Post by: vermonster13 on January 08, 2007, 01:09:00 PM
Ever go for a ride and see a house that you just knew was beautiful at one time? Now it needed paint, the yard needed work, hedges needed trimming, some windows replacing, and so on. You could see that parts of the house were nolonger used and the roof was shot. People still lived there you could tell by the cars still in use in the driveway and some that weren't. Do you think when this house was first built it was ever thought that this would be it's fate oneday?
Decay can be an insidious thing when it happens slowly. We learn to live without somethings and let others slide because afterall the house doesn't look any different than yesterday or even that much different than last year. We'll get around to fixing it up eventually. Yet you drive a little farther and you see the house that is falling down and abandoned, you just know it was a stately place once.
Then you come to the place where everything is just torn down and new condos or a gated "community" has replaced what was once there. Hunting in Europe is much like the gated community, the places that still allow it make it very difficult to participate in and the places that don't are the abandoned house that was just allowed to rot away.
I see much of this slow decay creeping into hunting in America. In some places it is being replaced by the gated communities in others it is being allowed to just slowly rot. Some rooms of the house are closed up and nolonger used. The house has termites to boot that are eating at it's very core and trying to change the publics perception of it.
How much longer can we afford to let the decay continue? Should we rebuild on the frame we have or is going to need to be torn down and completely rebuilt in a form that we nolonger recognize to survive? Or is it going to slowly rot away until it is abandoned?
Felt I needed to put this out there, some will get all that is written here, some less and my greatest hope is even more of you will add to it and have ideas to repair what is lost.
Post by: ratgunner on January 08, 2007, 06:21:00 PM
Post by: vermonster13 on January 08, 2007, 08:35:00 PM
Post by: Old Ways on January 09, 2007, 11:47:00 AM
For myself I decided a while ago I will not support the big business side of hunting. To me it is destroying the heritage of bow hunting. I believe we need to keep it simple. Hunting is a personal thing and we each do it our own way but we need to be aware of consequences of our actions. More than just hunting is involved. The very world we live in is that house that is falling apart.
When we buy ATVs, blinds, stands, calls, or anything for that matter, we may be supporting an industry that is a termite eating away at the very structure of our planet. Do we really need all the junk we buy? When I see some of the do-it-yourself and how-to suggestions on this site it gives me hope that the people here are on the right track. Keep it up. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Also we need to look at how we present ourselves to the public. I have seen deer hanging till they rot just to show off the rack. Show respect for the game we hunt. Also show respect for those who don't choose to be hunters (True vegans or farmers deserve respect). As far as "Anti-hunters", reason with them using mildness and facts. An argument gets you nowhere.
I also think we need to stop calling ourselves sportsmen. Although the secondary definition of the word fits in some respects, for the most part it is associated with sports. Bow hunting should not be a sport. It is a way of life and a means to put meat on the table. If one kills just for the thrill of the kill then they just fill the quiver of the anti-hunters.
Another issue I see is the misuse of public land. I see trees hacked apart for shooting lanes. I see illegal blinds. I see trees scarred and trimmed for treestands. I see litter left behind from water bottles, hand warmers, etc. I see trail markers cluttering up the woods. I see discarded deer carcasses laying along side two-tracks. I see ATV tracks accross lands closed to them. This stuff has to stop. It makes hunters look like a threat to the environment. If you carry it in then carry it out. Obey forest laws. Respect the environment and others rights to enjoy it. You just hurt yourself with these actions.
Saving our right to hunt & saving the environment go hand in hand. Speaking up is important but it is the little things you can do that matter too.
Years ago my wife and I decided to live a more simple life and try to be more of the solution and less of the problem. We changed what we could in our homestead to use less energy. We heat with renewable energy (solar, veg. oil, biomass). We try to cook with solar, alcohal stove and charcoal grill more than with propane. We only use natural fabrics. We try to only support local business and avoid the chains as much as possable. We boycott places like McDonalds, Burger King, etc because they are detrimental to the environment on multiple levels. We are building a small SUV that will run on biodiesel. We hunt, fish, gather and garden for our food. For recreation we canoe, kayak, hike, bike and ski as opposed to motorsports.
In this modern world it is hard to be 100% anything. It is all a compromise but if we really try to do our part to the best of our ability and encourage others to do the same we just may be able to make a difference after all. Maybe we can save more than just our right to bowhunt.
Post by: tamure on January 09, 2007, 02:25:00 PM
I personally believe that hunting in America is doomed unless a major shift in public perception is accomplished. No need to rehash what that perception is.
Mass media has to be involved, because unfortunately, it seems to rule people's thoughts and values. There needs to be tv shows and so on that portray hunting as normal and natural. I had hopes at the beginning of the Lion King, when Simba's father explains the "Circle of Life" by saying that the sun grows the grass, the antelope eat the grass, the lions eat the antelope, and when the lions die, their bodies feed the grass. But in the end, Simba ends up eating bugs so he won't eat his friends. *sigh*
However, since I don't think any of us are independently wealthy, actually making that happen would be very difficult. For this to even begin to work would require a very dedicated group of individuals who can give much of their time to raising money to produce and market such media and/or to get big producers to buy into the idea by making it profitable.
I wish I would have got a degree in something useful like business or finance.
!["[dntthnk]"]("graemlins/dntthnk.gif" "\"\"")
On a scale more practical for the average person, participating in 4H shooting sports programs will at least reach some kids.
Post by: swp on January 09, 2007, 04:08:00 PM
Post by: John Scifres on January 09, 2007, 04:47:00 PM
My biggest problem with the state of hunting today is the image given off by mags and hunting shows. It embarrassing. If anything needs a renovation, these things do. It won't happen unless more folks subscribe to the less hyper-commercial side of it all. I can't see it though. After all, as the Lorax says, "Business is business, and business must grow".
