As in Rome, do as the Romans
“If you are not working to protect hunting, then you are working to end it”.……….Fred Bear
By John Simeone
On a brisk spring morning on a secluded lake, somewhere in the state of Vermont, a hunter waits patiently in a tree stand. This tradition goes back three generations in the nimrod’s family, and you would believe it’s not much different than deer hunting right here in Louisiana. No, not deer hunting. Would you believe he is legally gun fishing? The quarry is spawning northern pike in the shallows, and the hunter/fisherman shoots the fish with a selected firearm and then scoops up his dinner.
Oh my goodness does that rub a lot of you raw; does it sound unsportsman like or just plain ridiculous? But this form of hunting has been around for a long time in that state, and done properly it is safe, ethical and legal, not to mention being a cultural tradition. To tell you the truth, I’d kinda like to try it out myself, however many others in their ignorance would cry fowl.
Invite that same hunter to Louisiana on a deer hunt, and after everyone gets through laughing at him about his gun fishing, they inform the already embarrassed Yankee, the hounds will be turned lose at 9:00 am. The hunt master hands him a shotgun and a handful of buckshot, telling him to leave the rifle in the case, while he goes over the safety rules of this timely southern hunting tradition. Then our Yankee kicks and screams all the way to the deerstand complaining, “They don’t do it that way in Vermont.” Chances are he will change his tune when he finds out he is about to have more fun than a Yankee ever deserved, but until the first strike of the hounds he will stew in his own myopic view of deer hunting. If you think you have the market cornered on methods, protocol, or even sportsmanship your living in a glass bubble.
It certainly doesn’t stop there. Always among hunters there is an individual, or a group that wants to pontificate how we should conduct ourselves afield, even when the contrary is perfectly legal, ethical and many times traditional. Game and Fish Commissions have long figured out what the majority of the people want as far as methods and means, basing their decisions on harvestable numbers of game, rules of fair chase and local cultural hunting traditions. Louisiana, the Sportsmen’s Paradise is by far one of the most liberal and that’s why I choose to live here.
Still you can get an emotional response over these topics and more. Bow hunters vs. Gun Hunters, hunting on the ground vs. elevated stands, Inline muzzle loaders vs. traditional muzzleloaders. Hunting Turkeys with rifles as opposed to shotguns, then there is the crossbow issue and whether or not we should bait deer or other big game animals. Of course you have the guy that backpacks a deer stand into remote areas as opposed to the heated box stand hunter over the alfalfa field. The classic battle between the “Haves” and the “Have Not’s” certainly relates to hunting. One activity may be somewhat distasteful to one group of hunters while being perfectly acceptable to others. Unfortunately, the words legal, ethical, and traditional don’t seem to be enough convincing for some.
There are those who are just bound to a small area and only know their way of hunting, which is not a problem. This only requires a little study and conversation with other locals if the hunter travels outside of his traditional boundary. It does however, require an open-minded attitude lending new credence to the old adage, “As in Rome do as the Romans .” If you travel out of state on a hunting trip, ask your friends what the local traditions are and be prepared to be surprised.
Then there are what the outdoor forums now call “Cannibals.” This group of individuals crusade the destruction of certain core hunter groups usually for there own personal gain, whether it be hunting lands or misguided opinions. I’m generalizing here, but I could easily get specific, just look around you. It’s the dog that won’t hunt, but he won’t stay on the porch either. He just runs around nipping at the other dog’s heels, and it’s not politically correct to shoot him. Remember it is the core hunters that buy the majority of the hunting licenses and pay the way for the rest of us, including non-hunting outdoorsman.
A learned anti-hunter can put a negative spin on any type of hunting regardless of its nature considering the present day sensitivity of society. Anti hunting groups are the final interlopers, waiting in the wings enjoying with glee any type of infighting hunters conjure up to do away with themselves. Time is on their side. These so called cannibal hunters are unknowingly joining ranks with anti-hunters, undermining the very soul of hunting tradition every time they make a criticizing comment on legal, ethical and traditional hunting methods and means.
The bottom line is, if you don’t prefer to participate in a certain way of hunting, then by all means don’t. The time is now to rally hunters through education and understanding, constantly remembering if you aspire to the ways of the cannibal, you may be next on the menu. Pass it on.
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