Monday, March 29, 2010

New Blog

I found a new blog just recently. I don't remember what series of links of this and that led me there. But it is a blog about hunting and the outdoors by a, as he puts it, "Vegan turned hunter."

It definitely gives him a slightly different take on the matter - and I like the way he writes.

One recent post starts something like this:

‘Gone killing

Hunters and anglers, writes Marc Bekoff in Animals Matter, “often like to hang signs that say ‘Gone Fishin’’ or ‘Gone Huntin’.’ But what these slogans really mean is ‘Gone killing.’”

When I opposed hunting, I would—like Bekoff—have objected to the euphemisms. Even catch-and-release fishing, with its professed intent not to kill, often does.

Now that I hunt, though, what strikes me is simply that “gone killing” is a terribly inaccurate description of my experiences in the woods.

When I hunt deer, the creatures I see most often are small woodland birds, usually chickadees. If I’m lucky, a pileated woodpecker might land on a nearby tree trunk with a thwack, or a pair of ruffed grouse might scurry by in the brush. Typically, the biggest mammal I see is a red squirrel, hopping past or pausing to scold me.

Hunters do hope to kill now and then. Yet many of us go years without doing so. I recall talking with a man who was out in the woods, hunting with his son. He said he hadn’t shot a deer in over twenty years. He seemed perfectly content just being out there.

He goes on from there and gives a great description of what a day in the woods is really like for most of us.

If you get a chance, slide over there. His writing is good and, I would think, you will approve of the subject matter

5 comments:

Tovar@AMindfulCarnivore said...

Hello, Doug, and thanks very much for your post! It looks like we have a few blogger friends in common, including NorCal Cazadora and Murphyfish.

I look forward to following your blog, too. I've always loved raptors. Saw a sharpshin right by the house the other day.

Doug said...

Tovar,
Glad to have you stop bye.

Josh Myers said...

Doug,

Just a friendly FYI... The article you sited in your "peregrines are snotty" post is a website completely devoted to journalistic satire. The Onion is never meant to be read for scientific of sociological fact, but instead, it attempts to mimic real life situations that can be misconstrued and "taken a bit too far" in an attempt to get the readers blood boiling.

In any case, the article is incredibly funny and im glad you posted it.

Thanks,
Josh

Doug said...

Josh,
I'm familiar with The Onion. The article cracked me up. When my buddy sent it too me, it literally made my day.

Thanks for the FYI.
Doug

Josh Myers said...

It cracked me up too!

What made it all too real was the fact that Peregrines can be pretty snotty drama queens when left to there own vices.

well done.