Town Prepares to Shoot Hundreds of Crows...

[Cooley Hurd]

<snip>
AUBURN, N.Y. (AP) - Despite the crow's reputation as a destructive pest, villain and harbinger of trouble, a hunting contest to thin the swarms of crows that winter here gives the city a black eye, according to critics who would rather celebrate the big, black bird.

"We don't like the image it gives our city," said Rita Sarnicola, who heads The Crow Committee, a local group protesting the second annual crow hunt.

"It's not hunting. It's killing for killing's sake. And then they throw a party," Sarnicola said Thursday.

The contest was held informally for several years until it became organized and publicized last year, when nearly 150 hunters bagged 348 birds in a weekend. This year's hunt is expected to draw a larger crowd, including some from as far away as Kentucky and Arizona, said Tom Lennox, one of the organizers.

"We aren't doing anything that's illegal," said Lennox, whose tavern sponsors the contest.
</snip>

WJLA-TV Washington DC story link

Cayuga County Crows Unlimited

Save the Crows

[RebelOne]

1. That's why I hate hunting.

Hunting to put food on the table is one thing, but to hunt just for the sake of killing is sick. And I bet each of those hunters gets a surge of adrenaline every time they shoot a bird. It disgusts me.

[Cooley Hurd]

18. From what I read, they're donating the crow carcasses...

...to a game preserve (one full of foxes).

[Mr.Green93]

2. would they shoot them

if crows were white?

[Cooley Hurd]

5. Probably not...

Your post reminds me of something the character Chris Rock used to play on SNL - Nat X - would say:

"...a bunch of rednecks shooting black birds - and they call it a SPORT!" :D

[PDittie]

3. They should've invited Cheney

He loves that sort of thing

[redqueen]

4. Are there too many?

Sometimes there is a good reason to thin a species out. If they're allowed to overpopulate, they could endanger other avian species.

Let's not jump to any conclusions.

[Superfly]

6. Depredation hunts are common...

and not just for crows...

deer, coyotes, squirrels. Many animals, when they overpopulate an area will start to destroy their environment. Why, just take humans, for example.

[redqueen]

10. Rattlesnakes too

I think we're in for a thinning of the herd ourselves, as well.

[Superfly]

11. That's what viruses and diseases are for...

they are our only natural predator, now...

[redqueen]

13. Yep, and we gots em cookin up special, just for us!

watch the skies! ;)

[NJCher]

15. well, we also have our fearless leader, AWOL, on it

He's been real good about getting rid of Iraqis.


Cher

[Superfly]

16. Whatchoo talkin 'bout

:shrug:

[Cooley Hurd]

7. Actually, it's a real problem in Auburn...

50,000 crows living in a city of 28,000. The feces problem is terrible, as well as a serious health risk. The creepy part is that the crows roost in Fort Hill Cemetery in the center of town, and they congregate specifically around the tomb of (Iroquois) Chief Logan. Spooky...

National Geographic Explorer did an entire show on it a few years back...

[redqueen]

12. Wish I'd have seen that

I love that show, and I love spooky stuff, so that's right up my alley. :)


I expected this would be the case. As much as some people love to hate hunters, something like this wouldn't get widespread support from hunters if there wasn't a good reason for it.

[HereSince1628]

14. What do they eat?

Granted they can fly 10's of miles in a day to forage, 50,000 birds are going to eat a LOT. Did the the NGE documentary make any suggestions? Local garbage? Young children stuck on light posts by their tongues?

[Cooley Hurd]

17. I dunno...

...Purina Crow Chow? :shrug:

[Hotler]

8. Scalia said...

"Dick, my treat, I'll fly us this time".:bounce:

[Cooley Hurd]

9. I guess that would even things out...

...then they can try to claim that gift+gift in return=no bias?

C'mon... that sounds like their methodology, doesn't it?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

19. Crows are so cool...

They're refreshingly intelligent.

That must be why these a$$holes want to kill them.

[geniph]

20. I'm actually pretty surprised they were able to get that many

last year...crows learn about guns VERY quickly. Most corvidae are brighter than most of the people I meet. Wonder how much brass has to be flying around to get 348 crows? If I lived there, I think I'd have urgent business somewhere else that weekend. What a racket that must make!

And a tavern sponsoring the contest would make me a trifle uneasy. Alcohol+free reign to shoot at things=potentially bad results. I sometimes think half the problems with firearms would disappear if they had breathalyzers on them that prevented drunks from firing them...