No it isn't at all. It's not even rational to kill animals period. Sure, I eat meat but I don't feel good about it and want to stop as soon as I find enough vegan/vegetarian food that I like, but taking a gun and shooting a deer that's just standing around isn't fair at all.

Maybe if you went at them with an axe. That's a lil more fair than a gun, which is what most hunters use.

We're not above animals.

The only time I can even agree with hunting to some extent is if you need to to survive. And even that is iffy because you can eat something else.
Hunting animals in the way that hunters generally do it these days, it's not necessary to do it. Most hunters don't do it for that reason.

Edit: And honestly... if we can't kill animals with our bare hands then TOUGH, DON'T HUNT THE ANIMALS THEN. It's as simple as that. Dropping a nuke on a country that is only armed with pistols isn't right either.

Sorry, but we ARE above animals. Humans were the only creature created in God's image, and He gave us animals. He gave them to us to USE. I know he doesn't want us killing animals just for fun, but he does want us to use them for food and other things. God told us very clearly which animals are suitable for us to eat. He also told us that killing animals for food or in defense is good. However, we are not to mistreat animals. The real question is whether or not the animal is being killed truly for food. If it's for sport, then it is wrong.

There's nothing wrong with being a vegetarian according to the Bible, but don't say that killing animals for food is wrong, because it isn't. God gave humans control over all creation.

Every other animal kills animals below them on the food chain to eat (save herbivores), why is it wrong for us to do so. There's plenty of nutrients in meat that we need to function correctly.

There is nothing is meat that we need to survive that cannot be found from a plant derived source. We may be at the top of the food chain but that does not mean we should unnecessarily kill other beings for our food. Humans are the only animals with free will and can choose to do what is best for our planet. What is best at this point in time is to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of animals for food.

And eventually lead to overpopulation of many species of animals?

Animals were meant to kill and eat each other for a reason. All part of checks and balances.

its only rational in the human mind to use a weapon because we are not strong enough to do it by other means... i completely disagree its one thing to use a weapon to kill an animal for good reason such as food etc...

but if your killing for the sport the animal diserves the chance to defend itself... overmore; if your going to hunt for sport whats the fun of picking an animal that is unknowning of your existance and they barely heard the bang before they are twitching on the ground dead. i just don't see how that could be fun or interesting... why not at least make a noise so he knows your there, then run after him to kill him... i'm a sniper pansey i'll sit up in this tree and pick animals that otherwise don't stand a chance... thats not sport thats just cruel. a sport is supposed to be a challenge.

To be fair, a lot of species out there use their natural characteristics to gain an unfair advantage over their prey. But the keyword is natural.

Maybe if we had built-in camouflage...

guns are not natural... maybe they are for rednecks that wore basically born with a gun in their hand... but come on... you want natural grow long fingernails and use those for your weapons... lol.

Yes. That's why I emphasized natural.

And basically, making no more quotes, what Obby said about us not being above them, and what Gillibean said about something, I can't really remember exactly:

We are not necessarily above animals. But we are not separate from them, either. We can't just avoid killing animals for food because there's another way to get food and we, as humans, use our superior intellect (please don't call me out on that one) and utilize tools (because that's our only real advantage or we'd all die). I think, since we are omnivores by nature, we have a right to prey on other animals for our food and a right to use tools to do so. A gun is one such tool, but why do they need a chance? Sure you can kill them with an axe, and that's more fair since it is closer to something like claws, but that's just purposefully bringing our potential down in the "fight" in order to make it more "fair". We are not some other class of being who is interrupting the natural flow of animal life by killing them. Now, do I think that we should raise cattle and such for the sole purpose of butchering it? THEN they have no chance. They are just put in a slaughterhouse. ignorant of that they will be killed, and they are killed.

As for AJ's post, I disagree. I mean, with that animals are only here for us to use, but I agree that it is natural for us to do so, and wrong to kill them for fun, just as it is wrong to kill people for fun (Most Dangerous Game, anybody?).

As for Gilibean's post that we have free will so it is our obligation to not eat meat...first I want you to define for me free will. What is it? And why don't animals have it? They have instinct that they rely on a lot, sure, but that's a plus. We have the thinking capacity to wonder if we should be eating meat, but at the same time, lots of animals are intelligent and they can think for themselves, even if they can't communicate as we can to bring about the kind of world for their species that we have for ours.

THis post may be a little disjointed, but you get my point.