‘Shooters’ spoiling the sport of hunting

[SecularMotion]

Hunting got some scrutiny in this newspaper at last. Washington State has lost more than 16,000 hunters in the last five years, Thomas Clouse noted. On the same page, Rich Landers lamented that we fail to “curb poaching problem.”

Ethical hunters driven from the field by shooters make the two stories converge.

My distinction here, between hunters and shooters, rests on the reverence extended toward game animals and birds. True hunters, indigenous or otherwise, honor prey in various ways. They obey state laws, care for the meat, enhance habitats, and maybe even mumble a prayer.

Shooters, though, they care more about rocking the world off its axis with the firepower they wield.

http://www.spokesman.com/outdoors/stories/2014/apr/03/guest-column-shooters-spoiling-the-sport-of/

[Paladin]

1. I fully agree with this guy's sentiments.

"Shooters" are the primary reason I walked away from hunting a few years ago.

[gejohnston]

2. I completely agree with what he is saying but,

"shooter" is not the term I would use.

[Eleanors38]

3. Those kinds of poachers are always a pain, but their impact

is lessening. IMO there has been a significant improvement in hunting behavior in the field.
Maybe the problem is particularly aggravated in WA.

I'm not sure where the writer is getting his data because hunter numbers have been going up for the last 8+ yrs (reversing a downward trend), led by big increases in female licensees and those into the locavore movement. SEE the latest edition of Petersen's Hunting magazine.

[benEzra]

4. He describes himself as a "born-again non-hunter"...

I think if you view his article as religious in nature, it makes more sense. It makes a lot less sense if you try to read it rationally.

[oneofthe99]

5. If you must hunt why not hunt without a gun

Why do you have to use a firearm?

[gejohnston]

6. You don't

bow hunting seems to be popular in the south. The fact that Ted Nugent was inducted in the Bow Hunting Hall of Fame is good enough reason to use a gun.
Why do people who have zero knowledge about firearms (judging from an earlier post) need to question the choices of those who do?

[oneofthe99]

7. I posted in that thread because it asked how you acquired your knowledge of firearms

Why is that wrong?

[gejohnston]

8. nothing but,

the quality of your information is very poor.

[oneofthe99]

9. Well where would I go to read more?

I don't want to read NRA stuff because they always seem to lean in voting in Republicans.

[gejohnston]

10. depends on the information you want

for technical information to start:
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/
or thetruthaboutguns.com
or even start with Wikipedia, or any place that doesn't have a political ax to grind but gives accurate information.
For example, did anyone on MSNBC tell you that under California and NY law, that this is an "assault weapon"? Which means, the ISSF World Cup won't be happening in either of those states, and the Olympics might have a problem as well. That is the only use for that gun. Has never been used in a crime, and has no military or police application.
When it comes to gun control
basically, anything written by this guy. The local library should have a copy of Point Blank as well as this one:
http://books.google.com/books/about/Armed_and_Considered_Dangerous.html?id=kqm8QxE45X0C
https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=155885
All three of those are respected criminologists. That is a start.

[oneofthe99]

11. Thank you for taking the time to do this

I do remember also the remark they made about Romney's African American adopted grandson during that show.
I agree it was despicable on their part.

[Paladin]

12. gejohnston, this sort of pro-gun propaganda belongs in Gun Control/RKBA.

Slagging Representative McCarthy and recommending books by the likes of Gary Kleck (not to mention the trashing of MSNBC) reveal a political agenda that has no place in the Outdoor Life group. Please have some consideration for the stated purposes of the respective groups and remove your comments. Thank you.

[gejohnston]

13. I answered a question

Last edited Tue Apr 8, 2014, 02:44 PM - Edit history (1)

the poster asked for honest information.

and recommending books by the likes of Gary Kleck

What is your problem with Kleck, other than the fact that you don't like the results of his research? Dr. Kleck is a respected criminologist whose studies are peer reviewed and published in criminology journals and has received one of his professional organization's highest awards, and it happened to be for Point Blank. None of his research has been funded by the NRA, nor is he likely to show up at the NRA convention. The "gun researchers" you would recommend, including those who claim that they "debunked" Kleck, are the exact opposite. Hemenway et al only publish in in house organs and their work is not peer reviewed, does not appear in criminology journals, and are all funded by either Bloomberg or the Joyce Foundation. Kleck's results were based on objective research, just like Wright and Rossi, with no political motives. The likes of Hemenway and Kellermann are activists who create the results to fit their agenda. Politics have no place in science.

