Sigarms
Super Member
Certainly man kills for sport, but during the settlement of this country animals were valued not only for food value, but for their furrs. Fur trading was big business, and many animals were hunted almost to extinction, the beaver for instance. Ducks, geese, turkeys were hunted commercially and sold to the markets. Not to mention, even up through the depression and even in the 50's and 60's, many animals and birds were hunted to put meat on the table. My Dad told me when I was little, we ate more venison (poached) than any other kind of meat. He (and me also) also hunted ducks, geese and quail for our table. Not so sure about the buffalo, but know they were hunted for their hides and their bones, which was encouraged by our government to help subdue the Indians, who depended on them.
Used to hike Hawk Mountain sanctuary a lot in my youth. The pictures they have of hawks just killed for "sport" is staggering per the amount of birds just killed for the sake of killing. Conservation and the preservation of wildlife really wasn't in anyones vocabulary 100 years ago. Yes, people had to eat, I understand that.