This can’t be true! If you read or listen to what the lovers of predators have to say, these scavenging, murdering animals we call predators have no real affect on wild ungulate herds, other than what they believe to be selective harvesting of the weak and disabled and making the preyed upon become “more wild”. This is where we would insert the Disney theme song of “When you wish upon a star. Makes no difference who you are.” La, la, la, la…….

Okay, so I’m feeling a bit nasty and cynical this morning. And with that I’m taking a story and making an attempt to spin it into something bigger and more controversial than it really is but I do have a point to make.

The Charlotte Observer is reporting that finally the experimental elk herd in the Smoky Mountain National forest, near the Cataloochee Valley in North Carolina, is showing growth - something it hasn’t done since the elk were brought to this area back in 2001. At that time 52 elk were dropped off and the population has never really changed up until park authorities decided to capture about 10 bears and move them out of the area. Since that time, the number of elk has increased to around 86 and the bull to cow ratio has also changed significantly which should increase the chances of more cows giving birth to young elk.

The article clearly states that the reason for the growth is because most of the bears with a discerning appetite for baby elk have been moved.

What helped turn the static population around was the removal of black bears that were preying on the new-born calves, park spokesman Bob Miller said last week. As a result, calf survival rose in 2006 and 2007, lifting the 2005 population of 54 animals to at least 86.

So, there you have it. Proof that bears kill elk and have a negative effect on the herd. Ok, so it’s not quite that simple. Well, at least I’m willing to admit it.

I suppose I should also point out that park personnel indicated that the cow elk are learning to adapt to the habits of the predators.

In addition, Miller said, adult cows are getting smarter about coping with bears, moving away from locations bears frequent to more remote places to give birth in June and July.

It might be just as accurate to say that the adult cow elk are better adapting to their own habitat and learning where better calving areas would be. Let’s also not forget that the bear aren’t stupid. When they get hungry enough, they will also adapt and find the elk.

The point to all of this is that predators do have an impact on elk, moose and deer as examples. In this case when the elk were introduced, the numbers weren’t great enough to sustain and grow over the number of bears in the park. With man removed from the predator list within the park, the bear is top of the chain. Once the bear numbers were reduced, the elk have shown signs of growing in numbers. This is a clear indication, I would think, that management is necessary in order that to have a sustainable herd of elk, deer and moose, you have to make sure that the number of predators doesn’t get out of control.

Man has been the top dog in the food chain since the beginning of time and is still a necessary part in the balance of things. We have too many who think that man needs to be taken out of that chain and let Mother Nature take care of things. They fail to want to believe that man eating beast is part of Mother Nature’s plan. They also have lost sight of the fact that man has a right to protect themselves and their property.

I have no problem with predators. I do have a problem with allowing predators to grow unchecked while destroying game animals and private property. We have examples of this all around us and now some communities are scrambling around trying to figure out how to deal with it.

In other areas we have caring and concerned groups and individuals trying to find ways of increasing habitat for such animals as deer, moose and elk and at the same time demanding that predators be allowed to grow unchecked. It’s not an original statement to say that a habitat program is a waste of time without one that includes predator control.

With all of this said, I wonder what the future looks like for Great Smoky Mountain National Park? Time and money was spent in order to move the predator bears away from the elk herd. Officials say the bears returned but not until after the young elk had gotten bigger and better able to fend for themselves.

If the elk herd continues to grow, which is the intent of the park authorities, will it become a problem? Will there one day be too many elk? Too many bear? How long before more predator lovers will be insisting, like in Colorado, that the park will need to have wolves to make it “more natural”?

Only a matter of time.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

The trend is ongoing across America - too many deer in towns and cities everywhere. And the debate is what to do about it. So far city officials have tried just about everything including hiring sharpshooters and bow hunters. Earlier this month, I reported about one town in North Carolina that had resorted to using its police force to cull deer herds and questioned the practice. Now the city of Helena, Montana is considering the same thing.

According to KTVQ, Montana’s News Station, because the deer pose a public safety risk, officials feel justified in using the police department. The city manager claims the police are equipped with the right training.

