Hunting Sense

According to an article in The Kentucky Post, steps taken to promote youth hunting have raised a debate. The state Fish and Wildlife Commission sets the minimum age children may enrol in hunter education training at 9, increases the age it’s mandatory for the child to pass the course to 12, and drops the requirement of purchasing a “junior: hunting license for children under 12. This has brought about the question of at what age should a child be allowed to hunt with firearms and who has the right to decide—the parents or the government?

Having come from Oklahoma, a state where many children are traditionally introduced to hunting at an early age, and a family that hunts, I started hunting before the age of ten. Granted, every child may not be mature or responsible enough to begin at that early of an age, but it’s surprising how many are. And a deciding factor is the amount of instruction they receive, whether it is by attending a hunting course or the parents passing along what they know.

(more…)

I’ve been meaning to do a follow up on the WHA (World Hunting Association), and after a readers comments on the original post, I decided there’s no better time than the present to do it. And guess what, it just so happens ESPN Outdoors has done an article on it recently as well.

Even though David Farbman has tried to make the WHA more appealing to the majority of the hunting community, it’s too little too late. And yes, I know, they’ve switched to a traditional harvest format (yes, it means killing the deer, not darting it), done away with the bounty in favor of a more general point system, and, after the first event, switched to the traditional “fair chase” hunt in open country instead of hunting high fenced ranches. The bottom line for me is that competetive hunting isn’t something I’ll ever be an advocate of.

(more…)

Roger Barnett, a border vigilante I wrote about yesterday, is one of the type of people who give hunters a bad name. People tend to see anyone who hunts as a gun-toting, western justice type left winger that shoots first and asks questions later. It’s sad that men like that help shape the view people have about hunters.

Roger Barnett says he likes hunting, but the prey he’s stalking aren’t animals, they’re human. He is qouted as saying, “Humans. That’s the greatest prey there is on earth.” So instead of going on a Sunday hunt for deer or antelope, he goes out in search of illegal immigrants crossing the border from Mexico onto his 22,000 acre ranch.

(more…)

Today while surfing the net, I came across a number of articles about people being shot either while hunting or by hunters. There were three on just one RSS Feed I subscribe to. Being a lifelong hunter, I have to say it makes me want to hang my head in shame and embarrassment.

Hunters constantly fight negative stereotyping and incidents where we ‘accidentally’ shoot one another or other innocent people only makes us look like careless fools. Of course I know accidents happen, but I have to wonder how many of these could have been prevented by just paying attention and using common sense. The way I was raised and taught, you never point a gun in the general direction of another person.

(more…)

It’s hard to believe there are still states out there that don’t allow Sunday hunting, but there are. In an article published in October in the USA Today, it reports that there are currently eleven states which ban or restrict hunting on Sundays. Eleven of them! What in the world are they thinking?

Many of the laws pertaining to Sunday hunting are what is called “blue laws” that were meant to restrict working, shopping, drinking, dancing, and other activities and sometimes date back to as early as the 1700’s. What? Yes, you heard me right, the 1700’s. You can’t tell me times haven’t changed enough since then that these laws should be removed.

In most instances, these laws banning or restricting Sunday hunting have religious reasoning behind them. Haven’t we got something called the separation of Church and State? If a person’s beliefs don’t allow them to hunt on Sunday, I respect that. I do have to question it being imposed upon people who don’t share the same beliefs, though. As a nation, we’ve given up so many things because of this separation that to allow the ban on Sunday hunting to continue is just plain wrong.

(more…)

I don’t know where I’ve been, but I just found out about the WHA (World Hunting Association). I have to say I was sick at my stomach as soon as I started reading what they are all about. Take a look at what they say on there About Us page.

History of the WHA

The World Hunting Association (WHA) is a global competitive sporting establishment dedicated to organizing and promoting the sport of hunting and conservation. The WHA came together as result of years of discussion and idea generation from a large group of incredibly passionate and experienced hunters.

The WHA officially launched in June of 2006 with the announcement of a ground-breaking professional competitive hunting tour, spotlighting some of the world’s greatest skilled hunters, as well as patent-pending technologies in the field and on the website that take hunting to a new level. The WHA also declared commitment to supporting and growing the hunting industry from recruitment to deer management to supporting hunting-related foundations. In the Fall of 2006, the WHA is thrilled to showcase the excitement, strategy, skill, anticipation, adrenaline, and euphoria of this incredible sport.

Above all, the WHA loves hunting. The WHA is focusing time, resources and attention to help hunting grow and flourish for tomorrow’s generation. Please review the rules and regulations to more comprehensively understand what WHA competitions are all about. Good luck with your virtual hunt and welcome inside the world of WHA. We are confident you will have an awesome experience and it is only growing from here hunting fans.

What? Come on guys, wake up and start living in the real world!

While it seems they have quite a few noble intentions, their methods are ones born of madness. The hunting and shooting of deer with tranquilizers on high fenced ranches with cash prizes for the one with the biggest buck and all of it being broadcast on television looks like a recipe for disaster. If not that, it’s at least more fodder for anti-hunters to use against us and hunting. Something like this could be another nail in the coffin for a long time tradition many of us are passionate about.

After discovering the WHA, I began searching the net to find out what others thought about it. Luckily, I’m not alone in my feelings. Thankfully, it seems most of the original sponsors have pulled their support of the WHA. It’s also apparent by an article by Justin Zarr at HuntingNet.com, a blog by Jim Zumbo at Outdoor Life, and even a petition against the WHA that the majority of hunters share my disgust of this so-called reality tv show for professional hunters. It just goes to prove what I have always believed, most hunters are an intelligent group of ethical people who love the tradition of hunting and what it truly means to call yourself a hunter.

I urge anyone who reads this to sign the petition listed above. It has over 17 hundred signatures so far and could use every one it can get to put a stop to this disgrace.

Sound off about what you think of the WHA and its events by leaving a comment.

Cliff

WHA, World Hunting Association, reality tv, hunting, professional hunters, Outdoor Life, Jim Zumbo