I'm no varmint hunter but have always thought it was a good win-win situation. Ranchers hate varmints. Varmint hunters shoot varmints. Everybodys happy.
Apparently some of you are not happy. The western US varmint hunter is to blame the most for loss of gun privileges in this case. Really?
I get the message that you dont particularly care for varmint hunting or the AR tactical schmucks. Neither do I. Still, its easy to be overly critical of activities we dont personally enjoy.
Perhaps varmint hunting should not be called hunting. More accurately it is pest control. Call it by its correct name and all this business of wanton waste and recreational killing goes away. Im not sure a varmint hunter can engage in wanton waste. At the end of the day the goal is extermination. Bullets or poison = same result.
While I have no interest in AR rifles or prairie dog shooting, Im troubled by traditionalists often being quick to pass judgment about the respectability of the AR varmint types. They enjoy something different than members of this forum. Thats fine. Im glad they kill some vermin. Im not sure they kill enough to make an appreciable difference, but let them try. More hunters should shoot coyotes, crows, prairie dogs, pigeons, raccoons, skunks, and a host of other pests.
Finally, is the varmint hunter's quarry really all that lead riddled? Im not sure I buy it. I would think a .223 would go clean through a prairie dog 99% of the time. How much bullet remains stay in the prairie dog? Im skeptical. Someone can educate me. I would think crippled upland game would carry far more lead.
As for gut piles: Am I really expected to cart deer guts home for safe disposal? Seriously?