City Manager Tim Burton says police not only have the training but also a command structure that would be important in carrying out a safe operation.

The city has indicated it wants to kill 50 mule deer and the city manager indicates how that might be done.

He says city officials are interested in using nets to confine animals, which then would be shot on public lands in town.

Is this necessary? I wonder if hunters got together and tried working with city officials everywhere to come up with an acceptable plan in which properly trained volunteer hunters could be used, if this would be a better way to deal with this issue? This isn’t an isolated problem. It’s everywhere.

Are there enough interested hunters who would be willing to do what’s necessary to meet an established set of training criteria so they could work closely with state wildlife and city officials and get this job done? Many hunters would enjoy the meat and it would certainly save lots of money while accomplishing the task at hand.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Is this right? South Smithfield, North Carolina is using their police force to cull deer in the town that are chewing up people’s landscape. Town Manager Pete Connet says he didn’t want “every Tom, Dick and Harry out there,” so he said he erred on the side of caution and told his police department to go get the job done.

The chief of police there says the operation is only costing the town $3,000 and that if the town hired professional sharpshooters to do the job, it would have been $100 per deer killed. What about hunters? Oh, yeah! I guess those must be the “every Tom, Dick and Harry”.

But isn’t it nice. Each cop assigned to kill the deer get to keep one deer each and the rest get passed on to feed the hungry.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We are at a point where it would be safe to say that this year’s outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) is quite widespread. Here’s a list of states that have confirmed cases of the virus that is carried to deer by biting midges or no-see-ums: Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey, Montana, Mississippi and Georgia. In addition, some states are waiting for test results to confirm what they already suspect - South Carolina is one such state.

To confirm the presence of the disease, blood and certain tissue has to be analyzed.

According to both the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and the Alabama Department of Conservation, dealing with EHD is quite routine. Charles Ruth, Deer/Turkey Project supervisor for the South Carolina DNR says flair-ups in that state seem to run in cycles of 3-5 years and there’s a reasonable explanation.

“This is probably related to the fact that once deer are exposed to the disease they are more resistant to it. Therefore, if you have disease one year the deer become exposed or inoculated to the disease and you do not see much disease activity until there is turnover in the deer population. After several years you are dealing with another cohort of deer and their systems are ‘naïve’ to the disease. The last time there was significant hemorrhagic disease activity in South Carolina was in 2002, therefore, disease activity could be relatively high this year.”

This theory is confirmed by a spokesman for the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

“We have some cases every year,” said Keith Guyse, a whitetail specialist with the Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division in the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. “In the Coastal Plain, the virus is there frequently enough that deer have been exposed to it and have some resistance to it.

Both representatives indicate that EHD in their respective states is pretty much routine only because of the build up of a certain degree of immunity. Therefore, these southern states don’t see wide outbreaks of the disease that often. When EHD hits the more northern climes, EHD seems to grab harder. Ruth explains.

Deer likely die in South Carolina each year from hemorrhagic disease, however, there is no indication that a major outbreak has occurred in the state since the mid 1970s. The disease is part of life for deer in the Southeast and fortunately it appears that Southern deer have acquired some immunity to the disease, said Ruth. Northern deer, on the other hand, are not exposed to the disease as frequently since the insect vector is not as common in cooler climates. For this reason, significant outbreaks and mortality from hemorrhagic disease are more likely in northern deer populations.

Guyse from Alabama makes reference to the same theory.

“Typically in North Alabama and above the fall line, they’re not exposed to it as often. So over a period of time you have a population that doesn’t have much resistance. When you have (outbreaks) up there, it tends to be more noticeable.”

This helps us understand why some states may have more severe outbreaks, killing larger numbers of deer, than others but why this year are outbreaks so widespread across the landscape of the country? Some have related it to the summer heat and drought. That may be true, I don’t know. It would be logical to assume that being that the virus is carried and spread by tiny midges or gnats, a larger than normal population of that insect would be directly proportional to the spread of the disease. Of course science isn’t that simplistic and we know that there are probably many more factors to consider or it could be just merely a coincidence.

