No debate ... just sharing my opinion

[CedrikG]

Hey guy's! first of all merry Christmas to everyone!

I really do not want to start a debate here, especially in this beautiful snowy 25 december morning. I just want to share my opinion which is why forum are ...While 99% of the thing I dont agree with I keep for me, this something that I truly believe is unacceptable and could'nt hold myself to tell. Actually it is the only thing that I dont agree with that I share, and probably the last one to. Also I want to make sure you understand I am not going to answer any argumentation, as I said this is not a debate. You will not see any reply from me on this thread, but you can always share your opinion on my opinion Which will never, ever change my thinking on the subject, just to many people tried in the past without any chance of success. That said I also know that I have no chance of changing your mind neither

I always been a big... BIG lover of animals ... and I truly believe it is an enormous tragedy to kill thousand of snake each year just to put a skin on its bow. It almost is a genocide to me. It is for these kind of act that I really always hated human race ... Only human is dumb enough to kill just to remove skin ... horn just to decorate. I believe it is that destructive behavior that will lead the human to its end. Please do not confuse killing for eating, and killing for decoration. I am a huge carnivore.

People will say : They are everywhere here.
This sound as stupid as a juicy fart to my ear. Do we have to wait until there are no more to react, thats what human do for everything, wait until the very end to react. Anyway it is not the snake that are everywhere, its the human race that is invasive

Just wanted to share my opinion.  Anyway ... a snake skin back is extremely ugly in my opinion, it really ruin a bow that was superb at the beginning.
This forum is amazing, actually the best I found, so much knowledge is showed ... and amazing people with incredible skill. That said, maybe it is not my place because of the way I think.

[Will H]

Merry Christmas as well everyone is entitled to their own opinion personally I love animals! They taste great!!!

[blackhawk]

Very few of my bows get skins on them..only the ones deserving of such an honor get them...and I believe plants,animals,minerals,n natural materials were given to us for us to use in a "resourceful" way. And while we may not agree with all of ones state fish n game laws(which are usually petty grievances),they do and are protecting any one species from being over harvested here in the united states. That's my two cents

[WillS]

Here's my opinion, for what its worth...

I breed and keep snakes and lizards. They're pets to me and I think they're awesome animals.  However I have no problem at all with people using snake skin backings.  In some parts of the world they ARE pests.  Take the Burmese python invasion for instance.  Evolution has shaped them into perfect predators, which is fine and naturally balanced in their original environment but when introduced as an alien species they become a problem!

As an animal lover and snake obsessive I'd much rather see them culled and used for backings which display their natural beauty than thrown away. 

[sadiejane]

tho i am not as attracted to snake skins on bows as many are, that just a personal preference, nothing more or less.
as for the killing of snakes, i would guess many of the skins you see, the snakes get eaten too.
often  venomous snakes are killed cuz folks have children, pets and loved ones who may be harmed or killed if bitten.
if i find a venomous snake close to the house(you would be amazed how many copperheads live in the city), its gotta go
in the southeastern usa, non-native snakes have become a serious problem.
and have begun to have a major impact on the native birds and small animals.



Happiest of Holidays to each and everyone on PA!

[wildcat hunter]

  Animals are put on earth for the use of man. We have and do use them for work, pets, recreation and food and clothing etc. I feel if you kill an animal it better be for a good reason and it should be eatin or destroyed if diseased. I see no reason why we should not use every part of an animal that we kill. But killing for "sport" and not using the meat is wrong. The way things are set-up now its up to the hunters to keep the animals in check so as to prevent any disease or starvation to run wild in their habitat and snakes come in here too. Snakes released on an island ( forget the name ) have destroyed all the birds on the island, we now have non native snakes in the USA, in the swamps, they need to be removed. Snakes come as canned meat too so the skins should be used for something as well as the meat. I think skins as bow decorations are beautiful.
Just my 2 cents.

[iowabow]

Hey guy's! first of all merry Christmas
Well back at ya!
I always been a big... BIG lover of animals ... and I truly believe it is an enormous tragedy to kill thousand of snake each year just to put a skin on its bow. It almost is a genocide to me.

Just askin butttttttt..... what would the trees think about your bows!!! If your going to hug snakes you should also hug trees. Before you judge me for this statement just remember I have a registered treefarm to replace the wood I use do you?

[Roy]

Merry X-mas Cedrik.