[Paladin]

14. Thank you for the deletions. (nt)

[ManiacJoe]

15. gejohnston and Paladin, thanks for cleaning this up.

While this subthread may not have gotten overly political yet, it had that potential. Let's keep things in OL relatively politics free.


ManiacJoe
Host

[Paladin]

16. +1. Thanks, MJ. (nt)

[gejohnston]

17. Thanks, I

edited my rant, now that I made my point. My bad, I went overboard.

[sir pball]

18. My one issue is he seems to conflate "modern" gear with "shooting".

I'll cheerfully admit way back in the late 90s I bought a synthetic-stocked, heavy-barreled 300 Winchester Magnum (Rem700 Sendero if yer curious)...specifically to be able to ethically and legally hunt in any situation I could think of. Light handloads (or the newfangled Managed Recoil stuff) are as close to a 30-06 as makes no difference and are great general-purpose whitetail rounds, while, after a lot of practice, I've used full-bore loads to take fat LA bucks at a tick over 400 yards across sorghum fields. Been through one replacement barrel already and it's getting time for another, when I leave NYC and can reclaim it from safe-storage out of state. Modern is as modern does, dressed up with a field-adjustable scope and bipod it sure isn't a walnut-and-blue .243. I won't even mention my .308 - all I'll say is my hunting rifles have a job to do, which is accurately, reliably and humanely take a deer...beyond that I don't care about looks, action type, or anything else.

That being said, I have less than utter contempt for poachers, jacklighters (true story, my parents were woken one morning by bright lights and a shattering window, a slug landed in the wall two feet above their headboard), car-shooters, "sport hunters" and anybody who doesn't respect that they are killing something and respect the act accordingly - eat what you can, tan or sell the hides, and be thankful that you can have such amazing food (as a trained chef by trade, wild venison is the best single protein in the history of Man - I treat both taking and processing it with the utmost respect). I called in so many reports on car shooters up the road from my place in Maine they knew me by name...and if I ever saw a Jimbo-ass poacher while I was in the field, well, it's a good thing I have a stable personality.

[Eleanors38]

21. Oh, ho! We have the chef-of-the hour, here!

Do you post recipes and cooking techniques? I take a couple of deer/yr, and would like some tips. Maybe we should start a discussion on wild game cooking.

[sir pball]

22. I haven't, but I certainly don't keep secrets..

One of my favorite things about cooking self-taken game is getting to nose-to-tail it; my first tip is to get a really big, like 5-10 gallon, industrial stockpot. Just because you've stripped it doesn't mean that carcass is useless at all.

[Eleanors38]

23. Despite close trimming of the carcass, I've never

made stock from one, and used the result in future dishes. This is something I need to learn.

[sir pball]

24. It's not difficult at all, just time (and space) consuming.

I usually go with a brown stock for venison; hack the carcass into pieces that will fit in your oven and roast at 400F until it's nicely caramelized. Separately roast rough-chopped mirepoix (carrots, celery and onions) with some tomato paste mixed in until they're also good and brown. Dump the bones and veggies into a big pot, add a handful of fresh herbs - I go with a lot of thyme, a little rosemary and marjoram, a few juniper berries, a big pinch of whole black peppercorns and a head or two of garlic, split.

Cover with water and bring to a bare simmer; keep skimming the scummy foam off the top and adding water as needed to keep the bones covered. Let it go for at least 6-8 hours, overnight is better if you can. Scoop out the big stuff with a slotted spoon, then strain the rest and let it cool. Any fat will rise to the top and solidify in the fridge. I usually do it with a crab-boiling/turkey-frying setup so I can process the entire carcass at once but if you don't have that scale of equipment you can definitely freeze the bones and only do manageable portions.

[Eleanors38]

25. Thanks so much.

[Jenoch]

19. I think SecMo also posted this in another forum.

I wrote in the other thread that 'shooter' is the wrong adjective to use. The correct term is 'poacher'.

[Eleanors38]

20. "the firepower they wield" in many areas is a .22.

But "shooters" sounds more dramatic, and covers more stereotypes efficiently.