Emperor1956
Posts: 2370
Joined: 11/7/2005 Status: offline
|
FR: When you talk about "Dove" hunting, you need to identify the bird. They are wild doves, not the small white "Magician" doves, and they are a fast, hard-to-shoot bird. Doves are the most popular bird hunted in the USA, with the annual kill exceeding all other birds (including waterfowl) combined. (That surprised me, too, but I double checked it.) I do not enjoy the forced "beaten field" dove hunting found in Argentina and other countries, but in the USA dove hunting is a difficult, respectable sport. Before you "diss" a dove hunter, go out and bag your limit, and then tell me they are just balls of fluff. Point of Information: I hunt with a shotgun. Hunting small, fast birds with a rifle leaves you hungry. Hunting small, fast birds with a bow leaves you with a shaft in your thigh (if I'm the one with the bow). Even if no one gets hurt, it might be interesting to watch, but only from a LONG distance. I usually hunt over a dog or two, although I've been known to "free hunt" quail and upland birds without. A different set of skills. My favorite bird to hunt is Chukkar, a European partridge which is wily, breaks fast and flies in a complex, unpredictable pattern. I'll hunt turkey for food in season, but despite their vaunted intelligence and difficulty, they are not that much fun. Quail are a great sport as well. Hunting teaches respect for the animal, respect for the land and respect for the gun. It also teaches patience and skill. I have treasured the hours I've spent hunting with family and friends, and regret that I never had a chance to take either my father or my brother hunting before they passed. I have hunted ducks and geese, but I outgrew the desire to leave my nice warm bed (and bedmate) at three am to go 10 miles upriver and lay in a cold, wet burrow for a few more hours before dawn. I wonder why? Besides, if I wanted to freeze my ass, get drunk, and mess around with dangerous machinery, I'd go ice fishing. E.
_____________________________
"When you wake up, Pooh," said Piglet, "what's the first thing you say?" "What's for breakfast? What do you say, Piglet?" "I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" Pooh nodded thoughtfully. "It's the same thing," he said.
|