I recently read about a Supreme Court of Canada decision that just made my blood boil. It was a decision in favor of the insurance industry, http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2007/10/19/scoc-autoinsurance.html, regarding a case where someone was shot in the leg because the shooter thought he was a deer.
Although I think it is an interesting and just decision that is not the subject of my rant. It is the fact that the shooter was referred to as a hunter. You see the shooter was taking aim at what he thought was a deer with the aid of the headlights of his car.
Friends, that is not hunting, it is poaching! And, it is illegal! I believe that a lack public, as well as media, understanding of hunters and hunting are to blame. Somehow it is viewed that anyone carrying a firearm in the pursuit of game animals is a hunter. Or, for that matter anyone that plies our lakes, rivers, or oceans in search of fish is a fisherman.
I do not hide the fact that I am an avid hunter and fisherman, but I am also a conservationist and avid watcher of nature. Both mainstream media and the public need to understand that hunters and fishermen abide by a set of moral rules as well as abiding by rules and laws laid down by various levels of government. We may not always agree with them, but we always abide by them.
Those who hunt or fish out of season; those that keep more game than they are allowed; those that take antlers and leave meat to rot; those that kill for various profitable animal parts; and those that hunt at night by shining light in the eyes of animals are not hunters; they are poachers! It is high time that mainstream media began educating themselves and at the same time educating the general public that those who perpetrate these crimes against wildlife are criminals; not hunters.
One more thing while I’m on the topic. The annual deer rut (breeding season) is either underway, or will begin shortly. You will no doubt hear media personalities stating that deer are being chased onto the roads by hunters whenever there is a deer/car accident. That is yet another misconception that leads to public misunderstanding.
During the rut bucks (male deer) have only one thought on their minds and just like adolescent boys their hormones outpace their brains. It is the bucks chasing does onto highways that causes the vast majority of deer/car accidents this time of year; not hunters.
If you are driving in rural areas at this time of year be especially vigilant in the periods around dawn and dusk.
Christmas is coming! When it’s time to buy for the outdoors person that has everything check out www.DistinctNorthernArt.com .
Although I think it is an interesting and just decision that is not the subject of my rant. It is the fact that the shooter was referred to as a hunter. You see the shooter was taking aim at what he thought was a deer with the aid of the headlights of his car.
Friends, that is not hunting, it is poaching! And, it is illegal! I believe that a lack public, as well as media, understanding of hunters and hunting are to blame. Somehow it is viewed that anyone carrying a firearm in the pursuit of game animals is a hunter. Or, for that matter anyone that plies our lakes, rivers, or oceans in search of fish is a fisherman.
I do not hide the fact that I am an avid hunter and fisherman, but I am also a conservationist and avid watcher of nature. Both mainstream media and the public need to understand that hunters and fishermen abide by a set of moral rules as well as abiding by rules and laws laid down by various levels of government. We may not always agree with them, but we always abide by them.
Those who hunt or fish out of season; those that keep more game than they are allowed; those that take antlers and leave meat to rot; those that kill for various profitable animal parts; and those that hunt at night by shining light in the eyes of animals are not hunters; they are poachers! It is high time that mainstream media began educating themselves and at the same time educating the general public that those who perpetrate these crimes against wildlife are criminals; not hunters.
One more thing while I’m on the topic. The annual deer rut (breeding season) is either underway, or will begin shortly. You will no doubt hear media personalities stating that deer are being chased onto the roads by hunters whenever there is a deer/car accident. That is yet another misconception that leads to public misunderstanding.
During the rut bucks (male deer) have only one thought on their minds and just like adolescent boys their hormones outpace their brains. It is the bucks chasing does onto highways that causes the vast majority of deer/car accidents this time of year; not hunters.
If you are driving in rural areas at this time of year be especially vigilant in the periods around dawn and dusk.
Christmas is coming! When it’s time to buy for the outdoors person that has everything check out www.DistinctNorthernArt.com .
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