re: Can somebody explain to me how hunters love animals?

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It's more akin to respect of, interest and/or seeing a kindred spirit in the animal(s) than "love" like you are thinking of. As an example, some Indian tribes would thank the spirits of the animals they killed, even if they had killed many more than what they needed for survival.

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This is closer to it. Let me, Mohican, try to put it into words. It's hard to explain, but hunters know more about the animals they hunt and appreciate them more than any nonhunter ever could. You see things they do, in their domain, and interact with them in ways others can't. You truly come to respect the animal, much like you would an adversary who took you to the final round or an opponent who earns your respect on the field in football. Sure, you might win, but you respect them. There are days the animal wins, and you come to appreciate all the senses and natural instincts God gave that animal to survive and evade you despite your best efforts.

I deer hunt, and I love deer. They are majestic creatures. They are beautiful. They are smart in their own, natural way. They are graceful in their environment. It's amazing the senses they have to survive. They are prey animals so they are wired to avoid predators of many kind, not just humans.

And it's just a respect for a fellow living being. Hunting strikes a primal chord inside you that not many modern humans who don't hunt get to feel. Yes, you took the animals life, but you do it in a respectful manner. You try to ensure a clean kill. And you don't just kill to kill, you kill it to enjoy the venison which has its own unique flavor.

So, like the above poster said, its a healthy respect but also a love. I love deer and would put in a lot of effort and money to ensure their conservation and overall health of the herd.

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You got some tiny arse deer down South.

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he's obviously never been hunting

que all the people coming in here to say if they didn't kill the deer they would overpopulate and starve to death.

People talk about free range organic meat, but hate the idea of hunting...

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What do you mean?

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Overpopulation. Over population of a species leads to the decline of another species. Take, for example, the wild boar/pig. These animals have reproduced and multiplied at such an alarming rate that they have decimated many food sources for deer and other animals. They are seen as a nuisance pest due to how quickly they breed and the damage it is doing to the ecosystem.

Hunting keeps the population of a species in balance, in places like America. There are no natural predators to deer or fowl. Therefore, without humans, there population would expand and wipe out the food source and ecosystem that it needs to survive. That's also why there are limits on what you can hunt, so you do not negatively impact the # of animals in the wild.

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que all the people coming in here to say if they didn't kill the deer they would overpopulate and starve to death.

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You've obviously never been in an "old growth" forest area where there's not a green leaf to be found unless it's 7' off the ground. Idiots like you kill me.

I've always thought anti-hunting zealots all lived on the 6th floor of some apartment building in Manhattan, and therefore never had to live in among their darling Bambis.

I grew up hunting with my father so partly just enjoy doing things with him and having those memories. Also it's peaceful to go out into the wild. Hunting gives me a good excuse to walk through the woods. Animals are beautiful in nature. Food is certainly secondary to the above but animal populations do need to be controlled as natural predators have been elminated. I don't think i've killed an animal hunting in 3 years. Primarily because i have young kids that take up most of my time. Now fishing is another story. The thrill of the fight is everything. Plus you can't really see the fish (for the most part) unless you catch them. Love me some tuna fishing.

Yeah - I watch many of the hunting shows (I especially like Tiffany ) and the biggest antlered deer are always harvested in Iowa. The same buddy I mentioned in the other post killed a 190 inch mainframe 10 pt in Pike County, Illinois a couple of years ago with a bow.

correction to not killing anything: I forgot about dove hunting...