However, Guyse from Alabama eludes to the theory of increased numbers of midges, somewhat.

“Auburn (researchers) had traps out to catch the flies and they might catch a few every once in a while, and then all of a sudden they catch hundreds,” Guyse said. “Much of that still is a mystery.”

Obviously, they don’t have a good handle on it either.

Hunters and others should be aware of the symptoms they may find on deer suffering from the disease.

Symptoms of hemorrhagic disease include poor physical condition, sloughing hooves, abrasions or sores on the brisket and legs, and ulcerations on the mouth, tongue, and rumen (stomach).

As I said earlier, verification of the disease has to be done in the lab.

If you see sick or dead deer in your travels, please report it to the appropriate authorities. It is highly recommended that nobody eats any of the meat from deer sickened by EHD.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

As most hunters are aware, several states are experiencing outbreaks of EHD (Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease). To date, states involved are, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, New Jersey and Montana. In those states, some are experiencing widespread outbreaks while others are sporadic. Either way, it appears that this year’s outbreak is one that could be classified as the most widespread in some years.

J.R. Absher, the Newshound, and I sent a couple emails back and forth this morning about what’s happening with EHD. In one of my emails, I asked J.R. if this was what he would consider a large outbreak from his years of experience in the field. What he told me was that in a previous article he mentioned that he had talked with a friend of his, Doug Markham, information officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, about this year’s outbreak.

My good friend Doug Markham, information officer for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, dropped me an email over the weekend saying it’s as bad as he’s ever seen it in his 20 years with the agency.

Some especially hard-hit areas of the Volunteer State could lose half their deer to EHD this year, Markham speculated.

One other thing that J.R. mentioned was that it seemed that the EHD outbreak was following a similar path as this summer’s drought. I’ll have to do some investigating to see if I can find out if that is a common occurrence.

In the meantime, we all need to be praying for some frost and freezes to kill this thing off.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

We can now add Montana to the growing list of states confirming outbreaks of epizootic hemorrhagic disease, EHD, or blue tongue. EHD is contracted by the bite of insects called “biting midges.” The virus usually kills the animals within five to 10 days. It is not spread by deer-to-deer contact and is rare in domestic cattle. States already having confirmed cases of EHD are: Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and New Jersey.

Montana officials have confirmed the presence of EHD in the southeastern part of the state.

So far “hundreds” of antelope and deer carcasses have been reported.

The heaviest concentration of the disease appears to be in the Melstone area east to Ingomar and Sumatra.

There really is not much that can be done about the disease. We just wait until the first good frost or freeze that will kill the midges that carry the virus.

In the meantime, troubles from dying deer in Pennsylvania are raising concerns about the possible contamination of drinking water supplies. In Beaver, Greene and Washington counties estimates are that over 1,000 deer carcasses are lying about rotting and stinking up the air. For some, there is concern that the decaying carcasses, many of which are lying in water, are contaminating the water supplies.

Russell Morgan is a Greene Township Supervisor and a farmer. He’s concerned about the water problems but is getting no help from the Pennsylvania Game Commission to get the carcasses cleaned up.

Already, Morgan said, he has confirmed 17 dead deer on and around his property. Township secretary Sandy Wright said one resident found 50 dead deer within a short distance of each other. Another resident reported finding 35 dead deer, Wright said.

Morgan said the game commission should at least help remove the remains from water sources. Instead, he was told removal of the deer is the responsibility of the homeowner,

“No one wants to take responsibility for what’s going on,” he said.

One of the side effects of the disease in deer causes the body temperature to rise, thus sending the deer to water to cool off. This is often where they expire.

Game Commission Supervisor Barry Zaffuto says it isn’t the responsibility of the PGC to take care of the dead animals and that the rotting deer are not contaminating the water.

“A deer is 100 percent natural,” he said. “This virus is not transferable, so it would be just like a deer that dies in the water naturally, because it does happen.”

The commission, he said, does not have the resources to search across a three-county area for deer and then remove them, especially when nature is taking care of that for them.

