After a day in meetings and sitting at a desk today, I was in the mood for some stump shooting, but knew that I really needed to exercise. So...I compromised.
I grabbed my bow and two judo-tipped arrows and walked back to the river as fast as I could walk. I headed down river at the same brisk pace and stopped to shoot only about every 2 or 3 minutes when an ideal target begged me to shoot.
Since it was along a river (Patoka) that floods often, there are occasional pop cans and antifreeze jugs and such. I was shooting at them when they appeared (usually missing) and then thought that I really ought to be taking the trash out with me.
Sooo...I decided that I'd begin hunting trash the same as I would bunnies. My run and gun rules became:
1. Shoot as soon as the trash is spotted.
2. If you miss, too bad. It will be there on the next speed walk.
3. If you hit it, stuff it in your carry-out bag.
4. You reach your limit when you have a full bag. From there on, it is catch and release (got to leave some for seed!)
I figure next time I'll know where the hot spots are and will have certain critters that I really want since they outsmarted me last time. I figure after a year or two, I'll have the bottoms cleaned up if my shooting improves.
I got home tonight with two pop plastic bottles and an ancient PBR not-aluminum can.
(Got to be careful though. A year ago I plinked a jug and when I got over to it, found lots of tubing and it smelled of ether...)
Sounds like a good time.
Good idea. Unless you make it a daily exercise and unless you're a helluva shot, you probably won't be able to keep up with the slobs who continue to abandon the "game" there. Regardless, you're doing good. :thumbsup:
Hey, every little bit helps....and you are having a blast.
Gotta love meth labs in the woods.
Worried about flak from PETT?
(People for the ethical treatment of trash?)
:thumbsup:
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=90;t=000257
I figured someone else would have thought of it, that's why I labeled the thread (maybe). I was going to post a photo essay, but didn't have time.
A lot of the junk gets deposited down there due to the flooding, so the game population is high. I've found several meth labs around home in the past 4 years, so I know what they look like. Got to avoid them...
Maybe my speed walking is a new twist on the junk shooting theme?
We can't even hunt trash in the UK unless it's on private land with permission. Trouble is most of the trash is on public land and it's illegal to run around shooting bows on public land. :(
Anyway, hope ya get some nice trophy trash soon, ya never know what'll washed down a river! :D
I think this idea is great. Everyone wins. The only ones who shouldn't be able to do this are the men and ladies along the side of the road picking up trash in the orange jump suits.
Now that you mention it, I shot one of them as I was walking along the road back to the house. The game wardens fine people shooting guns from the road - I wonder if it is technically illegal in Indiana for me to shoot arrows at non-game targets from the pavement of a rural county road???
There's tons of garbage game along the road...