LAST EDITED ON Oct-28-13 AT 10:28AM (MST)[p]>And Roy, Tell me with a
>straight face (on the internet)
>that you wasn't part of
>the party hunt era. Actually
>Don't even bother...
Well Elkoholic I can tell you this with a straight face both in person and on the internet:
Yes, I was a part of it - BUT INDIVIDUALLY - I DID NOT PARTICIPATE! Many of my family may have, but NOT ME!
I had to wait until I was 16 before I could hunt - and guess what - I WAITED! The year I turned 16 was the first year they lowered the limit to 14 and I was pissed as hell because I could have hunted at 14 but I DIDN'T! - I WAITED!! I could have killed grandma's buck for her every year since I was 8 - many of my cousins / acquaintances did - BUT I DIDN'T! AND IT SICKENED ME!
Here is an example. When I was 21, I was fresh off a mission, didn't have a job yet, wasn't enrolled in school, and had the full two weeks to hunt. My younger brother and sister both had tags too but only had opening weekend to hunt and at first legal light on opening morning they both opened up on a monster 1X2 and missed twice each so in the heat of the moment I drew up my rifle and touched one off and folded that little thing up on a dead run like a jack-knife. So at 7:15AM or so on that opening morning I put my tag on that monster and my whole hunt was OVER. I put my rifle away and though I continued to go out with my dad and grandma, spotting and swamping for them I WAS DONE!
Then one day, as I was spotting for my grandma, she hit a buck twice, then lost it in plain sight. I could see it moving away from us heading towards a big, steep, canyon, and though she tried she just couldn't see it limping along, and to keep it from getting away, or down into the canyon she handed the rifle to me and told me to shoot it. So, feeling trapped between a rock and hard place, I put the kill shot on it. It ended up in the canyon anyway and I ended up dragging / packing it out of the steep son-of-a-gun for her and her tag went on it.
I felt guilty about it, so when we saw the game warden the next day - I turned myself in and told him the whole story. He listened intently and only asked if I thought I saved the buck from any undo suffering. I said "Yes, probably", and he just laughed at me and slapped me on the back and told me to forget about it.
So, yes, I do understand completely why they are proposing this, and I will admit, this is the first I am hearing about it and probably need to research it a little more, but my offhand reaction is that NO - this is not a good thing. It seems to me that it just a way of getting around the law and legalizing what both hunters and wildlife law enforcement officers have been ignoring in large part for years and years. Maybe that is a good thing as you point out, but until I get a chance to research it a little more and read up on it, my opinion toward it is still strongly negative. (Maybe I am still just mad that I had to wait all those years and then the State went and changed the law on me - just to spite me - right as I turned 16!) ;-)
HOOK 'EM!
_______________________________________
Since I am frequently asked about my religion on this site and others, I have created a profile that explains my beliefs. If you are interested in finding out more about my faith, please visit the link below:
http://mormon.org/me/6RNQ/