“That would just be totally impossible. What would we do with them?’ he said. “Deer decompose naturally and rapidly.”

Morgan isn’t buying Zaffuto’s explanation about deer being all natural and wouldn’t ruin the water. As a farmer, he is required by law to remove any of his livestock if it should dye in or near water. Under the watchful eye of the Department of Environmental Protection, he is made to clean up the carcass immediately because it will contaminate the water. Morgan wants to know what the difference is between a cow and a deer?

Morgan isn’t the only one concerned about the dying deer and how to clean up the mess. According to the PGC, it’s the landowners’ responsibility but this is angering citizens because of the double standards being exemplified in this video.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease or blue tongue is affecting whitetail deer herds in several states now. On the list are Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois and now New Jersey. There may be more.

Fred J. Aun of the Star-Ledger, in reporting about the discovery of the disease in New Jersey, describes EHD this way.

EHD is not uncommon and it’s not dangerous to humans. It is caused by the bite of certain midges and results in high fevers and hemorrhages in the mouths, noses and eyes of deer prior to death. Fish and Wildlife said deer usually expire within 10 days of getting EHD.

Vice President of Global Operations for Skinny Moose Media and U.S. Hunting Today, John Stabley, called Dr. Colleen O’Keefe, IDOA division manager of Food Safety and Animal Protection, in Illinois to ask her specific questions about the disease, its affect on deer and other animals as well as humans. You can read the entire interview at Stabley’s blog, Stabley Outdoors.

J.R. Absher, the Newshound, has been keeping his readers abreast of the locations and severity of the disease.

In the meantime, as we hunters head into the woods to do our scouting or for the start of any of hunting seasons, keep an eye open for the possibility of EHD being present in deer. If you encounter any cases you are encouraged to contact your fish and game department with the information.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Thanks to my good friend J.R. Absher, the “Newshound” at Outdoor Life for providing me the link I was looking for that confirms the presence of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease, also referred to as blue tongue, in the whitetail deer population.

Yesterday I reported that EHD had been confirmed in Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, Tennessee and Alabama. Today, Pennsylvania officials report 100 deer found dead in the southwestern part of the state was due also to EHD.

Here’s a bit more information about EHD from the Indiana DNR website.

The disease is transmitted by biting insects called midges. EHD is not transmitted to humans and is not normally found in domestic animals, which generally contract a related disease commonly called Blue Tongue instead.

EHD poses no danger to humans from handling, processing or eating the meat of an exposed animal. Hunters should take normal precautions handling all deer. As always, deer meat should be thoroughly cooked to kill any bacteria present.

This disease should not be confused with the unrelated brain disease in deer, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD), which has never been found in Indiana.

EHD causes severe, flulike symptoms, plus a high fever in deer, apparently causing those infected to seek open water to cool. Sick deer may lose their appetite, coordination and their fear of normal dangers. The animals become dehydrated and progressively weaker as the disease progresses, with mouth and eye tissue often showing a rosy or bluish color. A sick deer will be obvious to someone familiar with what a healthy deer looks like.

EHD is a common virus found in whitetail deer and will run its usual course until the first hard freeze, when insects that carry the disease will die off. It is not always fatal to the deer.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Epizootic hemorrhagic disease, also known as blue tongue is killing deer in parts of Eastern Tennessee as well as parts of Kentucky. I have also heard reports but haven’t been able to confirm yet that it is showing up in Southern Indiana. Officials say EHD has been confirmed in North Carolina, Virginia and Alabama.

The disease is carried by gnats or commonly called “no-seeums”. Once the deer is bitten and the virus spreads, it increases the body temperature of the deer often forcing them to water where they want to cool off. Deer do not always die from the disease. It is spread only by the bite of the gnats and cannot be spread from one deer to the next. Many deer survive the disease. Hunters can often tell if a deer has survived EHD by examining their hooves. If they find hooves broken at the ends or growing irregularly, it’s a pretty good indication the deer once suffered from EHD.

