay a lot of money and she'll make a heap of money.

She may be damaged goods in your eyes, but you are in no way even remotely close to the demographic she's aiming for, so I doubt she would care very much about what you think.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by KD4Me

Am I reading this correctly? She began her hunting "career" by going to Africa for a shoot? That makes her sound less like an avid hunter and more like someone trying do something "newsworthy".

Well, she supposedly started hunting (in Africa?) at the age of 9.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/07/03...ed-by-critics/

Originally Posted by Kevin

You seem to assume that damage has been done.

Yep.

[Kevin]

Haters be hatin'.

[DrPhil]

Or we have opinions just as you have opinions. You don't have any inside knowledge.

[DubaiSis]

I heard a little nugget that she's working on a reality TV deal, so she wants to be Sarah Pslin when she grows up. I also got a little nugget that some of the pictures were of animals that had been shot with tranquilizers for tagging. So yes, just an attention whore but she will do well because people eat this shit UP.

[Nanners52674]

I'm just curious what kind of money this big game hunting costs.

I mean flights alone are thousands of dollars.

[Low D Flat]

The licenses can be tens of thousands. If we're getting into stuff like white rhinos, they can be auctioned into the six figures.

[Nanners52674]

Originally Posted by Low D Flat

The licenses can be tens of thousands. If we're getting into stuff like white rhinos, they can be auctioned into the six figures.

Just to clarify, auction the hunting passes or auctioning the dead animal carcass?.

[Low D Flat]

Auctioning the hunting license. There's only some limited number of animals that they decide to allow each year, so rich people who are into this sort of thing pay through the nose.

This is something I really, really don't get. Hunting deer, turkeys, etc. is not my cup of tea, but to each his own. However, rushing to kill one of the last dodo birds or whatever is just beyond me. I know Teddy Roosevelt was into it, and he was a great conservationist, but I simply can't grasp it.

[navane]

Originally Posted by KD4Me

Am I reading this correctly? She began her hunting "career" by going to Africa for a shoot? That makes her sound less like an avid hunter and more like someone trying do something "newsworthy". I think that I read or heard that she was accompanied by a video crew on at least one shoot, which would explain the high-quality photograph someone mentioned earlier.

Per her own words, she says, "I grew up in the small town of Cleburne, Texas where my hunting career started." So, her hunting career began in Texas as a little girl going on outings with her father. She then goes on to say that she made her first trip to Africa at age 9 and then again at 13, 14 (x2) and 19.

I returned to Africa the next summer in 2009 (age 14) to finish my quest for The Big 5. This time I went on a 28 day safari and took an Elephant with a shot from a .416 Remington and finished it off with my dad's .470 Nitro Express. Along with the elephant I also harvested a charging Cape buffalo and a huge maned lion. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to take a leopard on this trip, so I returned 2 weeks later for another 14 day safari.

I have to assume that her family has money as I don't understand how a 14-year old could pay for a 28-day safari to Africa and then return two weeks later for a 14-day safari. If her becoming a "famous" reality TV star makes them millions, I suppose it will have been worth the investment to them.

[navane]

And for what it's worth....

I'm largely indifferent where the young, cheerleader is concerned. Legal? Yes. Distasteful? Yes. However, ISIS is conducting mass beheadings in Syria right now. That is, they are cutting the heads off of many human beings. Interestingly, the U.S. public seems to be more up in arms over the cheerleader.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/m...ying-violence/

[33girl]

That's because people are too confused about the Middle East and don't know if it's good or bad that those people have been beheaded. Everyone pretty much does know though that shooting endangered species = bad.

[navane]

Originally Posted by Nanners52674

I'm just curious what kind of money this big game hunting costs.

I mean flights alone are thousands of dollars.

I just read someone's post elsewhere (I don't know who the quote is attributed to) stating:

Licenses to hunt exotic animals in Africa can cost upwards of $350,000. Much of the proceeds go back into the local community to incentivize land-owners to raise and protect the next generation of brood, which paradoxically increases the wildlife population. Know what doesn't help increase wildlife populations in Africa? Bitching about it on Facebook. I don't see anyone else offering to pony $350,000 to save an animal's life. Your petition signatures are worth nothing. Until Lions learn how to breed with your righteous indignation and e-petitions, you're wasting your energy. Harsh truth time: conservation costs money, and if you're not willing to pay, you're not saving anything.

Yikes, $350,000 is a lot of money for a permit. Her explanation of "conservation" makes a lot more sense now. I guess that huge money is an incentive for the land-owners to keep the animal population stable. So, if I'm understanding correctly, the concept is, "I'll give you a lot of money to keep the animal population stable. In return, you'll let me shoot a few."

Originally Posted by 33girl

That's because people are too confused about the Middle East and don't know if it's good or bad that those people have been beheaded. Everyone pretty much does know though that shooting endangered species = bad.

I thought that most people understood that ISIS and Al Queda = bad guys. But, if you're saying that Americans are perhaps a bit ignorant about current events and don't "get it", I'll agree with you on that.

[Nanners52674]

What do you do with it after? Like do you take elephant home have it preserved and keep it in your very large room built to hold an elephant?

This whole thing is very foreign to me.