The Hunter's Stand

[KichigaiNeko]

A friend of mine is a hunter (feral animals) in our National parks here in Oz. He and his art are trying to survive in the face of environmental-animal activism. This particular blog of his has caused me to share.

More info HERE

Ol' dads and the al dente paradox
(To enlarge the text below, hold down your Ctrl key and press your + key once or twice)


Ol’ dads can make their sons very proud sometimes. There are magic moments when something they say or do – sometimes both – can make an 11 year-old feel like he’s in the company of a superhero. These moments and the feelings they evoke will stay with us until we’re ol’ dads ourselves, recounting stories of the ‘olden days’ to our grandkids that will pass into family legend. My ol’ dad was one such man and he left me with a wealth of stories that I cherish and recount with great joy and pride to this day.
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And there they were, ten bunnies every one of them taken cleanly with a single shot just behind the eyes.

To this day I cannot walk past a fallen tree without harking back to the day my ol’ dad taught me two very important lessons; the importance of remaining calm when confronted by an idiot, and the effectiveness of understatement back-up by raw talent.

I miss my ol’ dad!

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Another thoughtful and thought provoking article

Hunting and the fight against truth decay
Responsible hunters continue to be assailed by irresponsible 'green' extremists, myopic social commentators and journalists who have little or no interest in exploring, in depth and objectively, why people in the 21st century still want to hunt.

It is difficult to get ‘equal time’ and even when time is offered hunters are challenged to justify their culture and practices in ways that the anti-hunting lobby is rarely, if ever, tasked to do. For example, hunting’s detractors are fond of citing examples of extraordinary cruelty, which they claim are intrinsic to hunting practice. But have you ever heard an interviewer ask the very simple question, “Upon what expert and objective research is your accusation of extreme cruelty based?” Of course you haven’t. It is enough that there may be a perception of cruelty – albeit born of profound ignorance – an emotive statement and perhaps even tears to punctuate it.

[Minimalist]

I'm of two minds about hunting. Because we have exterminated the predators in too many places the herbivores multiply unchecked and many starve every winter. The hunters do somewhat address the disparity although the problem is that there are not enough of them... which kind of puts the lie to the NRA's bullshit about how they protect "sportsmen."

However, I've never met a hunter that I've really liked. You are not great outdoorsmen and naturalists. What you are is a guy with a high powered rifle and a telescopic site sitting 50 yards from a salt lick waiting for some defenseless deer to come along so you can blast it. I acknowledge the need... it's your macho bullshit I don't buy.

Go out in the woods with a flint-tipped spear and bring home a bear and I'll give you props for being the great white hunter. Also understand that I'll be rooting for the bear.

[KichigaiNeko]

Hmmm

I hear what you are saying Min. But I am talking about Australia not America.

Our biggest issues are that Foxes, Deer, Rabbits, Pigs, Dogs, Cats, Goats and Camels that don't belong here and are driving out our native wildlife. And thanks to the rednecks of America the "big-white-hunter" is being applied here to the detriment of our National Parks. Yeah we stopped the hunting in our National Parks and the only animals that succeeded where the Foxes, Deer, Rabbits, Pigs, Dogs, Cats, Goats and Camels, which is really funny since now some municipalities are offering rewards for Foxes, Deer, Rabbits, Pigs, Dogs, Cats, Goats and Camels. Our conservation has come back to bite us.

I have meet this hunter who writes this blog. I like him.

meh

[Minimalist]