Although EHD is not contracted by humans, one biologist with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency says that any animal that looks sick he recommends not eating it.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

There’s a new report out from the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses and the North Carolina State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, that shows that 84% of North Carolina residents approve of hunting - 95% for fishing. That same report says that 83% believe that hunting and fishing are a necessary part of a scientific management program for wildlife.

These figures don’t surprise me any because I have seen similar figures before and have used them in arguments with those who toss in the face of hunters and fishermen that there are more of them than us. In their argument, they are right in that far fewer people buy hunting and fishing licenses than don’t but the bottom line has always been the public support for the activities and this, once again, proves that support is strong.

I believe that this report out of North Carolina is representative of probably every state in the Union.

Read more about this report here.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

There’s an enthusiastic group that has formed a brand new organization called the Appalachian Houndsmen Association. Even though they aspire to eventually become a nationwide entity, their focus right now is on Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. The club’s motto pretty much tells what’s on their mind.

Preserving the Houndsmen’s Heritage for the Next Generation in Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina.

If a lot of you are like me, when you read or hear the word hound, a whole array of mental images crop up in your head. I spent some time browsing around their new website in order to get a better idea of what the Houndsmen were all about. I found out it isn’t just coon dogs nor is it rabbit dogs or bear hunting dogs. It’s all about every kind of dog you can imagine that’s used in the varied hunting and outdoor sports including breeding of sporting dogs as well. Read what the website says about what they are all about.

The Appalachian Houndsmen Association is an association that was started on the basis of joining together all of our clubs from all the different hunting areas to be able to unite(sic) as one large voice to stand up and fight to protect our hunting and breeding rights. We want members from all types of dog hunting, coon hunters, big game hunters, beaglers, fox hunters and bird hunters. We need everyone to be able to make our voice heard. As our motto states “Preserving Our Hunting Heritage for the next Generation”, is a large and bold undertaking and this cannot be accomplished by one person or one club or one group of hunters. Together as a united group we can fight and be heard.

The reason for a united front comes because of the increased pressure from anti-hunting and animal rights groups. I see the AHA is taking action to speak up in support of what they do and the long time heritage associated with it. More and more people are learning as have the AHA that the only ones that are going to fight for what you believe in is you, so they are banding together.

One of the issues that AHA is involved in is support of a bill in South Carolina that would permit the use of dogs in hunting and training for bears. That bill is H3258. There has been opposition to this bill by some anti-hunting and animal rights groups and leaders of the AHA are encouraging its members to contact all the South Carolina representatives and Senate Wildlife Committee members.

There’s more to the Appalachian Houndsmen Association than just getting people together to fight for rights. Their website is soliciting much needed membership to help the cause. There’s also a busy schedule of events including a lot of shows and qualifying competitions and they have plans to start a youth moment within the organization called “PUPS“.

It is clear to me that this new group has a firm grasp and understanding of the importance of hunting as part of our American heritage. They want to work hard to guarantee that heritage to the next generation and they need your help. I would suggest that first you visit their website and learn more about them. There you will find contact information and how you can become a member and get involved. Don’t wait until it’s too late and above all else, don’t wait and let someone else do all the work. Get involved.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Dan at Moose Droppings has a story of how and why the bear in North Carolina are being moved again to protect the slowly growing elk herd. He’s got some great photos as well, as Dan is a decent amateur shutter bug.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

S79 is bill proposed in the North Carolina state senate that would eliminate bag limits on deer and lengthen the season by one week. Sen. Jerry Tillman introduced the bill because he says there are far too many deer in the Piedmont and Coastal regions. Presently, the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission can alter permit numbers and seasons in pretty much any way shape or form, including limiting any alterations to specific regions like the Piedmont and Coastal areas.

So the question has to be asked, why does there need to be a bill to do this and also why does the bill eliminate bag limits and extend the season statewide when only the Piedmont and Coastal areas have an overpopulation problem? Is this a case of one politician who thinks he can better manage the state’s wildlife than the wildlife biologists?

