Hunting Sense

Steve over at Black Bear Blog has published the results of a poll they ran asking: “Do you think the use of ‘military style’ weapons hurts the image of hunters?” It was nearly a 50/50 split between yes and no, with a handful of people unable to decide.

If the answer being sought by the poll was whether or not you think the use of ‘military style’ weapons should hurt the image of hunters, I think it did a pretty fair job of showing the division within our own ranks of the issue. On the other hand, if it meant exactly what it asked as worded, then I personally think anyone who believes the use of ‘military style’ weapons doesn’t hurt the image of hunters is living in a fantasy world. Maybe I’m splitting hairs, but it seems there’s a huge difference between the two.

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Deer- and turkey-hunting permits typically are issued to people chosen in a random, computerized lottery, although DNR spokesman Chris McCloud said few are denied. Typically, hunters simply must send in an application and the $15 fee.

Ok, now I am confused.

If few are denied, and all a person has to do is send in an application and the $15 bucks, then why circumvent the entire process?

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There’s always some sort of legislation being proposed dealing with gun control, it’s a hard reality we have had to come to live with. That’s why we always have to be vigilante in staying up-to-date on current bills. House Bill 760, recently introduced into the Pennsylvania House of representatives, is yet another.

“The legislation calls for every gun in Pennsylvania to be registered with the state, and each registration must be renewed annually. The registration would cost the gun owner $10 per gun each year. The bill also calls for each gun owner to be fingerprinted, have a back ground check, and to submit pass port-style photos for registration cards. The registration card for each gun would then have to be carried with that gun at all times. Any gun that registration is denied for would then be confiscated by the state police.”

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Jim Zumbo said he would join the fight for the right to keep and bear all types of guns and it appears he is keeping his word. Posted on the NRA website on March 30th, here is an open letter from him to the US Senate.

JIM ZUMBO

March 28, 2007

An Open Letter to the
United States Senate

Dear Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen:

It recently came to my attention that one of your colleagues, Michigan Sen. Carl Levin, has chosen to attack firearms owners using remarks I wrote in mid-February as his launch pad. As you probably know, Sen. Levin has been making anti-gun speeches every week for the past eight years because of a promise he made to the Economic Club of Detroit in May 1999.

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Baiting game animals is a common practice in many areas, and it is usually a source of debate wherever it is practiced. It’s no different in Georgia where a bill containing language about the practice is currently in the legislature. The specifics dealing with baiting seeks to remove a set limit the hunter has to be from the feeder while hunting.

I know there are varying views as to whether it is ethical to hunt directly over a feeder or not, and for good reason. In my opinion, doing so is the equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. I just don’t see the sport in it. I’m definitely not against the use of feeders/bait, though, as they can be used in a way that doesn’t give you an unfair advantage over the animal you’re hunting.

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Just a little over a month since the infamous Jim Zumbo post calling AR-15’s “terrorist weapons”, papers continue to write about the incident. Maybe not quite as quick as it spread across the internet, the story has spread across the globe. This morning I stumbled across a newspaper article from Australia talking about Jim Zumbo, the NRA, and the controversy over the Second Amendment in the US.

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This may well be a new take on the old tune with New York Governor Eliot Spitzer’s broad outdoor agenda. So the next “I Love New York” tourism ad you see may very well have more emphasis on outdoor recreation opportunities the state offers.

As attorney general, Spitzer supported the limiting of guns, but the announcement of his outdoor plans has sportsmen singing his praises, if at least guardedly. The announcement was made amid controversy of his selection of “Pete” Grannis as head of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Outdoorsmen criticized the appointment because of Grannis’ past support and affiliation with anti-gun and anti-hunting opposition groups.

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This editorial I ran across on internet hunting while browsing for hunting news is a perfect example of how issues are twisted around to put a person’s own spin on it. If you have no idea of what internet hunting is, you can read a post I did about it here. The pure lack of ethics and sportsman-like conduct of the activity makes it apparent why there is such concern over it.

I find it commendable that states are putting in place legislature to stop such operations before they begin. I also see it as more a case of regulating the shooting of wildlife, which is what hunting regulations already do to traditional hunters, by citizens than limiting what they can or can’t do on the computer. Making the argument “…it’s “Big Brother” government run amok…” does nothing other than turn this into an extremist-political-freedom issue instead of the simple ethics of hunting issue it really is.

No wonder why so many hunting issues get so confusing for non-hunting voters.

hunting, internet hunting, editorials, ethics, rights, legislation

Thirty years since trophy hunting was banned in Kenya, the idea of bringing it back is being reconsidered.

