Hunting: A cruel so-called "sport"' exercised today by only six percent of the U.S. population. I believe that all life is a sacred miracle, which we should respect, cherish, and preserve--not destroy!

The first subspecies of humans to hunt were cavemen. It appears that hunting has invalidated the theory of evolution, since after millions of years this subspecies continues the barbaric practice of murdering the innocent. How can any normal human being derive enjoyment from the killing of helpless animals and then justify this act by calling it a sport?

The fact that hunting is legal does not make it morally acceptable. Slavery, killing innocents in war, burning witches, and anti-Semitism were also legal. Some "great American traditions" should be encouraged to die.

Hunters purchase hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of equipment ranging from tents, hunting stands, weapons, ammunition, camouflage, and scents so that the deer won't smell them to four-wheelers, spotlights, night scopes, and numerous other things available to them.

Statistics that the University of Maryland's Extension Service gathered during the hunting season revealed that hunters spend over 51 million dollars a year to kill about 46,000 deer in Maryland, which comes out to approximately $1000 for each deer killed. Assuming that the meat of each deer was preserved and eaten and that each deer provided 45 pounds of meat, this means that the cost per pound of deer flesh in Maryland was $24.44.

Hunters like to use the excuse that they give deer meat to the hungry. They can buy much more food from a store. Same goes for feeding their own families. No, hunters don't "hunt for the hungry." They hunt for the thrill that they get when the bullet hits its target and the animal takes its final, wheezing breaths and the feeling of macho pride. They feel this pride because they and they alone (with the help of a gun, ammunition, and other equipment) were responsible for an animal's death.

Another excuse that hunters use is that they're saving deer from starvation. Hunters kill animals with no notion of which animals are weak and likely to die of starvation. They go after the ones with the biggest antlers or the head that will look best mounted over their fireplace.

Overpopulation is yet another excuse. This argument is generally used by state wildlife agencies. If population control were the main reason for conducting deer hunts, then hunters would only be permitted to kill doe.

Although disease and starvation are unfortunate, they are necessary as part of nature's way of ensuring that strong and healthy deer survive and that populations don't become too high. Nature's predators such as bobcats and bear, which mainly kill weak or sickly deer, help maintain this balance. Hunters, however, kill anything that moves, including healthy deer--and even themselves on occasion.

As for deer causing car accidents, even in heavily hunted states, the number of deer-car collisions continues to climb. The cause is an increase in the number of cars on the road and the destruction of wildlife habitats. There is even evidence that hunting actually contributes to the number of accidents. As hunters force deer to flee the woods the first day of hunting season, collisions increase. Insurance companies have the numbers that show that when hunting season starts, car accidents rise.

It is always sad to subject a child to the killing of an animal. There is no doubt in my mind that the killing of an innocent animal at a young age desensitizes a child. Take for example Andrew Golden, 11, who was barely out of diapers and already dressed in camouflage and toting a rifle, and Mitchell Johnson, 13 and a hunter. These two boys opened fire on their classmates at Westside Middle School, which resulted in the death or injuries of 15 students and teachers. According to the Christian Science Monitor: "Thirty percent of animal cruelty incidents also involved violence against people." One can't help but think that after killing an animal, an unbalanced person might set his sights higher to murdering human beings.

Read part 2 of this article.

--Shakira was featured in Peta's "Grrr" magazine as the "Rebel With a Cause." She has written many articles and is known locally for writing animal rights letters to the editor of the city newspaper. In fact, she started the first ever animal rights club at her high school. Visit her website.