Here as most everywhere, the wild and open coastlines are becoming populated, as much by cottagers as full-time residents. Lately influential persons hereabouts are talking about closing the harbour to hunting. Following is my profanity-cleansed email today to my hunting buddy.
"If someone takes it into their mind to close the harbour, it could happen and it wouldn't be easy to stop. And, frankly, the stupid---no, perfectly stupid--- 3 1/2-inch 12 and 10 gauge cannonading is responsible for it. I wouldn't put up with it on my shore nor do I think Joe Stewart or anyone else should. A common 12 will kill anything flying.
"I brought this up on the Parker board last week. We're going to lose our sport because of idiots who want to keep up with what the gun and ammo manufacturers are telling them in Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazines. I'm not disadvantaged when I'm carrying my popgun 20 gauge, for ----'s sake. You've got me swearing again but those magnums deserve the same space as noisy car and motorcycle mufflers---in the dumpster.
"The community accepted gunning for two centuries here. It's noise pollution now. I'm half-deaf and appalled by it. How about a preemptive strike by establishing a voluntary common 12-gauge good-sportsmanship harbour to recognize all those harbour residents, including duck hunters, who worked long and hard 60 years ago to provide a duck and goose sanctuary?"
There you are, gentlemen. I'm going to have to take this on. Your opinions are important, pro and con. Struggles are won by knowing the opposition's strategy---and destroying it. It saves charging the barricades.