There are many factors being considered, but there is no doubt that the revenue made off of trophy hunting is playing a major role in the considerations. Over 18,500 hunters visit Africa, bringing with them nearly $200 million a year, with around 8,350 of them generating $50 million in revenue annually in the southern part of the country. It is definite proof that trophy hunting is big business.

Apparently, though, the question is, does any of the millions generated off of hunting actually go back into conservation efforts? For the most part, it seems they don’t. So the concern is, if trophy hunting does make a comeback, how will it affect the wildlife population?

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The Sunday hunting issue has been renewed in Maine and this time, there is a new slant to the proposal.

The idea behind LD 307 is to allow any landowner who owns 20 or more acres to hunt on their own property on Sundays if they so choose. The interesting part is, they would be required to make their land available for the public to hunt the rest of the week. It is an interesting idea, to say the least.

Since a lack of available land for hunting is becoming an issue no matter where you live, this could open up additional opportunities for hunters. The problem I see with it, though, is will it be something a landowner is willing to do for the privilege to hunt just one extra day a week? Giving up six days of private hunting for one day of private hunting on Sundays just doesn’t seem to realistic.

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Controversies over what types of firearms are used while hunting are common and very prominent, but they aren’t the only ones in the hunting world. The controversy over the use of crossbows for hunting is just as common, just not usually as prominent as it’s firearm counterparts. Just like any other bias, it is largely based on inaccurate and/or misleading information provided and promoted by those against it.

While it’s true that there are certain advantages of using a crossbow over a compound bow, they are no different than the differences of using a compound bow instead of a recurve. When the compound bow was becoming popular, it received the same kind of negative attention, but here we are today, where the majority of archery hunters use it. I see the resistance of using crossbows as the very same thing.

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I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard and/or read the phrase, ‘The Second Amendment is not about hunting’ recently. Of course it isn’t, it is about our constitutional Right to Keep and Bear Arms. No place in it does it once mention the word hunting, but hunting is inherently linked to it. Without the Second Amendment, there would be no hunting.

I know that the phrase is being used as a wake up call to those hunters who haven’t grasped this concept yet. Those few so blind that they aren’t able to see that once one gun is taken away, it opens the way for all guns to be taken away, right down to their hunting rifles and shotguns. The reality of the situation is something that each and every hunter needs to realize, and many of them do.

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FAIR CHASE STATEMENT
FAIR CHASE, as defined by the Boone and Crockett Club, is the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild, native North American big game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals.

Above is the Boone and Crocket Club’s Fair Chase Statement as it appears on their website. The cornerstone of our modern game laws, it’s meant to be a simple, straightforward statement guiding hunters in the ethical pursuit and taking of game animals. If it was truly that simple though, there wouldn’t be the number of controversies and differing opinions that we have in the world of hunting.

…in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper advantage over such animals.

Although constantly being defined and redefined, what constitutes an ‘unfair advantage’ is in no way simple, and isn’t something that will ever be fully agreed upon by everyone. The very definition of it has to be based upon morals and ethics, and those two things are not universal. Yes, on a larger scale, we can decide as a majority of what they should be, but that still doesn’t mean that they fit each individuals own morals and ethics.

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The Jim Zumbo fiasco and its aftermath has no doubt made a lot of people take things into consideration they hadn’t before. As I’ve watched the drama unfold over the last week, there has been one very common request of Mr. Zumbo from many non-hunting gun owners. ‘Never go back to hunting again and dedicate yourself to sport shooting and fighting for the Second Amendment.’ Not a direct quote, but paraphrasing the general jest of many comments that say that in one way or another.

I’ve thought about those comments all weekend, and the longer I think about them, the more they bother me. Not only are they unrealistic, they are very unfair coming from the people that are shouting them. Many of you may disagree, but let’s stop and take the time to really look at this from an unbiased point of view here.

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I spent a large part of the day yesterday over at the Ted Nugent website on The Nuge Board where Jim Zumbo was to do a Q&A session with members. The thread started off with a second apology from Zumbo.

posted 02-22-2007 11:49 AM

The last few days have been an educational experience, to say the least. My ill-conceived inflammatory blog, as all of you now know, set off a firestorm that, I’m told, has never before been equaled. I’m not proud of that.

Let me say this at the outset. My words here are from the heart, and all mine. No one can censor me, and I answer to no one but myself. And I have no one to blame but myself. Outdoor Life, a magazine that I worked for full-time as Hunting Editor for almost 30 years, fired me yesterday. My TV show was cancelled yesterday. Many of my sponsors have issued statements on their website to sever all relationships. This may cause many of you to do backflips and dance in the streets, but, of course, I’m not laughing, nor am I looking for sympathy. I don’t want a pity party.

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