ENEMY INSIDE THE GATES

The enemy is inside the gates!   You may have been following what some are calling the political "disinformation campaigns" and "rants" in the media, but have you noticed the groups that travel "under the radar" in the guise of  "Humane" Societies  and PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)?   ( … Not "People Eating Tasty Animals".)

Have you seen  attacks on sporting traditions and the recreation of sport hunting under the pretext of the "mistreatment" of hunting dogs?   How about the pseudo-thought that "animals are just children in warm furry coats"?  How about someone protesting how much pain a fish may feel when it is hooked?  Don't laugh.  It's happening nearly everywhere.

Hunting and fishing as  game management and conservation tools are discounted by such.  The ethics and traditions of the hunting and fishing communities are often painted as a "bubba" stuff.  Nothing could be farther from the truth, but if all you did was watch TV, you may suspect it's true.

You've probably seen those heart-wrenching videos on TV--where the animals are visibly neglected and mistreated.  There is usually heart jerking music in the background as the voice-over asks you to send every penny you can afford to save the animals.  I'm not faulting the sentiment at all.  Animal cruelty is far beneath our potential.  It us vile and unworthy of us.

K-Lee  "scent-tracking" a "released" bird

However, do some honest research and see how much money goes to the local shelters that do "boots-on-the-ground" work. (Personally, I think it's better to donate locally--where you can make a visible difference, and better control the outcome.)

Also look at how much of what one donates through those TV ads goes to the national/world-wide political action groups.  The very PACs  who seek to undermine our culture and our rights as hunters and fishers.  When it comes to "what goes into the activists' machine", I bet you'll find that it's much more than you'd think.

We battle this activism even in the New England.  The previous bear hunt issue in Maine and the bobcat hunt issue in New Hampshire -- to name only two historical examples. Trapping is under attack, yet trapping helps reduce predation on other species that we all love.  Such activist groups struggle to use legislation to accomplish their means.  They are well funded.  We (all) need to get smart about this!

 There is a bill which has been submitted by NY legislators to ban hunting contests, field trials and such.  One danger that lurks such bills is that they are purposely written "broadly" so that the law -- if passed -- can be interpreted as the ruling bureaucrats see fit--governance by emotion.    A little political activism after the bill has passed and voila! you've created a revolution without firing a shot!

Hunting dogs love to compete with one another, and love to practice their hunting skills.  They live for that! Just attend a NAVHDA,  AKC, or any other event to see the excitement and thrill of the dogs.  Also, tests and trials help breeders  improve the "quality of the breed"--matching "best" to the "best".

Here is a link that will further explain what's happening in New York State:
https://www.sportsmensalliance.org/news/new-york-bills-ban-hunting-contests-and-more/

Watching the bird fly off

In order for my voice to be "better heard", I joined the NH Wildlife Federation and the American Woodcock Society.  Such groups are better at defending my "turf" and  educating the public than my "lone voice in the wilderness" every could.
How do you leverage your voice?  …  Your opinion? …  Your vote?

In closing,  I refer you to the blog of GN Allen--an friend, established author and seasoned, concerned grouse hunter from whence I learned about the NY activism.  Check out his blog.  You won't be disappointed!

Ruffed Grouse, Drumming on a blog 

We have enemies inside the gates.
You can bet they are active wherever you live.

As Mr Allen says, "They don't quit!"

WHAT'S YOUR COMPASS?

This past season was a rough one for me.  Lame dog, bad weather, the list goes on.  I was even AWOL from the blog.  Then, I finally realized that I had simply lost my way for a while.  Frustrating as losing one's way is, it is easily corrected--provided one is willing to accept the fact that mistakes were made.


I was reminded of a short hike.


On a fair spring day not terribly long ago, the dog and I took a hike to visit a swamp that I had not seen  for about three decades.  After marking the truck with my little GPS, we started out. As we entered the woods, I checked to make sure the GPS was tracking our direction walk.  It was.

The forest looked different--often not a bad thing--after all, life goes on. I made my way more than a half mile under the dark overgrown canopy of overly mature hemlocks and found the swamp. It was still about 15 acres in size, surrounded by a mix of conifers and bushes.  The stagnant water was too shallow to swim and too deep for walking.  Cat tails, grasses and shrubs  were scattered throughout.   Coarse, stick-built Heron nests rode high in dead trees that rose from the primeval waters. The sight  made me think of Pterodactyls.  (Google Earth reveals 4 to 5  active nests in June 2018.)

Just to confirm my "bearings" for the way back, I pulled out my GPS.  It said the truck was about 3/4 of a mile due east.  I knew better!  Why was the GPS was giving me a bad reading!  Tree canopy perhaps?  Had I entered the location of the truck correctly?

The forest that held the swamp was surrounded by roads.  So, I was pretty confident that I'd be able to come out on a highway.  Trusting my "gut" and not the GPS, I started back the way I came in.  Soon, I came to a field that had heavy equipment in it.  Now I knew that the only field with heavy equipment was  to the south, and  I just couldn't be there because I knew that I was going east!  So I checked the GPS again.  It said I was farther from the truck which was now northeast of me.  I considered the possibility of some sort of phase shift in the earth's magnetic field that may have affected me, but the simple truth was that I was off-course and had not paid attention.  I should not have ignored the proven practice of carrying a compass along with the GPS.

I guess that's where we all get off-course at one time or another, by ignoring simple things and not relying on established truths.

In the beginning...
That's where most of life's errors are made aren't they?  

What's your "compass"?