Read more about this bill here.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

I have spoke often of the dangers facing hunting, fishing and trapping from our progressive society - one that rationalizes everything from the perspective that values change therefore so should the rules that govern us. Where I come from that’s called the dumbing down of society. The Bible says that God is the “alpha and omega” the beginning and end, that in the beginning there was God and that he is and always has been. I don’t think God changes his values as circumstances arise.

I stepped into a dark canyon this morning when I tripped and stumbled over a website called “CommonDreams.org”, subtitled, “Breaking News and Views for the Progressive Community”. In particular, I found an article by Paul M. Howey called, “If We Won’t Ban Hunting, at Least Let Animals Have the Sabbath as a Day of Rest”.

This typifies the progressive approach toward life in these United States but in particular hunting. Here’s a few samplings from the article.

Let me make certain I’ve heard you correctly, Mark. You say you’re standing beneath the snow-kissed pine branches soaking in all the beauty of God’s creation, and you get the sudden urge to pull the trigger of your steel extension of masculinity and kill one of his magnificent creatures?

Then we find an example of how the progressives create their own spin to fit their rationalizations while accusing other of doing the same. A “do as I say not as I do” approach.

Members of the Fellowship of Christian Hunters and others, I found, rely on the Bible for moral justification of their “sport.” Granted, it is written in Genesis that, after deciding to make mankind, God said they should have “dominion” over all the animals he’d created. Are hunters possibly twisting Bible verses to justify their blood sport?

The answer lies in the word “dominion,” which means “supreme authority.’’ Some interpret it to mean man has the universal, God-given right to kill animals. But supreme authority should also carry with it the responsibility for compassion and stewardship for all living things. To do less, in my opinion, would be, well — unGodly. And then there is that “thou shalt not kill” thing, too.

I never met a progressive who “twisted Bible verses to justify” their sometimes immoral and decedent lifestyles.

And finally, here’s a mouthful. The writer finds more ways to get in punches than a healthy and youthful Mohammad Ali.

I understand the vast majority of hunters do not shoot (okay, there was that unfortunate incident of Vice President Cheney shooting his pal Harry Whittington in the face) their fellow human beings. Still, with so much violence in our society and in the world at large, would it not be prudent to embrace more compassion, not less, for the animals with whom we share the planet?

He lets his Bush/Cheney hatred come shining through, then falls into the “let’s scare the readers” tactic claiming “so much violence in our society”, followed by a few stanzas of “Kumbaya” to better visualize his Utopian ideals.

What bugs me the most about this work of fiction is that much of what he is saying is right and most hunters would mostly agree. He just has a warped perspective of hunters. Howey wants his readers to think that hunters hunt with “their extensions of masculinity” because they want to defy God and kill one of his “magnificent creatures. He questions hunting as a sport, he even refers to it as “blood sport” and tries to convince his readers that hunters aren’t conservationists and we don’t see any beauty when we go to the woods to hunt.

Howey also portrays a hunter as some evil monster because hunters don’t “play on a level playing field” - like what is it he wants? Are we to run the game down and bite the jugular to bleed out our kill?

The writer says hunting is “counterintuitive” and that “nature seeks its own balance and gets out of whack when man interferes”.

Mr. Howey’s perceptions of hunters is so far out of whack, I’m not sure what planet he is living on, or in his own words, “in what alternate universe have you parked your brain?”

Hunters aren’t as Howey describes them as no more than if I said all progressives were “nut jobs”. Hunters fully understand God’s gift and are conservationists. If we weren’t, people like Mr. Howey wouldn’t have much of what he enjoys to experience. If we were to let nature take its course, we should then sit back and let countless people die from disease and animal/human encounters. Sorry, Mr. Howey, that “let nature take its course” went out the window back when you built your “log cabin in the woods of Leicester, North Carolina, with his wife Trish, four dogs, and five parrots”.

Hunting isn’t for everyone and obviously not for Mr. Howey but please sir, if you’re going to spend your time putting down hunting at least tell the truth about hunters.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

Moose, of Moose Droppings, attended the District 3 wildlife meeting on Thursday. Read his report here.

Tom Remington

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!