HUNTERS - There are "Hunters", "Heater Hunters", "PETA Hunters", and then, there are "Anti-Hunters". I hadn't heard the phrase "heater hunter" in many years until the other day, I think it was my sister, Lora-Jean, that used the phrase.Heater Hunters are those hunters who drive/ride around for countless hours on end in hopes that their target animal just happens to be upon the road the same time they are. If they are lucky, they see them close enough, so they can jump from their vehicle and blast away.
Mind you, there are a lot of heater hunters that don't step off the road, or are not too awfully concerned if another vehicle is approaching, or if they are shooting in someone's yard, or property, which was the case the other day when a friend told me about such a heater hunter that she encountered on the way to suppah. Opportunistic, as long as one can sit upon their patoot and burn gallons of gas that put harmful emissions into the air?
I guess I can proudly boast that I'm not a Heater Hunter, 'because I enjoy walking through the woods while I hunt, but that is my personal preference. Before one scowls at a Heater Hunter, look for a handicap placard or license plate! They are "Heater Hunters" by no choice of their own.
I am a Hunter and I was taught to learn the land, the proper habitat, how to observe, and think like the critter I want to harvest. Most of all, I was taught how to painfully sit still for hours upon hours on end. In a way, hunting also means to stealth-fully stalk the prey. That is not easy. They are smarter than we are, I promise you that.
Then, there are the PETA Hunters. They seem to enjoy the thought of hunting, wear the appropriate coloration as insisted upon by the law, wield the weaponry and have every intent on pulling the trigger ...until the critter stands before them. I cannot fault the PETA hunters. It is quite difficult at times to pull the trigger and end the life of an innocent critter trying to survive in the wild. That is why some people, who did not grow up in the hunting culture, cannot understand how anyone can do such a thing.
I am a hunter that comes from a hunting family. Do I enjoy hunting? Honestly, I enjoy the outdoors, trekking through the woods, sitting endless hours listening and observing nature around me. I also do that without any sort of weapon in hand. When it comes time to "take" a critter, I can say in all honesty, that I do not enjoy that. However, I do greatly appreciate a single well-placed shot for an instant kill. Then, I enjoy feasting upon the meat for a meal or for many meals to come.
Most hunters, if you were to sit down and talk with them, do not enjoy the actual kill. The pride comes in a quick death, the reward of their efforts, the skill required to learn the habitat of the critter is paid off with future meals and/or providing for not only yourself, but your family, too. It is not for the trophy mount upon the wall somewhere ...but to some, it is just that and only that …the meat is often donated. To each is his or her own. Hunting is not only permitted because it is part of our culture, but it is helpful to the health and well-being of the wild critters. I know some of you just rolled your eyes, but it is true. If wild critters were not harvested within a set of strict guidelines, disease and starvation would take many animals at a much slower pace. Maybe, that thought is justifiable. To some, maybe it isn’t. Nonetheless, that statement is factual, too.
The “Anti-hunter”. There are some "hunters" that are a disgrace and should never be allowed to hunt ...ever, but I assure you, most of us are very ethical in both the hunt and the harvest. I am a woman hunter who knows a lot of tactics, but only use legal tactics that were not only taught to me by others, but learned on my own, and I will continue to hunt with sound mind and a caring heart.
To the “Anti-Hunters-No-Matter-The-Reason”, to understand a better perspective, ask yourself these questions: Do I eat meat? Do I “hire” a cattle rancher to kill the animal for me, so I can then purchase it in a store all wrapped in a neat little package? Do I wear leather? Do I wear make-up? DO I wear fur? Do I eat plants? I bet that last question raised your eyebrows, didn’t it? Did you know that plants also feel pain? That you harm grass as you walk across it? Then, you CUT millions of them every time you mow? That they have their own language that you do not understand or cannot hear? Yep! That every time you mow, you have their plant “blood” all over your mower …and body parts upon your blades? So, now what do you eat? Rocks?
That is something to think about before you scream at a hunter who may harvest a single beast once a year versus how many times a year do you mow your grass and how many “beasts” are you harvesting to let lay there in waste? To rot?
