doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Hunters Gone

When I was a kid we had mandatory "hunter safety" in gym class in the seventh grade. Try that in a school today and they would line up to have your head. Very short sighted in my humble opinion. Teach everyone how to handle guns safely and the myth that all guns are killers would be a lot less of a problem. People fear what they do not know and tend to believe what other "experts" tell them.

This weekend I am taking my 13 year old son off on his first duck and goose hunt. Have to drive 400 miles to where we are going to hunt. Figure it will cost north of $500.00 by the time all the expenses are added up. Gas, food, motel, shells, guide, tips you name it. So hunting is a rich mans game, in my mind. But I would pay twice that just to make sure my son sees a sunrise in the marsh. Sees the first bird when it is too dark to see color but we strain to see anyways. Hear the wings as they fly over in the dark. Let him watch birds tease us with that circling just out of range. Have him smell fresh gunpowder on the cold morning air. Have him take a bird from the dog and see what a good dog can do and loves to do by nature.

Yes the number of hunters is down. But I have three sons who will get a chance to hunt. They may choose not to do so when they are adults but they will have tried it at least with their father as I was able to do many years ago. Heritage is what you try to pass on. The future is up to your kids and they make their own heritage to pass on to their own kids.

But the "whack 'em and stack 'em" TV shows seem to be doing fine. Keep those Benelli's hot and the camo toilet paper handy. We seem to have lost few of our deer hunters, but many of our waterfowl hunters. Several times this season I have been hunting ducks all afternoon without hearing any shots except my own. Much more posting of private land even though the countryside is rapidly being depleted of human dwellings. Section lines are being illegally cultivated and wetland drainage continues.

Ky Jon, if you think hunting is a rich man's game you might want to attend a major league ball game (baseball, basketball or football) with the same number of kids. The tickets are at least as expensive as a hunting license, and drinks are $3.00 to $5.00 apiece. Hotdogs are priced like filet mignon. Parking will bite you for another $10-$20. And of course you need to spend a couple hundred on the team's hats and jerseys so you can say you are their fan. And that is all for the privilege of sitting in a hard seat for 3 to 4 hours watching a bunch of mostly high school and college dropouts/drug problems play a kids game for which they are paid salaries of millions in stadiums usually built with taxpayer's money. I go to high school ballgames and college minor sports events instead. Much more entertaining at a reasonable fee. Hunting licenses are good for a year, not 4 hours.

Interesting observation Hal.

My 12 year old recently needed hunter safety and I took the 16 hour course with him and about 50 others. Weren't many bird hunters there and the camo and talk of Benellis (in the generic sense) was prevelant. Camo abounded and lots of folks wanted to kill deer and the like.

As for my kid, we are fightin' a bit. He would love some camo composite stocked machine gun with bigger is better shells. I told him "I probably can't control your decisions in a few years, but till then you are gonna hunt birds with an old double or stay home. I ain't negotiable.

Jake

Both.

And don't forget there are a lot of anti-hunters out there just like anti-gunners. And places where dogs can no longer be used for hunting anything. Fishing with hooks will be next. Thats why I joined the Sportsmen's Alliance and talked my wildlife club into joining.

Jakearoo, I must admit I would like to have a camo Benelli with an extension tube when about 3 million snow geese pour over here in April!