It's hunting season up north

[Pappy]

All the hunters are excited up in New York State where I am from. The Adirondacs will be like a shooting range and the farmers will be bringing in their cattle so the boys from the big city don't shoot them.

I don't miss hunting that much as I never enjoyed killing animals. I figured they had as much right to live as I did and I didn't need the meat to survive. I did enjoy sitting in a tree stand with my Fred Bear hunting bow and just enjoying nature. With me using a bow and arrows, the animals could do a dance in front of me and still be safe.

Here is a picture of a moose hunter......fail......

 

[Katybug]

I used to cringe at the thought, Pappy, in killing of a Bambi. I came to know there are so many they would starve to death otherwise, so it is more humane.

 

[SifuPhil]

My student is both a rifle and crossbow hunter, and this time of year our class schedule gets disrupted for a while when he goes off to do his Elmer Fudd imitation.

I have to say he's a very conscientious hunter. He won't take a shot unless he's sure of hitting what he knows is a deer. In fact, today was the first time he ever told me of a failure.

He had spotted 3 deer at a distance of somewhere between 30-50 yards. It was still light out (about 4pm), so he took the shot with his crossbow. He was sure he hit it, because the other deer just stood there and looked at their struck colleague for a few moments, then they all took off. He followed the blood trail in the snow but lost it several times when the deer went through a pine tree area. He managed to pick up where the deer had laid down three separate times, so he knew he had gotten a vital hit, but the day was darkening and he's a bit of a chicken when it comes to losing his way in the woods - his own property, to boot! - so regretfully he gave up the search.

He claims to have heard some other hunters give a whoop while he was heading back to the cabin, so he wants to think that they found it. I questioned whether he was indeed within a comfortable range and he admitted that 50 yards was the outside limit for his bow. He also said he hadn't slept at all that night, so although he's the Great White Hunter he still appears to have some fragment of a soul left.

I came to know there are so many they would starve to death otherwise, so it is more humane.

Katy, that's a common response from hunters but I never bought into it myself. Left to her own devices, Nature always does quite well in controlling populations. It's only when politicians pass laws about hunting seasons and how many you can bag based on those populations that things get all messed up. As with my student there are MANY times when an animal will not be killed instantly - in fact it's standard practice that they keep going for a while, and many will end up dying long, lingering and painful deaths.

Starvation would be preferable, I would think.

 

[SeaBreeze]

We don't hunt either, but we would if we needed the meat for food, and we'd use a rifle for the task. There's sometimes hunters out and about when we go on our camping trips. We put the orange collar on the dog, and the red collar on the cat. Hopefully they wouldn't mistake them for a deer or elk, but who knows.

 

[rkunsaw]

I haven't hunted the past few years. I saw a buck on my morning walk a few says ago. I hear shots all around so I'm sure the population will be kept in check. I do like venison and will go after a deer if we need the meat.

 

[Pappy]

All of my relatives, when I was younger, were avid hunters. We always had venison in the freezer and rabbit stew was always a hit. The first part of the deer was to eat the tenderloin. It was delicious.

We stayed pretty much in our own woods as it was getting crazy out there with idiot hunters. My grandfather owned a large patch of woods about 5 miles from our house. We would stay at the Lodge.

 

[That Guy]