Quote:
Originally Posted by tcrackly
There is a lot of reality to your statements. Modern humans have become so far removed from the natural world that those in their suburban bliss overlooking a wooded horizon from their deck, eating sushi, and sipping Mojitos don't realize;
a.)how much wildlife was displaced to allow for their venue, which now, by virtue of their proximity to wildlife, puts them at risk for zoonotic diseases like Lyme, distemper, rabies as well as the possible actual confrontation with cornered, threatened wildlife.
b.) that the human encroachment on habitat now makes necessary a certain amount of hunting or culling of wildlife in order to maintain something resembling the original ecology which now is thrown out of whack by spreading human populations.
c.) that most hunters consume their kills and their quarry leads a far more desirable life than their domesticated cousins raised in filthy, crowded pens so they can be properly presented as various cuts wrapped in polyethylene at the local Safeway.
I take no issue with people who accept vegetarianism as a moral commitment, but many don't take into account how much petroleum is pumped out, at risk to the natural environment, to facilitate the manufacture, freighting, marketing, and promotion of their non-animal goods.
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Bingo....
Modern humans displace wild game, and everything else, to build ski resorts, condos, smack center in deer yards, and then wonder why the store bought plant shrubbery is eatten to the roots.
We build interstates right thru the areas most remote so 'WE' don't need to distrube PEOPLE, in moving their homes, town roads, and or hear the roar of the wheels on interstates.
The end result is wildlife are killed every day. The Feds and Insurance folks HIRE Hunters, and these hunters work out of season, and out of Natural time, to reduce and thin heards of certain game.
I can only assume anti hunters kill wild game as well as hunters with CARS.
I know some hunters that do or are near will claim the game and deal with it, but so far I never heard of any anti making claim for more than the damage to their car.
The anti condo owners complain that something must be done to save their store bought shrubbery as well, but no killing mind you. As if it is easy to 'just' capture game, and then 'just' move it some place a bit more wild.
Maybe we should move most of NH's Moose to a desert in Nevada or something. PA's deer to a island off South America.
Just maybe we shouldn't clear cut a whole mountain range, and create ski resorts, more condos, and more roads. Certianly a wall mart and combined parking lot is more important than a deer yard.
That comment on drinking and drunk hunters is rather vile. First of all I don't drink to get drunk, and 2ndly I don't hunt, shoot, or drive drunk.
Come to think of it I don't mow the lawn, run a chain saw or other dangerous things drunk either, in fact I can't recall the last time i socialized in a tavern, or was drunk under the eyes of law.
I find that curious, since to hunt game means being able to see straight, read the land as if it were pages in a book.
I highly doubt I could snap shoot for game birds, and get them drunk.
Hick, well yeah I am all that and more, and dammned proud of it.
One hick thing I like to do is practice fire by bow drill. I can, and do that in 120 seconds every time.
I teach it for hire too. I will always have access to fire for it, and with out fire man is nothing.
Now, I have been to the Smithsonian in DC, where i assume my non-hick brethern have set up a display of fire by bow drill, and do they ever have that display WRONG.
So WHO is the smarter again?
It just so happens I lived off the land for 3 full years, better than 1,095 days in a tee pee. Now those fine folks down at the musem have a tee pee, and it's set up with double the poles required. Why this is, I have no idea. I mentioned that to the staff, and they didn't know why either. But there is little to no use of any 34 poles to set up a tee pee.
As a life long hunter I can navigate in the dense woods of New England with no watch and no compass, and the once in my life to get lost, it wasn't for lack of knowing which way to go, but for lack of light to see by.
Being forced to stay out in the woods with no food, and no camping gear was easy, since I know how to make fire, and sleep. I made tea and ate a few bits of wild plants I know are safe once I made fire and could see them.
Several times I have encountered lost hikers, with compass, watches, and even GPS with dead batterys i guess; in a wild panic. They had cold skin, wild looking eyes, and no packs. Well that isn't true exactly, they had packs, but abandoned their packs to make speed.
What good is speed when you don't know where you are going?
Back a ways in the 80's i lost a friend of mine, Albert Dow to avalanch in the White Mts. He was searching for 2 novice hikers lost in the woods. These hikers abandoned their packs too, and Yankee Magazine made heros of these fools, yet a wise woodland skills tech died for their folly.
All the time I find proof of people in the woods who do not belong there. I find toliet papers in the dead center of a trail commonly, I once found a medical pill container, and grabbed it up thinking I might find the owner who might need what ever meds the container contained. It was Car gasoline! I got car gasloine on my winter mitts! This is just WRONG.
As a hunter, I get to see game most others do not. Years before the state of NH finally admitted to we have puma and wolves naturally, not introduced, i knew that, because I had seen them first hand.
Since late spring, I have seen 9 black bear, one in my driveway. This driveway is 1/2 mile long. I have seem more moose than I can recount just this spring. 30+ something.
Hunnting all my life taught me woodland skills, geology (tools), most kinds of trees, what the woods in these trees are good for, and how to tell what a kind of tree is, any time of year, leaves or no leaves, and by the grain for carpentry work. Hunting has taught me how to sew, and make clothing from head to toe, and make clothing for my wife.
Hunting has taught me how to use parts of game most hunters don't bother with anymore but they could, and i wish they would.
I don't mean a Cabella's antler lamps either. I make bone needles, and bodkins. I use teeth and toe bones for game counters, I use leg bones for knife handles, containers, quill flatteners, and more. I use the hoof parts to line soft knife cases and to make musical instrument rattles. The hides, besides clothing make drum heads.
I use organs for things too, but don't dare get into that on this site. But with some of these i can make water portable, or create a water tight garment, plus containers for fine grain substances, even boil water.
So I have no problem at all being called a hick.
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