pumaward
Posted : 8/9/2006 4:47:31 PM
I haven't read all the posts, but this one stuck out.
No child belongs shooting a gun.
I beg to differ. I grew up hunting with guns around. At 4 years old, my father took me out hunting every time he could. I helped track deer, watched as they were gutted, and hung around listening to the after stories. I shot a .22 rifle at 5-6 years old, and a 4-10 shot gun at 8. I NEVER EVER once played with a gun. Why? Because I wasn't curious. I knew what a gun was, I knew how they worked, and... most importantly, I KNEW not to play with them... I'd seen what they could do. I knew, once you shot something, it was dead... it wasn't coming back.
At 8 years old... yes that's right, I said 8, I had my hunting liscense. I passed hunter safety then... all on my own. I shot my first deer when I was 15 (and possibly last, if I ever get into hunting again). It was a clean shot and he died quickly and dare I say with dignity... that's not something your average cow can say before she's led off to the slaughter.
A lot of people (note: I did not say all) that don't hunt just don't get why anyone would. Those people don't know what it's like to be 15 feet up a tree at the crack of a crisp, cool dawn and watch the woods come alive. To watch a grey squirrel clamber up the tree next to you, unaware of your prescense... or the red squirrel to climb down and stare into your face with the expression of "watch ya doin'?" Or, how about when a chickadee lands on the branch that's a foot away from your face?
I've spent countless hours in the woods hunting and coming back without my quarry but with great stories to tell. I've also gone out and done things I now regret... like shooting squirrels. One day, I shot a red squirrel and felt so aweful that I swore that I'd never do it again.
Hunting, at least for me, isn't about killing. It's about, for one short moment in time, being a part of the woods. The fun ends when you pull the trigger. Period. That's part of the reason, if I go hunting again (when there's no need for meat), I'll be doing my shooting with a camera.
Finally, I have a ton more respect for the woods than my "city kid" counter parts. I have
never thrown a piece of trash out the window (once I did throw a kleenex out... BUT, it had a bee wrapped in it that wouldn't get off the kleenex!). In fact, I often clean up after the 'city kids.' I have a trash bag full of bottles, cans, and wrappers that I picked up from the edge of a well used swimming hole. I also spent considerable time picking up broken beer bottles.
[/rant]