How to change things? Raise your kids to be respectful. Don't associate with those you don't think are doing the right things. Speak up when you see things that are leading us over the precipice. You won't get to be a celebrity on the boards doing it but you will make a change. Kids listen. Reasonable people listen. It may not seem like it...but they do.
Post by: JStark on January 09, 2007, 06:26:00 PM
Well, his kids went off to school, and got jobs that don't give them the opportunity to make things and see the products of their work. They rented apartments, and by the time they looked for a place to buy, the only things they could get were cookie-cutter houses with no personality, that offered no sense of upkeep or accomplishment.
But, why didn't they ever look back to their old place, go back, and fix it up to stay there?
We've got get youth out of 'virtual' lives, and into the woods; show them what they are a part of. Show them what they are responsible for.
Post by: JStark on January 09, 2007, 06:28:00 PM
Post by: vermonster13 on January 09, 2007, 08:21:00 PM
Post by: tamure on January 10, 2007, 10:40:00 AM
Although raising your kids well is vitally important to all aspects of society, it seems too little (in the sense that too few people are actually doing it) and too late. Kids these days have friends and teachers at school, at day care, on the internet. Basically, they are "with" them all the time. Advertising bombards them from all sides, telling them that they must entertain themselves with DVDs, iPods, playstations, TV (why would anyone actually buy a DVD so they can watch sitcom reruns?). I think parents today have to try very hard just to compete for their kids' attention.
In that vein, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Use what already DOES have kids' attention. Our world is being transformed by technology, I think it only dooms hunting more to ignore that trend. (I'm largely talking media here, technological advancements in hunting gear is a whole other can o' worms.)
For the record, I think WHA and Farbman have picked up on that, but I completely disagree with the message they are sending.
Post by: vermonster13 on January 10, 2007, 11:07:00 AM
Post by: JStark on January 10, 2007, 01:45:00 PM
Post by: tamure on January 10, 2007, 03:16:00 PM
What I'm saying is we need to turn public opinion such that there is not just a mild "approval" of legal hunting by a majority of Americans, but an active interest in it, and therefore an active opposition to the anti's efforts at such things.
In the vein of the old house: "The Good Earth" by Pearl S. Buck is a fabulous book which illustrates the value of land - and of valuing the land.
Post by: vermonster13 on January 10, 2007, 03:27:00 PM
Post by: John Scifres on January 11, 2007, 09:43:00 AM
I have 3 kids who all appreciate hunting at least as a means of getting food. They all have friends who know I hunt and see them eating the fruits of these hunts. I do Cub Scouts where hunting and shooting sports are still encouraged. I teach Sunday School where 10-15 kids a year know that I hunt and why. Each of these kids has friends that can at least see a respectable man can still be a hunter. I always try to act respectable and respectful especially when I am identifiable as a hunter. That is what influences public perception. And I don't shy away from telling others when I think they aren't doing the same.
Post by: penetrator on January 11, 2007, 11:38:00 PM
Post by: jonsimoneau on January 12, 2007, 09:37:00 PM
Post by: Alex.B on January 13, 2007, 09:30:00 PM
great picture of you this week, by the way
take care,
Alex
Post by: JStark on January 14, 2007, 12:34:00 AM
Post by: vermonster13 on January 14, 2007, 12:47:00 AM
Post by: JStark on January 14, 2007, 05:01:00 PM
Post by: Notso on January 23, 2007, 05:14:00 PM
1. Hunting is NOT a sport. Basketball and baseball are. Nothing dies in a sport. We need to move away from terms like Sport Hunting. Unfortunately, the TV shows push the sport aspect-the competition to see who can shoot the deer with the biggest rack. We are a competitive society and all too often put competition where there should be none.
2. The quest for a competitive edge (and TV shows)sells equipment. Most in our society are real suckers for shortcuts to success. We can buy all sorts of gadgets - or we can use primitive equipment and develop the skill required to use it (which takes sustained effort). This has really changed both bowhunting and muzzleloader hunting to the point that they are unrecognizable from what they were in the recent past.
3. If you are not part of the solution - you are part of the problem ! We all need to get involved in teaching the next generation of hunters. I assist with both Hunter Education and Bowhunter Education Classes. Longbows, recurves and flintlocks shown in these classes draw lots of attention and show young hunters (and their parents) that there is an alternate trail in hunting. If they do not know that it exists - it will take them longer to find it.
Those of us that have chosen the primitive trail need to get involved - and get our message out.
Just my $.02
Post by: Sawtooth on January 23, 2007, 05:49:00 PM
I pick my battles. And I tend to dwell on the positive side, not the negative. Having said that, here's what I've gotten involved in.
First, my wife and I are raising our daughters to understand, appreciate, and become involved in the outdoors and all it includes. That includes hunting and fishing ethically. That includes minimal impact on wild lands. That includes knowing how to be safe.
Second, a number of years ago I became a hunter education instructor. Today's children and youth are the future of hunting. If we teach them to be safe, ethical hunters, our future stands a much better chance of being secured. As adults they will be in a position to swing the non-hunting public to our side. They may not influence more non-hunters to become hunters, instead they can get the respect and understanding of non-hunters. This matters at the poll.
Third, I support organizations that are proactive in support of hunters. I can't afford to support every organization out there, either with my time or my money, so I pick wisely. Personally, I support Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, the Rocky Mountain Bighorn Society, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
These are the things I've done or am currently doing to make a difference. I don't expect everyone to do these, but these are examples of some POSITIVE things that can be done. We can sit all day long and identify things that we're "against", but I personally feel it's time better spent when we look for "positive" actions and then get involved to the best of our ability.
Just my .02 worth.
Post by: vermonster13 on January 23, 2007, 06:04:00 PM