A Senseless Killing

First I would like to state that I do not have anything against hunters or hunting as long as the rules are followed. Hunters have done tremendous things for conservation, but senseless killing I cannot tolerate. As an acquaintance of mine (who is a hunter) has said many times over "Don't kill it unless you're going to eat it". I continually hear time and again of hunters who kill just for the sake of killing. This past weekend was spent roaming the woods in southwestern Louisiana with friends while they hunted. On the evening of my arrival someone who had camped nearby stopped to show us a bobcat he had shot. While hunting for deer he observed it chasing a rabbit in which time he drew a bead on it and shot. The bullet of the high-powered rifle clipped the cat's spine tumbling it stone dead to the ground. It was very hard for me not to ask why he had done this, but out of respect for my friends who knew him, I said nothing. Instead I just stood there gritting my teeth as I ran my fingers through its soft fur feeling a hint of warmth left in its limp remains. I was feeling sad and at the same time disgusted thinking that when I had arrived today this beautiful creature was trodding through the woods full of vigor not knowing that its very life would end in but a few short hours. If it had attacked the hunter it would legitamize this act, but this wasn't the case. It was minding its own business, doing what came natural to it........hunting for food. Unlike the hunter though it wasn't killing just for the sake of killing.