[Wolf Watcher]

My Opinion:  I think it must be a human quirk that we all have favorite animals and birds and therefore think of them differently than the others.  For some time for example I hated feral cats because they killed birds.  And as I have gotten much older now I have become much more of a philosopher, it has occurred to me as has always been, there is a food chain and it has always evolved.  Working on a ranch just outside of Yellowstone years ago we found the native rattlers to be a problem as they would bite the livestock and kill the cattle dogs.  Therefore we killed them and I made bow backings and hat bands out of the skins.  We must not have destroyed the resource as there are as many of them now as back then and they are still a threat!  My local source for skins is from the propane delivery man who picks the dead ones off the road.  The many bows I have that are skin backed are that way for the purpose of non reflective camo.  Not sure where the stats came from about how many snakes we primitive folks kill and use for backings?  Also not to sure I understand making statements about others that use skins here and then not being willing to continue the thought provoking process.  Hope I haven't offended anyone.  A/Ho Joe

[steve b.]

Nothing wrong with giving your opinion, or in having different one's from others regarding animals or backings, especially if it is well informed.

[_Jon_]

A quote I discovered on a web search.  I could not find who wrote it so no source is given.

“Closed-minded means that you believe that all theories except your own are nonsense, even if you haven't studied those theories. A good example would be a physicist saying that quantum entanglement is nonsense, even if he has just studied classical Newtonian mechanics.

An open-minded person would think that maybe quantum entanglement is possible, even if he is unable to comprehend how it is possible with his current understanding of physics.”


You put forth:  “I really do not want to start a debate here, especially in this beautiful snowy 25 december morning. I just want to share my opinion which is why forum are …”

No, not really.  Forums exist for so much more, they allow each of us to share our experiences, talents, and indeed even opinions.

You continue:  “You will not see any reply from me on this thread, but you can always share your opinion on my opinion Which will never, ever change my thinking on the subject, just to many people tried in the past without any chance of success.”

To say never, ever is to be somewhat close minded. 

You conclude:  "Just wanted to share my opinion.  Anyway ... a snake skin back is extremely ugly in my opinion, it really ruin a bow that was superb at the beginning."

Beauty is often in the eye of the beholder.   

Merry Christmas to you also!

[CedrikG]

Thanks for your opinion guy's, and thanks for keeping it cool even tought it is a ''hot'' topic.

Iowabow : I appreciate your implication. If you did a little researsh on me you would realise I been studying trees for years, that they are my main interest, the reason why I love making bow so much. You would also realised I planted hundred of thousand of trees and plant, and that the only living tree I ever cutted in over 5 years is last summer, a black ash that was going to be cut few weeks later because of new house planting.
I used every inch of that tree, and made a fantastic bow from it.
that said I really share your point and thanks for caring about it.

Did I really reply ... I promised I would not. But please take in consideration that if i seem so ... affected by the subject, I probably take the precaution to not fall into the same trap.

_Jon_ : Thanks for opening my mind

[Jim Davis]

Hey guy's! first of all merry Christmas to everyone!



I always been a big... BIG lover of animals ... and I truly believe it is an enormous tragedy to kill thousand of snake each year just to put a skin on its bow. It almost is a genocide to me.

I don't want a snakeskin on any of my bows. I don't set out to kill snakes, but would kill any poisonous one that crossed my path.

But the important thing here to me is that YOU HORRIBLY CHEAPEN THE MEANING OF THE WORD GENOCIDE by applying it to the killing of snakes.

Jim Davis

[iowabow]

Thanks for your opinion guy's, and thanks for keeping it cool even tought it is a ''hot'' topic.

Iowabow : I appreciate your implication. If you did a little researsh on me you would realise I been studying trees for years, that they are my main interest, the reason why I love making bow so much. You would also realised I planted hundred of thousand of trees and plant, and that the only living tree I ever cutted in over 5 years is last summer, a black ash that was going to be cut few weeks later because of new house planting.
I used every inch of that tree, and made a fantastic bow from it.
that said I really share your point and thanks for caring about it.

Did I really reply ... I promised I would not. But please take in consideration that if i seem so ... affected by the subject, I probably take the precaution to not fall into the same trap.

_Jon_ : Thanks for opening my mind

I am glad you understood my point because many people in here practice conservation on the land they own and also recycle snakes dead on the road. I feel you threw them under the bus with this post.

[CedrikG]

iowabow : Maybe due to my lack of english. I tried to be clear on the fact that I was talking about those killing FOR the skin.

I'm off trekking in the wood with the familly for X-MAS, please dont let me ruin your morning, enjoy your day !

Just wanted to talk about something that was really to hard to hold, I really never make hot topic usually but I believe I woke up on the wrong foot this morning